WW1 Centennial News

• Then: The American Red Cross - Part 2 |@ 01:00

And more…  ----more----

Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 News NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

Today is August 9th, 2017 and this week we’re joined by

• The Storyteller and the Historian, Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten  -

WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host.

Prelude

In Episode #26 we told you the story of how the American Red Cross was nearly instantly transformed by the US entry into the war. In that one week in late July, 100 years ago - the US government, uses its propaganda machine and raises well over $100 million dollars on behalf of the Red Cross. Then they technically install their man, Henry P. Davidson as the organization’s overseer through a War Council, and finally they announce that Red Cross personnel will wear uniforms when in the war theater.

It’s a bit over a month later and time for an update on this iconic humanitarian organization that was not born, but forged by the war that changed the world.

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We have gone back in time 100 year and It’s the week of August 5th, 1917.

From the headlines and pages of the Official Bulletin - the government’s war gazette published by order of President Wilson by George Creel, America’s Propaganda Chief - we now explore the next chapter in the story of the Red Cross. This week the story is not about transformation - but preparation as the Red Cross prepares to take on new challenges!

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Dateline: Tuesday August 7, 1917

Headline: RED CROSS TO SHIP 50,000 POUNDS ETHER T0 FRANCE

The story reads:

‘In response to an urgent cablegram -  the Red Cross is planning to ship 100,000 one-half pound tins of ether to France.

Also, because of the shortage of anesthetics in France, the Red Cross War Council, has also authorized the establishment, as soon as practicable, a central plant to manufacture nitrous oxygen, or “laughing gas,” one of the

most effective and harmless of anesthetics for short operations.

American machinery will be shipped to France for this purpose, and American operatives will be sent over to conduct the plant.

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Headline: RED CROSS CREATES SANITARY SERVICE BUREAU TO HELP MAKE ARMY CANTONMENTS HEALTHFUL.

In this story, the Red Cross prepares for what is probably the biggest instant human migration in the country’s history as tens of thousands of young men from across the land are gathered in rapidly built military training camps.

The story reads: Following its policy of caring for the health of not only of the soldiers and sailors of the United States, but that of the civil population, the American Red Cross has established a bureau of sanitary service, which will supplement and assist Federal, State, and local health authorities in meeting sanitary emergencies created by the war effort.

The work of the bureau will center in the civilian areas surrounding Army cantonments.

While sanitary control of National Army cantonments, National Guard camps, and naval bases will be exercised by the military authorities,

the districts immediately adjoining these camps will be under no such jurisdiction. Yet the assembling of large bodies of troops from around the nation will create new sanitary condition challenges which must be met to safeguard the health of civilians and soldiers alike.

And in a detail follow up to the announcement of uniforms and ranks for American Red Cross personnel - the government now provides details

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Headline: Army Rank Assigned to the American Red Cross Workers, The Insignia to Be Worn and Restrictions to Be Placed Upon Them

In this article we learn about the ranks and insignias that will be assigned to Red Cross personnel.

Examples include a Red Cross Director who is the equivalent of a military Major and who will wear the Greek Cross in red enamel on cap, hat or helmet. Or a Red Cross Secretary - the equivalent of a Sergeant Major will wear the Greek Cross in red enamel on both sides of the collar of coat or shirt.

The article also specifies:

To avoid the presence in European theaters of war of persons who may not be acceptable to the authorities of any foreign Government or in whose loyalty there may not be placed undoubted confidence by the Government of the United States as well as of such Governments, the name, residence, and former employment of each member of the American National Red Cross below grade 7 - will be furnished to The Adjutant General of the Army for transmission to the Chief, War College Division of the General Staff Corps with, similar information furnished to the commanding general, United States forces in France.

And in a final story this week to - to clarify that members of the Red Cross are NOT US military personnel…

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Headline: RED CROSS T0 TREAT ENEMY WOUNDED AS KINDLY AS FRIENDS

The story reads:

Many questions have arisen as to the attitude of the American Red Cross toward Germans wounded on the battle field and also toward Americans of German origin affiliating themselves with Red Cross hospital units going abroad.

To make clear the attitude of the Red Cross, Henry P. Davison, chairman of the war council, authorizes the following statement:

“When war was declared between the United States and Germany the neutrality of the American Red Cross, of course, ended automatically. The American Red Cross can cooperate only behind the lines of the armies of the United States and its allies.

But the Red Cross knows no such thing as the nationality of a wounded man. Any wounded enemy turned over to the care of the American Red Cross will receive as kindly treatment as any friend.

The Red Cross will not only extend every aid and comfort to the armies of

America and its allies, but it will assist in every possible way the sick, wounded, and afflicted among the civilian populations among our allied countries. This is in conformity with the practice of the Red Cross Society in every country.

And that is the update on the American Red Cross 100 years ago this week.

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still from the pages of the Official Bulletin comes a lead in to the next section of our program.

Dateline: Saturday August 11, 1917

This simple one paragraph notice reads:

The President yesterday afternoon formally announced the appointment of

Herbert C. Hoover as Food Administrator for the United States.

Herbert Hoover and US Food Admin

http://today-in-wwi.tumblr.com/post/163628796233/herbert-hoover-to-head-us-food-administration

Which is the perfect lead in to our intrepid duo - the storyteller and the historian - Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten. Today they’re going to explore the Administration and Herbert Hoover’s take over of food US production.

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Thank you gentlemen! That was - the StoryTeller - Richard Rubin and The Historian - Jonathan Bratten

The Storyteller and the Historian is now a full hour long monthly podcast. Look for them on iTunes and libsyn or follow the link in the podcast notes.

Link: http://storytellerandhistorian.libsyn.com

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Next we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog.

Today Mike’s post looks at the murky origins of an iconic World War One symbol  - the doughboy!

Welcome Mike

LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/08/06/whence-the-name-doughboy/

Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog.

For videos about WW1, we invite you to check out the Great War Channel on Youtube -  they offer great videos about great war from a more European perspective..

This week’s new episodes include:

The Battle of Passchendaele and Mutiny in the German Navy

Recap of our Trip to England

The Baltic states in WW1

Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube.

Link:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar

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We have moved forward into the present with  WW1 Centennial News NOW  - News about the centennial and the commemoration.

For this week’s  "Commission News" segment we decided to... flip a coin

[coin roll sound effect]

There is a US mint - World War I commemorative coin project that we want to tell you about.

In 2014, the United States  Congress authorized the US Mint to develop and produce a World War One commemorative coin as a part of the Centennial Commemoration.

It’s been fascinating to watch the process, because it takes a really long time! The project was authorized by congress in 2014. Then in 2016, the US mint held a design competition and collected ideas. This year in 2017,  we will be able to announce the final design and the availability of the coin which will be early in 2018.

This US mint issued coin is an ideal collectible keepsake of the centennial for anyone who served, anyone who had a family member in WWI, certainly a “must have” for anyone who has been involved in this centennial commemoration - and of course anyone who listens to this podcast!!!! -   or anyone,  who wants to honor and remember those men and women who gave so much for our freedom 100 years ago.

There are other WWI commemorative coins out there, like the beautiful Pritzker Military Museum and Library commemorative coin, our own remembrance coin in our official merchandise shop and others.. But the official US Mint commemorative coin is a genuine numismatic collectible and most important - the proceeds go directly toward the building America’s WWI Memorial in Washington DC….

Think of it as the OFFICIAL “official” US keepsakes for the centennial of the war that changed the world!

Today - we’d like to introduce a new segment called “Speaking World War 1 - Where we  explore today’s words & phrases that are rooted in Then.

Today’s  word  is “slacker”, common today to describe a lazy, unmotivated, flakey individual.

It first started being used in during the World War 1 era to describe someone who was not participating in the war effort, especially someone who avoided military service. Essentially - a slacker was a draft dodger. Citizens would even organize coordinated attempts to track down these evaders, an event called a “slacker raid”. A San Francisco Chronicle headline on September 7, 1918, read: "Slacker is Doused in Barrel of Paint"

Learn more about the term by following the links in the podcast notes

link:http://www.trademarkandcopyrightlawblog.com/2014/06/when-slacker-was-a-dirty-word-defamation-and-draft-dodging-during-world-war-i/

https://www.nypl.org/blog/2014/10/07/spies-among-us-wwi-apl

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Portland Maine

In Activities and Events we are going to profile 2 events -  selected from the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events where we are compiling and recording WW1 Commemoration events from around the country- not just from major metros and museums but also local events from the heart of the country- showing how the WW1 Centennial Commemoration is playing out all over..

