WWI Living History Weekend at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC September 14-15
Published: 11 September 2024
By Doughboy Foundation Staff
Sculpture framed
The WWI Living History Weekend will take place at the National World War One Memorial in Washington, DC on Saturday and Sunday September 14-15, 2024. The WWI Living History Weekend follows the First Illumination ceremony to dedicate the new sculpture “A Soldier’s Journey” by Sabin Howard at the memorial on Friday September 13 at 7:15 pm.
Thank you to our generous sponsor of the WWI Living History Weekend.
A wide assortment of WWI reenactors, musicians, and other performers will be at the Memorial that weekend as the American public gets its first opportunity for an “up close and personal” look at the magnificent bronze sculpture that completes the Memorial, which has been ten years in the making in the Nation’s capitol.
Events start at 9:00 EDT on both Saturday and Sunday, and the sessions will end each day with the sounding of Daily Taps at the National World War I Memorial at 5:00 p.m. EDT.
The schedule is still evolving, so please check back again to get the latest updates, or subscribe here to get the latest schedule updates emailed directly to you:
Schedule of Events
Saturday, September 14, 2024
9:00AM- 5:00PM Displays by WWI Re-enactors, Hello Girls, National Mobile WWI Museum, WWI Vehicles
Come out to the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC to watch living historians who will bring the Great War to the public for two days. See exhibits of vintage documents, equipment, uniforms, and rare pieces of military history on display. Meet reenactors who represent the Army, Navy, and Marines, along with our WWI Allies. Learn about the entry of women into the military, Homefront volunteers, and how animals from dogs to pigeons helped the Allies win the war. See the Mobile World War One Museum from Texas, and take photos with vintage vehicles from 1917-1919 on display.
9:30AM The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers
Katelyn O’Brien is dressed as one of the soldiers of the US Army Signal Corps Women’s Telephone Operator Unit, known as the “Hello Girls”, who were the first women deliberately recruited as soldiers in a non-medical role. She will tell about the critical job they did in communications for fighting the war, as well as their battle to gain their unjustly denied veterans status after the war ended. The World War I Centennial Commission has recommended to Congress that the Hello Girls should be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal campaign efforts. Use this link to find out how you can support this campaign.
10:00AM Concert by Tom Callinan, Connecticut’s 1st State Troubadour
Tom Callinan has been described as “having written more songs about Connecticut’s people, places, and events than anyone in history.” In 1991, legislation passed by the CT General Assembly, and signed into law by the Governor, led to Tom Callinan being designated as Connecticut’s 1st Official State Troubadour. In 2015, Tom developed a new program about “The War To End All Wars” that he has subsequently performed all around CT, and has actively supported WWI memorial restoration projects. He will perform his original compositions about World War I at the National WWI Memorial. Click here to learn more about Tom Callinan.
10:30AM The Harlem Hellfighters-Marvin – Alonzo Geer & Ari Lopez Wei – Presentation
Marvin-Alonzo Geer is Lead Historical Interpretation and Community Engagement Officer at Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. He is a Historical Interpreter and Public Historian, based in D.C.
Ari Lopez Wei is an experienced living historian who has made numerous appearances around the U.S. presenting Black history. He is a founding member of the East Coast Doughboys and resides in New Jersey.
11:00AM Concert by the AEF Headquarters Band Brass Quintet
The AEF Headquarters Band is the resident musical ensemble of the Doughboy Foundation. The Brass quintet is a smaller component of the band. The AEF Headquarters Band recreates the music heard during 1918-1919 at the AEF HQ in Chaumont France along with music that was popular at the time. The band wears reproductions of the doughboy uniforms worn by musicians of the time with the insignia of the AEF HQ on their left shoulder.
The AEF Headquarters Band’s repertoire includes iconic period pieces such as John Philip Sousa’s marches, “Over There,” “Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag,” “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” “K-K-K-Katy,” “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” and “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.” The band also performs works by notable composers like Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, Percy Grainger, and Kenneth Alford, as well as music by African American composers James Reese Europe, W.C. Handy, Noble Sissle, and Eubie Blake.
Through these performances, the Doughboy Foundation and the AEF Headquarters Band preserve and celebrate the rich musical heritage of the World War I era, offering audiences a chance to experience the sounds that once inspired and comforted troops during one of the most significant periods in American history.
