“World War One remains America’s forgotten war, even though more U.S. citizens gave their lives in it than in Korea and Vietnam combined.”

ONE HUNDRED YEARS ago today, 4,000 soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 28^th Infantry Division climbed out of their trenches on the Western Front and, under cover of a creeping artillery barrage, stormed the German lines at Cantigny, France. Although the attackers suffered nearly 200 killed and 1,400 wounded, they succeeded in moving the Allied line forward a full mile. It may have only been a minor victory in military terms, but the engagement held a much greater significance: It was the first major operation undertaken by U.S. troops since the first “Doughboys” arrived in France nearly a year earlier.

Before the Armistice was signed 167 days later, the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) would chalk up even more victories at places like Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood, St. Mihiel and the Argonne Forest.

At the time, Americans had never fought in a conflict like the First World War. Ultimately, more than four million citizens would serve in uniform; tens of millions more would be mobilized on the home front. The United States entered the war in Europe reluctantly, yet eventually, the country’s political, industrial and financial might would not only ensure the Allied victory, but help shape the tumultuous post-1918 world.

Now, on the 100th anniversary of the last year of the so-called War to End All Wars, Americans are looking back on the conflict, their country’s role in it, and how the events of 1918 changed the United States forever. To help make sense of it all, there’s the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, a government-funded history project that aims to increase citizens’ awareness of the conflict and how it shaped the nation.

In honour of Memorial Day 2018, MilitaryHistoryNow.com caught up with Katherine Akey, producer and co-writer of the award-winning WW1 Centennial News Podcast to talk about America in the First World War and what the commission has planned between now, Nov. 11 and beyond. Here’s what she told us.

MHN: Tell us about how the WW1 Centennial Commission was formed and what it’s trying to accomplish.

Akey: The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission was created by an Act of Congress in 2013. Members of the 12-member Commission were appointed by the President and the leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the National World War One Museum. All five living former U.S. Presidents serve the commission as Honorary Chairs, alongside esteemed peers including Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell, among others. The commission’s mission is to plan, develop, and execute programs, projects and activities to commemorate the centennial of the war, including developing educational programs, organizing activities, events, and symposia, establishing a National World War One Memorial in Washington D.C., and bringing attention to the thousands of World War One memorials in communities across the country that honor Americans who served in the war.

MHN: The First World War’s centenary has been observed with much fanfare in Britain, France, Canada, Australia and elsewhere. Do you think enough Americans understand, appreciate and recognize the importance of the First World War?

Akey: World War One remains America’s forgotten war, even though more U.S. citizens gave their lives in it than in Korea and Vietnam combined. It profoundly shaped the rest of “the American century.” Some believe this is due to the fact that the war was followed by several overwhelming nationwide events: the Great Depression and, shortly thereafter, World War Two. With such little time to make sense of the catastrophic upheaval that the First World War wrought, the next conflict took the leading role in the nation’s sense of its new, 20th Century identity.

MHN: What can Americans learn from their country’s participation in the conflict? How did the war change America?

Akey: There is a short answer to this, which is that the war affected every single aspect of life — from gender roles, civil rights and workplace safety to national identity, technology, medicine, and education. WW1 even changed our language, our clothes and our moral code. As the philosopher Walter Benjamin wrote of the war in 1936: “nothing but the clouds unchanged.”

The longer answer, one which fills out the detail of the profoundly deep change brought about by the conflict, lies in an infinite sprawl of literature, artworks, historical texts, scholarly writings, films and oral histories. Over the course of the centennial commemoration, we have found that one of the most relevant facts is that World War One set in motion nearly all of the geopolitical and sociopolitical forces — and conflicts — of today.

MHN: Who are some of the remarkable figures who emerged from the war?

Akey: World War One was a crucible for the careers of many notable figures, including future presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry Truman; important military figures of World War Two like Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton and George C. Marshall; and many artists who would come to define culture in the early 20th century, including E. E. Cummings, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Edith Wharton and Edward Steichen.

When you look at other countries involved, you’ll see that several notable figures from World War Two get their first taste of modern warfare in World War One, including Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Charles du Gaulle, Winston Churchill and Vladimir Lenin. This is of course an extremely short list — there are many other individuals who were changed forever by their experience of the war and went on to be politicians, doctors, inventors, soldiers and artists of note, and who reflect a true cross-section of American identity and culture.

The more we uncover stories from the war, the more I personally realize that every individual who lived through and served in the war is utterly remarkable. That is why the commission has programs like Stories of Service, where individuals can submit narratives of any person who served in the war. The subject can be a member of your family, or someone whose information you have collected as part of a classroom or other organizational project. 

MHN: What sorts of activities and events can Americans take part in as we get closer to the 100th anniversary of the Armistice on Nov. 11?

Akey: There are so many ways to commemorate those Americans who served in World War One — from national events to local ones. On Veterans Day, also known as Armistice Day, the Commission has organized several national events including ceremonies at Pershing Park and the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and a nationwide Bell Tolling that any and all are invited to participate in. There are thousands of local events taking place in every town, city and state to honor local individuals and efforts from 100 years ago. You can visit the Events page at www.ww1cc.org/events to find a comprehensive list, or to add an event of your own! Our 100 Cities 100 Memorials program has helped restore local World War One memorials, parks and plaques all across the country, and many of the recipients are holding rededication ceremonies in the coming months.

Additionally, we would encourage every American to take time to become more familiar with the impact the war had on their family or region. Reach out to your local historical society, library or American Legion, or search for your family’s draft cards on the Library of Congress website. You can also listen to our award-winning weekly podcast – World War One Centennial News, at www.ww1cc.org/cn – for a fast, entertaining, wide-ranging and informative look at The War That Changed The World. New hour-long installments go live every Saturday covering WW1 THEN: 100 Years Ago This Week, and WW1 NOW: The Centennial Commemoration.

In honor of Military Appreciation Month and Memorial Day in May, we just added a new interactive transcript with search and play feature, making it easy to access a living library of more than 70 hours of compelling stories and research links on The War That Changed the World since the podcast first debuted on Jan. 4, 2017. Simply click the “Read more” box below the highlight notes for each episode at WW1cc.org/cn, search and click on any word in the transcript to begin playing the audio, or copy sections of podcast transcripts as a credible source for articles and research papers. This tool will also be built-in to future episodes of the WW1CN podcast debuting weekly through the summer of 2019.

To learn more about the WWI Centennial, please visit the following resource links:

WW1 Resource Links:

• org/cnfor the WW1 Centennial News Podcast
• orgto learn more about the World War One Centennial Commission and its work
• org/eventsfor WW1 Centennial events
• org/memorialfor America’s WWI Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington DC
• org/wwriteExploring WWI’s Influence on Contemporary Writing and Scholarship
• org/100Citiesfor the 100 Cities, 100 Monuments program
• org/veteranfor veteran issue
• org/promotionfor WW1 public domain historical images, videos, facts and information
• WWICC social media
  • https://www.facebook.com/ww1centennial/
  • https://www.instagram.com/ww1cc/
  • https://twitter.com/WW1CC(@WW1CC)