Our local event from Portland Maine is at the Osher Map Library. They have an exhibit on view through October 2017 called “To Conquer or Submit? America Views the Great War”.

The exhibit explores the world of propagandistic maps and printed images that Americans relied on to understand World War I. The display goes beyond the propaganda posters to include a range of informative  propaganda, maps, and atlases. The show was curated  from the collections of the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education.

The link in the podcast notes leads to more information about this great local event.

link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/component/jevents/eventdetail/32936/to-conquer-or-submit-america-views-the-great-war.html?Itemid=1090&filter_reset=1

http://www.oshermaps.org/exhibitions/great-war

Los Angeles

For our major metro event, we want to profile a recent lecture at the Hollywood American Legion, Post 43 in Los Angeles, California.

R.G. Head, a decorated War hero, aviator, scholar, author and public speaker, shared the story of one of World War I’s most Important Aviators: German aviator Oswald Boelcke.

read more about event and RG Head by following the links in the podcast notes.

link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/47009/the-great-war-in-the-sky-oswald-boelcke-air-combat.html

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/1181-timeline-of-wwi-aviation-history-demo.htm#about-rg-head-curator

https://www.facebook.com/rg.head/

RG is also the curator of our own Great War In The Sky timeline and will be joining us here on WW1 Centennial News next week for an update retrospection of the War in The Sky over the past 6 months.

If you are involved with any WW1 centennial events, you are invited to submit them to the National WW1 Centennial Events Register. This not only promotes them to the WW1 community of interest, but also puts them into the permanent national US archival record of the centennial. Go to ww1cc.org/events. Click the big red button and fill out the form.

link:http://ww1cc.org/events

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Neil Urban  - Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A. Monument in Arizona’s Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza

Every week we are going to profile one of the many amazing projects that are participating in our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials national matching grant challenge. Last week we profiled Mobile, Alabama.. This week we are heading to Phoenix, Arizona to the Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A. Monument in Arizona’s Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza. This specific project is unique in program in that the memorial is in the states capital plaza where they have their Capital Museum, their State Library, a whole veteran’s plaza - and the project is being supported by a state department.

To tell us about it, we’re joined by Neil Urban, Capital Planner for the Arizona Department of Administration. Welcome Neil!

[exchange greetings]

[Neil - So Niel - you work for the State of Arizona - tell us a little bit about what you do and how you became involved with this memorial restoration?]

[Neil - in reading a lot of the grant applications - one thing has popped out for me and that is that for each one of these memorial restoration projects  - someone’s personal passion is a key driving force. Is this more than just another job assignment for you?]

[in reading through your grant application, it almost seems like the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials initiative combined AND your passion seem to have triggered a state-wide review of your WW1 memorials. Is that true?]

That was Neil Urban on the Veterans of World War I of the U.S.A. Monument in Phoenix Arizona.

We will continue to profile the submitting teams and their projects on the show over the coming months. Learn more about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes.

Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials

Interview with Catriona Oliphant and Professor Sir Hew Strachan on “Enter The Peace Broker” by Martyn Wade

This week we are combining our Spotlight in the Media and International report segments by introducing you to a new WWI radio docudrama from the UK.

The headline in the UK Daily Mail article reads:

America's forgotten heroes: 100 years ago, the U.S. finally agreed to send soldiers to join the Allies in the trenches and help turn the course of WWI. So why, asks a top historian, is their awesome bravery barely remembered today?

[CLIP]

“Enter The Peace Broker” by Martyn Wade, was produced by ChromeRadio as a new five part podcast docudrama that uses first-hand accounts — diaries, correspondence and contemporary coverage — to highlight the events leading up to America’s entry into World War I.

With us today are Noted WWI historian Sir Hew Strachan (STRAWN) Professor of International Relations at the University of St Andrews and a member of the UK’s National Committee for the Centenary of the First World War,

And Catriona Oliphant (KATRINA)  founding director of ChromeRadio, an independent audio production company.

Welcome to the both of you.

[exchange greetings]

[Catriona - Let me start with you… how did this project come about?

Sir Hew - you are considered by many as the leading WWI historian - how did you get involved in the project?]

[To both of you - as a listener to the series - what should I expect my experience to be?]

That was Catriona Oliphant and Sir Hew Strachan about the new podcast Docudrama: Enter The Peace Broker.

To listen to all the episodes of the Enter the Peace Broker, visit audioboom.com and search for ‘Enter The Peace Broker’.

It’s also available on iTunes and other major podcast platforms. Sir Hew’s recent Radio 3 Essay series, The Long Road To Peace, can be heard at bbc.co.uk/radio (search for ‘The Long Road To Peace’).

We have links for you in the podcast notes.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4471352/America-s-forgotten-heroes-World-War.html#ixzz4pGldLi4J

link:http://www.chromemedia.co.uk/when-the-peace-broker-went-to-war/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4471352/America-s-forgotten-heroes-World-War.html

https://audioboom.com/playlists/4606055-enter-the-peace-broker-by-martyn-wade-episodes-1-5

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08kyp1r

It is time for our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org -

In the Official Bulletin this week 100 years ago, an article on August 9th reads “Mobilization of men for new national army to begin September 1st”.

The great trans-continental shuffling of soldiers to training camps has begun.

The centennial of this massive mobilization is being commemorated now. Three articles on the Commission website came out this week all profiling different aspects of this milestone moment.

“The National Guard's defining role in WWI”

We will start with the overview article: “The National Guard's defining role in WWI”  This is a great crash course about the National Guard mobilization and their transformation from traditionally local militias into a cohesive national military force as it gets drafted into the US Army on August 5th, 1917.

“Honoring World War I's finest: The Rainbow Division”

“Honoring World War I's finest: The Rainbow Division” outlines a commemoration and rededication to take place on August 12, 2017 marking the 100th anniversary of the activation of the 42nd New York division. It is called the rainbow division because the 42nd was created from National Guard units from 26 different states and the District of Columbia. A young Douglas MacArthur, who continued to play a major military role through the second world war -  was the 42nd Division’s Chief of Staff and said that this diverse unit would "Stretch over the whole country like a rainbow."

“Remembering the Rainbow Division”

Another article “Remembering the Rainbow Division” is even more local. It is a personal tribute.

On August 28 in Montgomery, Alabama, a Korean War veteran and Silver Star recipient will honor his father and the many others who served in the 4th Alabama National Guard, which became part of the the 42nd Rainbow Division after they were federalized.

Rod Frazer, author and historian, will officially unveil and dedicate a bronze monument marking exactly 100 years since 3,677 Alabama Guardsmen, including his father, William Frazer, hopped onto one of eight trains from Union Station to fight in the war that changed the world.

Read any of these articles by following the links in the podcast notes.

Link:

www.ww1cc.org/news

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2975-remembering-the-rainbow-division.html

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2976-honoring-world-war-i-s-finest-the-rainbow-division.html

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2985-the-defining-role-of-the-national-guard-in-wwi.html

When knitting was a patriotic duty

In episode #26 we mentioned knitting used for covert communications in WW1 and WW2. This week’s article

“The wool brigades of World War 1: When knitting was a patriotic duty” discusses knitting’s more traditional use during the conflict.

Even before America even joined the war, organizations such as the American Red Cross and the American Fund for the French Wounded issued pleas for warm clothing for soldiers—or, as a Navy League poster put it, to “Knit a Bit.”

After April 1917, the Red Cross, and the Comforts Committee worked together to mobilize the general public to the war effort, with a goal for 1.5 million knitted garments for our boys!

Read more about it at ww1cc.org/news or follow the links in the notes:

link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2978-the-wool-brigades-of-world-war-i-when-knitting-was-a-patriotic-duty.html

That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - what do you have for us this week?

