The National Civic Art Society presents a talk by sculptor Sabin Howard on Friday November 15 at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C., 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. EST. Howard will present his magnificent classical design for the National World War I Memorial, which recently received final approval from the required government authorities. The Memorial is to be located in Pershing Park in Washington. Click here to read more about the event, and how to obtain tickets.

As the commemoration of the centennial of World War I (2014-19) continues, the National WWI Museum and Memorial serves as a fitting place to honor those who have served — and continue to serve — our country. To recognize these men and women, admission to the Museum and Memorial is free for veterans and active duty military personnel, while general admission for the public is half-price, throughout the Veterans Day weekend (Friday to Monday, Nov. 8 to 11, 2019). To observe Veterans Day, the Museum and Memorial will offer a wide variety of events November 8 to 11 for people of all ages.  Click here to find out more about the Veterans Day weekend activities at the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

By popular demand, Fathom Events and Warner Brothers will bring director Peter Jackson's remarkable World War I documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” back to movie theaters nationwide for three days only this December, offering audiences another chance to see it on the big screen and in 3D. One of the most acclaimed and highest-grossing documentaries ever made, “They Shall Not Grow Old” is director Peter Jackson’s extraordinary look at the soldiers, the events, the sounds and the sights of World War I. The film will also be available in 2D in select locations. Click here to find out more about, and where you can get tickets for, this encore presentation of “They Shall Not Grow Old” in December.

East Side World War I Centennial Commemoration, American Red Cross, and the NYC Department of Veterans’ Services are holding a Tribute Ceremony to the Women Who Have Served America, Wednesday, November 6, 2019, 11:00-12 noon at the newly rediscovered Overseas Service League Flagstaff and Grove, Central Park at 69th Street Walk. In 1925 a Central Park memorial grove of 24 trees and flagstaff were conceptualized for a tribute to American women who died overseas in World War One. Today the living memorial of thriving trees spans the wall along Fifth Avenue from 69th to 71st Streets. Click here to find out more about the newly-rediscovered memorial, and how to attend the ceremony on November 6.

To celebrate veterans and commemorate the centennial of WWI, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will host a book talk on the museum’s latest publication, We Return Fighting: World War I and the Shaping of Modern Black Identity, on Thursday, November 7, 7p.m., at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, DC. The book talk will feature Kinshasha Holman-Conwill, deputy director, NMAAHC, Greg Carr, chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies, Howard University; and Krewasky A. Salter, Col., USA, Ret., guest curator, and executive director of the First Division Museum. Click here to learn more about the book, the event, and find out how to attend the book discussion on November 7.

On the occasion of Veterans Day 2019, Mr. Yves Wantens, General Delegate of the Government of Flanders to the USA, kindly invites you to the Annual Flanders Remembers Concert on November 6, 7pm. Enjoy Shelter by Revue Blanche, and featuring readings from War and Turpentine by award-winning author Stefan Hertmans. Click here to read more about the event, and learn how to RSVP to attend.

If you look at a satellite image of the Potomac River, about 30 miles south of Washington you’ll see a curve in the river, packed with dozens of identical oblong shapes. At low tide, they emerge eerily from the water — a “ghost fleet” of wooden steamships dating back to World War I. It’s called Mallows Bay, and it’s one of the largest collections of shipwrecks in the world. The story of how these ships ended up in the Potomac is a tale of environmental destruction — and rebirth. The shipwrecks have recently received federal protection, as part of a new national marine sanctuary. Click here to read how WAMU’s Jacob Fenston and Tyrone Turner visited Mallows Bay, by canoe and kayak, to document the unusual waterscape the shipwrecks have created.

Etched in Memory, the latest special exhibition at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, features color etchings by British artist James Alphege Brewer published throughout the Great War as a reminder of the cultural losses it inflicted. Brewer's series of etchings were influential; some were copied and distributed widely in the United States and could be found hung on parlor walls in solidarity with the Allied cause. Click here to read more about this special exhibition exploring these graphic renderings of the many cultural landmarks that were physically damaged or destroyed in World War I, but remained etched in the memories of artists like Brewer.

A memorial service was held recently to honor Sgt. Thomas Fearn, a soldier who was killed in action in WWI. His body laid in an unmarked grave until his relatives were able to locate the grave this year and place a marker. By the time they gathered at the Old Cathedral Cemetery, Thomas Joseph Fearn Jr. had been dead for more than a century, but for his descendants, it’s never too late to pay your respects. Click here to read more about the effort to locate, identify, and honor the remains of the 26-year-old Philadelphian sergeant who perished in the Meuse Argonne Offensive in September 1918.