11:45AM Menin Gate Buglers “Last Post”
The Last Post, the traditional final salute to the fallen, is played by the buglers of the Last Post Association in honor of the memory of the soldiers of the former British Empire and its allies, who died in the Ypres Salient during the First World War (1914-1918). Since 1928 buglers have sounded Last Post at the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in the Belgian city of Ieper to pay tribute to those who made the supreme sacrifice in that battle. It has continued without fail for over 33,000 consecutive nights.
12:00PM The U.S. Marine Corps 1917-1919 – Marine Corps Historical Company
Chris Kuhns USMC & Curtis Landry USMC
Marine Corps Historical Company
More than 30,000 Marines served in France and more than a third were killed or wounded in six months of intense fighting. In this lively talk from two Marines, learn about what the Leathernecks experienced in WWI, see the equipment they carried and fought with, and find out how the experience changed the U.S. Marine Corps.
12:30PM Concert by Tom Callinan-Connecticut’s 1st State Troubadour
Tom Callinan has been described as “having written more songs about Connecticut’s people, places, and events than anyone in history.” In 1991, legislation passed by the CT General Assembly, and signed into law by the Governor, led to Tom Callinan being designated as Connecticut’s 1st Official State Troubadour. In 2015, Tom developed a new program about “The War To End All Wars” that he has subsequently performed all around CT, and has actively supported WWI memorial restoration projects. He will perform his original compositions about World War I at the National WWI Memorial. Click here to learn more about Tom Callinan.
1:00PM “General John Blackjack Pershing” – Presentation by Chas Rittenhouse
John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, General of the Armies will present his perspective of “Fuel for the Furnace – Ore for the Forging”: The Foundry of the Modern U. S. Army, Challenges of Building a 3 Million Man Army in the 20th Century.
Followed immediately by “The Heat of Battle – The Steel of Soldiers”: The Crucible of the Modern U.S. Army, Aspects of Officer Leadership and Doughboy Resolve on the Battlefields.
1:30PM American Doughboy kit and equipment 1917-1919, gear and equipment demo – East Coast Doughboys
Looking at the sculpture we will take a look at every piece of American equipment on the Doughboy uniform. Starting with the hobnail boots and working our way up to the steel Brodie helmet, what was the uniform and equipment of the U.S. service members in the Great War? We will present vintage equipment, such as gas masks and field gear, and explain the use. And what is a puttee?
2:00PM One Man Play “A Soldier’s Journey Home” – Douglas Taurel
Based on the exact words of the diary of Private Irving Greenwald, a soldier from World War I who was part of E Company of the 308 and was part of the 77th Division, better known as the Lost Battalion. His daughter and sister transcribed the diary in the late 1930s. Douglas Taurel condensed 465 days of his diary entries into a moving and thought-provoking play that The Library of Congress commissioned.
The Lost Battalion was cut off from their regiment for six days, surrounded by Germans, and endured intense fighting and bombing in the Argonne Forest of France from both the Germans and the American artillery forces. In an infamous incident on the 4th of October, inaccurate coordinates were delivered by one of the pigeons and was eventually saved by another pigeon, Cher Ami, delivering the following message:
“WE ARE ALONG THE ROAD PARALLEL 276.4, OUR ARTILLERY IS DROPPING A BARRAGE DIRECTLY ON US. FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE STOP IT!”
Out of 500 men, only 194 men walked out of the Argonne forest, and the Muse-Argonne offensive became the bloodiest and most costly battle for the United States. It marked the beginning of the end of the war. Learn more at : https://www.
3:00PM Edmund D. Potter, PhD, The Citizen Soldiers Education Foundation
3:30PM The Saint-Mihiel Offensive – Alexander Calta, NPS Ranger
The St. Mihiel Offensive was a major effort on the part of the US Army in the last months of World War I. After months of building a large force and deploying it in smaller operations, General Pershing finally put his soldiers into the field on a scale greater than ever before. The offensive would prove US forces could play a major role in the war to come and cast a long shadow in how the US Army would operate in the coming century.
Alex Calta works as a park ranger for the National Park Service for the National Mall and Memorial Parks. He has given many World War I talks since he joined the NPS in 2021.
3:50PM Concert by the AEF Headquarters Band
The AEF Headquarters Band is the resident musical ensemble of the Doughboy Foundation. The Brass quintet is a smaller component of the band. The AEF Headquarters Band recreates the music heard during 1918-1919 at the AEF HQ in Chaumont France along with music that was popular at the time. The band wears reproductions of the doughboy uniforms worn by musicians of the time with the insignia of the AEF HQ on their left shoulder.