Bomb Disposal

Belgian bomb disposal teams are still cleaning up after the fighting in WW1

link:https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews/videos/10154961507282217/?hc_ref=ARTOO5iXc9qA-sqTyhiNSDcNjzNtdeMfg5l-9wKoRMTBO7P4tYomXT2kiCR6k9BJcPU

Purple Heart Day

August 7th is #purpleheartday

link:http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/08/07/national-purple-heart-day/amp/

https://www.facebook.com/ABCNews/videos/10156152540513812/?hc_ref=ARTTvduTYm9O7ZaDCEyqAn7mjs4kJcQvihSyqEpj62_E8wT9uKTPqg8YlqpWIr3QvRg

https://www.facebook.com/armyhistory/videos/10155143227978558/?hc_ref=ARTR4Gc5rGg0AQr4FMC9ibkJWZ1rCSJqag3Ravm9FlHI16ucwIJms83eB7xXihP1SmI

https://www.facebook.com/Purple-Hearts-Reunited-INC-252965351489307/?hc_ref=ARQk_HPO5w99JMVueinciWyqTGtmRwCzOt7IyvM4OcemjqBsGt_4zd26-k51l5mIFy4

https://www.facebook.com/DeptofDefense/videos/10155662036515719/?hc_ref=ARQdr2QbknqD2afiqTOVBLmDxc3Ml2plVG5MHzoCMqRQ9m4ktc8hHNjIrnxM11CN-rg

Thank you Katherine. Closing

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And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening!

We want to thank our guests:

• Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten and their StoryTeller and the Historian segment on the Food Administration

And I am Theo Mayer - your host.

The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1.

Our programs are to--

inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; This program is a part of that….

We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms;

We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country;

and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC.

If you like the work we are doing, please support it with a tax deductible donation at ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case

Or if you are on your smart phone text  the word: WW1 to 41444. that's the letters ww the number 1 texted to 41444. Any amount is appreciated.

We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support.

The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn  

on  iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News.

Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial.

Thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here with someone about the war that changed the world!

[music]

So long!

• Civil rights march in NYC 100 years ago |@ 01:15

And more...----more----

Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 News NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

Today is August 2nd, 2017 and this week we joined by

Mike Shuster from the great war project blog,

The Storyteller and the Historian, Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten  - Paul Bergholzer a sociology student from Catholic university

Cammie Israel, from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Mobile, Alabama -

and Lamar Veatch, Retired State Librarian at the Georgia Public Library Service.

WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host.

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Our wayback machine has transported us back 100 year and It’s the week of July 29rd, 1917

The Silent Protest Parade

Earlier this month July 2, 1917 simmering labor tensions between white and black workers explodes in St Louis.

For 24 hours, white mobs indiscriminately stab, shoot and lynch anyone with black skin. Men, women, the elderly, the disabled even children – horrifyingly --- no one is spared. Homes are torched and occupants shot down as they attempt to flee. Police and White militiamen stand idly by as the carnage unfolds. The death toll is as high as 200 and the city’s surviving 6,000 black residents become refugees.

In protest, the NAACP the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People organizes a large demonstration in New York City.

This week, 26 days later, during the saturday afternoon of July 28, nearly 10,000 African-Americans march down Fifth Avenue, in silence, protesting racial violence and white supremacy in the United States.

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The only sounds are those of muffled drums, the shuffling of feet and the gentle sobs of some of the estimated 20,000 onlookers. The women and children are all wearing white. The men are dressed in black.

New York City, and the nation, has never before witnessed such a remarkable scene.

The “Silent Protest Parade,” as it come to be known, is the first mass African-American demonstration of its kind and marks a watershed moment in the history of the upcoming civil rights movement.  Just one generation after the end of slavery, this somber and powerful event conveys both a mournful dignity and stern determination for the black community to stand up for the rights of its citizens.

For those who always believed that the birth of the civil rights movement was in 60’s - it’s foundation was actually forged 100 years ago this week during the war that changed the world!

Links:

https://theconversation.com/100-years-ago-african-americans-marched-down-5th-avenue-to-declare-that-black-lives-matter-81427

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/heres-weve-learned-mass-protests-100-years-silent-parade/

http://time.com/4828991/east-saint-louis-riots-1917/

[sound effect transition to the morse code]

This week from the Official Bulletin…. the government war gazette published by George Creel, President Wilson’s Propaganda Chief >

The pages seem to be buzzing with articles about who is, who did, who must, and who didn’t respond to the call to arms known as the American Selective Service Act.

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Dateline: Monday July 30, 1917

Headline: NATION-WIDE SEARCH IS ORDERED FOR MEN WHO FAILED TO REGISTER; VIGOROUS CRIMINAL PROSECUTION OF THOSE DETECTED TO BE MADE!

The Attorney General Gives Directions for Sweeping Investigation He declares that  “Those Apprehended Will Not Escape the Draft.”

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Dateline: Also Monday July 30, 1917

Headline: PRESIDENT DIRECTS DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS TO EXERCISE THE GREATEST CARE IN PROVIDING AFFIDAVITS TO EXEMPT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

The story goes on to explain that although certain Federal Employees may be exempt from the draft, such as postal workers, workmen in armories, arsenals and navy yards their supervisor’s affidavits will be under close scrutiny and review.

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Dateline: Wednesday August 1, 1917

Headline: Exemption Claims of Men Married Since July 20 Will Be Scrutinized Closely

“Mary… Let’s get hitched so I don’t have to go to France!” Well - maybe not….

Apparently there is a rapidly spreading belief that if are married your family is dependent on you, and therefore you can claim an exemption to be discharged from the draft.

Although there is language in the law that creates an exemption for men whose families are depending on them, the government effectively argues that this NOT VALID in many cases!

Provost Marshal General Crowder - the head of the draft - sends the following telegram to governors of all States explaining his ruling concerning dependency on the grounds of marriage….

“ I direct you to please call the attention of local boards to the fact that a soldier's pay is not less than $30 a month and that all clothing, subsistence, medical treatment, and housing are furnished him.

Under the law he may allot any portion of his pay to a dependent.

Many soldiers receiving $30 a month are easily able to allot $25 monthly to the support of their dependents.

“ In case of death-in-the-line-of-duty the Government will pay to the beneficiary designated by the soldier -- presumably his dependents - six months’ pay.

The discretion of local boards may well take - the facts recited above - into consideration in deciding claims for discharge due to dependency with a view to determining whether, as a matter of fact, the person claiming such exemption will not be in as good or better position to support his dependents after selection for military service than he was before.

If such is the case, of course, the discharge should not be granted.

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In other related headlines this week:

RESIGNATIONS FROM THE SELECTIVE SERVICE PERMITTED ONLY FOR MOST URGENT REASONS..

Passports Issued by State Department to Persons Subject to Draft Only When Application is Accompanied by Permit From Provost Marshal General to Leave the Country

Service In Red Cross Is Not Valid Claim for Exemption

DRAFTED MEN FAILING T0 APPEAR FOR' PHYSICAL EXAMINATION WILL BE REPORTED TO U. S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Balance Must Be Struck and Kept Between Military and Industrial Needs of the Nation, Asserts General Crowder—Necessary Sacrifice Must Be Distributed With Scientific Accuracy.

And in a final an article that shows the other side of the massive “sign em up and get ‘em in” mentality is a slight concern that perhaps not everyone getting swept up in the big net may be desirable…

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Dateline: Friday August 3, 1917

Headline: SPECIALISTS WILL WEED OUT MEN NERVOUSLY OR MENTALLY UNFIT FOR SERVICE IN ARMY --- SEVERE EXAMINATIONS ARE PLANNED...

A Group of I50 Neurologists and Psychiatrists Have Been Organized for the Work. They Will Be Sent to The Cantonments and Later to France to examine cases.

Now… Having now followed the Official bulletin since it’s launch in mid May, the editorial team here at WW1 Centennial News has been struck by how we can feel the issues of the week as thematic drumbeats in the bulletin. This week - with nearly 10 articles on the subject of managing the implementation of the draft,  the evasion and exemption issues are on the government’s mind 100 years ago this week.

