"Historically-significant landscapes require a nuanced approach to managing change, one that is respectful of the past, but that lifts the bell jar, so that history can be made accessible to twenty-first century society. Such is the case with our work on Pershing Park in Washington, D.C., revivifying a modernist construct redefined as a national memorial and a welcoming place of urban respite." So says David Rubin, the Landscape Architect for the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. Click here to read his entire thoughtful essay about how his team strove to find "a balance between the preservation of a culturally significant landscape and the creation of a fitting national memorial within a twenty-first-century urban park. "

The National Museum of African American History and Culture's expansive new exhibition, "We Return Fighting: World War I and the Shaping of Modern Black Identity," focuses on both soldiers (and sailors) and civilians to explore the experiences and sacrifices of African Americans during the war, and how their struggles for civil rights intensified in its aftermath. Click here to read more about how "World War I was a transformative event for the world, but also a transformative experience for African Americans."

Black History Month "provides teachers an important opportunity to highlight diversity too often overlooked in classrooms. World War I content can assist in teaching diversity with lesson plans that highlight the service, sacrifice and heartbreak of African American World War I soldiers and sailors," says Paul LaRue, educator and former member of the Ohio World War I Centennial Committee. Click here to read more, and find great educational resources produced in Ohio that can be used in schools everywhere during Black History Month in February.

American Legion Post 43 in Florham Park, New Jersey is named after Pvt. Frank A. Patterson of Madison, NJ.  Patterson was struck down by the greatest killer of the war, against which all of his training and equipment provided no defense. The battlefields of World War I are well known for their ability to take human life on an industrial scale. But the war's most insidious killer was disease. Infectious diseases such as influenza, pneumococcal meningitis, and tuberculosis claimed the lives of tens of thousands of American soldiers. Click here to read more about Frank Patterson's tragic fate, and his service that is remembered today in an American Legion post.

American Legion Post 182 is named after Manuel "Mannie" E. Reams, who served in the American Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Reams was born in February 1890 in Suisun, California. He attended local schools in the area and, between the years 1910 and 1915, made a name for himself playing semi-pro baseball where his teammates gave him the nickname "Babe." But Reams left the ball fields for the battlefields of World War I, never to return. Click here to read more about a hero in sports and real life is remembered by his hometown American Legion post.

Before Humphrey Bogart and Claude Rains squared off in the classic movie Casablanca, both were among the many 20th century films stars who saw active military service in World War I. As did so many others in Hollywood and elsewhere, both actors carried scars from their service for the rest of their lives. As the 2020 Oscar awards approach in February, this is a good time to read more about Bogart, Rains, and the other famous actors whose Great War military service helped shape their characters, both on and off the silver screen.

Lewis Beale, writing in the Los Angeles Times, asserts that Director Sam Mendes' new film, "1917" is "in its own way, every World War I movie in microcosm: the trenches, the scarred battlefields, the rats, the gruesome deaths, the utter futility of a conflict fought over minuscule pieces of land; a war that seems to make no sense, despite the heroism of its combatants." Click here to read more about how cinematic storytelling about war differs between WWI and WWII, and also between movie makers in America and those in the rest of the world.

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Our Doughboy MIA this month is Private Charles B. Jeffries, born 21 July 1892 in Columbus, Ohio, the only son of Van and Ada Jeffries. He and his sister Mary would grow up in Columbus. Charles' draft card shows him to have been a time keeper at the Ralston Car Company on registration day, and he tried to claim exemption for having a 'bad throat'. He was 5'6" tall, blond, and slight of stature.

Bad throat or not, Charles received his draft call in May, 1918 and on the 31^st of that month was inducted into the army at Camp Jackson, South Carolina. He trained with Battery C, 15^th Battalion, Field Artillery Replacement Draft before sailing for overseas service with the 14^th Battery, Field Artillery Replacement Draft (part of the Camp Jackson July Automatic Replacement Draft) on his 26^th birthday, 21 July 1918.

Once in France, in August Jeffries was sent as a replacement to the 77^th Division, by then heavily engaged in combat in the Vesle sector, and assigned to Battery D, 305^th Field Artillery. As an inexperienced replacement, he was assigned duty as a runner with the battery. In September, when the 77^th moved into the Argonne Forest, Private Jeffries, along with Private Thomas G. Sadler, found himself attached as runner to Lieutenant John P. Tiechmoeller, who by then was the artillery liaison officer from Battery D assigned to 1^st Battalion, 308^th Infantry. Lieutenant Tiechmoeller's job was to assist the infantry in its attack forward by calling in artillery fire on stubborn targets of resistance and targets of opportunity. However, in the jungle of the Argonne this job was dubious at best, and the three artillerymen were looked upon with a certain amount of derision.

By October 3^rd, Jeffries, Sadler and Tiechmoeller found themselves in the Charlevaux Ravine as part of Major Whittlesey's 'Lost Battalion'. There, on 4 October, while surrounded in that ravine, Whittlesey's men faced an hour and a half artillery barrage by their own division's guns, from 2:30 pm until about 4:00 pm; a situation inadvertently set in motion by a set of incorrect map coordinates sent back by Lieutenant Tiechmoeller the previous day. It was during that terrible barrage that Lt. Tiechmoeller later recalled seeing Private Jeffries running for the cover of his funk hole in the hillside. That was the last anyone saw of him.

When Tiechmoeller – himself wounded during the barrage – later went to search for Jeffries after the position was relieved, all he found was the boys smashed in the funk hole. Ironically, Private Jeffries was more than likely killed by fire from the guns of his own battery.

Though no trace of Jeffries was ever found, there were five sets of remains from the episode in the Charlevaux Ravine that remain unidentified to this day.

Would YOU like to be a part of our mission of discovering what happened to our missing Doughboys from WW1? Of course you would, and you CAN! Simply make a donation to the cause and know you played a part in making as full an accounting as possible of these men. Large or small doesn't matter – that you cared enough to help does. Visit www.ww1cc.org/mia to make your tax deductible donation to our non-profit project today, and remember:

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

15 oz White Ceramic
WWI Centennial Mug

Featuring the iconic Doughboy silhouette flanked by barbed wire so prevalent during WWI, you can enjoy your favorite beverage in this 15-ounce ceramic mug and honor the sacrifices made by U.S. soldiers, sailors, and Marines.

Proceeds from the sale of this item will help build the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC.

A Certificate of Authenticity as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial is included.

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial.

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