The World War I roots of the modern Purple Heart medal

By Aaron Rosenthal
Staff Writer

George Washington's original Badge of Military Merit (inset center) and the modern Purple Heart Medal.Although there is little doubt that the Purple Heart is one of the most recognizable medals the US military offers to men and women in its service, the actual story of the decoration is often overlooked. “The Purple Heart is a medal awarded in the name of the President to any civilian or member of the Armed Forces United States who while serving under any capacity with one of the armed forces is wounded or killed.”¹

Today, around 1.9 million purple hearts have been awarded,² but many may be surprised to learn that although its conception began with George Washington himself, the Purple Heart in its current form can only be traced back to 1932, with a direct connection to the American military experience in World War I.³ In this article I will take a look at the story of the modern Purple Heart.

General George Washington was the first to conceptualize the Purple Heart, or as he called it, the Badge of Military Merit. This purple-colored heart-shaped badge was awarded to three soldiers in the Continental Army who showed exceptional merit on the battlefield.⁴ Sergeant Daniel Bissell received his for spying on British troops quartered in New York City and then returning to American lines with invaluable intelligence.⁵

Sergeant William Brown received his at the Battle of Yorktown, for leading his men, through British defenses with unloaded muskets and attacking their inner lines with nothing but bayonets. Finally Sergeant Elijah Churchill was awarded his for daring raids on the British held Fort George and Fort Slongo. However after the Revolutionary War, Washington’s Badge of Military Merit fell into disuse.⁶

Read more: The WWI roots of the modern Purple Heart medal

From the World War I Centennial News Podcast 

The Ambulance 

Our major theme for July 20th's WW1 Centennial News Podcast, Episode 82, was the Ambulance: the experience of Americans who drove one, its effect on battlefield medicine, and even the evolution of the word. In 100 Years Ago, host Theo Mayer provided essential background information on the American Field Service (AFS). Nicole Milano, an archivist and editor at the AFS, joined the show to discuss the vital contributions of that organization during the war. In addition, we combined Speaking WW1 and War Tech into one cohesive, ambulance-focused segment. The following is a transcript of 100 Years ago, the interview, Speaking WW1, and War Tech: 

100 Years Ago: The American Field Service with Theo Mayer and Nicole Milano

Theo Mayer: The scale of injury and physical trauma in World War I hit new heights, previously unimaginable in human history. In response, the treatment of the wounded and battlefield medicine were completely transformed. However, before you can treat a wounded warrior, you need to get them from the battlefield to the doctor, and that's the theme for this week's show. Our catchphrase is ambulance, and as you'll learn by the time the show's finished, the term itself has a history that predates vehicles. With that as a premise, we're going to jump into our centennial time machine and go back to the years just prior to World War I to see how a hospital in Paris was the foundation for how the wounded were transported from the battlefield in the war that changed the world...

We've landed in pre-war Paris. It's very popular for wealthier Americans, as well as aspiring artists, to come here. It's exciting, it's cultured, and it's naughty, all at the same time. The expatriate, or the American overseas community in Paris, is defined by the River Seine. On the Left Bank, you have the artists, musicians, philosophers, and writers. The Right Bank is inhabited by the Gilded Age upper class families like the Vanderbilts, Goulds, Morgans, Whitneys, and so on. These Americans want American doctors and American medical care as well, so they come together to establish and fund a hospital in Paris for themselves: L'hôpital Américain. The hospital is paid for entirely with private donations, much of it coming from the Right Bank families.Inspector General A. Piatt Andrew and Assistant Inspector General Stephen Galatti in front of a row of ambulances at 21 rue Raynouard, the location of the AFS headquarters in Paris, France. Photograph by H.C. Ellis. Individual contributions worth about $10 million build, staff, and supply the hospital, which opens to much excitement. Sterling Heilig of the Chicago Record-Herald describes it as, "The jewel of Paris, the most spic-and-span, luxurious, scientific, brand-new little hospital in Europe."

Okay-  back to history. Now it's August of 1914. A war breaks out because a radical kid assassinates the Crown Prince of Austria. Nobody thinks of it as a big deal at the time, but Germany decides to take the opportunity to roll through Belgium and push into France, expecting an easy military snap and grab of Belgium and France to expand their empire- because after all, that's how you expand empires. Well, in early September, the invasion gets to within 30 miles of Paris. That's when the French and the British muster up, counterattack, and stop the German advance at the First Battle of the Marne. It's a turning point that precedes the four years of global mayhem that will become known as World War I.

