On the politics of remembering Word War I - KansasCity.com

Lisa Budreau on the politics of remembrance,

Following Armistice Day, the U.S. government took charge of the identification, burial and memorialization of American service members who died overseas. Secretary of War Newton Baker gave American families options. One was burial in American cemeteries to be built in Europe.

Another was to have the war dead brought back to their own communities.

“What the government didn’t expect was that the majority of Americans would choose to have their war dead brought home,” Budreau said.

One unintended result was that the remains’ return to families across the country, and the ceremonies that ensued, inhibited agreement on a single narrative that could articulate the meaning of the sacrifice.

“Commemorations are meant to unify communities, stir our collective memories and validate the sacrifices that were made,” Budreau said. “But the democratic process responds to the wishes of its citizens and cannot, by its very nature, readily contribute to an enduring national remembrance.

“I think we are still struggling with finding meaning in the ambiguity of the war’s death and suffering.”

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Over Here The First World War and American Society (9780195173994) David M. Kennedy

A new edition with reflection on the decades since the first.

This 25th anniversary edition includes a new afterword from Pulitzer Prize-winning author David M battlefield of the mind study guide pdf. Kennedy, that explains his reasons for writing the original edition as well as his opinions on the legacy of Wilsonian idealism, most recently reflected in President George W. Bush’s national security strategy. More than a chronicle of the war years, Over Here uses the record of America’s experience in the Great War as a prism through which to view early twentieth century American society. The ways in which America mobilized for the war, chose to fight it, and then went about the business of enshrining it in memory all indicate important aspects of enduring American character.

Over Here The First World War and American Society (9780195173994) David M. Kennedy

My grandfather’s war — WWI — and how it haunted him

Sory of one Grandfather,

An Irishman, my grandfather was reticent to fight on the same side as the British Empire. Nonetheless, when President Woodrow Wilson called for volunteers, grandfather Langan joined the “78th Division, 309th Machine Gun Battalion, Company B, American Expeditionary Force in France” — a phrase that was among the first I learned to repeat as a child.

Grandfather’s 1918 U.S. Victory Medal reflects his experience fighting in the Argonne Forest, St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne, a battle historians consider “probably the bloodiest single battle in U.S. history” (117,000 U.S. casualties). As a machine gunner, PFC Langan was never able to total how many men he killed (“Many,” he always replied).

Grandfather was exactly the kind of front-line killer upon whom any army depends to prevail. For me, he recalled apart from machine gunning that he killed 14 men, some in hand-to-hand combat. Not for nothing was he called “Iron Mike.”

My grandfather’s war — WWI — and how it haunted him - Issues & Ideas - MiamiHerald.com

'Humorous' German cartoons of life on the frontline in World War I are unearthed (and no, they're not funny) | Mail Online

'Humorous' German cartoons of life on the frontline in World War I are unearthed (and no, they're not funny) | Mail Online:

A fascinating collection of cartoon paintings of German soldiers on the Western Front has been discovered - and shows a little-known humourous side to the Kaiser's war machine.The images were drawn between 1914 and 1916 at the Somme and were for a senior German officer with a sense of humour.The caricatures poke fun at the officer class and a strange recurring theme is the supplying of toilet rolls to soldiers.

Check the comments for explanations on the toilet paper.  Also a question about why so many very tall soldiers, and I can only speculate it's connected to William the Great's preference for very tall Guardsmen.