The AEF Headquarters Band’s repertoire includes iconic period pieces such as John Philip Sousa’s marches, “Over There,” “Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag,” “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” “K-K-K-Katy,” “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” and “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.” The band also performs works by notable composers like Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, Percy Grainger, and Kenneth Alford, as well as music by African American composers James Reese Europe, W.C. Handy, Noble Sissle, and Eubie Blake.
Through these performances, the Doughboy Foundation and the AEF Headquarters Band preserve and celebrate the rich musical heritage of the World War I era, offering audiences a chance to experience the sounds that once inspired and comforted troops during one of the most significant periods in American history.
4:50PM American Gold Star Mothers Wreath Ceremony – Patti Elliot, National President
5:00PM The Last Post and Daily Taps
Taps is sounded each day at 5 pm at the National WWI Memorial. This is the daily tribute to the 4.7 million Americans who served during WWI and also honors all who have worn the uniform of our nation. This weekend Last Post will also be sounded by the buglers from the Menin Gate in Ypres Belgium. This call honors the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.
Sunday, September 15, 202
9:00AM- 5:00PM Displays by WWI Re-enactors, Hello Girls, National Mobile WWI Museum, WWI Vehicles
Come out to the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC to watch living historians who will bring the Great War to the public for two days. See exhibits of vintage documents, equipment, uniforms, and rare pieces of military history on display. Meet reenactors who represent the Army, Navy, and Marines, along with our WWI Allies. Learn about the entry of women into the military, Homefront volunteers, and how animals from dogs to pigeons helped the Allies win the war. See the Mobile World War One Museum from Texas, and take photos with vintage vehicles from 1917-1919 on display.
9:30AM The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers
Catherine Bourgin and her grandmother WWI Hello Girl Marie Edmee LeRoux (left); Carolyn Timbie and her grandmother Hello Girl Chief Operator Grace Banker (right).
Catherine Bourgin and Carolyn Timbie are the granddaughters of two WWI Hello Girls, U.S. Army Signal Corps telephone operator in France supporting the American Expeditionary Forces. They will tell their grandmothers’ stories and how their stories have dovetailed into the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal campaign efforts. The outreach endeavor necessary for cosponsorship, especially in the House, spurred the creation of a research team that led them to discover their grandmothers’ post WWI lives, and brought forth a virtual cemetery. All of this is setting the foundation for future long term projects in order to preserve the legacy of the Hello Girls, and to bring them out of the shadow of anonymity at the national level.
10:00AM The U.S. Navy in WWI/ Yeoman (F) Women join the Navy
Laura Adie and Thomas Frezza
U.S. Naval History Detachment
Visit these Naval Historians to learn about US Navy operations at home, on the sea, and on the land during WWI. Meet a Yeoman (F) to find out about women in the Navy, and our K9 mascot to learn of the Great War's Seadogs! In this talk learn about the expanding role of what the Navy did in the war, how the service adapted, and how women joined the Navy in key roles.
Laura Adie, who portrays a female member of the U.S. Navy during World War I, is the Programs Administration Manager of the Newlin Grist Mill, in Glen Mills, Pa. She researched and handmade her uniforms based on original vintage Navy patterns. Laura is coming to the event from Schwenksville, Pennsylvania.
Thomas Frezza is a longtime Navy and Marine Corps living historian, Public Affairs Specialist at the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, and runs the Seadog Navy on Instagram. Tom is based in Accokeek, Maryland.
10:30AM Wallace’s Circus: the 332nd Infantry Regiment in Italy – Edward Wittkofski, U.S. Army
In the Autumn of 1917 the Italian Army suffered a morale destroying attack by combined armies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Imperial Germany in the Battle of Caporetto. In less than one month’s time, the Italians lost over a quarter of a million troops and the rout was only stopped by the timely arrival of British and French reinforcements. The King of Italy made an appeal to American President Woodrow Wilson for a token force to be sent to Italy to help rebuild Italian morale. This presentation will discuss how, in the Summer of 1918, the 332nd Infantry Regiment was sent to Northern Italy as a propaganda unit with the simple orders to bolster the Italian morale and depress that of the enemy. Through a clever use of morale support, deception and combat action, the only American combat unit in Italy played a role far beyond its size in the final collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Army on the Italian Front on November 4, 1918.