Read more: Podcast Article - The Ambulance

From the World War I Centennial News Podcast

Commission News:
Rebekah Wilson and the "Turning the Tide" Stamp

In July 27th’s WW1 Centennial News Podcast, Episode 82, former commission staffer and Director of Operations Rebekah Wilson came on the show to share the story behind our new commemorative stamp. The following is a transcript of the interview:     

Theo Mayer: This week in Commission news we're happy to announce a new Centennial commemorative collectible. Joining the U.S. Mint 1918 World War I Commemorative Silver Dollar, this week, the U.S. Postal Service issued the World War I "Turning the Tide" Stamp. It's a really great-looking piece, so anyone who's into snail mail, stamp collecting, or really wants a great commemorative collectible for kids or grandkids, head to the post office and snag a sheet or two of these awesome Forever Stamps. The new stamp was offered to the public in a First Day of Issue dedication ceremony hosted at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. The stamp features a soldier wearing a steel combat helmet. In his right hand, he holds the pole for the America flag that he's grasping in his left. In the background of the stamp, you can see smoke and barbed wires against the yellow rays of the sky. Two World War I biplanes fly over the battlefield. The illustration was created by artist Mark Stutzman, who's the same talent that created the renowned young Elvis stamp. According to the Postal Service, the World War I illustration was painted using an airbrush on illustrator board, a technique that evokes the propaganda posters used during World War I. It's a great look.

World War I Centennial Commissioner Debra Anderson was a guest speaker for the ceremony, and mentioned the effort to gain the support for the stamp. "We knocked on as many doors as we could, and wrote as many letters as we could to help the veterans to be remembered. We're thrilled that the Postal Service has chosen to provide them with this honor." As Commissioner Anderson points out, a stamp doesn't just happen. This grassroots campaign started at the fledgling U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, at their very first official meeting on October 29th, 2013, with a suggestion by Commissioner Jerry Hester. Joining us to tell us the story of this early initiative to get a commemorative World War I stamp is Rebekah Wilson, one of the original Commission staffers, and the former Director of Operations for the World War I Centennial Commission. Rebekah, welcome back for a chat. It's great to have you here. 

Rebekah Wilson: Nice to speak with you too. I'm glad to be back.

Read more: Podcast Article- Rebekah Wilson Interview

Centennial of the WWI combat death of American poet Joyce Kilmer

By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, United States World War One Centennial Commission

Beloved American poet Joyce Kilmer was killed 100 years ago on July 30, 1918, while fighting in France. Kilmer is best known for a poem entitled "Trees," published in a collection entitled Trees and Other Poems (1914). At the time of his death, Kilmer was considered to be one of the leading poets and lecturers of his generation.

Joyce Kilmer at Columbia University (left) and in uniform In France before his death.While a student at Columbia University, in New York, he was vice president of the Philolexian Society, was associate editor of Columbia Spectator, the campus newspaper, and was a member of the Debating Union. After graduating, he wrote book reviews for the New York Times, The Nation, and other publications and worked on the Funk & Wagnall's dictionary.

He married shortly after graduation and was the father of five children, one of whom had died shortly before he left for France.

Kilmer joined the Army soon after the U.S. declared war on Germany in April 1917, but he didn’t have to. At the age of 30 he was older than most, plus he was married with children. But he felt he needed to take part.

Kilmer was assigned to be a Sergeant with the Headquarters Company, 165th Infantry, a part of the U.S. Army's legendary 69th Division, from New York. This assignment suited him. Though he was eligible for commission as an officer -- and was often recommended for commission during the course of the war -- Kilmer refused, stating that he would rather be a sergeant in the Fighting 69th than an officer in any other regiment. As a famous poet and journalist, he also refused assignments that would have reduced his personal danger or given him an easier job in a rear area.

