The thousands of veterans gathered last week in Reno, Nev., for the 99th National Convention of The American Legion heard a lot about how important World War I is to the nation’s largest veterans organization. The Great War, as it was then known, brought into existence The American Legion, which is why the World War I Centennial and The American Legion legacy are tightly intertwined, World War I Centennial Commissioner Jack Monahan explained to the Legionnaries in an important address to the convention.

Mike Hanlon, Editor/Publisher of Worldwar1.com, a Commemorative Partner of the United States World War One Centennial Commission, sent this missive to his subscribers recently:

With the approval of the design concept for the World War I Memorial at Pershing Park, the Centennial Commission and the Design Team are seeking help on one aspect of the final design.  They need the best selection of inscriptions to place on the monument to capture the spirit and sense of duty and sacrifice of those who served in the war.  These might be well-known expressions like that of Captain Lloyd Williams, USMC, who said, "Retreat, hell we just got here," at Belleau Wood, or it might be something one of your family members wrote in his letters or diary and has never appeared in print before.  In any case, this is the chance for those of us who have studied the war, or had family who fought in the struggle, to contribute and make our ideas and suggestions known.  Learn more about how you can contribute to this effort.

Tanveer Kalo, a former intern at the World War I Centennial Commission, was profiled in the May 16 issue of DISPATCH about the collection of information on Indian American people who served in the U.S. military during World War I which he developed for the Commission web site. Recently he was invited to write an article on the same subject for American Bazaar Magazine, which was just published. Tanveer talks about the process and discoveries of his work, and how he is continuing his research even after returning to college, and highlights his personal favorite story of Manganlall K. Pandit, who served the US military in both World Wars.  Check out Tanveer's great article here.

The World War I Centennial Commission has had an amazing number of college- and graduate-level interns. They come to us every semester, and during the summer, from all over the Unites States, and even places beyond -- China, South Korea, and Northern Ireland, to name a few. One of our recent  interns was Samantha Marie Ensenat, who came to us from Florida International University in Miami, FL. Samantha was interviewed recently about her experience, and said some very nice things about her time here.

As America entered World War I in 1917, a who’s who of National Rifle Association rifle champions gathered at Camp Perry, OH for an important mission. Congress had just declared war against Imperial Germany, but not a single school-trained military sniper existed. As the Army broke ground for 32 training camps across the nation, at Camp Perry the NRA was organizing a national-level advanced shooting program—the Small Arms Firing School—where specially-selected soldiers would learn advanced marksmanship, culminating in long-range shooting and sniper training. Upon graduation, they’d rejoin their units, instruct their skills to others, and then accompany them to France as intelligence and sniping leaders. Read more about here about how this public-private partnership for military rifle marksmanship contributed to the American war effort.

The WW1 Centennial News Podcast is about WW1 THEN: 100 years ago this week, and it's about WW1 NOW: News and updates about the centennial and the commemoration. 

Available on our web site, iTunes, Google Play, and TuneIn.

Highlights Episode #34

"Trains, Planes and Mail!"

• Moving the goods - The railroads and the war effort
• Lynn Heidelbaugh - The postal service in WW1
• The “Hat in the ring Gang” - Centennial of the 94th Aero Squadron
• Mike Shuster - Dissent in the German forces
• Richard Rubin & Jonathan Bratten - Being German ain't easy in 1917
• Speaking WW1 - This week’s word “Strafe”
• John Motley - 100C/100M project in Fort Towsen, OK
• Andrew Carroll - Center for American War Letters

Don't miss this deadline - September 4th! Archive Fellow for Armenian Advocacy, Dole Institute of Politics.

This week's post takes you to the lesser-known area of WWI's Eastern Front. It is hard to believe that as barbarous battles raged on the Western Front, the Eastern Front experienced another, different human atrocity committed around the geographical region of modern-day Turkey: the Armenian Genocide.

To better understand the Armenian Genocide and its place in WWI, The Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive & Special Collections at the Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas in Lawrence, is pleased to announce a special fellowship opportunity for the 2017-2018 programming year: the Archival Fellow for Armenian Advocacy.

Learn more about it!

Mrs. Margie Motley, at 95 years young, has commissioned a new WW1 Memorial for the town of Fort Towson, Oklahoma in memory of her father, Cecil Evan Hopson, and all the Doughboy veterans of Fort Towson, Choctaw county and the state of Oklahoma features a life-size World War I Doughboy statue.
Hear all about it in a WW1 Centennial News podcast interview with her nephew, Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel John Motley, who is putting all this together for her.

Slide forward to '30:30 to listen to the interview and learn about this rather amazing daughter of a Doughboy and her project to commemorate and honor these veterans.

Authentic U.S. WWI Era Tent - $2,268.00

These tents are proudly made in the USA using the same techniques, hardware, and fabrics that were used during The Great War.  This Limited Edition tent is enhanced with  a “U.S.” emblem on the top and a fabric garment label commemorating the U.S. Centennial of World War One. 

Natural 13 oz. cotton army duck in khaki color, natural fiber rope, cotton stitching, period slides, cotton fabric tape and brass grommets are all used in the construction of each tent. The end wall is fabricated with a stove pipe opening and decorated with stencils from the original plates.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item goes towards the building of the national World War One Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington, D.C.

A Certificate of Authenticity as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial is included. 

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the United States World War One Centennial.