Biblio File, For Teachers

Americans in World War One: History & Stories 

By Anne Rouyer, Supervising Librarian, Mulberry Street Library
via the New York Public Library web site

Harlem Hellfighters during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Painting by H. Charles McBarron JrWe started celebrating Veteran’s Day on November 11, 1919 as a way to commemorate the first anniversary of Armistice Day, the day that hostilities in World War I ended. In 1926, Congress made Veteran’s Day a national holiday and it has since become a day that we remember all veterans that have served in the United States Armed Forces.

World War I is called "The Great War" but in America it could also be called "The Forgotten War". Compared to four years in WWII, we just weren't in it for very long but it's repercussions are still being felt today.

It began in 1914 but the U.S. stayed out of it until April 1917 when President Wilson convinced Congress we should enter the war and fight. By March 1918, the U.S. had 85,000 troops in France and by September 1918 there were 1.2 million. The total troop mobilization for the U.S. was approx. 4.4 million. All told, America was in the war for about a year and a half and lost 116,516 soldiers and just over 204,000 were wounded.

During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the last major campaign of the war, over a million Americans participated and over 26,000 were killed. The Battle of the Argonne is still considered the deadliest battle in American military history. However, that's just a drop in the bucket when you consider that the total casualties for the entire war was a little over 37.4 million people (Allies, Central Powers and civilians). On the opening day of the Battle of the Somme alone, Britain lost nearly 20,000 men. Just reading these statistics can leave you dumbfounded by the sheer loss off life and the complete loss of innocence.

Read the whole article on the New York Public Library web site:

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