Read more: The Centennial of the combat death of American poet Joyce Kilmer

From the World War I Centennial News Podcast 

Photography in the Great War

In July 20th's WW1 Centennial News Podcast, Episode 81, we focused primarily on photography: its effect on the war, a modern curation project, and even an addition to our vernacular. Corine Reis, a French public historian, spoke with host Theo Mayer about her WW1 photography blog, Waldo Pierce Goes to War. Later in the show, we dug into the importance of photography to military operations and personal photography among soldiers in WW1 Tech, and examined the word "snapshot." The following is a transcript of the interview, followed by WW1 Tech and Speaking WW1:       

 Theo Mayer: This week for Spotlight on the Media, we're revisiting one of the most interesting, thoughtful, and well-curated collections of World War I imagery out there on the internet. The blog Waldo Pierce Goes to War is curated by French public historian Corine Reis. We first talked about her blog back in Episode 61. Katherine introduced me to it, and I was truly taken in by Corrine's sensibility, especially showing images that I'd never seen before. Corine, welcome to the podcast.
Corine Reis: Bonjour, thank you for inviting me.
Theo Mayer: Corine, you started your blog not to explore photography about World War I, but to follow Waldo Pierce, a well-known American painter and a really colorful character. Could you give our audience a quick introduction to Waldo? And please tell us why you decided to document his World War I journey.This image of American soldiers, taken in July 1918, is one of many featured on Corine Reis's WW1 blog.
Corine Reis: I was introduced to Waldo because he was my husband's uncle. The family stories about Waldo fascinated me, and I started exploring his life more deeply. I discovered an incredible character that you find only in novels, an artist, a warrior, a family man, a real life explorer. His bravery at the Battle of Verdun with the ambulance service won him the Croix de Guerre. Then he became an official artist for the American government while doing intelligence work. To me, his journey represents all that I love about America -courage, strength, generosity- and I wanted to share that with other people.
Theo Mayer: Waldo was a friend of Hemingway's, and both men were volunteer ambulance drivers. What do you think made these people volunteer, and what do you think they had in common that made them go to war before the country did?
Corine Reis: Waldo, Hemingway, and all these young volunteers were college-educated, they read the papers and were well-informed about the situation in Europe and the looming danger of German imperialism. They were all driven by the American spirit, which is to protect the land, freedom, justice, democracy. For them it was a no-brainer, they just had to do the right thing. Without hesitation, they left their sweet American life to stand up for Europe. They truly walked the walk.
Theo Mayer: Well, I completely agree with you, and it was a really powerful movement. I wanna move along a little bit and talk about your photographs from the period. What struck me particularly was how the images that you're finding and posting show everyday life in wartime from different perspectives. How do you find these photos?
Corine Reis: Because I work in both English and French, I'm able to access more resources. The most important component of successful research is using the right keyword, and being able to use those in both French and English ... La Contemporaine, the magnificent French library, digitized the photographic treasures from World War I that were buried and made them public, and the photos add important and moving context to the American diaries from that era.
Theo Mayer: Your blog is wonderful. What's the most challenging thing for you about the project?
Corine Reis: My main challenge is a lack of time. Indeed, writing about such an enormous war can be intense and time consuming. I wish I had more time to write about black soldiers, women, children, pets, food, and of course, the all-important pinard, which is French slang for wine.
Theo Mayer: Beautiful. Now, we have a wonderful audience and a lot of them also speak French. What would you like to say to our audience in your native tongue?
Corine Reis: Ce blog est ma facon de remercier l'Amerique venue sauver mon pays. Je dis vive l'Amerique and vive la France.
Theo Mayer: So for our English speaking audience, what did you just say?
Corine Reis: This blog is my way to express my gratitude to America, which came to my country's rescue. I say long live America, long live France.
Theo Mayer: Corine, thank you so much for joining us.
Corine Reis: Merci, thank you so much for your wonderful work. Au revoir.
Theo Mayer: Au revoir, Corine. Corine Reis is a French public historian and the curator for the Waldo Pierce Goes to War blog. If you have any questions for Corine, you can tweet to us @theww1podcast, or follow the link in the podcast notes. We're gonna publish a few select images from Corine's collection on our Twitter channel @theww1podcast, so if you don't follow it yet, sign up. A lot of our stories have wonderful visual components to them, and that's where you'll find them.