You too can read every issue of the Official Bulletin on the centennial anniversary of its original publish date by going to ww1cc.org/bulletin.

More and more historians, students, teachers and folks just plain interested are discover this amazing resource, which is an exclusive feature on the commission’s web site. Check it out - but be careful - it’s addictive. ww1cc.org/bulletin

[SOUND EFFECT]

Now we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog.

Today Mike’s post takes a look at another three letter horror of the trench war - last week GAS this week - MUD

Welcome Mike

[Mike Shuster]

LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/07/30/drowning-in-mud/

Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog.

We are going to punctuate Mike’s post with a poem written in 1917 by Mary Borden and read by Blake Edwards, Joe Kopyt, and Ambre Shoneff, MFA acting students at The Ohio State University - This is “The Song of Mud”:

[RUN THE SONG OF MUD AUDIO]

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57329/at-the-somme-the-song-of-the-mud

[SOUND EFFECT]

For videos about WW1, we invite you to check out the Great War Channel on Youtube -  they offer great videos about the great war from a more European perspective..

This week’s new episodes include:

Burial and Identification Of The Dead in WW1

Three years of WW1 - an overview retrospective

US Preparation - Alien Enemies Act - Franco-Prussian War

Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube.

Link:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar

To wrap up our history segment of WW1 Centennial News, our intrepid duo - the storyteller and the historian Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten are going to explore the federalization of shipping industry in 1917

[RUN SEGMENT]

That was - the StoryTeller - Richard Rubin and The Historian - Jonathan Bratten

The Storyteller and the Historian is now a full hour long monthly podcast. The july issue is now out on iTunes and libsyn look for it there or follow the link in the podcast notes.

Link: http://storytellerandhistorian.libsyn.com

[SOUND EFFECT]

We have moved forward into the present with  WW1 Centennial News NOW  - News about the centennial and the commemoration.

Interview with Paul Burgholzer, Intern

In Commission news -

As I mentioned last week we were blessed with an amazing intern team this summer here at the commission. There were 16 of them in total and we thought you might enjoy meeting one of them and learning a little more about what our interns do and experience.

With us is Paul Bergholzer a sociology student from Catholic university - and a member of our summer of 2017 intern team -

Welcome Paul.

[Exchange Greetings]

[Paul - what year are you in your studies and do you have any specific plans after graduating?]

[Paul]

[What made you decide to apply to the WW1 Centennial Commission for an internship?]

[Paul]

[This is a very important question - what was the funniest thing that happened to you during the internship?]

[Paul]

[What kind of advice would you give to someone considering applying for an internship with us?]

[Paul]

[My last question for you Paul - If you imagine yourself 10 years from now - what do you think you will remember most about your intern experience this summer.]

[Paul]

Thanks Paul - and thank to the whole team for the great job y’all did for the centennial commission this past summer.

If there are any listeners who would like to apply for an internship at the commission - follow the link in the podcast notes.

Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/participate/individuals/internships.html

[SOUND EFFECT]

Paducah

Next for our Activities and Events Section, we are going profile 2 events -  selected from the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events where are compiling and recording the WW1 Commemoration events from around the country- not just from major metros but also local events from the heart of the country- showing how the WW1 Centennial Commemoration is playing out everywhere.

Our local event is from Paducah, in the Blue Grass state of Kentucky  

The The McCracken County Public Library Local and Family History Department has an exhibit on view through 2017 called “Paducah During World War 1”.

The exhibit highlights the Paducahn WW1 experience, using photographs and excerpts pulled from their The Paducah Evening Sun which was published from 1906 to 1929. As a small local paper, it’s archives are ideal to highlight the enlisted men from McCracken County and to tell the story of local residents and their life in wartime.

The link in the podcast notes will lead you to more information about this great local event.

Smithsonian postal museum

For our major metro event, we want to profile the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington DC - which currently has the exhibit “My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I”. The exhibit is on view through November 2018 and highlights the personal correspondence written on the frontlines and home front, illuminating the human emotions and thoughts of soldiers, mothers, generals and everyone in between. Included are previously unpublished letters by General John Pershing. The museum is located right next to Union Station, in the nation’s capital. The event link is in the podcast notes.

link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/30397/my-fellow-soldiers-letters-from-world-war-i.html

https://postalmuseum.si.edu/MyFellowSoldiers/index.html

link:http://ww1cc.org/events

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/11919/paducah-during-world-war-1.html

[SOUND EFFECT]

Memorial Park - Mobile Alabama

Every week we are going to profile one of the many amazing projects that are participating in our 100 Cities / 100 Memorials national matching grant challenge. This week we introduce you to a group called the Stewards of Memorial Park from Mobile Alabama. They are renovating a local landmark known as Memorial Park.

We’re joined by Cammie Israel, the Patriotic Service Chairman for the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America(NSCDA). Welcome Cammie!

[exchange greetings]

[Cammie - For starters, could you tell us a little bit about the Memorial Park and its history?]

[Cammie - your team formed an organization to do that park restoration - when did you do that and do you think it helped in advocating for the project?]

[How did you learn about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program?]

[Cammie - for others who are considering a restoration project like this - what has been the biggest challenge?]

Thank you for coming on and sharing your project with us! Congratulations on putting all this together - you are doing a great thing here!

[say goodbye]

That was Cammie Israel on the Memorial Park restoration project in  Mobile Alabama -

We will continue to profile the submitting teams and their projects weekly on the show over the coming months and you can learn more about the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes.

Link: www.ww1cc.org/100memorials

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Memorial-Park/478491675506380

http://local15tv.com/news/local/mobile-to-restore-wwi-monument-at-memorial-park

Interview with Lamar Veatch

[SOUND EFFECT]

Lamar Veatch, is the Retired State Librarian for the Georgia Public Library Service - Among other things… Lamar is with us today to talk to us about two of his great passions: WW1 and motorcycles!

[Hi Lamar!]

Lamar - how did you get involved with the WW1 centennial?

[Lamar replies]

OK I want to switch the topic to memorials and motorcycles - Lamar - I am going to take a minute to explain to the audience - as a part of the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials program, we realized that no-one knows where all the WW1 Memorials in America are. There are thousands of them and we have less than 2000 of them catalogued.

So we created the memorials hunters club -

there is this national register map you can look at if you go to ww1cc.org/hunter and if the memorial you found isn’t on it - you get to register it AND include a selfie - So when we launched the Memorial Hunters Club I started getting these great entries of these memorials with selfies of this very cool, beautiful, white, three wheeled motorcycle - from you Lamar ---

Tell us about that!

[Lamar replies]

As a motorcycle-enthusiast and a historical librarian, what do you think is the most interesting thing about motorcycles and WW1?

Thanks for coming on Lamar

Good hunting my friend - That was Lamar Veatch -Retired State Librarian for the Georgia Public Library Service - motorcyclist - and intrepid Memorial Hunter!

Link: www.ww1cc.org/georgia

www.worldwar1centennial.com/hunter

[SOUND EFFECT]

Wisconsin

This week for our updates from the states - We go to the Badger state - Wisconsin! And incidentally - the home of Harley Davidson!!

The Wisconsin Veterans Museum opened an online exhibit called

“The Roses of No Man’s Land”, honoring and commemorating nurses from Wisconsin that served during the Great War.

They are using photos, letters, and personal writing logs, to tell the story. The exhibit focuses specifically on the experiences of two volunteers who dedicated their lives to help the war effort. Read more about this exhibit honoring Wisconsin nurses who served during the Great War by following the links in the podcast notes or by visiting the Wisconsin WW1 Centennial Site at ww1cc.org/wisconsin

link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/wisconsin

http://www.wisvetsmuseum.com/exhibitions/online/no_mans_land/

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2958-roses-of-no-man-s-land-online-exhibit-honors-wisconsin-nurses-who-served-in-great-war.html

It is time for an update on America’s WW1 Memorial at Pershing Park in our nation’s capital...

Sabin Howard advances WWI memorial sculpture in Weta Workshop sessions

This week in our articles and posts  section we want to feature a great article called “Sabin Howard advances WWI memorial sculpture in Weta Workshop sessions”

With the unanimous design-concept approval by the U.S. Commission of Fine Art and by the National Capital Planning Commission, in recent weeks, our development of the new National World War I Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington DC is in high-gear.

