A bit long, but worth watching if you had a family member serve in WWI. Fast forward to 29.45 to the actual start of the presentation. A number of folks/organizations did a butt ton of work to make this happen in less that ten years!
May they rest in peace.
If you’ve not read Sinise’s book, grab a copy and do that.
It’s amazing that someone who has not himself served has such devotion to those that have.
We recorded and started watching a History Channel program on the sinking of the Lusitania… one of the matches that lit the fire of WWI.
I just wish new generations learned from the mistakes of the old.
Like not deliberately telling the opposition that you’re carrying many tons of munitions on a passenger liner? That wasn’t a mistake. That was the plan to get the USA into the war.
Now, the USA getting into the war may have been a mistake.
My paternal Grandpa was too old to serve in WWI. He was cavalry in the Spanish American War under Blackjack Pershing.
My paternal grandfather was in the US Navy during War 1. He was a radio operator on a freighter, then stationed inland. Times in the Navy were tough back then. For instance, all he had to sleep on was a bare board – no mattress at all, but he thought it was pretty good. A few of the things that sailors used to do back then:
They were loading sacks of sugar, and every so often a sack would break. They’d throw it over the side in the same place, which would attract the fish. The sailors would catch fish for their dinner.
There were oyster beds, and some of the sailors would poach oysters – not that granddad ever did that, but some did.
In San Francisco they had streetcars. Every so often a group of sailors would get on a streetcar and put the conductor off, then run the car and collect the fares. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and rations could be a bit scarce.
My grandfather was a messenger for the AEF and got blown out of the sidecar of the motorcycle that was transporting him. He survived and came home. Years later he took my grandmother to a restaurant in Chicago and stopped dead in his tracks as they were being seated, looking like he had seen a ghost. He had. He saw his driver seated at table eating with ‘his’ wife. He had been sent to a different hospital and no one ever thought to notify either one the other survived.
Moving, thanks for that.
My Paternal Grandpa was in the German army and got out of the war after being machine gunned by Canadian troops. 1 bullet through and through his right chest, 1 took off a bunch of his left tit, and other got most of his left bicep. A year in hospital.
I’m Canadian, mom and dad came here in 1951.
On visits back and forth, my “Opa” would give me beer and make bad grandpa jokes about how he didn’t blame me for my countrymen shooting the scheisse out of him.
He was a very brave jolly old man and I miss him.
All- Glad you found it interesting. My dad as in WWI, but never went overseas as he got tagged as a rifle and pistol instructor when he went through Fort Polk.
My maternal grandfather was in the veterinary corps; he took care of the mules. He landed in France on Armistice Day! Nearly died from the flu, though.
John Robert Smith, Purple Heart, gassed in France 1918, died of multiple cancers 1944.
Lawrence Mimna, Purple Heart, machined gunned in France 1918, carried an 8mm bullet in his neck until he died well into his 80s.
My grandfather and maternal great-uncle. Both served in the same heavy machine gun battalion.