Paducah has a World War I monument in Oak Grove Cemetery.
The monument was erected and dedicated in 1928 by Paduke Post 31 of the American Legion. The bronze monument with a granite base was designed by sculptor John Paulding, cast by the American Bronze Company, and erected by the Beasley Monument Company. The inscription on the front of the monument reads: 1928, Erected and dedicated by the American Legion to our comrades of the World War who sleep the long sleep. One of the monument’s sides has the inscription: When to the last assault our bugles blow: reckless of pain and peril we shall go. Heads high and hearts aflame and bayonets bare, and we shall brave eternity as though eyes looked on us in which we would seem fair. The other two sides of the monument recognize the Paducah Mayor, City Commissioners, McCracken County Judge, and County Commissioners.
Monuments & Memorials
"The centennial of World War One offers an opportunity for people in the United States
to learn about and commemorate the sacrifices of their predecessors."
from The World War One Centennial Commission Act, January 14, 2013
World War One was a watershed in American history. The United States' decision to join the battle in 1917 "to make the world safe for democracy" proved pivotal in securing allied victory — a victory that would usher in the American Century.
In the war's aftermath, individuals, towns, cities, counties, and states all felt compelled to mark the war, as did colleges, businesses, clubs, associations, veterans groups, and houses of worship. Thousands of memorials—from simple honor rolls, to Doughboy sculptures, to grandiose architectural ensembles—were erected throughout the US in the 1920s and 1930s, blanketing the American landscape.
Each of these memorials, regardless of size or expense, has a story. But sadly, as we enter the war's centennial period, these memorials and their very purpose—to honor in perpetuity the more than four million Americans who served in the war and the more than 116,000 who were killed—have largely been forgotten. And while many memorials are carefully tended, others have fallen into disrepair through neglect, vandalism, or theft. Some have been destroyed. Watch this CBS news video on the plight of these monuments.
The extant memorials are our most salient material links in the US to the war. They afford a vital window onto the conflict, its participants, and those determined to remember them. Rediscovering the memorials and the stories they tell will contribute to their physical and cultural rehabilitation—a fitting commemoration of the war and the sacrifices it entailed.
Memorial Hunters Club
We are building a US WW1 Memorial register through a program called the Memorials Hunters Club. If you locate a memorial that is not on the map we invite you to upload your treasure to be permanently archived in the national register. You can include your choice of your real name, nickname or team name as the explorers who added that memorial to the register. We even have room for a selfie! Check the map, and if you don't see the your memorial CLICK THE LINK TO ADD IT.
The Patton and the U.S. Tank Corps Monument was built in the memorial park located next to the Gen. George Patton Museum of Leadership to commemorate the 100th anniversary of CPT Patton joining the U.S. Tank Corps in November 1917. At the time, Patton