 Link:

https://waldopeircegoestowar.tumblr.com/ 

WW1 Tech: 

Photography and the war had major influences on each other. In 1914, as the Germans streamed through Belgium towards France, pilots had seen the columns of invaders from the air. Now, they made estimations on the number of invaders, but the commanders just didn't believe that you could make such an accurate assessment from the sky. But soon after, the planes were outfitted with cameras and aerial reconnaissance grew into a major part of combat and strategy. The combination of these two relatively new technologies, the airplane and the camera, provided field commanders with a comprehensive map of the enemy positions and movements,A British pilot shows off his camera as field dark room technicians started to stitch together dozens of images into comprehensive area maps. Now, there was a pattern here. Reconnaissance overflights preceded artillery bombardments, and artillery bombardments preceded ground offensives, a pattern that the soldiers began to recognize. And if you think about it, even though fighter plane aces were the noted, notorious knights of the sky, famed for engaging in dogfights, much of the time their actual job was protecting the recon planes. And in fact, those pilots and the specialized units that made sense of their photos probably had a greater impact on the war. On the ground, official war photographs and films were made by all sides. U.S. Signal CorpsA US Signal Corps camera man, France, April 1918 motion and still picture cameramen were assigned to every division and outfit of the American military, as well as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. These cameramen produced nearly 600,000 feet of film abroad, and in the United States the Signal Corps shot another 277,000 feet of film. The US Signal Corps documented an American war in an unprecedented fashion, preserving countless motion and still images for posterity; a huge boon to the Centennial as the Library of Congress has added troves of great digitized images and films to the publicly available resource. But the Signal Corps cameramen weren't the only ones on the ground with cameras. World War I started just after the introduction of a world-changing new camera, the vest pocket Kodak, or VPK.The VPK, a camera beloved by soldiers in the First World War By 1914, war photography had actually been around for over a half a century. However, due to the tech limitations of the camera gear, pictures of war were mostly staged. According to military historian Joe Cooksy, 19th century war photographers were hampered by wet clay technology, with unwieldy cameras that needed long exposure times. This was not exactly ideal for capturing the chaos of war. But the 1912 Kodak Vest Pocket camera was small enough to carry, and anyone could take a picture. It quickly exploded in popularity, and reached the Front in 1914 with the first wave of British soldiers. Commanders were far from thrilled about this, as they wanted to control the public's vision of the war. After friendly images of Brits and Germans surfaced following the Christmas Truce of 1914, the British government banned portable cameras. Of course, this move didn't work. In contrast, the German authorities were fairly tolerant of personal photography in their ranks. In the US, the Kodak Company marketed the VPK specifically to soldiers, who brought them to France in droves. According to a Kodak advertising poster, the camera helped the soldier create, "History from their viewpoint." Now, this isn't just effective marketing, but a poignant statement regarding the significance of personal photography in wartime. So thanks to this new piece of photographic technology, soldiers, nurses, and civilians alike produced a massive collection of personal images, and were able to share their experience with us about the war that changed the world. Imaging and photography, this week's focus for World War I War Tech.

 Links: 

https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/aerial-photography-first-world-war/
https://www.wired.com/2014/08/wwi-photos/
http://dronecenter.bard.edu/wwi-photography/
https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/photos-world-war-i-images-museums-battle-great-war/  
https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/the-vest-pocket-kodak-was-the-soldiers-camera/
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/photography
https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/interviews/vest-pocket-kodak-book-107481
https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2017/03/16/shooting-world-war-i-the-history-of-the-army-signal-corps-cameramen-1917-1918/
https://rememberingwwi.villanova.edu/photography/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/inside-first-world-war/part-eight/10742060/aerial-photography-world-war-one.html
http://ww1centenary.oucs.ox.ac.uk/memoryofwar/staged-photography-and-photography-as-a-stage/
https://www.theatlantic.com/projects/world-war-i-in-photos/

Speaking WW1:

We're going to stay with our photo kick and reprise a word we featured in Episode 46: snapshot. Now, Americans have been known for their shooting prowess since the colonial and pioneer days. And in World War I, they continued to display their sharp shooting skills in the trenches. But shooting from a trench in war was quite different from shooting back home. Lifting your head up while taking careful aim at a target could get you killed, so when you went to fire, speed was key. Snapping up over the parapet, aim, fire, and drop became the standard procedure, which came to be known as the snapshot.British troops in a trench, 1915. Personal cameras, such as the Vest Pocket Kodak, made candid 'snapshots' such as this one possible. The word snapshot had been used to describe a quick shot from a firearm during the 1800s, but came into much more frequent use during World War I. Around the same time, the word was then borrowed for another activity. As we mentioned in this week's World War I War Tech, this was the dawn of the portable camera era. Pop up a camera, aim, and fire, you've just taken a snapshot. A game emerged called "snap-shooting": a photographic version of tag where you tried to escape while someone chased you with a camera, trying to catch you on film. It was essentially a photographic version of hunting. Snapshot, see the podcast notes to learn more.

