Tag Archives: Doughboy

Re-Post: New Feature Article–Photo Essay: Western Front Association–USA Branch 2007 Tour

July 30, 2016 by Randy
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  With the recent announcement of the World War One Historical Association’s June 2017 Pilgrimage of the American Battlefields, the webmaster thought it timely to show pictures from the Western Front Association–USA Branch’s 2007 tour.  (The WFA–USA Branch was one of two entities that merged to form the WW1HA.)   The link below will take readers to a webpage that includes a collection of twenty photographs taken by tour participant Kevin Drake.  Readers who travel to France regularly know that the country is both a place Continue reading →

News & Events–Over There: Join the World War One Historical Association on its 2017 Pilgrimage to the American Battlefields of WW1, 3-11 June, 2017. Reserve Your Spot Today!

July 23, 2016 by Randy
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  Walking the battlefields of World War 1 brings history to life in a way that you can’t get from reading books, watching movies, or using modern technology such as Google Earth.  To follow in the footsteps of the American troops who went to war in 1917-18 is an unforgettable experience.  Whether you are retracing the steps of a relative or are just a student of military history, join the World War One Historical Association on its 2017 Pilgrimage to the American Battlefields of WW1. Continue reading →

We Forget Today: Paris, July 4, 1917, “Lafayette We are Here.”

July 1, 2016 by Randy
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  We forget today just what an impact World War I had on the lives of its participants and their families.  That is certainly true for war-weary France; when the first Doughboys arrived in their country.  Ninety-nine years ago, on the 4th of July, 1917, one of the most memorable phrases of American involvement in the Great War was coined.  It came during a speech at the end of a five-mile march by the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, AEF.  Bowing to French pressure Continue reading →

We Forget Today: Michigan in the World War

January 18, 2016 by Randy
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We forget today just what an impact World War One had on the lives of its participants and their families.  Over the last several years Michigan resident Dennis Skupinski has been creating YouTube videos that tell the story of some of Michigan’s activities during the war and the achievements of its war-time leaders after the war.  A link to one of his videos is provided below: Give the First World War a Second Look:  Michigan’s WW1 Centennial Enjoy!    

Then and Now: Stenay

January 18, 2016 by Randy
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    Caption:  “89th Division Infantry in Stenay Two Minutes Before the Armistice Took Effect.” Location:  The building is at the corner of Rue Pasteur and Place Eugène Martinot in the center of Stenay. Source of Then Photo:  American Armies and Battlefields in Europe, page 305. Source of Now Photo:  The Webmaster.

We Forget Today: The Cost of the War–Lt. Col. Whittlesey, 77th Div., and John Nelson, 1st Div

November 25, 2015 by Randy
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We forget today just what an impact World War One had on the lives of its participants and their families.  During these Centennial years it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of commemorations and plans to visit the battlefields again.  (The Webmaster just marched in NYC’s Veteran’s Day Parade with a group of WW1 Reenactors.)  Yet every now and then–sometime between Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, perhaps–it’s a fitting time to reflect on the human cost of the war.  Consider the two well-documented cases below; and remember Continue reading → Continue reading →

Then and Now: Exermont

September 20, 2015 by Randy
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    Caption:  “A Man Who Goes Through Battle Does Not Get Over It.”  A moment after the preceding picture had been taken, the screech of a high explosive shell was heard and the men who had been loitering in the street of Exermont, which they had just captured, scrambled for cover. Location:  On the D142, right by the church. Source of Then Photo:  “Forward March!  Section 2.  The Photographic Record of American in the World War and the Post War Social upheaval.”  Disabled American Continue reading →

Books and Movies: The Lost Sketchbooks, a Young Artist in the Great War

July 3, 2015 by Randy
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Readers who know the webmaster well know of his passion for exploring the Meuse-Argonne battlefield armed with maps, regimental histories and highly detailed first person accounts.  Thus, when he was introduced to this book, he must admit that he did not know how to respond:  It certainly was not a detailed study of the battlefield such as those published by Paul Braim (The Test of Battle:  The American Expeditionary Forces in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign) or Mark Ethan Grotelueschen (The AEF Way of War.)   Also, there are Continue reading →

Armistice Day Poem: One by One, by C.E. Baker

November 11, 2014 by Randy
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One by one old soldiers die, One by one they are no more, And their comrades mourn their loss, As they leave this mortal shore.   Standing by an open grave, One more flag-draped coffin rests, Friends and comrades gather ’round, As they pay their last respects.   When the solemn rites are done, And the chaplain turns away, Mournful notes of bugle stir, Mem’ries of a bygone day.   One by one they drop from rank, Just as did the blue and gray, Soldier Continue reading →