WE MUST REMEMBER---

Saturday, 4 August 2018

Golden Tulip

Roissy, France/by Charles DeGaulle Airport

Sunny, 93F

Most of the readers of this blog know that I am on this journey for a couple reasons. Along with Tim, I want to honor our American servicemen and women. My focus is on World War I because I want to learn more about a conflict that several of my family members took part in. I was inspired 20 years ago when I found the letters my great uncle Archie Harvey wrote home to his mother from France during that war.

Archie hardly said a thing about that war in his letters, but he showed a strong faith in a “Supreme Being,” and a constant love for his mother. Because he tried to enlist immediately after President Wilson declared war, I know Archie loved his country.  God, Home, Country.

After years of research, analysis, and interpretation, it seems there is so much more to Archie’s story. Almost every day reveals a new discovery or mystery. A farm had turned soldier, a sensitive man who dried a small fern frond and brought it home in a glassine envelope. A man who carried his severely wounded officer to safety, yet never mentioned it in his letters home.

Then Archie’s story turned me to other family members, my uncle, another great uncle, Archie’s brother in law, two cousins, all who served during World War I. More research. More books. More films. Over time I know that Archie’s experience paralleled that of all the men who served during that time. Some women too. About 2 million men served in France and a few other areas of American engagement. Another 2 million service members were not sent to France, yet supported the effort there. Archie’s voice echoed the thoughts of so many who served our country, with faith in God, a longing for home, the desire to contribute to their country’s great fight for freedom.

And there were other stories, Archie’s mother, a widow, and his sisters on the home front. The story of my own mother, a 1^st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during World War II, my brother Bill, Tim, and so many friends who served during the time of the Vietnam War.

The Great War was a horrible war, the “war to end all wars.” Yet it did not do that.

One hundred years. I want to remember Archie, and Roy Hall and Earl Beardsley and Dayle Wanamaker and Lynn Parker, the Silverthorn brothers, Robert F. Arnold, William Hendershott, Arthur Manness, even Josef Waschle. They were fighting for what they believed in And not just these men, but all who heeded the call of their country for me. And you.

VIVE LA FRANCE IN GLORIOUS SUNSHINE!

Janie and Tim in the Halifax, Nova Scotia Airport before boarding for Paris/WestJet

Saturday, 4 August 2018

Golden Tulip

Roissy, France/by Charles DeGaulle Airport

Sunny, 93F

Our flight to Paris/CDG was mostly smooth and uneventful on WestJet, an airline we would totally recommend, the best flight in years. They offered a small upgrade so we had a bit more space because the center seat was blocked—there are only 12 seats on the plane like this, but it is not really business class. The first leg was from Toronto to Halifax, and then a 5 ½ hour flight to Paris. We had nonstop snacks and beverages with friendly service. Tim was able to plug in his own Amazon Fire and watch movies using a West Jet app, and I read a book and studied the tour materials till we landed. Since Paris is six hours ahead of EDT, we experienced a bit of jet lag, but this time we used homeopathic jet lag chewable tablets, "No-Jet-Lag." every two hours and felt quite well when we arrived, well enough to board a free shuttle to Aeroville, a new mall with 141 stores—most different from ours in the States, although I saw an H&M, Body Shop, Brighton, Pandora, and so on.  Our main goal was to eat, because the hotel restaurant did not open until 7:30 p.m. and it was only noon, Paris time, 6 a.m. Erie time.  Otherwise, there is not much to walk to in Roissy.

I would say we are a little droopy today, but we know exactly how to take the shuttle to the train, take the train to the Metro, and get to Paris in the morning! Vive la France!

TK’s Takes: The air conditioning is different here, not quite so cool.The elevators in our hotel require the insertion of the room key to operate. Two Coke Zero bottles (12 oz) cost $10 at the hotel bar. He could not sleep on the plane, he could not get comfortable. He says he doesn't sleep well  in his own bed, let alone in an airplane. [Janie's note: he looked like he was sleeping to me, but not for the whole time]

Croissant Heaven in Auchan, a store in Aeroville that one could almost equate with Walmart

THE JOURNEY BEGINS / MEET UP WITH FRIENDS IN TORONTO

Thursday, 2 August 2018

Hotel Sandman Mississauga

Mississauga/Toronto, Canada

Sunny, 87F

Interstate 90 was a clear drive all the way to Toronto and we arrived about 2 p.m. Tim knew about the Square One Shopping Center, a shopping mall located in Mississauga outside of Toronto. It is the largest shopping center in Ontario and the second largest shopping center in Canada, after the West Edmonton Mall. We spent several hours walking around and it seems like it rivals King of Prussia near Philadelphia. Actually K of P is 2,793,200 sq. feet vs. CQ at ‎2,200,000 sq. feet. We sure got our steps in, a good warm up for all the walking we will do in Europe.