Edward Wittkofski is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University (‘79, FSer) he had a thirteen year career as an officer in US Army Military Intelligence with service in West Germany and Stateside. Ed went on to a thirty year career in electronics and national security management with the Northrop Grumman Corporation. During the First World War, his great uncle served in the 332nd Infantry Regiment’s deployment to Italy in 1918.
11:00AM 1917, America enters the War – Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, author of “WWI New York: A Guide to the City’s Enduring Ties to the Great War”
This talk is a focus on the first section of the memorial. This is the lead up to American entry into the Great War, the actions and decisions that set in motion for the U.S. to send 2 million men and women to France. What changed to make the nation want to support, equip, train, the A.E.F. A look at 1917 and how America joined the Allies.
Kevin C. Fitzpatrick is a New York City-based author and public historian. He is the award-winning author of eight books. He was program director of the WWI Centennial Committee for New York City. Kevin founded the East Coast Doughboys in 2016 to organize living historians for the centennial, and the organization has continued to grow. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve 1984-89.
11:30AM Trucking, transportation, teaching 2 million men to drive – John Torkos, Hackettstown, NJ, Mobility Executive, Great War Association Past President.
A deep dive into the Mobile Transportation Corps And the Army’s purchase of 250,000 trucks, teaching and licensing 2 million men to drive. The effect this had on mobility and commerce in the United States when 245,000 of those trucks were auctioned off in 1922. The impact on American Families in the post war period. Where do you think, and why, the first interstate van line in 1927 was named Allied Van Lines?
12:00PM Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, 3rd US Infantry
The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps is a ceremonial Army unit that is part of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as “The Old Guard”123. It is the only unit of its kind in the United States’ armed forces. The Corps has 69 Soldier-musicians who serve as goodwill ambassadors for the Army, performing at more than 500 events each year. Members perform using musical instruments and wearing uniforms similar to those used by military musicians of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
12:15PM Concert by the Community Bands of Westmoreland County, PA
The Community Bands of Westmorland County (CBWC) are made from the five bands within the community: Delmont Concert Band, Jeanette Community Band, Kiski Velley Community Band, Penn Trafford Community Band, and the Scottdale Community Band. The purpose of the CBWC is to promote these five excellent instrumental music organizations and to draw from the total members form a concert band that travels to exciting venues that showcase their talents, and allows them to represent Westmorland County, Pennsylvania.
1:15PM Presentation by The Menin Gate Buglers
The Last Post, the traditional final salute to the fallen, is played by the buglers of the Last Post Association in honor of the memory of the soldiers of the former British Empire and its allies, who died in the Ypres Salient during the First World War (1914-1918). Since 1928 buglers have sounded Last Post at the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in the Belgian city of Ieper to pay tribute to those who made the supreme sacrifice in that battle. It has continued without fail for over 33,000 consecutive nights.
1:30PM American Doughboy kit and equipment 1917-1919, gear and equipment demo – East Coast Doughboys
Looking at the sculpture we will take a look at every piece of American equipment on the Doughboy uniform. Starting with the hobnail boots and working our way up to the steel Brodie helmet, what was the uniform and equipment of the U.S. service members in the Great War? We will present vintage equipment, such as gas masks and field gear, and explain the use. And what is a puttee?
2:00PM “General John Blackjack Pershing” – Presentation by Chas Rittenhouse
John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, General of the Armies will present his perspective of “Fuel for the Furnace – Ore for the Forging”: The Foundry of the Modern U. S. Army, Challenges of Building a 3 Million Man Army in the 20th Century.
Followed immediately by “The Heat of Battle – The Steel of Soldiers”: The Crucible of the Modern U.S. Army, Aspects of Officer Leadership and Doughboy Resolve on the Battlefields.
3:00PM “The Yanks Are Coming” – Band music of WWI (1917-1919) – Jari Villanueva
An overview of bands in WWI and their importance to the war effort. Villanueva will discuss the development of the bands during WWI and the impact on the Soldiers and our culture.
3:30PM TBA
4:00PM Concert by the AEF Headquarters Band Brass Quintet
The AEF Headquarters Band is the resident musical ensemble of the Doughboy Foundation. The Brass quintet is a smaller component of the band. The AEF Headquarters Band recreates the music heard during 1918-1919 at the AEF HQ in Chaumont France along with music that was popular at the time. The band wears reproductions of the doughboy uniforms worn by musicians of the time with the insignia of the AEF HQ on their left shoulder.
