December 12, 2016

The United States World War One Centennial Commission has lost one of its original Commissioners with the recent passing of James Whitfield. He was 90 years old. Commission Chair Robert Dalessandro expressed the sorrow felt by the entire Commission and staff. "Jim was a true gentleman and friend. We will all miss him. He will long be remembered for his dedication and work on behalf of veterans, and the World War One generation." Jim Whitfield led an extraordinary life of service to his nation, the nation's veterans, the State of Missouri, and his hometown of Warrensburg, MO. Read more about a great American and his legacy here.

The centennial of World War One is prompting new looks at the life and deeds of General John "Black Jack" Pershing, a native of tiny Laclede, MO, 220 miles northwest of St. Louis. Chuck Raasch of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a thoughtful take on "the man most responsible for the United States’ moving from a peacetime army of 220,000 to the two million men who, in a matter of months, were transported to France to fight." Raasch's article includes comments from Mitch Yockelson, a member of the Historical Advisory Board of the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission. Read the in-depth meditation on the general who also helped maintain a peacetime military between the two world wars, and shaped the key officers who helped the U.S. and its allies win World War Two.

In Episode 3, Sir Hew Strachan takes on "The Redefinition of Battle: Verdun and the Somme, 1916" during his Keynote Address at the dinner the night before the symposium began at Ohio State University. Strachan is Professor of International Relations at the University of St Andrews, a Trustee of the Imperial War Museum and a Commonwealth War Graves Commissioner, and serves on the both the United Kingdom’s and Scotland’s national advisory panels for the centenary of the First World War. See his absorbing appraisal of the two iconic battles of the Great War on the website where we are publishing the six-episode series from the symposium.

Prefer to watch instead of read?
If you have never checked out the weekly Sync-Call, take a look at this past week’s episode.
It’s about WWI NOW - Centennials news and events.
It’s about WWI THEN, with views about what happened 100 years ago this week.

1. New Jersey 2 minute WWI promo video presented by Veronica Calder
2. "April 6 Centennial In Your State" toolkit
3. Admiral Mike Mullen joins WW1CC as advisor
4. PBS "The Great War" series Roll-out presented by Carrie Phillips
5. 100 Cities / 100 Memorials - VFW signs up as Supporting Organization
6. "Trench Commander" blog on WW1CC Website - Curator Richards Bachus presents
7. "The War to End All Wars" Symposium explained by Peter Mansoor

We will be refining the show over the coming weeks and then early next year, the WW1CC will launch it as a video podcast that can be subscribed to on iTunes, and through the website.