About 7 p.m. we met up with dear friends at Bier Markt, a nearby restaurant, for dinner. Originally from Scotland, Linda and Kevin now live in Toronto. Linda is very engaged in World War I because of her studies in “high school” in Scotland. We had great conversation about both WWI and WWII from her perspective as a former citizen of the United Kingdom. Her father was a WWII veteran.

Our hotel is comfortable and we will get a good night’s sleep. Next stop Paris—Saturday evening! A long flight!

  

TK’s Takes:   [Back by request from friends, Tim/TK will give his thoughts of the day, if I can convince him.] He liked the mall—it was very large with stores he never heard of. He is glad we have “EZPass,” [to breeze through highway toll booths] because it seemed like there were long lines to stop and pay. We had easy entry to Canada, except the border guard did not recognize Janie’s car’s license plate. We confirmed it was a Pennsylvania plate with the Battle of Lake Erie depicted on it and we were quickly given the go-ahead.

GREAT WAR, GREAT MEN/SERENDIPITY/WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF?

Erie, Pennsylvania

31 July 2018

Sometimes I wonder if I find things to do to keep me from doing what I should be doing…

Basically, I am packed, and my research materials are organized and ready to go. I have two bags, a 24-inch wheeled with clothes, etc. and a sort of small duffel with my DSLR camera, laptop, my research, umbrella, pens, pencils, basically an abbreviated office. In 2015 we ended up having to carry our luggage up two flights of steep stairs in one of our hotels and I was so glad I packed light. I also cannot lift a bag into an overhead bin and like to have “my office” accessible under the seat in front of me. 

Tim, on the other hand, has decided to use a 27 inch wheeled bag this time. He encouraged me to do the same. In my mind, I know that no one is going to say, “Here, let me help you with all of your luggage.” I need to do it myself, hence my philosophy. We shall see if Tim has any regrets.

My bags--the duffel looks larger than it really is!

Great War, Great Men.  Andrew J. Capets compiled this book about the 313^th Machine Gun Battalion using first hand accounts (previously unpublished letters and journals) of more than a dozen soldiers who served together during the Great War, just published in 2017. Capets’ commentary, insight, and research make the individual pieces cohesive.

Many of the soldiers of the 313^th were from the Erie County, Pennsylvania area and there was even a club on Peach Street, Erie, now the Kings Rook Club. My cousin, Lynn C. Parker, was in the 80^th Division, 313^th Machine Gun Battalion and this book gave me better understanding of his experience. Andrew, whose grandfather served in the same company that Parker did, has a Facebook page dedicated to the 313^th.  I contacted him through that and today we had a great conversation about this battalion, my cousin, his research, and publishing.

Great War, Great Men.  Andrew J. Capets. CreateSpace, 2017.  Website with maps, photos, more: 
https://goodwargreatmen.com/313/index.php

The same time I heard from Andrew Capets, I also heard from Lynn Parker’s great granddaughter—I just found her on Ancestry. I so hope that we can make a connection—that is serendipity.

The Great War: American Experience/PBS

I have one more hour to watch of this very well done six hour series about World War I on PBS. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to help write the Medal of Honor National Curriculum, commissioned by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation [in committee with the School District, City of Erie, Pennsylvania]. That is one reason why I found the story of William Henry Johnson so compelling.  Our tour guide, Michael Hanlon, is in France right now conducting a World War I tour for the families of Henry Johnson and another World War I Medal of Honor recipient William Shemin (4^th Division).

From the Medal of Honor website:

Henry Johnson, Medal of Honor Recipient

Area of Operation: Argonne Forest, Champagne, France

Position: Sentry

Date of Action: 15 May 1918

Then-Pvt. Henry Johnson served as a member of Company C, 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Division, American Expeditionary Forces, during combat operations against the enemy on the front lines of the Western Front in France.

