Today marks the last day of my internship here at the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear. Needless to say, it has been a pleasure coming here every Wednesday and Friday since January working alongside some knowledgeable and hard-working people and sharing my knowledge with others. I particularly enjoyed researching and publishing this blog on World War One history to share with you all. It was thrilling to dig up some facts about that era that many people may not have given much thought about, but isn't that the job of an historian in the first place?

My time writing this WWI blog may be over, but you can bet this won't be the only time you'll see me writing and researching this fascinating period of history. Ever since the WWI Centennial began in 2014, I have made it my goal to consume as much information I can about that conflict and the people who served in and were affected by it. Now that I'll have more time away from schoolwork during the summer, I'll have even more chances to read books and articles and watch movies about WWI!

Some of you might be thinking, how can I experience WWI history 100 years later? Here are some tips I can offer:

• Attend living history reenactments or visit museums that have WWI exhibits. With Memorial Day on the horizon, there should be plenty of opportunities for the former.
• Read books and watch movies based on the war, even fictional ones. I would recommend A Crowded Hour by Kenneth Abing, a well-researched look on Milwaukee's history during WWI, which is also available to purchase at the Chudnow Museum's gift shop.
• Research your own family history to look for servicemen in your lineage. They may be several generations removed, but finding out that a distant relative served in WWI may be of great personal value.
• Visit www.worldwar1centennial.org, the official website of the United States WWI Centennial Commission, to follow their updates on the numerous exhibitions, events, and products they sponsor to help raise awareness of America's involvement in the Great War. Their website is always growing with new additions every week, and they also produce an excellent weekly podcast.
• Purchase a "Buddy Poppy" from a veteran, American Legion, or VFW member before a parade or sporting event. This is a simple and richly symbolic gesture of remembrance that dates to the end of World War One.
• Pay your respects at the grave of a military man who served during World War One. Every serviceman, no matter their rank or time spent overseas or stateside, played a part in this momentous conflict and deserves our continuing respect.

I would like to sign off by reprinting Alexander MacCrae's immortal poem In Flanders Fields. I feel that this poem perfectly captures the mood of those remembering and commemorating the fallen and departed of World War One, just as it had when it was first published in 1915. Every time I read it, it brings a tear to my eye and fills me with emotion. I hope you feel the same way when you read it.

-Jordan Heller

Like numerous other cities big and small across the country, Milwaukee has its fair share of monuments to the servicemen of World War One. Some were constructed and installed in the years immediately following the war, while others were erected many years after the fact. Here is a list of several notable memorials I have recognized within the Cream City:

The 32nd Infantry Division was one of the more notable Army units to gain fame during WWI. They were nicknamed "Les Terribles" by their French allies because of their strong fighting spirit, while back home they were popularly known as the "Red Arrow Division" due to their track record of piercing through the enemy lines like an arrow. The 32nd recruited men mostly from Wisconsin and Michigan, giving the unit a distinctly Midwestern spirit. The division saw combat during many of the American Expeditionary Force's major battles, notably in the Alsace Front, the Second Battle of the Marne, and the Battle of the Argonne Forest. Upon the division's return to Wisconsin after the war ended, numerous schools, sports teams, and parks were named after the 32nd Division. In particular, Milwaukee's own Red Arrow Park was originally located at the corner of 10th and Wisconsin Avenue. It contained a wading pool that was popular with children and was also a popular location for veterans and elderly people to meet. However, with the construction of the highway system running through the city, Red Arrow Park needed to be relocated. It reopened in its new location north of City Hall and across from the Performing Arts Center in October 1970. The distinctive red granite memorial to the "Red Arrow" Division was installed in 1984 and serves as a silent memorial to Wisconsin's fighting men of WWI while citizens enjoy ice skating or a cup of coffee.

Located next to the Milwaukee Art Museum's eye-catching Quadracci Pavilion, the War Memorial Center serves as a memorial to all of Milwaukee's servicemen throughout the years. It was designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, who also designed the St. Louis Arch. Construction started in 1955 and was dedicated on November 11, 1957. The building serves multiple uses, an extension of the Milwaukee Art Museum's galleries in its lower level, office spaces for the county, and a collection of memorials to a variety of conflicts that involved Wisconsin military men. 

The rear of the memorial complex features an eternal flame, surrounded by plaques with the names of Milwaukee servicemen killed in action from World War II to the present. However, affixed to one of the walls is a large plaque listing the names of the 750 servicemen and several female nurses who lost their lives during World War I. It prominently features an Art Deco angel engraved under a famous quotation from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Commissioned by American Legion Post No. 23, it was originally located at their meeting palce at 270 Prospect Ave (which was eventually razed) before being relocated to the Milwaukee War Memorial. 