The United States observes National Prisoner of War / Missing in Action Recognition Day on the third Friday in September. This day allows a moment of pause to remember those who have been held as prisoners of war during our nation's conflicts and those listed as missing in action. One hundred years ago, the only Georgia Guardsmen held as a POW during World War I began his long journey home to Macon, Ga. from a prison hospital in Germany. Click here to read more about the perilous journey and eventual homecoming of the Jackson, GA native who served in every enlisted rank in the Georgia National Guard before accepting a commission as a second lieutenant.

A quilt made during World War I for an American Red Cross chapter on Virginia's Eastern Shore was found recently, tucked away in storage in a British museum. The quilt was made to be sent to a wartime hospital in Europe. The Pungoteague Quilt, designed and stitched by Mrs. S.K. Martin of Harborton in 1918, bears the names of nearly 700 people who made donations — many of whom still have descendants living on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Click here to learn more about the quilt, the man who found it in Great Britain, and how he trying to find out more about the people whose names are on the historic textile from Virginia.

A black soldier who was buried in an unmarked Indiana grave is getting proper recognition for his military service in World War I nearly a half-century after his death. The memorial for Leonard Inman, who died in 1973, took place at Spring Vale Cemetery in Lafayette, IN in September with a 21-gun salute, the retiring of colors and taps by the American Legion Post 492, and a new, permanent headstone. Click here to learn how the president of the General de Lafayette Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution led the effort to obtain a headstone for Inman.

WW1 Centennial News: The Doughboy Podcast is about WW1 THEN: 100 years ago this month, and it's about WW1 NOW: News and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.  Available on our website,  iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Stitcher Radio on Demand.  Spotify  listen on Youtube. 

Episode #142
Lifetime Achievement: Dr. John Morrow

Posts raising money for Nat. WWI Memorial - Derek Sansone & David Hamon  | @ 02:10

100 Years ago - Host | @ 08:55

Born in the Month of September - David Kramer | @ 16:30

Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing - Dr. John Morrow | @ 22:50

The Buzz: Selected Posts from the Internet - Host | @ 37:15

Episode #143
The New WWI Memorial

Announcement: Bells of Peace 2019 | @ 01:10

NCPC Design approval | @ 03:35
Why we MUST build this - Terry Hamby | @ 06:20

If not YOU then WHO? - Edwin Fountain | @ 08:25
Why a Nat. Memorial in KC and DC? - Dr. Mathew Naylor | @ 11:50

The Memorial in the Park - Edwin Fountain | @ 14:30

The International Design Competition - Host | @ 16:40

“And the Winner is:” - Joe Weishaar & Sabin Howard | @ 18:00

Interpretation & Education - Dr. Libby O’Connell | @ 24:20

“A Soldier’s Journey” - Sabin Howard | @ 28:35

Where Tradition and the Future Meet - Sabin Howard | @ 33:45

Dizzying Parallel Tracks | @ 42:10

“And the Bronze Metal goes to…” - Steve Maule | @ 44:20

Final Design - APPROVED - various | @ 51:10

The First Mile and the Last Mile: Fundraising - Edwin Fountain | @ 53:30

Episode #144
October 1918 & The Lost Battalion

October 1918 Overview Roundtable - Dr.Edward Legel & Katherine Akey | @02:15

Historians Corner: Lost Battalion - Ron Laplander | @18:25

Shifting sands and hard fighting - Mike Shuste | @25:10

Remembering Veterans: Story of John Foster - Mark Foster | @29:40

US Army CMH WWI Website - Dr. Erik Villard | @35:00

Spotlight On The Media 1: Dr. Edward Lengel | @40:15

Spotlight On The Media 2: Lost Battalion Documentary - Mark Fastoso & John King | @42:50