While on night sentry duty, May 15, 1918, Johnson and a fellow Soldier, Pvt. Needham Roberts, received a surprise attack by a German raiding party consisting of at least 12 soldiers.

While under intense enemy fire and despite receiving significant wounds, Johnson mounted a brave retaliation resulting in several enemy casualties. When his fellow Soldier was badly wounded, Johnson prevented him from being taken prisoner by German forces.

Johnson exposed himself to grave danger by advancing from his position to engage an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Wielding only a knife and being seriously wounded, Johnson continued fighting, took his Bolo knife and stabbed it through an enemy soldier's head.

Displaying great courage, Johnson held back the enemy force until they retreated. The enemy raid's failure to secure prisoners was due to the bravery and resistance of Johnson and his fellow comrade. The effect of their fierce fighting resulted in the increased vigilance and confidence of the 369th Infantry Regiment.

Awards: Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross, Croix de guerre 1914-1918  

Here's why you can't visit the Statue of Liberty's torch

From Friend Heather—she had not heard this story and neither have I. So many things connect to the Great War.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/here-s-why-you-can-t-visit-statue-liberty-s-n895856

An Army-Air Force Connection?

Today I decided to look at my Great Aunt May Harvey Beardsley’s small black notebook again (for the gazillionth time). Aunt May was Archie’s sister and I am so indebted to her for keeping his letters written during the war to his mother as well as other artifacts. She also kept the family history. Several pages in the notebook are titled, “Harvey Soldiers,” where she recorded all the family names who served in the military from the Revolutionary War through World War II. I am quite sure three of Archie’s nephews served in World War I, but I cannot find documentation on Dayle Wanamaker. Today I noted more carefully what the notebook said:  "assigned to 9th Provisional Co. A.S.S.C. Madison Barracks Trans. Co. 4 USA. S.A.P Kodak Park Rochester, NY, photography in Air Force.” The "Air Force" was part of the Army from 1907 to 1947 when it was recognized as a separate branch of the service.

I must follow up on this little clue. Since I know he died in a VA hospital, I am quite sure that her served during the time of the Great War. Perhaps he was never sent to France. More research!!

ETD/Erie, PA to Toronto, Ontario: 2 August 2018—countdown!

My Field Journal

Field Journal-Back

Top row--Archie's shoulder patches

2nd row: 90th Division (Tough Ombres for Texas Oklahoma), 

28th Division (Keystone), and the 80th Division  (Blue Ridge)

Closeup of the Stenay-Baalon area

My dear sister in law Marge made this great bag for me. 

I will have my computer and research materials in it as we visit 

battlefields, cemeteries, and museums.

Archie sent a dried fern frond home, so Marge put an 

embroidered fern on the clasp.

Marge also made these embroidered stars. I thought I might need thank 

you notes and little gifts along the way.

SUBMARINE OFF CAPE COD/WORLD WAR I, POETRY, MORE FILMS

July 26, 2018

Erie, Pennsylvania

As I make final preparations for our trip, I continue to immerse myself in more information about The Great War. Several friends have sent me interesting material and I am trying to catch up on a few films before we leave. I probably should be packing.

So I am going to briefly introduce a few things that I have found very especially interesting, and even controversial.

GERMAN ATTACK ON AMERICAN SOIL

Friend Heather sent me a link to an article published by Time about a little known German attack on American soil. “On July 21, 1918, a German submarine U-156 surfaced three miles off Cape Cod and began firing torpedoes and shells at an unarmed 140-foot-long tugboat called the Perth Amboy and four accompanying barges.” You can read the “Surprising Story of World War I's Only Attack on U.S. Soil. Though the attack’s circumstances were remarkable, its death toll was zero.”  Read the story here:  http://time.com/5343228/wwi-attack-cape-cod/

FILM FOOTAGE OF THE U.S. 112^TH INFANTRY REGIMENT ARRIVING IN CALAIS, FRANCE DURING WORLD WAR I

I just came across this site in my notes and since several of my friends and my family have a connection to the 28^th Division/112^th Infantry, I thought I would share this footage, especially for Ann, Carole J, my family (Uncle Roy Hall was in the 112th) and Sandra F. You can watch it here (1 minute 36 seconds):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4EEzsoPO1s

GOODBYE BILLIE AND WWI POETRY

A new friend for me, but a fellow Erie East graduate with Tim, Jack B, has been sending me a lot of material about World War I that he used in high school history classes over the years.

