When the U.S. entered the war, many Americans did not fully support the decision to join the conflict. President Wilson created the Committee on Public Information to encourage support, while Congress passed two laws of questionable constitutionality.
An Indian revolt against British rule played out in an American courtroom, demonstrating the complexities of a global conflict.
As a famous actor, ‘Bogie’ was iconic for the scar on his lip and his subsequent lisp, the origin of which has developed some lore. Here are two variations that have proven popular.
Americans on the home front, from the very young to the elderly, pitched in to help support the war effort. One of those efforts was knitting socks and other garments for the Doughboys.
Joshua Villanueva conducts the CMA's Copland Chamber Orchestra in a performance [...]
After the death of his mother Dorothy Martin at age 94 in 2001, James Larrimore (left) was stunned to discover a trove of information about World War I the service of his grandfather Don Martin as a wartime correspondent. Larrimore turned the father-daughter letters, his grandfather's diaries, and other materials into a blog, and finally a book (center), “In Their Own Words, Writings of war correspondent Don Martin and his 11-year-old daughter Dorothy. An intimate view of WWI.”
By James Larrimore
Special to the Doughboy Foundation web site
On my mother’s death in 2001 at age 94, I came into possession of family records from the World War I era. My grandfather, Don Martin, whom I never met, had died in France while serving as a war correspondent; a poem written about him was titled “Soldier of the Pen.” I found original letters he wrote to his daughter (my mother) and letters from her to him. Also, there were my grandfather’s diaries for 1917 and 1918, and letters of condolence upon his death from Spanish influenza in October 1918, including from Commander-in-Chief John J. Pershing. My mother had told me little about this. I realized that I had to learn about the role my grandfather had played in World War I.
Don Martin was a well-known political journalist of the New York Herald in 1917, when he was assigned to cover the American Expeditionary forces in France. Once he reached the war zone in March 1918, he quickly became recognized as one of four leading American war correspondents, together with Floyd Gibbons of the Chicago Tribune, Martin Green of the New York Evening World and Ray Carroll of the Philadelphia Public Ledger. On learning of his death, former President Theodore Roosevelt wrote:
“Martin was one of the best and truest men with whom I have had relationships…He was of that sort that makes it quite worth while for a real man to do his best, efficiently, honestly and thoroughly.”
I had found that my grandfather was a role model and a hero.
With the WWI Centennial approaching, I decided to make public Don Martin’s reporting and writings on WWI. I set up a blog on which I posted daily, from December 2017 to October 2018, what Don Martin had written one-hundred-years before in his diary and in his war dispatches. It was exciting to relive his wartime experiences day by day, yet something important was missing - the story of the separation of a father from his 11-year-old daughter Dorothy by WWI and how their relationship was maintained through letters, handwritten one a week by Dorothy and sometimes even more frequently by her father. Collating all these sources to tell their story was a moving experience. This book, “In Their Own Words, Writings of war correspondent Don Martin and his 11-year-old daughter Dorothy. An intimate view of WWI,” is intended to be a further contribution to the Centennial of WWI.
Soldiers dressed as Doughboys in procession on Nov 11 2021. U.S. Army photo by Sgt Charlotte Carulli
By Allison S. Finkelstein, Ph.D., Senior Historian, Arlington National Cemetery
Special to the Doughboy Foundation web site
In 2021, Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) served as the designated government leader of the congressionally mandated Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Centennial Commemoration. This centennial recognized the 100th anniversary of the Tomb’s creation at ANC on November 11, 1921.
As the culmination of years of work by the entire ANC team, this yearlong commemoration produced a wealth of content for the public about the history and meanings of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, much of which focused on World War I (WWI). We are excited to share these resources with readers of the Doughboy Foundation Dispatch Newsletter so we can continue to raise awareness about the Tomb’s significance.
Over the next several months, we will be contributing a series of articles that highlight the different projects we created for the Tomb Centennial. Just as the 1921 ceremonies for the burial of the WWI Unknown Soldier involved mass public participation, the Tomb Centennial engaged the public through a variety of means: exhibits, publications, webinars, videos, digital media, an education program, and participatory ceremonies. For more information on the Tomb Centennial, please visit the following websites:
This month, we are sharing our Commemorative Guide to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In the years leading up to the Centennial, the ANC History Office undertook in-depth research into the history of the Tomb and its legacy. This research will eventually yield two publications.
By Rhonda Underhill
Special to the Doughboy Foubdation web site
Today’s veterans have many benefits that their predecessors didn’t. When you look, especially, at World War I veterans, who bore the brunt of a society concerned over what they deemed excessive benefits given to Civil War veterans, today’s vets are doing much better. But, it’s not enough.
Let's look at a few different ways that you can help the veterans in your community 100 years after World War I.
Unlike the millions of drafted veterans of World War I, many new military enlistees today go into service with benefits in mind. The most coveted may be the military’s education programs, including the G.I. Bill. Veterans may also qualify for low-cost medical care, job training, counseling, and loans earmarked for former service members. And, in 2022, the majority of disabled veterans will see a disability cost-of-living adjustment of 5.9%, according to Benefits.com.
However, many veterans struggle with a lack of access to these benefits, along with PTSD, sexual trauma, and higher than average unemployment. Homelessness and suicide are also common. But, with help from a community that cares, the veterans in your life can receive the assistance they need and the respect they deserve.
How To Help
There are many ways to help veterans, from offering a simple token of appreciation to launching full-scale fundraising campaigns that provide financial assistance to low-income vets. Other ideas include:
Learn about their needs. Often, we don’t help because we don’t know what’s needed. Consider learning what you can about World War I, Vietnam, Korea, Desert Storm, and other veterans in your community. This could include looking at the history of the wars, what they’ve been through, and how they were treated upon return home.
Keep Faith with the American Doughboy
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