Episode #145
Overtures to Peace & Baseball

Overtures to peace - Host | @01:30

Atrocities in Syria - Mike Shuster | @08:20 

America Emerges: Sgt. Alvin York - Dr. Edward Lengel | @13:00

Remembering Veterans: Charles Edward Dilkes - Dr. Virginia Dilkes | @20:45

Speaking WWI: Teddy Bear Suit - Host | @28:05

Historian’s Corner: Baseball in WWI - Jim Leeke | @31:20

100C/100M: Springdale PA - Mayor Jo Bertoline & Patrick Murray | @37:50

Episode 146
WWl Through Many Lenses

Bells of Peace 2019 - Host | @02:05

The Cultural Impact of WWI - Dr. Jay Winter | @05:05

Japan’s Impact on WWI - Dr. Frederick Dickenson | @11:55

The Impact of WWI on the World - Sir Hugh Strachan | @19:50

Speaking WWI: Tank - Host | @27:15

WWI War Tech: Many lenses looking - Host | @28:55

They Shall Not Grow Old: A vision realized - Brent Burge | @33:10

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Monday's MIA this month is PFC Essel M. Maxwell. Born in Washington D.C. on April 5^th, 1891, Essel Monshuer Maxwell was a tall, thin 26 year old when he signed his draft card on May 25^th, 1917 at Painesville, Ohio. He had attended the technical high school in Washington but one year before going to work as a marine fireman on the Great Lakes before the war. An injury while on that job had led to a trepanning being done on the back of his head, where a silver half dollar was inserted (which would later figure into his story). He was also a convicted felon, serving time in the Lake County Prison at Painesville, Ohio when he signed his draft card (in advance of the national draft day of June 5^th), though the nature of his crime remains currently unknown. Despite his felony, Maxwell was inducted in the army on August 15^th, 1917 – indeed he may have asked to be allowed to go into the army – and sent to Camp Meade in Maryland that November, ostensibly when his legal situation could be resolved with the federal government. At Meade he was assigned duty with Company F, 313^th Infantry Regiment, of the 79^th Division. He was promoted to Private First Class on January 1^st, 1918 and on March 29^th, 1918 was transferred to Company A, 111^th Infantry Regiment, 28^th Division; a regiment with roots extending back to the American Revolution. With them Maxwell departed for overseas service on May 5^th, 1918 aboard the S.S. Olympic.

On July 1^st, 1918 PFC Maxwell and Company A were heavily engaged with the enemy outside Chateau Thierry at Hill 204, near the Marne River. A skilled and dependable grenadier, Maxwell and his corporal managed to clear a strong enemy machine gun emplacement that afternoon, killing or wounding all of the enemy serving the weapon and destroying the piece. (For this action he would later be awarded the French Croix de Guerre.) Some time following this action, however, PFC Maxwell was killed; the official cause listed as being by a machine gun bullet, but almost immediately there were problems with the case. An initial search by Graves Registration personnel soon after the war apparently failed to turn up a set of remains, although there is a hand written notation in his burial files that he was buried in Temporary Cemetery #754. However, that is all that was apparently known; no specific grave is noted and there is no original burial slip on file. His mother was notified of his death on July 27^th, 1918.

Inquiries among his comrades were begun and on January 29^th, 1918 PVT William Williamson of Company A stated,

“Private Maxwell was killed by a hand grenade on Hill 204 near Chateau Thierry. He was buried, but I am not sure where… No one else in the company with the same name.  He was a replacement. I had only known him three months.”

The mystery only deepened when, the following month, a statement came in from PVT John B. Phillips of the same company who recalled that Maxwell had been shot through the head by a sniper and buried where he fell. Though Phillips recalled him as being hit around six o’clock in the evening, he could only estimate the date of death as “between the 1^st and 7^th of July.”

                Then, on July 14^th, 1919, as the search for Maxwell dragged on, PVT Thomas Adams of Valeria, KY, stated from his bed in Base Hospital #79:

“(While) advancing on July 1^st, body hit by MG. Was on knees when struck, raised forward on gun. Threw up hands. Saw him afterward. Death was instantaneous. Burial detail was sent out but cannot say whether body was buried… Always laughing and very happy. Often spoke of his grandfather and how he admired him in his uniform. Very good friend of informant.”

Despite repeated attempts at locating PFC Maxwell’s remains, ultimately the army was forced to admit to Maxwell’s mother Cordelia Stewart (left)  in Lanham, Maryland that they were unable to locate her son. By that time a letter from a member of the company had reached her in which the statement was made that his head had been blown to pieces. As she was further informed that the fighting had been very severe at the time, his mother was further under the impression that his body had been blown to bits. Therefore, she was very understanding and amenable to her son remaining in France, even if he ever were recovered.

Investigation into Maxwell’s case was officially closed on December 28^th, 1922 with the recommendation that no possibility of ID existed as no unknown had been discovered with trepanning done to his head, which would have been proof positive in identification. By that time, all the records of the unknowns in Permanent Cemetery 1764 (Aisne-Marne) had been checked and a total of seven sets of remains had been disinterred and physically examined for possible ID, including one with a pocket knife with the initials E.M.M. However, none were deemed a dental match nor had trepanning to the back of the head.

In a January 18^th, 1923 form letter to his mother, the government stated that she might take comfort in the possibility that he may have been the one selected as the Unknown. How much of a comfort this would have been remains a point of speculation. In any case, she participated in the 1931 Gold Star Mothers Pilgrimage and on July 7^th of that year was able to gaze upon the name of her son on the Tablets of the Missing at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at Belleau Wood. Her other son, Allan, had also served, but had returned home unscathed.

8" x 12"  WWI Centennial Memorial Flag

Perfect for use on Veterans Day, this WW1 Centennial Flag is made of durable nylon and measures 8 inches x 12 inches. This flag has the iconic Doughboy silhouette digitally screened onto it and is secured on a 15.75" wooden dowel with a decorative ball on top . A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this item will go towards the construction of the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. You can show your support, and help promote the efforts, by proudly displaying this flag.

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.

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