Well, I think it’s safe to say that if this blog was a child
I would be thrown into prison for criminal neglect. Nonetheless, I have been
trying to keep up with events and the first big development to announce is that
the United States has officially formed a World War I Centennial Commission.
Here is their mission, as described on their website:
The Commission was established by the World War I Centennial Commission Act, part of Public Law 112-272 passed by the 112th Congress and signed by President Obama on January 16, 2013. The Commission is responsible for planning, developing, and executing programs, projects, and activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I; encouraging private organizations and State and local governments to organize and participate in activities commemorating the centennial of World War I; facilitating and coordinating activities throughout the United States relating to the centennial of World War I; serving as a clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of information about events and plans for the centennial of World War I; and developing recommendations for Congress and the President for commemorating the centennial of World War I.
The events and activities will last from 2017 through 2019.
The first meeting was this past Friday, September 13th
and as you’ll see as you navigate through the site, they are still moving from
the organizational phase into actual planning.
Also, my first venture into publishing about the First World
War is complete!
I’m happy to announce that “Storming the Heights of the
Meuse: The 29th and 33rd Divisions Fight for Control of
the High Ground, 8-16 October” will be included in A Companion to the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, 1918. This volume will
be released in January and is part of the Wiley-Blackwell “Companions to
American History” series and has as its editor none other than Ed Lengel.
Here is the abstract:
During the second phase of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the American 29th and 33rd Divisions were given the task of silencing German artillery along the heights of the Meuse River. This essay explores the service of these two American divisions, fighting under the command of the French XVII Corps, and their experiences east of the Meuse. From 8-16 October 1918 the American and French servicemen pushed into difficult terrain, having to overcome fierce resistance from the German Fifth Army. Their experiences serve as a unique window into the leadership of the American Expeditionary Forces and shed light on how the Meuse-Argonne Offensive as a whole was conducted.
It was truly an honor to get to work with Ed on this project
and I am humbled that my work will be included alongside the outstanding First
World War historians that he assembled for this volume.
Finally, the World War One Historical Association & National
World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial have combined to offer a symposium on November
8 & 9, 2013. It is entitled “The
Coming of the Great War” and will seek to shed light on “the political, social,
economic, cultural, and military events between 1870 and 1913, leading to the
Great War.”
Click here for more details.
Congrats on your work being included in the forthcoming book on the Muese-Argonne Offensive. I am researching the 114th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Division and their involvement at Bois d'Ormont. It is a compelling and haunting story. I look forward to reading your perspective.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the news media does not mention ANYTHING abut this or events. My grandfather was a bugler in the 212th Engineers, 12th (Plymouth) Division in Camp Devens, Mass from June 1918 through muster out early 1919. He enlisted under age but never let on, even though his Capitan was sure of it.
ReplyDeleteAn uncle on my father's mother's side saw action in the Meuse-Argonne sector. Seeing as he was only the first generation born in the US, he may have been shooting at family members in Feld Grau.