The AEF predominately served in France on Western front, but a few divisions had a definite impact in Belgium. Searching for the commemoration of this impact filled my afternoon as a spent a few hours visiting the only American cemetery in Belgium and a couple of American monuments. The American cemetery at Flanders Field is, in word, humbling (and I'm sure the ones that I will see the rest of the week in France will be as well). The cemetery is smaller than others I will see and a bit off the beaten path of other World War I sites. That may be why I was one of only a handful of people there. The visitor center does a fantastic job talking about the American support of the spring offensive in 1918 and their success in liberating parts of Belgium from German control, including the land of the cemetery. The center also does a great job reinforcing the courage and sacrifice of American soldiers and the importance of honoring them and remembering there service. There are 368 gave sites, including a few from Wisconsin and multiple unknown soldiers. The buried are mostly from the 27th and 30th Divisions, troops assigned to the Belgian army in 1918. Serving as the center point of the cemetery, an impressive chapel commemorates the 43 missing soldiers that lost theirs in the area. The entire cemetery is immaculate in upkeep, with beautiful flowers in secluded niches for reflection. The highlight of my visit was been able to witness a military ceremony, led by active duty military stationed in Brussels. Members of the VFW post in Paris presented a wreath at the chapel, followed by the playing of Taps. Besides the participants and the caretakers of the cemetery, I was the only witness to this beautiful event. It was very memorable to see a ceremony that I have witnessed so many times at home, so far away from home - yet still on American soil. American forces are also commemorated by two memorials in the Flanders area. They are definitely out-of-the-way (and didn't even show up on my car GPS), so it took some time . In the small town of Audenarde, American troops are remembered by a large monument near a car park (European lingo). The other, the Kemmel American Memorial, is on a side road just south of Ypres, surrounded by agricultural land. The memorials reminded me that Americans served in pasture land and small towns, similar to a weekend drive in Wisconsin. Their efforts in a different continent have been commemorated with honor.
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Landing in Brussels gave me the opportunity to get my sea legs (land legs) after an overnight flight and also check out the beautiful capital of Belgium. I spent four hours meandering through the city, enjoying the how it is both big and small, new and old. The beautiful boulevards and outdoor seating areas for restaurants of every type hosted countless people out and about on aTuesday night. It was easy to get lost, but then all I needed was a map because there is some sort of landmark around every corner. Of course, I was looking for those that involved Brussels and the Great War. No American markers here, but still it was well worth the walk. Belgium and Brussels' WWI history is heavily chronicled, and I read a few resources before taking off on foot. Belgium was the home of the start of the war in Western Europe, and the German Schlieffen Plan called for an attack on France through Belgium and Luxembourg. The Germans occupied the country throughout the entire war, and it is hard to imagine the beautiful old city controlled by the of invading troops. The Grand Place was a beautiful spot where I had a tasty meal – but 100 years ago, it was under control of the Kaiser. There are many place names and streets and honor the people in Brussels - too many to find. I located a few of the memorials to the Belgian forces that defended the country in WWI and WWII. I also had to find a very unique memorial - maybe the only one I will see that is dedicated to soldiers and animals. Messenger pigeons played an important role in the Great War, often being the only form of communication used in the field during open warfare. The Belgian Pigeon Soldier Memorial is dedicated to the soldiers and the pigeons that served in the war. There are a lot of pigeons still in Brussels, by the way. And, of course - when in Brussels, one must see the Manneken Pis. It was underwhelming ... but cross that one off the list. It's easy to make powerful connections to the past through primary sources, and I plan to use a few selected letters and journal entries to turn back the clock on my trip. However, it's a challenge to make truly personal connections to the events of 100 years ago without access to genealogical records of family history. I don't have any immediate links to the Great War, and I don't recall any accounts from either side of my family. So, to build a meaningful relationship with the past and bring it home to my students, I often use something that we have in common - our school. A trip to our amazing archives did just the trick for me. University School of Milwaukee has a long and impressive history, and our ties to World War I are many. Originating in 1851 as the German English Academy, the school changed names to Milwaukee University School in 1917 due to the anti-German sentiment that was pervasive throughout the country. The school had forty five graduates and former students serve in the war, most of whom never left the shores of the United States. Of those that served, two perished - one over there, and one over here. Howard E Gromley was a German English Academy student who moved on Culver Military Academy to finish his high school studies. He entered the military at the onset of the war and served in the infantry of the US Army, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. He arrived in France in April of 1918, served in the Chateau Thierry and St. Mihel Offensives, and contracted an illness that ultimately took his life. He was remembered by the school in the 1919-1920 edition of the Academy. I plan to visit his grave at the Meuse Argonne American Military Cemetery - it will be a special moment for me (and hopefully my students). More information on Gromley is available in an interesting chronicle of the The History and Achievements of the Fort Sheridan Officers' Training Camps, edited by Fred Girton in 1920. Walter Ludwig's story is much less detailed, but still indicative of the challenges our men and women faced in serving the US at the time of the war. A former student at the GEA, Ludwig was a private in the US Army and stationed in Camp Grant, Illinois. He died on October 7, 1918, a part of a massive influenza outbreak that ravaged the camp (and the rest of the world). His remains rest in Milwaukee - I plan on getting there soon. I found a few connections to the other schools in our triumvirate. Milwaukee Country Day School had just opened its doors and had no students that were of service age (although one teacher thought he may leave if the war moved on longer.) The women at Downer Seminary collected funds for the Liberty Loan drive - a perfect connection to our service learning projects for veterans. These connections will only make the war more relevant to my students and the USM community as a whole. The hour spent in the archives was certainly worth it!
