The Doughboy Foundation was honored to attend a dedication ceremony for the Pershing-Foch Statue at the Pentagon. The statue, created by French sculptor Luc de Moustier, depicts the final handshake between American Expeditionary Forces Supreme Commander General John Pershing and French Marshal Ferdinand Foch. This farewell took place on September 1, 1919, aboard the USS Leviathan in Brest, France. The statue was gifted by the French Armed Forces to their American counterparts in February 2025, marking 250 years of military alliance between France and the United States. Doughboy Foundation Bugler Michael Delaune (left) performed at the event with the bugle given to General Pershing in 1918 at his headquarters in Chaumont, France. Read more about this historic ceremony, and how the Doughboy Foundation played an important role in the event.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Sept. 3 to the Harlem Hellfighters, one of the most renowned Black combat units of WWI. Descendants of those soldiers were in attendance to accept the recognition, Congress’ highest civilian award, on behalf of their ancestors’ actions during a ceremony in Washington, DC. The approval of the medal was passed in Congress on Aug. 9, 2021. Read more about the Harlem Hellfighters and the Congressional Gold Medal, and watch video of the presentation ceremony, here and here. Learn more about the 369th Infantry here.

“The Hello Girls. Okay, let’s just get this out-it’s spectacular! In the interest of time and impact, I simply want to say, go see it. Now! You will thank me for it later!” So begins just one of the many rave reviews being earned by the Syracuse Stage, NY production of The Hello Girls Musical, which the producers hope is the last stop the musical hits the stage on Broadway. Read some of the exemplary reviews of the revamped current version of the musical here, here, and here. The show runs through September 28, so you still have a few days to buy tickets!

In the age of new technologies deployed with unprecedented devastation in the chaos of World War I, the then-novel incorporation of telephones in wartime was just as critical to the Allies’ success. Answering the call in a time when many women could not vote and had their medical reports passed to their husbands, was English-born Ellsworth, ME resident Sarah Fairbrother Aldrich, one of 223 women who deployed overseas as part of the newly created U.S. Army Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit, affectionately called the “Hello Girls.”  Read the entire article about Sarah Fairbrother Aldrich on The Ellsworth American newspaper’s website–ironically, the newspaper where Sarah’s husband Harry worked during WWI.

Western troops may face deadlier fights in future wars. If helicopters can’t fly medevac flights, the US Army’s fallback for treating the wounded is a World War I approach: using soldiers as “walking blood banks.” During a recent exercise on a German hillside, the Army and its allies and partners simulated enemy artillery fire that resulted in tremendous soldier casualties. Without air superiority for flying evacuations for the injured or bringing in needed supplies, life-saving treatment had to be done right near the fight. Read more about the so-called “buddy transfusion” or direct donor-to-patient transfusion that was pioneered during WWI, which is now possible again thanks to blood screening technologies.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial will welcome the Kansas City community back for its annual Night at the Tower Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. The fundraiser offers guests an unforgettable evening that combines dining, live entertainment, and exclusive access to the Museum and Memorial after hours. From amazing views from the top of the Liberty Memorial, Night at the Tower brings together history, culture, and community for a unique experience. Read more about Night at the Tower, and find out how you can attend the big event this weekend in Kansas City, MO.

“One of the things we try to feature each year with Lost Battalion Tours is the chance to give our guests an ‘Indiana Jones Moment’, where we go explore something no one has ever explored, or at least something new to us.”  Independent historian and author Robert Laplander, proprietor of the WWI-focused tour company, describes such an “Indiana Jones Moment” taking place on a recent tour–with a family twist.  Learn how the search for Lost Battalion’s commander Major Charles Whittlesey’s PC (Post de Command) in the Argonne led to a great discovery by Robert’s son John on his second trip with the company, and a very proud papa.

Persuasion has long influenced how people think, act, and decide where to live. During World War I, American leaders used posters with bold images and urgent messages to rally support. These propaganda posters encouraged enlistment, labor shifts, and even relocation to industrial centers that fueled the war effort. As a matter of fact, the designs spoke directly to emotions, linking movement with patriotism and duty. Today, social media ads function in a similar way, though driven by data and digital targeting. They encourage relocation through career promises, lifestyle marketing, or national policy campaigns. Read more about  propaganda posters in WWI versus social media ads today, focusing on convincing people to relocate in wartime and today.

No war in recent memory can compare to the meat grinder of World War I. Europe still bears the scars of the war, even more than a century after the war ended. The gruesome and terrifying type of warfare typical of the Great War had a lasting impact on those who witnessed and experienced it. It also created such carnage on the land where it was fought that some of those areas are still uninhabitable to this day. The uninhabitable battlefields are known as the Zone Rouge (French for “Red Zone”). They remain pockmarked and scarred by the intense fighting at places like Verdun and the Somme, the two bloodiest battles of the conflict. Read more about Zone Rouge, and areas not completely devastated but heavily impacted by the war that fall into other zones, yellow and blue zones. 