This next memorial is one that I did not realize was a WWI memorial until literally taking a closer look at it! I drive by this every day I go to work or take the bus to and from class at UWM, and it was not until this past February that I realized its true significance. After going to the art museum with some friends, we were waiting for the bus to take us back to the UWM campus. While waiting for the bus-and moving around to warm myself up on that cold evening-I took a closer look at the flagpole that graced the entrance to the War Memorial Center and saw inscribed on the base: "In Honor Of Those Who Served 1918-1918." What a pleasant surprise!

The flagpole itself was commissioned in 1927 by the Service Star Legion, an organization of mothers who had sons in the military. They originally wanted an "Iron Mike" statue that was common to many other cities across the country, but the county denied this request on the grounds of wanting a more unique memorial structure. A contest was started to create a design for this new memorial in 1933, and on August 1, 1934, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the parkland at the intersection of 2nd, Wells, and Plankinton. The flagpole would be officially dedicated on November 11th of that year. However, the flagpole would be relocated to Juneau Park on June 14, 1979 in order to be closer to the War Memorial Center. It remains there to this day.

This is only a very brief list of World War One memorials in Milwaukee and there are certainly many more to be found across the city. You can find a more comprehensive list here. One might ask, why is there such a plethora of memorials to the same conflict in one city? Keep in mind that World War One was the first time in American history that a sizable force of American soldiers was sent to fight overseas. Many battles in Europe had KIA and WIA tolls surpassing those of the Civil War, even though that conflict ultimately claimed the lives of more Americans. (Remember, the Confederates saw themselves as Americans, too, but that's a discussion for another blog post!) The United States was involved in WWI for only 19 months, but the sacrifices made by its servicemen in that relatively brief period of time left an indelible mark on those who came home alive and their friends and loved ones. One hundred years later, we must not forget those sacrifices, as they shaped the history of this country to this day.

--Jordan

http://city.milwaukee.gov/cityclerk/hpc/War-Memorials-of-Milwaukee/Abraham-Lincoln-Memorial0Copy.htm#.WvW9uu8vzcs
http://www.32nd-division.org/history/ww1/32-ww1.html#Aisne-Marne
http://city.milwaukee.gov/cityclerk/hpc/War-Memorials-of-Milwaukee/WWI-Flagpole.htm#.WvXM7O8vzcs

The people of Wisconsin had a lot to prove for themselves during World War One. Due to the state's large population of German immigrants, many Americans saw Wisconsin's loyalty to the United States as suspect. Indeed, there were many Wisconsinites who sympathized with the German Empire, supported the Kaiser, and did not want the U.S to go to war against Germany. However, several notable military men with connections to Wisconsin proved the naysayers wrong by making their mark on history during the war.

Charles Whittlesey of Florence, WI was born on January 20, 1884. After attending elementary school in Green Bay, his family moved to Pittsfield, MA, where he attended college at Williams College. He later earned his law degree at Harvard University and formed a practice in New York City. After the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, Whittlesey joined the Army and was attached to the 308th Infantry Regiment of the 77th Infantry Division. Whittlesey was already somewhat of an outcast in the 77th, which was known as the "Metropolitan Division" due to its composition of men drawn mostly from New York City's Lower East Side immigrant population. After shipping out to France, Whittlesey received his commission as a Major in September 1918. Shortly afterwards on October 2nd, his unit was ordered to attack a heavily fortified German position facing a ravine in the Argonne Forest. The 554 men under Whittlesey's command were quickly pinned down by heavy German artillery and machine gun fire, and they could not move out of the ravine for five days. Against impossible odds, the 77th held its ground and prevented the Germans from taking over their position. Many soldiers in the division had not been trained on how to throw a hand grenade, and on one occasion they were attached by German soldiers wielding flamethrowers!
On October 7th, 1918, the Germans sent a soldier over with a white flag to offer terms of surrender. Presaging Gen. Anthony McAuliffe's famous "Nuts!" response to the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, the legend has it that Major Whittlesey's response was, "You go to hell!" which he later denied. Later that day, more American troops arrived to relieve the 77th. 107 men had been killed, 63 were missing, and 190 were wounded, leaving 194 men able to walk out of the forest under their own power. The 308th Infantry of the 77th Division quickly gained fame as the "Lost Battalion," and for his gallant efforts in holding his ground and preventing his men from being totally overpowered, Major Whittlesey was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. 
Upon returning home, Whittlesey returned to his law practice in New York City, but he found peace and quiet hard to find. Clients would press him for war stories instead of legal advice. In a letter to a friend, he remarked, "Not a day goes by but I hear from some of my old outfit, usually about some sorrow or misfortune. I cannot bear it much more." In November 1921, Whittlesey was selected to be one of the pallbearers carrying the casket of the Unknown Soldier to Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns. He was not the only Medal of Honor recipient there; Sgt. Alvin York was another pallbearer that day. On November 25th, Whittlesey purchased a ticket for a steamer sailing to Havana out of New York City. The following night, he dined with the captain and excused himself out of the smoking room. Whittlesey never returned to his quarters, and most accounts claim that he jumped overboard. In modern times, we would consider him to have a severe case of "shell shock" or PTSD, the effects of which were too much for him to bear. Thus was a sad fate to a notable Wisconsinite who served his country during the Great War. 