 Links

https://www.amazon.com/Tommy-Doughboy-Fritz-Soldier-Slang/dp/144563
7839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508848013&sr=8-1&keywords=tommy+doughboy+fritz
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/photography
https://books.google.com/books?id=e1uOAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=snapshot+word+origin&source=bl&ots=lbRMBtv72g&sig=0z6RxsEwfHGJrS79B1ivAL5GoKI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjs3Nijnr7XAhWH0iYKHcyvC-M4ChDoAQgoMAA#v=onepage&q=snapshot%20word%20origin&f=false

From the World War I Centennial News Podcast 

Update from the States: An Interview with the Delta Cultural Center's Drew Ulrich

In July 20th's WW1 Centennial News Podcast, Episode 81, Drew Ulrich, the curator of the Delta Cultural Center in Arkansas, spoke with host Theo Mayer about a new exhibit honoring Delta region residents who served in the Great War. The following is a transcript of the interview:     

 Theo Mayer: For our updates from the States, we're headed to the wonder state, Arkansas. There, a new exhibit opens for the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas: Over Here and There, The Sons and Daughters of Arkansas' Delta at War, honoring the men and women of the Delta area who served in World War I. With us to tell us more about the exhibit and the World War I legacy in the Delta region of Arkansas is Drew Ulrich, the curator of the Delta Cultural Center, a state museum with a mission to preserve and present the rich and varied cultural history of Eastern Arkansas. Welcome, Drew.
Drew Ulrich: Thank you so much, Theo.
Theo Mayer: Great to have you. Drew, can you help us understand exactly what the Arkansas Delta is?Drew Ulrich is Exhibit Curator at the Delta Cultural Center
Drew Ulrich: Basically, what defines the Delta is the reach of the Mississippi's tributaries, large and small, into the state. So you should imagine the eastern third of the state. It's comprised of about 27 counties.
Theo Mayer: Now, tell us about the Delta 100 years ago. What was it like? And tell us about the wartime service of the men and women from there.
Drew Ulrich: Well, predictably, the main economic sectors were lumber and agriculture. It was an incredibly rural landscape. The few cities in the area were Helena, Jonesboro, and Pine Bluff. A lot of lumber mills existed in those towns, and they turned out a lot of wood that would become rifle stocks for the Army and Marine Corps. There was a very enthusiastic response to the declaration of war and to enlistment. And the first officer wounded in the war was actually a Delta man from Lonoke County, Lieutenant Heber McLaughlin.
Theo Mayer: Drew, if I come to the exhibit, what am I gonna see? The counties that make up the Arkansas Delta region
Drew Ulrich: Our exhibit, Over Here and There, illustrates through texts, images, and artifacts, the advent of American involvement in the war, and the impressive contribution of the people of Arkansas in the Delta region. The exhibit underscores the men who served as soldiers, Marines, and sailors, and the women who enlisted as military nurses and clerks, both stateside and overseas. The enterprise begins with a synopsis of local communities embracing the declaration of war, and then it reflects on how recruitment and enlistment unfolded locally, especially the implementation of the draft instituted by the Selective Service Act. Excerpts of letters sent home from servicemen of the Delta region are featured throughout most of the sections, describing veterans' experiences. The succeeding sections discuss the adjustment of Arkansas soldiers to fighting on the front in France, followed by the finale of combat and reaction to the armistice, and the journey back to Eastern Arkansas. The final section addresses commemorations of the war and its significance today, featuring contemporary images of memorials erected throughout the region to honor local veterans. The section also recalls the turmoil veterans and residents experienced alike in the war's aftermath, including economic depression, unemployment, the new deadly enemy of the Spanish flu, as well as extreme racial violence. And finally, to further distinguish veterans' different and similar experiences during the war, I profiled three vets from the region and their individual stories so that a visitor can follow them through the exhibition: a US Army nurse, Suzy Almer, who led nursing staff at Camp Pike, private first class Herman Davis, a soldier whom Pershing identified as,"the fourth most indispensable soldier in the American Expeditionary Force," and finally, Private Frank Moore, an African-American farmer drafted late in the war, who after his discharge, found himself embroiled in hostilities at Elaine.
Theo Mayer: Well, it's pretty darn comprehensive, I have to say. I think you left no stone unturned from pre-declaration through post-war trauma.Delta Cultural Center visitor center, located in downtown Helena, is the home of Over Here and There
Drew Ulrich: I did my very, very best.
Theo Mayer: How's the reception been? What kind of audiences are you getting?
Drew Ulrich: Well, we had a wonderful grand opening in early May, in which Senator Boozman's military liaison gave remarks and I introduced the exhibit. And the reception's been very upbeat and positive, and I'm really excited to get more and more traffic as time elapses. It's going to be up until February next year.
Theo Mayer: Perfect. Well, Drew, thank you so much for coming in and telling us about it.
Drew Ulrich: Oh, yes, yes, I'm glad to share it, and I appreciate this chance to talk to you about it.
Theo Mayer: Drew Ulrich is the exhibit curator at the Delta Cultural Center. Learn more about their exhibit, Over Here and There, by following the links in the podcast notes.