Our sculptor for the memorials Bas-relief sculpture that tell the story of WWI , Sabin Howard has taken the design artwork to New Zealand, to work with the incredibly talented artists at the high-tech sculpting studio, Weta Workshop - the incredible craft center created by Director Peter Jackson for the Lord of The Ring film series.

Sabin took some time to talk to us, and to show us what they are creating, and how the sculptural development process works. Read about the high tech take on an ancient artistic process and see some amazing images of that process by following the link in the podcast notes.

Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2931-sabin-howard-update-on-national-wwi-memorial-sculpture.html

www.ww1cc.org/news

That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - what do you have for us this week?

Dazzle Camouflage

Some battleships in WW1 got very special paint jobs.

link:http://didyouknowfacts.com/battleships-like-tripped-zebras/

Peach Pit Party

The Red Cross lead a nationwide drive for a life-saving necessity… peach pits!

link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/814497215392245/?type=3&theater

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/02/what-america-looked-like-collecting-peach-pits-for-wwi-gas-masks/252294/

Thank you Katherine.  

And that’s it for WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening!

When we post each episode we also post a notice on our facebook page at facebook.com/ww1centennial. We invite you come by and comment on the current week’s episode. Let us know what you think about what we presented and what you’d like us to also talk about.

We want to thank our guests:

• Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog and his post about MUD, and the Passchendaele battle

And I am Theo Mayer - your host.

The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1.

Our programs are to--

inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; This program is a part of that….

We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms;

We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country;

and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC.

If you like the work we are doing, please support it with a tax deductible donation at ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case

Or if you are on your smart phone text  the word: WW1 to 41444. that's the letters ww the number 1 texted to 41444. Any amount is appreciated.

We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support.

The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn  

on  iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News.

Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial.

Thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here with someone about the war that changed the world!

[music]

So long!

• Feature: Orville Wright on winning the war with air power |@ 01:15

and more...

----more----

Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 News NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

Today is July 26th, 2017 and this week we joined by Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, The Storyteller and the Historian, Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten  -  Dr. Libby O’Connell - US WW1 Centennial Commissioner and historian and author  - David Craig, Executive Director of the Maryland World War I Centennial Commission- and Lora Vogt, Curator of Education at the National WW1 Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.

WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host.

[SOUND TRANSITION]

Welcome!

We have moved back in time 100 years. It’s the week of July 23rd, 1917

This week 100 years ago - On Tuesday July 24, 1917 A massive $640,000,000 aviation bill passes in both the House and the Senate is sent to the President for signature. This is one of the largest appropriation for a single idea that the US has ever made - and it passes congress with little to no objection -

This is in no small part - because there are so many advocates that believe this incredible new technology of flying machines can be pivotal in the war.

As written in the “Official Bulletin”, the government war gazette published by George Creel, President Wilson’s propaganda chief…  

Mr. Orville Wright declares that:

When my brother and I built and flew the first man-carrying machine [14 years ago], we thought that we were introducing into the world an invention which would make further wars…  practically impossible. Nevertheless, the world [now] finds itself in the- greatest war in history.

I say that neither side has been able to win on account of the part - the airplane has played.

Both sides know exactly what the other is doing. The two sides are apparently nearly equal in aerial equipment, and unless present conditions can be changed the war will continue for years.

"However;  if the allies' armies are equipped with such a number of airplanes as to keep the enemy planes entirely back of the line, so that they are unable to direct gunfire or to observe the movement

of the allied troops—in other words, if the enemy's eyes can be put out —it will be possible to end the war.

And this is not taking into account what might be done by bombing German sources of munition and supplies.

But to end the war quickly and cheaply, the supremacy In the air must be so complete as to entirely blind the enemy. I believe that by no other method can the war be ended with so little loss of life and property."

And 100 years ago this week, the United States makes a $640,000,000 bet that this is so.

[SOUND EFFECT]

This leads us directly into our War In The Sky segments where we want to introduce you to James Allen Higgs Jr., a native of Raleigh and a two-time graduate of the North Carolina College for Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, today the North Carolina University’s College of Engineering.

James Higgs signed up for duty at the mature age of 29, intent on going to war. He was a slight fellow of 5 feet, 5 1/2 inches, weighing only 120 pounds.

His greatest ambition, he said just before his graduation, was “to grow.”

Higgs felt that if he signed up as an infantryman, he likely would not survive more than a few days in the trenches.

In an interview in 1968 he said: “I was a little guy, and I couldn’t fancy myself swapping bayonet thrusts with those big Germans, so when the call went out to be balloon observers, I volunteered.

“They took us to Washington and put us in a machine and spun us around until we were thoroughly dizzy, then measured the time it took to regain our equilibrium. I was one of the winners.”

Being a “balloon spy,” as he was often called, was a position unique to the Civil War and World War I. Every day, from sunrise to sunset, it was Higgs’ assignment to crawl into a two-man basket tethered by cable to the front of a truck. Armed with binoculars, topographical maps and a telephone, he would fly high (up to 5,000 feet) over the battlefield and report troop activity to his commanders on the ground. Usually, he was with a French observer who was relaying similar information to his superiors.

As if flying unprotected over the battlefield wasn’t dangerous enough, the sausage-shaped gasbags were filled with highly flammable hydrogen, making them susceptible to fires started by the hot rounds coming from guns below. They were sitting-ducks and favorite targets for the biplanes that attacked from behind the clouds overhead.

Four times over the course of four months, Higgs was shot down, jumping out of the basket and praying that the parachute stuffed on the outside of the balloon basket and harnessed to his back would deploy.

It was anything but a peaceful trip to the ground.

Higgs noted:

“We were wearing parachute harnesses with a rope attached to the ‘chute that was stuffed into a bag hanging outside the basket. Our weight would pull the ‘chutes out of the bags. They were supposed to open when we dropped 300 feet. It takes nearly five seconds to fall 300 feet from a standing start, and that is an awefully long time to wonder whether you are going to live or die.

“The parachute opened with a considerable jolt, but it was a very pleasant feeling.”

Higgs’ got rewarded for jumping out of a burning and falling balloon. Each time, he was awarded 48 hours of leave in Paris to “settle his nerves and get ready to go back up again.”

Which he did all the way up to Nov. 11, 1918, when the bells of Paris signaled armistice between the warring nations.

“The end was an amazing thing,” Higgs said. “I had been hearing guns roaring around and under me, and sometimes, enemy shells and bombs bursting in our camp, for almost a year,”. “THEN --- Sharp at the stroke of 11am , on November 11, they all just stopped. There were no birds or animals in the war zones to make the usual noises, and no machines moved.

“I found myself listening for just any sound, but there was none.”

This story comes from the Alumni News section of North Carolina State’s College of Engineering newspaper.

The link to the full article is in the podcast notes below

link:https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/news/2017/05/26/above-the-battlefields-of-world-war-i/

[SOUND EFFECT]

Now we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog.

We ran a quick featurette in our Social media BUZZ section with Katherine Akey about this subject - Today Mike is here with a more in-depth look at one of the great horrors of this war  - GAS

[Mike Shuster]

Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog.

LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/07/23/gas-gas-quick-boys/

[SOUND EFFECT]

For videos about WW1, we invite you to check out the Great War Channel on Youtube -  They are into their 4th season making great informative videos about the war.

This week’s new episodes include:

A feature story - Tunnel warfare during WW1

100 years ago this week - July days in Petrograd - Blood on the Nevsky Prospect

And a hardware piece - British Rifles in WW1

Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube.

Link:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar

[SOUND EFFECT]

To wrap up our history section on WW1 Centennial News, we welcome our intrepid duo - the storyteller and the historian Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten who are going to explore some of the challenges with building a really big army - really, really fast!

[RUN SEGMENT]

Thank you gentlemen! That was - the StoryTeller - Richard Rubin and The Historian - Jonathan Bratten talking about building the national army in 1917.

The Storyteller and the Historian is now a full hour long monthly podcast. Look for it on iTunes and libsyn or follow the link in the podcast notes.

