Exactly one hundred years ago today, at the eleventh hour,
of the eleventh day, on the eleventh month,
World War I came to a close. After four years,
five campaigning seasons, thirty two
countries involved, and fifteen to nineteen million dead,
depending on where you look. Unlike many wars in modern history,
that tend to wind down as the end is near,
fighting continued up until the last moments in places such as the Meuse-Argonne,
the largest and first independent offensive
for American forces in the war that would begin in late September,
and last until the Armistice. It is within this battle that
two of the most remembered events of the American experience of World War I
took place. The first being the heroics of
Sergeant Alvin York, who charged a German machine-gun
nest, killing over twenty, and capturing over a hundred,
winning the medal of honor. The second being
the events surrounding the lost battalion
under command of Major Charles Whittlesey, who held out,
cut off from friendly forces against all odds, and
request by the Germans for surrender. These two stories are
among thousands of similar accounts of bravery that can be
seen from men of all countries involved as they pushed against each other
in this gigantic conflict. It typically happens after
a war, when they came home, they were asked about what happened.
Why they fought, what the war was about, and
what they thought about it. For many, these questions were difficult to answer.
Many found themselves pushed into the typified lost generation
description of the, all quiet on the western front and
farewell to arms narrative. Experiences and takeaways from World War I
however, as you would expect from such a diverse war,
were incredibly varied. Many did feel that it was a waste of time
and the death of a generation. But others felt a sense
of patriotism and pride, and many more had extremely
unresolved feelings. York upon returning home was offered book,
movie, and advertising deals worth a fortune that he turned down
out of a feeling that it wouldn't be right, but later during World War II,
participated in many drives and campaigns for the war effort,
eventually passing in the 60s. Whittlesey had an even
tougher time adjusting, spending his post-war years trying to
help his former soldiers cope while being constantly invited to
ceremonies, that eventually weighed down on him to the point that he threw himself
off a ship on the way to Havana, disappearing in 1921.
Other soldiers from the lost battalion described an
inability to talk about the war, sighting that people would often not listen
or ask the wrong questions. Many of these sentiments being
described in Edward Lengel's book, "To Conquer Hell". And this aspect
doesn't even begin to get into the broader, unanswered questions about
World War I. Such as, "Why did it start?"
"Who was at fault?" "What are the impacts?" and "What does it mean?"
that will probably be continued to be debated over forever in this
war with few perpetrators and many victims of which
both can be found on either side. Unfortunately,
most of these questions, especially
to do with the troops, many never be answered. Upon the hundred-
year anniversary of the Armistice today, every single
person, from politician, to soldier,
to civilian, who had an intimate or small experience
with this monumental event, is gone. And we
have only what they left behind to understand what it was
like, and to process the war. Now, there are also a lot of
many less personal sources of documents and speeches,
a lot of which have been compiled into fantastic books that do paint an incredible
picture of what the war was like, so I'm not saying the war
blinded the nature of the time period, or the sentiments within,
but given some of the statements of the men, post-war, of an inability
to speak, and an unwillingness of people to understand,
I can't help but feel that some things might've been missed.
And for this generation, our chance to ask any more has slipped
away. However, they were obviously not the last
generation to experience conflict, as it would not end up being
the war to end all wars. We are currently living in the waning years
of the generation that fought World War II.
And before we know, they will all, unfortunately, be gone as well.
And their stories, just as those who lived through World War I,
need to be told while we still have a chance.
Along with people from all conflicts, on all sides,
because the repeating theme of all wars is that they should be
avoided in the future, but the human nature to perpetuate it
has never heeded that warning and it could, one day, lead to our complete downfall.
And it may be that talking to those who lived it,
and know what the cost is, and really listening to what they have to share
in making sure to preserve those experiences,
will keep us from having more wars lost to time.
That we might be able to continue to pass down the knowledge
to younger generations, so that they can really appreciate our current peace,
and keep it as much as possible, as they grow up and become
the next leaders of this world. So if you have access
to any of these stories, please get them. They're vital.
Both to understand the time period, whatever it may be,
and the sacrifice involved, and thank them. In the pinned comment
below, I have the stories of my two grandparents that fought
in World War II, and I encourage you to share your families or your
own if you've served, so that we together make take pause
at the centennial of World War I to remember those who served there
and those who have served since. To not let these crucial
periods in history be lost.