Goodbye Billie, America Goes To War  1917-1918   is a short documentary made by professional historians and created out of original sound and film as part of the American Historical Association’s Historical Education Project in 1972.

According to the website to access the film, it “surveys the history of the United States in World War I at home and at the battle fronts. A documentary compiled of authentic war films set to vintage sound, designed to stimulate student interest in further study of the war and the times.”  The footage (24 minutes, 17 seconds) includes images of so many of the things I have been reading about, e.g. the American tribute to Lafayette in Paris, ships at sea, submarines, union support and parades, Liberty Bonds, factories hard at work for the war effort, President Wilson, the horses, the clogged roads, the desolation of the French country side, the Unknown Soldier dedication, and more.   https://archive.org/details/goodbyebillyamericagoestowar19171918

The poems, Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen 1917 (British poet) and Spring in the Trenches by Edgar Guest (American poet) are very thought provoking. After reading the poems, students were asked which poem was more anti-war than the other and would they have allowed the poems to be published if they were George Creel, head of the United States Committee on Public Information, a propaganda organization created by Woodrow Wilson during World War I. [I appreciate that Jack shared both the film and the poems with me]

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

TCM recently aired the 1930 film, All Quiet on the Western Front, which was awarded Outstanding Production/Best Picture that year. I have been watching this black and white silent film over the last three days. It was adapted from the book of the same title by Erich Maria Remarque, who fought for Germany on the Western Front. Controversial in its time, the film portrays the violence and futility of war from the German perspective. Youthful fervor gives way to reality on the front lines of war, “Where madness dances with death.”  The barren land, trees gone, barbed wire, all contribute to the starkness of the reality.

Here is an interesting article about the controversy of the book and the film:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/most-loved-and-hated-novel-about-world-war-I-180955540/

Our travel documents came today. I am so hoping that we can stop near the site of my great uncle Archie’s heroic effort near Stenay/Baalon/Mouzay. With so many people on the tour this time who all have special spots to visit, I don’t know if we will get there.

Since we have less than a week before departure, I had better truly concentrate on getting ready—no more side trips through books and films…oh no!!

THE DOUGHBOYS: AMERICA AND THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Erie, Pennsylvania

July 25, 2018

Michael Hanlon, Our Guide in France and Belgium

http://www.worldwar1.com/

Tim and I truly value the experience of our tour leader, Michael Hanlon who is a former U.S. Air Force Weather and Operations Officer and a manager of large projects for both corporate and governmental clients. He is the author of About the Great War: An Introduction to the Most Momentous Event of the 20th Century and has appeared on the History Channel as a commentator on the First World War's events and secrets. He is also the editor of the award winning “Doughboy Center” website and produces a number of publications, including "Over the Top" Magazine, the online newsletter, the "St. Mihiel Trip-Wire," and the daily blog "Roads to the Great War. He is a partner with the United States World War I Centennial Commemoration Commission.

If you are interested in The Great War, or military history in general, I totally recommend subscribing to his daily blog, “Roads to the Great War,” as well as his other publications. I do not know how he and his wonderful team have time to research and write the blogs on a daily basis.

The first time I talked to Mike in 2015, he was so accessible and knowledgeable. When I briefly told him of my great uncle’s story, he knew the division immediately and continued to research until he could take us to locations the 90th Division saw action. This year we have narrowed down the site of Archie’s particular heroic action and if everything falls into place we will be there. But Mike did not stop there.  He has been working to make certain that we see some of the places that my other three family members were at-- 112th/28th Division (Uncle Roy Hall) ---313th Machine Gun Battalion/80th Division (Cousin Lynn C. Parker) ---and 37th Engineers (Great Uncle Earl Beardsley), all time permitting, of course. Mike is repeating this process for the other participants in the tour who had family members in the war.