Podcast Notes and links

 http://www.deltaculturalcenter.com/exhibits/over-here-and-there 

United States World War I Centennial Commission Commissioner Debra Anderson, appointed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, speaks at podium during the USPS First-Day-of Issue ceremony for the World War I stamp at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, MO last week.

Centennial Commission helps roll out USPS stamp honoring America's WWII Veterans

By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, United States World War One Centennial Commission

WASHINGTON, DC — A tiny grass-roots campaign that started, in part, with the fledgling U.S. World War I Centennial Commission in 2013, has finally brought the rollout of a new U.S. Postal Service stamp to honor America's World War I veterans. 

USPS's new "WWI: Turning the Tide" Forever StampThe new stamp, named by the U.S. Postal Service as "The WWI: Turning the Tide Forever Stamp", was offered to the public in a first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony hosted at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, MO. 

Dr. Matthew Naylor, CEO of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, welcomed guests during the public ceremony and applauded the Postal Service's new stamp. "This is a fitting tribute, because it helps to tell a more complete World War I story. It was created in honor of the sacrifices of countless Americans—including those millions of supporters on the home front."

In addition to his role at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, Dr. Naylor is also a Commissioner with the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission. Fellow Commissioner Debra Anderson, VFW Quartermaster, provided remarks for the attendees about the stamp's origins.

Commissioner Anderson discussed the original effort to gain support for the stamp. "We were proud to help the effort. We knocked on as many doors as we could, and wrote as many letters as we could, to help these veterans to be remembered. We are thrilled that the Postal Service has chosen to provide them with this honor". 

U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) agreed. He was an early supporter of the effort, and provided critical help and sponsorship. “I am grateful that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has chosen to honor our World War I veterans in such a way that will forever be marked in history. The USPS has a history of memorializing significant historical events, and now we can add the World War I stamp to its impressive collection. Each time we look upon this stamp, it will be a reminder of those who served and gave so much during World War I. My thanks to Congressmen Ted Poe (R-TX), and Congressman Doug Lamborn (R-CO) and the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, who worked with me to cultivate this historic moment.” 

Rep. Lamborn, Rep. Poe, and Rep. Cleaver, have been champions for the Centennial Commission, and for other efforts to remember the American men and women who served in World War I.  

Read more: Centennial Commission helps roll out USPS stamp honoring America's WWII Veterans

National Womans Party Protests Outside White House During World War I

Suffragettes Walking Tour offered in DC by National Women’s History Museum 

By Miranda Halpin
Staff Writer

The history of Women's Rights in America, and of World War I are directly linked.

Now, to help tell that story, there is a new hidden treasure for those who live near Washington DC or for those visiting: a walking tour presented by The National Women’s History Museum is now occurring every other week on Friday and once a month on Saturday.

The tour begins at the Ulysses S. Grant memorial on the national mall and ends just in front of the White House, in between over three hundred years of history in the making. The tour makes stops by the Newsuem, temperance water fountain, and even Pershing Park, the location of the upcoming World War One memorial!

Follow the footsteps of suffragettes Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, and so many others as the guide recounts their war time efforts to win the vote. The tour features content for children and adults, they also have alternative walking routes for handicapped individuals who rely on their service dog. Here are some photos from the last tour, which happened Friday the 13.