The term “American Century,” famously coined by publisher Henry Luce in a 1941 essay, is almost universally associated with the aftermath of World War II. It evokes images of American industrial might rebuilding a shattered world, the dollar reigning supreme, and a Cold War standoff between two global superpowers. This narrative is powerful, but it overlooks the true genesis of American global dominance. The seeds of the American Century were not sown at Pearl Harbor, but nearly a quarter-century earlier, in the mud and trenches of the Western Front. Learn how America’s entry into World War I in 1917 was the pivotal moment: the unmistakable turning point that irrevocably altered the nation’s economic, military, and diplomatic trajectory. 

The guns fell silent on November 11, 1918. But for millions of American “Doughboys” — the nickname given to U.S. infantrymen in World War I — the story didn’t end there. They returned home changed, stepping into a country that barely resembled the one they’d left. As the 1920s roared into life, veterans tried to rejoin a world moving faster than ever before. Some blended in. Others struggled. A few stood out. And their second lives often left behind records that are waiting for you to discover.  Read more, and learn how, for genealogists, the 1920s are rich with records — and WWI veterans often left strong trails if you know where to look.

Picture walking into a university archive: dim light, rows of acid-free boxes, the faint smell of aging paper. Inside one folder rests a letter from a soldier describing muddy trenches in northern France. It is raw, unpolished, and nothing like the summaries in textbooks. That is the power of primary sources. For students studying America’s involvement in World War I, these artifacts bring history out of the abstract. They make it immediate, textured, and personal. Using the right resources is a skill in itself, one that can shape essays, research projects, and even class debates. Learn how finding primary sources can turn America’s role in World War I from dates and battles into human experience. 

Gustaf Adolf Sundquist was born in Irsta parish in Västmanland county, Sweden, on June 4th, 1879. Sundquist emigrated to North America in 1891, and became a naturalized citizen. He enlisted in the U. S. Navy July 30th, 1897 at age 18, and served in the Navy during the American War with Spain as an Ordinary Seaman on board the USS Nashville. He was awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor for his bravery during the operation of cutting the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, on May 11, 1898.  In May 1918 he reenlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve to serve in World War I.  Read more about Sundquist, and learn how this war hero met a tragic end during his work on constructing a radiotelegraphy station at Croix d’Hins in France to support the American Expeditionary Forces.

U.S. Naval Station Subic Bay in the Philippines operated at an intense pace in World War I to prepare U.S. Navy vessels for deployment. At one time America’s second-largest overseas military base, Subic Bay closed in 1992 after lease negotiations failed, but now the base is set for a dramatic revival. Learn how the U.S. and the Philippines have agreed to a plan that will turn the area into the world’s largest weapons hub, a move intended to help curb Chinese aggression in the region.

Did you know that over 4.7 million American soldiers were mobilized in World War I, each wearing variations of the now-iconic World War I American uniform? Whether you’re a military history enthusiast, a re-enactor, or just fascinated by wartime equipment, understanding the United States Army dress uniforms of World War I offers incredible insight into both the battlefield and the home front. But there’s more than just history—collecting and identifying authentic uniforms is a growing trend today. Read this quick guide from Paddelaters on how to get smart about U.S. WWI uniforms, what to look for, and collector pitfalls to avoid.

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Our Doughboy MIA this month is 1st LT Arnold Matthew McInery. Born April 23rd, 1893, Lieutenant McInery was a student at Notre Dame University when war broke out. He enlisted in the first officer’s training program at Ft. Benjamin Harrison on May 15th, 1917. Upon completion of his training he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and went overseas with the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division. While leading his company into an attack during the Battle of Soissons on July 18th, 1918, Lt. McInery was killed in action and interred in a makeshift battlefield grave, which was never located after. The company he led into battle that day was later decorated by the French for bravery in action during that attack.

Would you like to be involved with solving the case of 1st LT McInery, and all the other Americans still in MIA status from World War I? You can! Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to our non-profit organization today, and help us bring them home! Help us do the best job possible and give today, with our thanks.  Remember: A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

The Doughboy Foundation Shop is Back in Business, with many new items in stock along with some of our standards from the years past,

Featured this month are our three great Doughboy Foundation Bio-Washed Classic “Dad Hats.” The Navy blue caps feature choice of the traditional Embroidered Flag Design (top), the new Embroidered Poppy Design (middle), and our exclusive Battlefield Soldier Design (bottom). Check out the designs, and select your favorite!

Proceeds from the sale of these items will help the Foundation to keep watch over the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC.

These and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the Doughboy Foundation.

Pershing Sponsors