The United States WW I Centennial Commission is Looking for A Few Good Men (and Women)
Do you have a relative, neighbor, or friend whose parent, grandparent, or great-great grandparent served in World War I? If so, then I wholeheartedly invite you to join the conversation happening on the The United States World War One Centennial Commission’s website.
The 100th Anniversary of the United States’ entrance into WW I is only months away (April 2017), and the opportunity to commemorate and remember our WW I veterans is better than ever. The commission has been working for more than two years now to make the WW I centennial a moment to remember.
But, frankly, they need our help. The commission’s public outreach is still quite limited. According to The Oxford Companion to American Military History, 116,516 Americans died in the war and 202,002 were wounded. And yet, the commission’s website only has about 5,000 followers as I write this.
You may remember how the 50th anniversary of D-Day back in 1994 sparked a renewed interest and appreciation for our World War II veterans and their history, but understanding World War I is just as important to our nation.
So, please join me in remembering our WW I vets and giving them the respect they deserve. A great place to start is with the US WW I Centennial Commission’s “Stories of Service” project. You can easily upload a photo and write a short profile sharing a story of service about a relative, friend, neighbor, etc. just as I did for my grandfather —
Here’s the link to my grandfather’s page — http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/commemorate/family-ties/stories-of-service/1359-capt-joseph-l-bachus.html — where you can see an example. Then, click on the “Submit a Story” button when you’re ready to share a story yourself.
Thanks for Remembering,
Rich Bachus