William Landrum "Billy" Mitchell was born in Nice, France, on Devember 29, 1879 to Harriet and John Mitchell, a U.S Senator from Wisconsin. Although Mitchell was raised in West Allis, his family ties to Milwaukee run deep. His grandfather Alexander Mitchell helped found the Milwaukee Road railway line. Mitchell Park was named in his honor, which is now home to the famous "Milwaukee Domes." The Mitchell family's home on 5301 W. Lincoln Avenue also remains a notable Milwaukee landmark. The 400 acre estate included barns, stables, and a riding track. In 1927, the property was purchased by the nuns of the Carmelite Sisters of the Heart of Jesus, who turned it into an orphanage. Today, the property has new life as a senior care center for those with dementia-related issues. 
Billy Mitchell left his mark on WWI history as a tactician with far-reaching ideas on aerial warfare. Fascinated by machines, especially airplanes, Mitchell joined the fledgling U.S Army Air Corps in 1916 and quickly became an expert on aerial warfare. In planning the St. Mihiel offensive in September 1918, Mitchell proposed assembling an armada of over 1,400 airplanes to attack the German lines in conjunction with the ground assault. The aerial forces made quick work of German hangars, aircraft facilities, and defensive positions, and their efforts convinced Mitchell that future wars would be fought and won in the skies. After the Great War concluded, Mitchell became dismayed by the reduction of power in the United States military, particularly its preference of constructing naval ships over aircraft. Mitchell was convinced that battleships could easily be destroyed by bomber aircraft, but his superior officers did not believe him. To prove them wrong, Mitchell arranged for three captured German capital ships and two decommissioned U.S battleships to be anchored off the coast of Virginia, where a fleet of bombers under his command made quick work of them. On July 20 and 21, 1921, several waves of bombing attacks sunk the assembled mothballed fleet, shocking traditional military tacticians and proving Mitchell's case that a ship could be sunk by an aircraft. 
As the years went on, Mitchell's views on air power became both prophetic and troublesome to his superiors. After a tour of Hawaii and several Asian nations' military facilities in 1924, he became convinced that a surprise attack by Japanese airplanes would make quick work of any opposing fleet. Such an attack, launched at 7:30 in the morning by airplanes based hundreds of miles away, could cripple an entire navy. (This eerily prophetic plan would come true on December 7th, 1941, when airplanes launched from Japanese aircraft carriers attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor...shortly after 8:15 AM local time.) After the loss of an Air Corps airship in 1925, Mitchell blamed his superior officers for what he believed to be a needless loss of life against incompetent leadership. This outspoken outburst caused Mitchell to receive a court martial, where he was all but stripped of his rank. Mitchell would retire from the military the same year, not knowing that his theories on aerial warfare would become commonplace in the decades to follow.

Douglas MacArthur became famous as the 5-star general of the Allied forces during WWII and the United Nations forces early on in the Korean War, but he first earned fame during World War One. Even better, he had roots and connections in Milwaukee early on in his life! MacArthur was born in Little Rock, AR, in 1880, but he was raised in Milwaukee for the first few decades of his life. MacArthur and Billy Mitchell became close childhood friends, which was not a coincidence since both of their fathers served together during the Civil War. Douglas MacArthur and Billy Mitchell even fought in the same unit during the Philippines Campaign of the Spanish-American War in 1898. It is rare that two major historical figures became close friends and comrades in life--even more so in Wisconsin!
During WWI, MacArthur was a Major in the 42nd Infantry Division. The unit was nicknamed the "Rainbow Division," since it contained soldiers from nearly every state in the country. MacArthur soon developed a bold but effective style of leadership meant to increase the morale of the men under his command. He would often lead attacks or conduct reconnaissance missions all by himself, more often than not without his standard issue gas mask! MacArthur was also a dashing commander with a sense of style, often carrying a commander's baton and wearing a silk scarf more suited to a cavalry officer. By August 1918, MacArthur rose to the rank of Brigadier General. By the end of the war, he had earned seven Silver Stars, two Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, two wounded chevrons, two Croix de Guerre, and was appointed commandeur of the Legion d’honeur, both notable decorations from the French military and government.  

​--Jordan

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/special-reports/pearl-harbor/2016/12/06/milwaukees-billy-mitchell-predicted-pearl-harbor-attack/91625442/
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/macarthur_douglas
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