US Enters WWI 100 Years Ago Today

[bballfamily]

While looking at This Day In History on history.com, I realized I had forgotten today was the anniversary of the US declaring war on the Central Powers. Hard to believe that when I studied US History as a junior it was the 50th anniversary of our entering WWI. I had even met a couple of WWI vets.

[bballfamily]

Found a list of last of WWI vets.

The last surviving US Doughboy died in 2011 at the age of 110.

The last surviving WWI vet was an Englishman. He died in 2012 at the age of 110.

According to the article they were non combatants.

 

The last combatants were a British sailor, 110, died 2011 and a British soldier who died at 111 in 2009.

[TheDeuce]

Ironic considering tonight's events.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Found a list of last of WWI vets.

The last surviving US Doughboy died in 2011 at the age of 110.

The last surviving WWI vet was an Englishman. He died in 2012 at the age of 110.

 

Radiohead wrote an elegy to the last British Tommy when he died in 2012. Brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it.

 

[The Professor]

When I first started teaching high school there were several WWI veterans in the county. Some of them were interviewed as a class project. One of old veterans said his horse was killed during a battle and it made him very sad. The student that interviewed him thought it unusual to have a horse in battle in an era of vehicles, tanks, and air planes but I explained that those hadn't been in use very long and this war was where the old technology and strategy of warfare met the new technology of that day. It was just as important in some areas of the battles to have oates or hay as it was gasoline. Soldiers even carried gas masks for their horses.

 

Most wars are horrific but this war was as bad as it could get, with the muddy rat and lice invested trenches, gas attacks that burned skin, caused blindness, and destroyed lungs, and the constant shelling were enough to cause soldiers a lifetime of nightmares even if they were fortunate enough to survive. In addition, the senseless orders to have thousands of soldiers cross No Man's Land between the trenches into murderous machine gun fire.

The United States was only in the war from April 1917-November 1918, but the war had started in August 1914. The US lost 116,500 killed and many more wounded. The British alone lost 500,000 men at the Battle of the Somme the second year of the war. Estimates have the total deaths for the war at 17 million, with 20 million wounded. It was a terrible war from start to finish.

[True blue (and gold)]

When I first started teaching high school there were several WWI veterans in the county. Some of them were interviewed as a class project. One of old veterans said his horse was killed during a battle and it made him very sad. The student that interviewed him thought it unusual to have a horse in battle in an era of vehicles, tanks, and air planes but I explained that those hadn't been in use very long and this war was where the old technology and strategy of warfare met the new technology of that day. It was just as important in some areas of the battles to have oates or hay as it was gasoline. Soldiers even carried gas masks for their horses.

 

Most wars are horrific but this war was as bad as it could get, with the muddy rat and lice invested trenches, gas attacks that burned skin, caused blindness, and destroyed lungs, and the constant shelling were enough to cause soldiers a lifetime of nightmares even if they were fortunate enough to survive. In addition, the senseless orders to have thousands of soldiers cross No Man's Land between the trenches into murderous machine gun fire.

The United States was only in the war from April 1917-November 1918, but the war had started in August 1914. The US lost 116,500 killed and many more wounded. The British alone lost 500,000 men at the Battle of the Somme the second year of the war. Estimates have the total deaths for the war at 17 million, with 20 million wounded. It was a terrible war from start to finish.

Wow. That made me tear up. Far too many lives lost.

[Science Friction]

Irony.

[The Professor]

Irony.

 

The irony of the Great War was it was labeled as, "The war to end all wars."

[Irish Cat]

My Great Grandfather. He served abroad during WWI, but never spoke of his time at war at all. He was one of the lucky ones. Survived the war and came back home to Indiana and lived into his 90's.

 

[bballfamily]

The irony of the Great War was it was labeled as, "The war to end all wars."

 

Because of the scale of death and destruction of this war, at the time it was referred to as The Great War or The War to End All Wars. It was called WWI after WWII came along.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

My Great Grandfather. He served abroad during WWI, but never spoke of his time at war at all. He was one of the lucky ones. Survived the war and came back home to Indiana and lived into his 90's.

 

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Great photo. Great man.