Some of the highlights included the Trump Hotel, which could be seen in the original 1913 suffragette parade as the post office, which still runs via the park service for those who wish to climb the tower. The original temperance fountain put in by the Christian Temperance movement. The treasury building, which is where the parade would have ended in 1913, along with the original photos of her stand-ins in which she was dressed as Columbia.

Read more: Suffragettes Walking Tour being offered in DC by the National Women’s History Museum

Hollywood and World War I

Story of a Successful Trouble Maker: Humphrey Bogart

By Aaron Rosenthal
Staff Writer

Young Humphrey Bogart in his sailors uniform during his service in World War I. Photo: the-rear-view-mirror.com "Humphrey Bogart, The Man, The Legend, The Falcon."Humphrey Bogart was born to a wealthy family, and thus throughout his childhood and adolescence only ever attended private schools for America’s most elite. Young Humphrey was a terrible student and was uninterested in applying himself in school or in extra-curricular activities.

Even so, through his family’s good connections, he was bound for Yale University as he approached the end of his high school career.¹

Unfortunately for his parents, Bogart had grown to detest elitism, and had become quite the rebel rouser in his teens. It is commonly reported that Bogart would both smoke and drink on campus regularly, and he would eventually be expelled from his school in his senior year, allegedly for throwing his head master into a pond on campus. This action lost him his opportunity to attend any college, let alone Yale, and led to the optionless Humphrey Bogart to join the US Navy in 1918.²

Humphrey Bogart served on the USS Leviathan, formerly the SS Vaterland, which was a German ocean liner until it was seized and renamed by the US Navy in April of 1917.² Aboard this ship, by most accounts Bogart was an exemplary sailor. This was quite a distinction from how he was described as a student and spent his military career ferrying US soldiers and German Prisoners of War, POWs, to and from Europe.³

As a famous actor, Bogart was iconic for the scar on his lip and his subsequent lisp, the origin of which has developed some lore to it. There are two stories that are particularly popular, the first of which was that his ship was shelled by German coastal artillery, and his lip was hit by flying shrapnel.⁴ The second goes as such, that while transporting German POWs to the United States for incarceration, he was the victim of a prisoner’s attempted escape, and was apparently struck in the mouth with the prisoner’s handcuffs.⁵

A final and third story, that seems most likely, although less interesting, is that the scar was the result of a childhood injury and the previously mentioned stories were fabricated by the Hollywood studios to help build the actor’s image as a tough guy, a persona he often portrayed in his films.⁶

Read more: Hollywood and WWI -- Humphrey Bogart

Dedication of the Joseph Oklahombi World War I Code Talker Bridge in McCurtain County, Oklahoma.

Twenty-three Oklahoma bridges being renamed to honor Choctaw WWI and WWII heroes 

via the ChoctawNation.com web site

The Choctaw Nation made history earlier this year with the dedication of the Joseph Oklahombi World War I Code Talker Bridge in McCurtain County, Oklahoma.

Choctaw Code Talker Joseph OklahombiThe dedication is the first of 23 bridges being named after the 19 Choctaw Code Talkers from World War I and four from World War II, by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (DOT).

This is the biggest bridge undertaking in the history of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation,” said Nuchi Nashoba, president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association.

For two years the association has worked closely with ODOT, the Oklahoma Legislature and the Choctaw Nation to complete this effort to honor those American soldiers who changed the course of the wars by using their Native language to communicate on the front lines. Choctaws were the first to use their spoken words over radio in combat in World War I.

“This is to keep our history alive and to remind people of the sacrifices they made for our freedom,” said Chief Gary Batton.

The ceremony got underway Thursday morning at the Choctaw Nation Community Center in Wright City. An estimated 300 people were in attendance, including descendants of the heroic veterans. Immediately after the ceremony at the center, a caravan of vehicles traveled to a sign unveiling at Horse Head Creek. The bridge location is where State Highway 98 crosses over the creek, 1.4 miles east of Wright City.

Among those attending the event were the Choctaw Tribal Council, tribal members, local city and county and state officials.

Both Chief Batton and Nashoba, who has recently read a portion of Dr. William C. Meadows’ 435-page manuscript documenting the Choctaw Code Talkers, took note of a story about Oklahombi. 

Read more: First of twenty-three bridges dedicated to honor Choctaw WWI and WWII heroes