Link: http://storytellerandhistorian.libsyn.com

[SOUND TRANSITION]

We have moved forward into the present with

WW1 Centennial News NOW  - News about the centennial and the commemoration.

[SOUND EFFECT]

In Commission news - this past week we participated in the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ 118th National Convention in New Orleans which ran from July 22 to the 26th.

Our own David Hamon went down to the Big Easy to man a commission booth and meet with members of this great veterans’ organization. When we spoke with David, he told us that it has been a “QUOTE” Extremely positive and oft times emotional experience to connect with these vets and their families from around the country.”

US WW1 Centennial Commissioner Edwin Fountain was asked to speak at the event and addressed the membership of this veterans organization which has been such a great friend to the commission.

The VFW also maintains a specific WW1 Centennial website at ww1cc.org/vfw  and you can learn more about the VFW’s national event by following the link in the podcast notes.

Link: https://www.vfw.org/-/media/VFWSite/Files/News-and-Publications/Events/118th-Convention/2017-NOLA-SOE.pdf?la=en_

[SOUND EFFECT]

Next we are going to give you our upcoming “event pick” of the week selected from the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events ---- where we are compiling and recording the WW1 Commemoration events from around the country.

Not just those from major venues and museums but also local events - showing how the Centennial Commemoration of the war that changed the world is playing out all over the country.

For example, this week we picked an event in Tuscaloosa Alabama!

The University of Alabama has an exhibit on view through September 29th called “William C. Gorgas and the Great War”.

The exhibit features the story and impact of William Gorgas, a physician and the 22nd Surgeon General of the US Army, serving in that role from 1914-1918 - throughout the war years.

The exhibit is at the restored family home of William Gorgas on the University of Alabama campus.

The Gorgas House Museum serves as an active community resource, committed to “learning” through exhibition, education, and social engagement.

See the link in the podcast notes to learn more.

We invite YOU and your organizations to submit your own WW1 events to the National Events Register at ww1cc.org/events. Click the big red button and get your commemorative event recorded for posterity.

link:http://ww1cc.org/events

http://gorgashouse.ua.edu/exhibitions/

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/23695/william-c-gorgas-and-the-great-war.html

[SOUND EFFECT]

Joining us now is Dr. Libby O’connell - a most interesting person! Dr. O’connell was the chief historian at the History Channel, she is a US WW1 Centennial Commissioner, and recently released a history book about… American Food!

The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites - has been lauded by the New York Post as Required Reading and it’s an Entertainment Weekly Top 3 Must-Reads!

Libby - welcome - Nice to have you here!

[so Libby - I had no idea…  Food? ]

[ OK - so let’s get topical - When I think of WW1 and food - I think of rationing and propaganda - what was happening to the american plate in those years?]

[Libby, your book is filled with fun facts - like that the first graham crackers were designed to reduce sexual desire… why we use the term “buck” mean a dollar and so on… what are some of the fun - turn of the century - American food facts?]

[Commissioner O’Connell - I have just had the pleasure of meeting a whole other side of you! - thank you!]

That was US WW1 Centennial Commissioner Dr. Libby O’Connell, author of the new book - The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 bites. Learn more about Dr. Libby O’connell and about her new book by following the links in the podcast notes.

Links:https://www.amazon.com/American-Plate-Culinary-History-Bites/dp/1492609862/ref=la_B00MS8WQ5Y_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500920650&sr=1-1

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/competition-officials/governance-group-dr-libby-o-connell.html

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/about/the-commission.html

[SOUND EFFECT]

100 Cities - 100 Memorials - that is the name of a program we have here at the WW1 Centennial Commission.

You see, at the end of World War I, thousands of war memorials of every size were built in local communities across the country to honor and commemorate the service and sacrifice of their local sons and daughters.

Over the century, exposure to the elements, neglect and even vandalism have taken their toll on these national treasures.

So on July 15, 2016 - a year ago - the  World War One Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library teamed up and launched this national matching grant challenge to inspire community action and to seed the rescue of these memorials.  

A year later - this month on July 15, 2017 - the grant application period ended and all submission were received.

Now - to evaluate the submissions -  a Review Committee has been assembled. They read, review and rate the submissions based on common evaluation rubric.

The Committee will then make recommendations to the program leadership on awarding  projects matching grants. Their recommendations will go to the program leadership in late August.

We are proud to announce the members of the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials Review Committee. They include:

• US WWI Centennial Commissioner John Monahan from the American Legion

The members of this amazing group have volunteered their precious time to help us review and evaluate the submissions and we thank them.

But most of all we need to give a huge shout out to the teams that have taken on these restoration and conservation projects.

These projects are a really big deal that require research, community interaction, permissions from cities and counties, plans, schedules, budgets, fund raising, partnerships - it’s a huge dedication from each submitting team.

The scope, the quality, variety, and most of all the deeply held commitment that these submitting teams have demonstrated is wonderful and honestly when you read them often quite humbling. We want to thank and congratulate every submitting team on the fantastic projects that they have presented us with.

We will be profiling the submitting teams and their projects on the show over the coming months - BUT you can learn more about the program right now - at ww1cc.org/100memorials or follow the link in the podcast notes.

[SOUND EFFECT]

Maryland: Interview with David Craig

This week for our updates from the states - we are profiling Maryland. With us today is David Craig the Executive Director of the Maryland World War I Centennial Commission to talk to us about the Centennial commemoration in The Old Line State. home of Annapolis and the Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay…

Welcome David!

[exchange greetings]

[David - you guys have been busy in Maryland with commemoration activities - Tell us about the commission and what you're up to!]

Thank you.

That was David Craig the Executive Director of the Maryland World War I Centennial Commission

Learn more at ww1cc.org/maryland all lower case or by following the links in the podcast notes.

link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/maryland

[SOUND EFFECT]

Interview with Lora Vogt

There is a wonderful WW1 Arrival destination in Kansa City - It is the National World War 1 Museum and Memorial.

Joining us now is Laura Vogt - their Curator of Educations

Welcome Laura!

[Laura I have had the pleasure of being at the WW1 Museum and Memorial several times now and it is truly a special place - can you tell us a bit about it…]

[So Laura - as a national nexus for WW1 you have a lot of program including educational programs - tell us about that?]

Thank you Laura - That was Laura Vogt - the Curator of Education for the National WW1 Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. Their web site is full of great information and resources. Follow the link in the podcasts notes - and if you DO get to Kansas City - wipe that BBQ off your fingers - and face - and get over to the National World War 1 Museum and Memorial for an afternoon you won’t forget!

Link:https://www.theworldwar.org/

https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/educators-students

https://www.theworldwar.org/education

[SOUND EFFECT]

That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - what do you have for us this week?

Kodak and the Democratization of Photography in WW1

A new camera makes its way onto the battlefields in ww1

link:http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/interviews/vest-pocket-kodak-book-107481

Thank you Katherine.

Just before we close we want to thank and congratulate the commission’s Summer of 2017 interns!

This year - 15 brilliant, dedicated college students joined us over the past weeks. Their work, commitment, quality, focus and dedication has made a real impact on us here at the US WW1 Centennial Commission and on the centennial commemoration in general.

We want to give a BIG shout out to:

• Alyssa Carter from Lubbock Christian University

AND

• Elliot Warren from George Washington University

We thank you - and you need to know that you made a real difference in commemorating the war that changed the world -

We hope your time with us has enriched your lives and your careers - From everyone at the commission a simple, heartfelt -  THANK YOU.

And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week.

We want to thank our guests:

• Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog and his post about Gas Warfare,

• Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten and their StoryTeller and the Historian segment on building up and training the US Forces

And I am Theo Mayer - your host.

The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1.

Our programs are to--

inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1; This program is a part of that….

We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms;

We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country;

and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC.

If you like the work we are doing, please support it with a tax deductible donation at ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case

Or if you are on your smart phone text  the word: WW1 to 41444. that's the letters ww the number 1 texted to 41444. Any amount is appreciated.

We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support.

The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn  

on  iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News.

Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial.

Thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here with someone about the war that changed the world!

[music]

So long!

