“REMEMBER US: The Fight for America’s World War I Memorial” now broadcasting and streaming on PBS

The amazing story of building America’s national WWI Memorial a full century after the war.

Told exclusively through the words of the project’s visionaries, leaders, artisans and champions who made “the impossible plausible”, is the remarkable story of America’s new national World War I Memorial–an exceptional vision brought to life by a diverse coalition of Americans who overcame all odds to deliver a stunning achievement a full century after the War That Changed the World.

REMEMBER US: The Fight for America’s World War I Memorial is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio. Also available below on the Doughboy Foundation website.

Conceived, constructed and dedicated more than a century after the conflict, America’s national World War I Memorial in Washington DC is a triumph of inspired collaboration during a contentious time in our history.

REMEMBER US tells the amazing story of how it all came to be.

Told exclusively through the words of the project’s visionaries, leaders, artisans and champions, this is a compelling tale of an exceptional bipartisan vision brought to life by a diverse coalition of Americans who overcame all odds to deliver a stunning achievement.

Writer/director John DeBello conducted more than 30 in-depth interviews to recount the fulfillment of a remarkable vision “13 years in the making and a hundred years overdue.” On-camera participants include an array of extraordinary people who imagined, fought for, designed and ultimately built America’s first major 21^st century Memorial in the face of daunting, and sometimes surprising, challenges. Contributors range from 25-year-old Joe Weishaar, an unknown architect who somehow won the prestigious international design competition, to passionate advocates including Senator Mitch McConnell and Leon Panetta, former Secretary of Defense and White House Chief of Staff.

Carol Moseley Braun, the nation’s first Black female Senator, relates how the war changed the social fabric for women, African Americans, native Americans, and immigrants. General Barry McCaffrey, distinguished combat veteran and leading military analyst, personalizes the battlefield exploits of 4.7 million American Doughboys. In his final interview, the late Senator John Warner recalls the WWI service of his father and emphasizes why he became a leading advocate for the Memorial:

“He’d say, ‘I hope you and your generation will do everything to avoid a repetition of what I saw and experienced.’ I’ll remember those words, they’re riveted in my mind, because we didn’t. And that’s what this Memorial may do.”

Inspired by Senator Warner and led by Congressmen Ted Poe and Emanual Cleaver, Republicans and Democrats crossed the aisle to help turn a once farfetched fantasy into reality.

Supporting content in REMEMBER US features originated footage captured from initial vision through the emotionally powerful First Illumination Ceremony that unveiled the completed project to the world on September 13, 2024. Historical material curated from the National Archives and many other sources provided critical context for the project’s rationale and meaning.

Woven together to tell a ‘first person’ story without third person narration, REMEMBER US is a true underdog story with a stirring payoff.

Nothing came easily. There were no living veterans to fire the imagination of Congress and spark fundraising. Pershing Park, the designated location, had devolved into an eyesore within sight of the White House. The mysterious ways of Washington meant constant design revisions from a host of overlapping (and often inscrutable) agencies. And the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, tasked with leading the seemingly quixotic quest, had Congressional authorization—but no funding.

And yet…

An initial donation provided a lifeline that bought time for a brilliant idea—genealogical research that matched potential donors with family members who had served in WWI. The Memorial had life. What’s more, it now had Sabin Howard, a world-renowned sculptor.

A core component of the story is the literal centerpiece of the Memorial—Howard’s magnificent sculpture that Smithsonian magazine says, “may become the greatest memorial bronze of the modern age.” Spanning five scenes, 56 feet long and 10 feet high, A Soldier’s Journey tells the timeless tale of a soldier going to war, experiencing battle, and returning to his family.

In REMEMBER US, the sculpture’s classic design and innovative production methods become a metaphor for the transformative effect of World War I upon the United States. An agrarian nation was suddenly thrust into a global role, the genesis of the American Century.

The story of America’s World War I Memorial holds important lessons for all Americans about the primacy of values, the power of perseverance and the continuing resonance of The War That Changed the World.

REMEMBER US has served as a bridge between the US World War I Centennial Commission, which oversaw the Memorial’s completion, to the Doughboy Foundation who serves as its ongoing steward. The documentary highlights a uniquely powerful moment:

Every day at 5pm, without fail, a bugler sounds Taps at the only memorial in Washington DC that includes space for the contemplation of peace.

About Loma Media

Loma began its relationship with the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Doughboy Foundation in 2016. An award-winning producer of broadcast, documentary and commercial programming, relevant Loma projects have included the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 for the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, the Centennial of the American Battle Monuments Commission and “United Stories of Service,” a webisode series for the USS Midway Museum and World of Warships.

For more information: https://lomamedia.com/case-study/wwicc-and-dbf/

About Doughboy Foundation

The Doughboy Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) that support programs, projects and activities that educate the public about America’s participation in World War I. It played a leading role in planning, funding and constructing the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., and continue stewardship over it through signature events including Daily Taps, concerts, ceremonies and storytelling programs. The Foundation’s guiding vision is to “Keep Faith with the American Doughboy” — a commitment to honoring and remembering the soldiers who served in WWI and all U.S. service members.

For more information: www.Doughboy.org

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