The AEF Headquarters Band’s repertoire includes iconic period pieces such as John Philip Sousa’s marches, “Over There,” “Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag,” “Keep the Home Fires Burning,” “K-K-K-Katy,” “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” and “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.” The band also performs works by notable composers like Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, Percy Grainger, and Kenneth Alford, as well as music by African American composers James Reese Europe, W.C. Handy, Noble Sissle, and Eubie Blake.
Through these performances, the Doughboy Foundation and the AEF Headquarters Band preserve and celebrate the rich musical heritage of the World War I era, offering audiences a chance to experience the sounds that once inspired and comforted troops during one of the most significant periods in American history.
4:45PM Kingdom of Belgium, Last Post Association and Doughboy Foundation
5:00PM The Last Post, Rouse, and Daily Taps
Taps is sounded each day at 5 pm at the National WWI Memorial. This is the daily tribute to the 4.7 million Americans who served during WWI and also honors all who have worn the uniform of our nation. This weekend Last Post will also be sounded by the buglers from the Menin Gate in Ypres Belgium. This call honors the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.
Table Displays
Saturday, September 14, 2024 & Sunday, September 15
Table#1: The U.S. Marine Corps 1917-1919
Tom Rock, USMC
See a collection of what a Marine would carry in WWI, with original items on display. See vintage everyday items, equipment, photos, helmets, and even recruiting material. Learn about the 78th Company, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Division, AEF.
Table #2: The U.S. Navy in WWI
U.S. Naval History Detachment
See a collection of vintage equipment and rare photos and drawings to learn more about the U.S. Navy role in WWI. Learn about how women entered the service for the first time, and how they integrated into the Navy as Yeoman (F) rating.
Table #3: New York & New Jersey WWI artifacts (shared display)
New York – Collection of Robert Stitham, painted helmets, uniforms, certificates
New Jersey – Collection of John Torkos, named uniforms, maps, equipment stuff including a map case of the MG Co Commander of the 310th with his last battlefield orders and last unit roll call with request for replacements for his 52 casualties on November 9th. . A true time capsule.
Table #4: WWI Artists, Doctors, & Quartermasters (shared display)
Commissioned War Artists Display/Demo – James Loder, New Jersey. This display highlights the work and experiences of the eight artists commissioned by the US Army to document the first World War. Historical documents and tools on display illustrate the process that American artists used in order to capture some of the most harrowing scenes of the Great War, as well as their finished works. The War Artists served with GHQ of the AEF from March 1918 until the end of the conflict in November.
Medical Corps and contract surgeons – Alder Fehler, Brooklyn, NY. See rare artifacts and informational signs and photos about the US Army Medical Corps and women in medicine. Learn how women served as doctors who were contractors, and not given the same pay or opportunities as men during the Great War.
Quartermaster Corps – Raymond Pirus, Neenah, Wisconsin — See a unique collar disk from every state and territory in 1918. These are the round discs all Doughboys wore on the collars. These have been meticulously collected and are on a one-of-a-kind display.
Table #5: American Allies: British & French (shared display)
John Van Vliet, 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment
Tom C. Carton, Royal Sussex Regiment
VAD nurses Sharon Van Vliet and Athena Wu
Our display will showcase some first aid items used by British Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses for treating the wounded behind the lines. Additionally, personal effects carried by the typical British soldier and officer will show how life in the trenches was managed for the men at the front, including paybooks, censored mail, identification discs, and more. The 2/Royal Sussex Regiment served on the western front from August 1914 until the end of the Great War.
Table #6: Homefront, U.S. Food Administration / The American role on the Italian Front & AEF-Italy (shared display)
U.S. Food Administration: Sandi MacCallum-Dunlap, 10 year Navy veteran, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class
The display will feature original US Food Administration educational materials (teacher’s guide, college home economics textbook), ration certificates, and recipe flyers as well as reprints of photos promoting food conservation.
The American role on the Italian Front & AEF-Italy
A small sculpture; An 11X17 map of the Vittorio-Veneto Campaign;
A couple of small flag US & Kingdom of Italy;
An Italian journal cover page about US 332nd Infantry Regiment