• Launching the Lottery: Feature |@ 01:15

And more…

----more----

Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 news 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 News NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

Today is July 19th, 2017 and this week we joined by Mike Shuster from the great war project blog, The Storyteller and the Historian, Richard Rubin and Jonathan Bratten  -  Kevin Fitzpatrick - WW1 historian and expert on New York’s Governors Island - and James Portnow whose Extra Credits Youtube channel just crossed a million subscribers - showing that History is not a snooze.

WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - Chief Technologist for the World War One Centennial Commission and your host. Welcome!

Our Wayback machine has moved back in time 100 years. It’s the week of July 16, 1917 and there’s big happenings in Washington DC…

[sound effect]

Dateline July 20, 1917

Headline: DRAFT OF MEN FOR NEW NATIONAL ARMY IS BEGUN;

IT WILL CONTINUE 22 HOURS

The scene is a large room in the Senate Office Building - Chalk Board covers the back wall. A double wide table is set in front and on the table - a large glass bowl filled with 10,500 capsules that contain numbers. The room is filled with press.

At 9:30 am Newton D. Baker, the US Secretary of war calls the room to order and states:

" We are met here to conduct a lottery or draft by which the National Army and such additions as may be necessary to bring the Regular Army and

National Guard to war strength are to be selected.

" This is an occasion of very great dignity and some solemnity. It represents the first application of the principles believed by many of us to be democratic, equal, and fair in selecting soldiers to defend the national honor abroad and at home."

Blindfolded, Baker announces: “let us begin” .

He reaches into the large bowl and pulls out a capsule.

"I have drawn the first number," says Mr. Baker in a tone of a man who has done an epochal thing. He holds the tiny capsule aloft.  An announcer takes it from him and breaks it open, taking out the tiny slip of paper that will change lives forever.

"The number is 2-5-8," he cries

"Two hundred and fifty-eight," echoes the voice of the tally chief. Another attendant posts the numerals "258" on the blackboard in the rear.

This begins a process that lasts for 22 hours with 600 numbers being draw every hour. And so the first men are chosen through the new American selective service system.

[sound effect]

Dateline July 20, 1917

Headline: Naval Gunners, On Armed American Merchant Ship Battle With German Submarine.  After Merchant Crew Takes to the Lifeboats Men Cheered and Congratulated by the U-Boat Sailors for Their Gallant Fight

This is a first person account by the chief petty officer in charge of the armed guard aboard the US steamship Moreni:

" We were attacked by a submarine at 4.05 a. m. on June 12,

1. She was off the port quarter, about 9,000 yards away. She

fired four or five shots before we located her. We swung around

until our stern faced the submarine, and returned the fire at

range of about 7,000 yards.

"After a half-hour fight we were hit in the gasoline tank aft,

and a fire started.

It was reported to me that the ammunition aft was running low.

Immediately I lined up the forward gun's crew - with the merchant crew to pass ammunition from forward to aft. About an hour later fire broke out all over the ship and It became impossible for the men to pass any more ammunition.

I reached the bridge, being burned on the way there.

About this time our steering gear was shot away and we started to go around in circles.

"Coming down off the bridge, I saw the captain and the boat

Swain ready to lower the lifeboat.

The captain said to come and get In the lifeboat, as it was starting to burn. I asked him to wait.

He said he would hold the boat as long as possible for me.

I then noticed two of the gun's crew in the lifeboat. I ordered them to get out and come with me.

We went forward and manned the forward gun, with which we fired four shots -- but then, the firing pin went out of commission.

As we could fire no more and as the captain called that the life

boat was burning, we got into the boat.

Seeing us in the water the submarine called the boats alongside. They congratulated us, shook hands with the captain, and told us that it was the

best fight they had ever seen any merchantman put up.

The Germans treated two men who had been wounded and

returned us to our boats. The commander of the submarine said he would have towed us toward the beach but for the fact that we had called for assistance.

[Sound effect]

Both these stories were in the Friday July 20th issue of the Official Bulletin -  Volume 1 - Issue 60. The Official Bulletin is the US government war gazette published at the President’s order by George Creel, his propaganda chief.

You can read each issue of the Official Bulletin yourself on our web site -- We re-publish each issue of the bulletin on the centennial anniversary of its original publication. This is an amazing resource for historians and history buffs, educators and students, social and media anthropologists, and folks like me who just happen to be deeply interested in the actual words published by the US government 100 years ago this week - in the war that changed the world.

The URL is easy to remember - just go to ww1cc.org/bulletin or follow the link in the podcast notes.

Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/educate/history/official-bulletin.html

[sound effect]

Now we are joined by Mike shuster, former NPR correspondent and curator for the Great War Project blog.

Eastern Europe is still a major aspect of this conflict with Russia disintegrating as an allied power - and with Balkans who started all this  - Mike - we look forward to your post.

[Mike Shuster]

LINK:http://greatwarproject.org/2017/07/16/allied-war-effort-foundering

Thank you Mike. That was Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog.

As we do every week, we want to tell you what is happening on the Great War Channel on Youtube -  WW1 100 years ago this week, from a more european perspective.

This week’s new episodes include:

A new “OUT OF THE TRENCHES” where Indy Niedel the host addresses your feedback and comments.

Operation Beach Party - Mustard Gas Unleashed

Maria Bochkareva and the First Russian Women's Battalion of Death

Follow the link in the podcast notes or search for “the great war” on youtube.

Link:

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreatWar

[Sound Effect]

We have talked about the espionage act and the government crackdown on dissent -  a few times this month. We are going to give the last word on this to our intrepid duo - the storyteller and the historian!  With us are author and storyteller Richard Rubin and historian Jonathan Bratten:

[Audio S&H]

That was - the StoryTeller - Richard Rubin and The Historian - Jonathan Bratten talking talking about the crack-down on dissent and the espionage act of 1917.

The Storyteller and the Historian is now a full hour-long monthly podcast. Look for it on iTunes or follow the link in the podcast notes.

Link: http://storytellerandhistorian.libsyn.com

[Sound Transition]

We have moved forward into the present with

WW1 Centennial News NOW  - News about the centennial and the commemoration.

Over the past three weeks we been talking about President Trump’s visit to paris,  as the guest of French President Macron --- to participate in their July 14th Bastille day ceremonies.

This year included the traditional parade of French military might down the Champs Elysee, but with a slight twist: the inclusion of American troops and vehicles.

Joining the thousands of French soldiers, 241 horses, 63 airplanes and 29 helicopters were 150 US soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines, including a doughboy clad color guard and American jet fly overs.

The inclusion of American Armed Forces was to commemorate the arrival of US troops to France 100 years ago.  

As President Trump and President Macron stood in review, Macron remarked,

"On this day of national celebration, we must not ever forget the price that we paid for winning our freedom and our rights. The price which we are prepared to pay to defend them... because it is “they” [our rights and freedom] which unite us and make France, France and make France what it is today. The United States is one of our friends. Nothing will separate us ever. The presence at my side of Donald Trump and his wife is a sign of our friendship that travels time. I want to thank them here, and thank the United States for the choices made over 100 years."

You can access videos, photos and articles about the event by browsing our Social Media Wall at ww1cc.org/social

Link: http://ww1cc.org/social

[Sound Effect]

From the U.S. National WW1 Centennial Events Register at WW1CC.org/events - here is our upcoming “event pick” of the week:

Topeka: The Extraordinary Adventures of Colonel Hughes

This week we focus on Topeka Kansas!

The Kansas Historical Society has an exhibit on view at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka which is open through May 2018.

It is titled “The Extraordinary Adventures of Colonel Hughes” and features the story of one extraordinary Kansan soldier, James Clark Hughes.

Hughes began his service as a member of the Kansas National Guard and was sent to the Texas border with the American Expeditionary Forces in 1916.  

He joined the U.S. Army where he served from 1917 to 1948 and fought in both world wars, spending a cumulative 41 months as a POW - a Prisoner of War.

As a member of the U.S. Army he photographed battlefields and towns in Europe during World War I. These photographs are made public for the first time at the exhibit.

During the second world war, Colonel Hughes was captured at Bataan and recorded his daily survival as a Japanese Prisoner of War.

The exhibit displays his photographs, his diary excerpts, and many of his belongings from the wars which he donated to the Museum of History.