While going to Europe is the ultimate way to learn and commemorate the Great War, heading to Kansas City is way more accessible (and less expensive). Also, when you have you son in tow and he sticks with you for three plus hours, it's even better. The Liberty Memorial is the iconic centerpiece of the museum and fitting as a place to honor the men and women that served in World War I. Full of symbolism and architectural beauty, the plaza and tower are beautiful during the day (even in 90 degree heat) and striking at night. We made it to the top of the memorial tower - thankfully early in our visit, as they close it in extreme heat - and caught the spectacular 360° view of KC. The beautiful collection of photographs from present day Europe was amazing, and very fitting to inspire and guide my tour in Europe. The exhibition is available in locations in Europe too - and it's amazing. Below the memorial, the National World War I Museum offers everything one needs to know about the war in general and American involvement. Entering the main exhibition over a field of poppies hits home quickly, and the opening video about the origins of the war set the stage for the growing conflict in Europe in the early 1900s. The artifacts are incredible - especially the incredible collection of heavy artillery. (especially the 75 mm French field cannon that my friend Francine's grandfather manned). The exhibition discusses the war at sea, the war in the air, trench warfare, and much much more. The transition between the war before American involvement and the AEF "Over There" was by far my favorite part of the entire museum. An amazing video filling a 100 foot wide screen over a detailed life size scene of no man's land brings the US into the war, using primary sources, powerful images, and archival video. The section on the United States in the war has everything you need to know about American in WWI. Artifacts, posters, infographics, and technology combine to provide a full picture, and the video on the battle that the AEF fought was something I have been looking for. An additional exhibit about "Posters as Munitions" provided some great information for an arts integrated lesson in American studies - score! If you have the chance, this is a the place to be to get immersed in America and World War I. Their online resources are almost as awesome as the museum - check them out!
I can't think of a better book to begin my trip preparation than Back Over There by Richard Rubin. An accomplished World War I historian, Rubin is most known for interviewing the last surviving doughboys of the AEF. I've listen to his speeches at the Pritzker Military Library, and I love how he brings out the personal stories of the people involved in the war. In Back Over There, Rubin has already done what I hope to do – chronicle of the actions, impact, and memory of our doughboys on the Western front. Of course, he has done it to the nth degree while I will have my little blog here. Rubin mixes military history, travel journalism, and personal experiences and reflections as he drives, walks, hikes, and crawls in the footsteps of history. Part history book, part travel log, and part personal journal, historical road trip books are among my favorites – Confederates in the Attic, Blue Latitudes, Assassination Vacation, and Land of Lincoln, to name a few. Rubin's work ranks at the top of the list.
As I took copious notes from his book, I was able to select a few out-of-the-way places that I feel are must sees., including the first AEF casualties near Rechicourt la Petite, the spot where Henry Gunther died, the ruins of Fleury-devant-Doumont, and a moving ceremony at Menin Gate, Rubin identified some His work is engaging from beginning to end, and it really sets the stage for my week in Belgium and France. I hope to get a hold of him to let him know what I'm doing and share the importance of his work. He recently presented his book at the National WWI Museum - it's a great example of what I hope to do (on a smaller scale). Since the centennial of WWI began, Rubin also offered his response to an important question - Why don't American remember WWI? I hope to help change this problem (on my own small scale) with my trip, just as Rubin has done on a larger scale with his fantastic books. On the 100th anniversary of American involvement in World War I, there is no better time to follow in the footsteps of history and examine the impact of the United States in the Great War in Europe as well as discovering the impact of the war over here in the United States (especially Wisconsin and Milwaukee). I've always been intrigued by World War I, in part because I knew so little about it. No complaint to my past history teachers, but I was never exposed much to America's involvement in the war was, especially compared to the Civil War in World War II. No doubt about it, those two events fascinate me as well, and I've already been fortunate to enjoy some historical travel about both conflicts. But World War I is different. I don’t didn’t know much about it until I started teaching about the conflict twenty years ago, and I am still limited in the textbook and local museum phase. While that’s a solid base, I want to (and need to) dig deeper into what some call the most important conflict of the 20th century. So here goes …
I know that America’s participation in the Great War led the country to emerge as a leader in the 20th century, and the war overall shaped the world in ways we still feel today. It's important that students know the relevance of the war on a local, national and global scale, and that is one of my overreaching goals for my trip. (My school changed names because of WWI – that’s enough relevance to start, right? I hope to investigate American involvement from a different perspective as I explore France and Belgium. When I traveled to England and France to study D-Day and World War II, I was struck by the gratitude still evident from the French. Everything I read expresses the same feeling on the Western Front – but I will find out for myself. I love commemoration, monuments, and memorials (yup, kinda boring and maybe creepy), and I hope to visit and chronicle as many as possible. I also desire to find some local connections when I travel and possibly follow the story of some men and women from Wisconsin. Finally, I hope to honor and commemorate the service of the millions who served in the American Expeditionary Force and the 116,516 that lost their lives keeping the world “safe for democracy”. I plan to update my site as I travel, but access to the internet and my energy level will determine the timetable and detail. I can’t thank University School of Milwaukee enough for this professional development opportunity. I look forward to sharing my experiences with our community and making this part of our American Studies curriculum even more engaging an meaningful for my students. |
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