Mike sends all participants a list of books to read before taking the tour.  I already posted about American Armies and Battlefields in Europe, prepared by the American Battle Commission in 1938. Today I just finished The Doughboys, America and The First World War, written by Gary Mead and published in 2000. The book is very concise and covers the American involvement from beginning to end. Mead tackled the great scope of American involvement and offered the history in such a way as not to be tedious. In his last chapter, “Aftermath,” Mead asks, “Was the AEF responsible for bringing Germany to its knees?” He answers, “In purely battlefield terms its presence was necessary but not sufficient. It is in any case the wrong question. The important question, in assessing the part the United States played in the First World War, has a much broader focus: could the Allies have defeated Germany without the financial, economic, military and psychological backing of the United States” Unquestionably not. Yet the AEF has been ignored, and overlooked, even by American historians. The Doughboys, p. 416.

Several chapters were uncomfortable, like “The Cost.” The cost of The Great War in terms of human life and injury was unimaginable, but there were other costs that resonate around the world still today. 

The Doughboys, America and The First World War. Mead, Gary. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press, 2000.

When I think of the costs of that war, I think of Archie and his letters. He omits any information that would worry his mother, he references “Mothers day,” the weather, “I have stood quite a bit of exposure but outside a few cootie bites no damage was done me, “the Supreme Hand protected me,” “I have been taught a great lesson,” and his desire to be home. Twenty-one letters from July 10, 1917 to October 16, 1921. There is an innocence in his letters that belies his experience.

LIFE AND NOTHING BUT

July 23, 2018

Erie, Pennsylvania

Last week Tim and I watched a movie that Mike Hanlon, our tour guide and historian extraordinaire, mentioned in 2015, Life and Nothing But, a film produced in 1989 by French filmmaker, Bertrand Tavernier. The story takes place a year after the end of the war in October 1920. A French major has been given the task of identifying and interring thousands of fallen French soldiers, most anonymous, from the Verdun battlefield.

“Humanity has entered its last dance”

In the film's opening, a woman is looking for her husband amongst the unidentified living soldiers while a French major looks for the soldier to be the French Unknown Soldier. The filmmakers recreated a ruined village and the desolation of the country side vividly reminded me of our 2015 trip. Today the fields are covered in grasses and shrubs, even trees, but huge craters and trench lines are still visible.

Desperate families are examining found objects, personal letters, books, cups, dishes, trying to find some vestige of their loved one, gone for at least two years or more. According to the film there were 349,111 missing French soldiers, 1.5 million French soldiers killed. Wooden crosses indicate temporary graves. A hospital train, buried in a tunnel collapse during the war, yields even more bodies. However, the train was also carrying explosives and another catastrophe befalls the families when it blows up unexpectedly.

Tavernier is a popular French director and producer. His characters are deeply developed in Life and Nothing But, the story skillfully told. I like the question on the back of the DVD, would we want to be post-war survivors stripped of illusions or would we want to be trapped in the seductive feelings of bitterness and mourning for days, lives, and loves gone by?

Life and Nothing But. Dir. Bertrand Tavernier. Perf. Philippe Noiret and Sabine Azema. Hachette Premiere/King Video, 1989. DVD.

According to an article at  http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/unksold.htm, “After World War I, the Allies found that the bodies of many soldiers killed in battle could not be identified. The governments of Belgium, Britain, France, Italy, Portugal, and the U.S. decided to honor the memory of these soldiers. Each government chose a symbolic unknown, buried his remains near the national capital and built a monument in his honor. The first unknown to be interred was France’s. The selection was made at the Verdun Citadel and the body was then taken to the Arc de Triomphe. Each day the eternal flame is relit at the Arc in a commemorative ritual.”

The full story of the American Unknown Soldier can be found at this website, too.

KING AND COUNTRY

Another film that I watched recently was King and Country, a British film about a young British soldier at Passchendaele, Belgium. After three years in the trenches, he decides to just walk home. The movie is a heartrending depiction of the effects of PTSD (long before it was called that, of course) and how the soldier was court-martialed for his desertion. The captain assigned to defend the soldier learns that the soldier spent three years in front-line trenches and was the sole survivor of his company. Despite the circumstances, the soldier is executed. My writer friend, Chris H. recommended that I watch the movie, recently shown on AMC. It was an intense and poignant film, a story starkly told. War is horrible. The graphic on the movie poster is stunning.

King and Country. Dir. Joseph Losey. Perf. Dirk Bogarde and Tom Courtenay. BHE Films, 1964. AMC.