Learn more about Colonel Hughes and preview this unique and special exhibit by following the link in the podcast notes.

link:http://ww1cc.org/events

http://kshs.org/p/kansas-museum-of-history-world-war-i-exhibit/19093

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/event-map-system/eventdetail/21815/the-extraordinary-adventures-of-colonel-hughes-an-exhibit-at-the-kansas-museum-of-history.html

Kevin Fitzpatrick - Governors Island WWI History Weekend

For our next featured event and for a profile of a 100 Cities /100 Memorials project and just because he is such an interesting guy - we want to welcome our next guest - Kevin Fitzpatrick, author of “World War One New York: A Guide to the City’s Enduring Ties to the great war” and is the program director for the WWI Centennial Committee for New York City.

Welcome Kevin!

[Kevin - let’s start with Governors Island itself - give us the quick synopsis of what it is and what it was.]

[Kevin - You have been an organizing force for a re-enactor event on the island - It’s sounding like quite an event for 2017 - what can you tell us about it?]

[Kevin - I first met you in my capacity as the program manager for the 100 Cities / 100 memorials project - you submitted some memorials to program - how do they tie in?]

Kevin - it is always a pleasure speaking with you…

That was Kevin Fitzpatrick - citizen historian, ww1 centennial advocate, author, event organizer and man about manhattan.

Mark you calendars for an extraordinary event taking place on Governors island - a short ferry hop off the tip of Manhattan - coming up this September 16  and 17. Follow the links in the podcast notes.

link:https://govisland.com/events/wwi-history-weekend

http://www.fitzpatrickauthor.com/about/

New Zealand

In our International Report this week, we’ll start by visiting an art project in New Zealand.

This ties in directly with our story on the draft picks in Washington DC this week 100 years ago.

The project is called “Luck of the Draw” and was commissioned by the New Zealand First World War Centenary programme office.

The project  reflects on the issue of conscription 100 years ago. The programme office asked several of New Zealand’s young emerging artists aged between 18 and 25 to respond to film footage of the first conscription ballot being drawn from a small, unassuming wooden box, which the Kiwis nicknamed the death box!

The artifact is now housed at Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum.

Turning to the arts and the young arts community --- for a take on WW1 commemoration strikes us as a really innovative commemoration concept  - And it produced some amazing results including a dance, and audio piece, a video and animation, glitch art and more.

Learn more and view some of these works by following links in the podcast notes.

Links:https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/94714480/ww1-centenary-project-reveals-artists-feelings-about-the-box-that-gambled-with-kiwi-lives

http://www.lotd.nz/artists

http://ww100.govt.nz/

http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/Object/66765

London

Turning our attention to London, this week two replica WW1 planes landed in England to participate in a national tour called “Vimy Flight, a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and Canada's 150th birthday”.

The planes will be displayed at the Jet Aircraft Museum at London International Airport through Sunday.

The planes, both Nieuport 11’s, are replicas of the fighter planes that helped Canada win the battle at Vimy Ridge 100 years ago. Only two of the thousands of original Nieuport 11’s still exist, and both reside in museums in France. The replicas, though made of metal and non-flammable materials and not wood, are perfect copies of the originals. Learn more about Vimy Flight and the planes’ tour-schedule by following the links in the podcast notes.

Canada planes: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/first-world-war-fighter-planes-land-at-london-international-airport-1.4205337

http://www.vimyflight.ca/

Interview with James Portnow from Extra Credits

Today in our spotlight on the media section we are going to feature a Youtube channel called Extra Credits.

With an interesting mix of content that is based on gaming and somehow folds in history, they recently crossed the 1 million subscriber mark!  

Joining us is James Portnow - lead writer and co-creator of extra credits, to talk about how they have managed to make history relevant and interesting to the Youtube generation.

[James - first of all - congratulations on your million subscriber mark!]

[Your youtube channel started…  being about games and gaming - and it makes sense that your topical  / and to me non-technical approach about gaming would build a following… but how did history sneak into the mix?]

[So…. why do you think your viewers are responding to subjects that normally have a pretty bad rep?]

[James - You’ve immersed yourself in the subject… Why do YOU think WW1 is relevant today?]

Well.. as you publish new episodes on WW1 - be sure to let us know so we can mention them to this audience!

Thank you for joining us today!

That was James Portnow - co-creator and lead writer for the hit youtube channel Extra Credits. Learn more about James and Extra Credits by following the links in the podcast notes.

link:https://www.patreon.com/ExtraCredits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-wSL4WqUws&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5DfJnFBZwz8xd37MA6I16oJ

http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2783-uploading-history-extra-credit-s-james-portnow.html

[Sound Effect]

It is time for our Articles and Posts segment - where we explore the World War One Centennial Commission’s rapidly growing website at ww1cc.org -

New York National Guard reported for World War I duty 100 years ago

This week in the news section is the article “New York National Guard reported for World War I duty 100 years ago”

The article talks about how on July 12 1917, President Woodrow Wilson had ordered all 112,000 National Guard Soldiers across the country to report for duty as part of the build up of the National Army.

New York's guardsmen, along with those in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska were all instructed to report on July 15 to their local armories and begin preparing to ship out.

Read the story about the New York National Guard's great mobilization by visiting the link in the podcast notes.

Link: http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/2787-ny-world-war-i-history-new-york-national-guard-reported-for-world-war-i-duty-100-years-ago.html

In our WWRITE blog, which explores WWI’s Influence on contemporary writing and scholarship, this week's post ties into making history relevant to a digital native generation. The post title is “Journalist Tweets WWI to French Youth. Plus! Her Exclusive Twitter Feed from Bastille Day in Paris“

Stéphanie Trouillard is a young french journalist with a rapidly expanding following on her blog and Twitter feed - as she tries to give a fresh face to WWI using social media.

This week on WWrite, France24's Stéphanie Trouillard tells us about her personal and professional passions driving her innovative historical writing project. And a special bonus! She's shared part of her Twitter feed from Bastille Day in Paris, where she covered President Trump meeting French President Emmanuel Macron.

Don't miss this alternate up-close look at this historic day on our WWRITE blog at ww1cc.org/w-w-r-i-t-e or follow the link in the podcast notes.

link:http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/articles-posts/2798-journalist-tweets-wwi-to-french-youth-plus-exclusive-twitter-feed-from-bastille-day-in-paris.html

That brings us to the buzz - the centennial of WW1 this week in social media with Katherine Akey - Katherine - what do you have for us this week?

A Canadian and an American

A photo from 100 years ago inspires comparisons.  

link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/809444809230819/?type=3&theater

The Marines Arrive

An informative FB post outlines the first few days in France for the 5th Marines

link:https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/photos/a.290566277785344.1073741829.185589304949709/809507142557919/?type=3&theater

Thank you Katherine.  

And we welcome your comments and discussion of this week’s episode on Facebook - the new podcast announcement will be at www.facebook.com/ww1centennial. Drop in and tell us what you think of this episode.

And that is WW1 Centennial News for this week. Thank you for listening!

We want to thank our guests:

• Mike Shuster from the Great War Project blog and his post about Russia and the Balkans...

And I am Theo Mayer - your host.

The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress to honor, commemorate and educate about WW1.

Our programs are to--

inspire a national conversation and awareness about WW1;

We are bringing the lessons of the 100 years ago into today's classrooms;

We are helping to restore WW1 memorials in communities of all sizes across our country;

and of course we are building America’s National WW1 Memorial in Washington DC.

We rely entirely on your donations. No government appropriations or taxes are being used.

You can support these programs with a tax deductible donation ww1cc.org/donate - all lower case

Or if you are on your smart phone text  the word: WW1 to 41444. that's the letters ww the number 1 texted to 41444. Any amount is appreciated.

We want to thank commission’s founding sponsor the Pritzker Military Museum and Library for their support.

The podcast can be found on our website at ww1cc.org/cn  

on  iTunes and google play ww1 Centennial News.

Our twitter and instagram handles are both @ww1cc and we are on facebook @ww1centennial.

Thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to share the stories you are hearing here with someone about the war that changed the world!

So long.

[music]