On Tap

When I was in college, my outstanding history professor, Dr. Simms, opened each semester by reminding us that history was subject to interpretation. He went on to argue that the First World War was the most important event of the Twentieth Century.

His case was as detailed as it was compelling. Among his reasons: The war precipitated the Soviet Revolution that unseated the Czar and led to the Cold War; It destroyed the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires, leading to the partition of the Balkans and the Middle East and handing down to future generations the smoldering problems of those regions; it led to the Washington Naval Treaty, which set the stage for Germany and Japan to build fleets that would threaten the world while the navies of the great seagoing powers, Great Britain and the United States languished in mothballs; it set the stage of the independence of India and the state of decolonization by the European powers; and, most importantly, it took from Europe and entire generation of its best and brightest young men, as more than 10 million were slaughtered in the trenches of the Somme, the Marne, Gallipoli, and countless other places.

Europe still remembers the Great War. France still celebrates Armistice Day each year on November 11. (It’s been changed to Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the U.K. and the Commonwealth in order to include World War II veterans, though poppies are still worn in the U.K.) In Belgium, where much of fighting took place, the end of the war is commemorated by remembering the day of peace in Flanders Fields.

But in the U.S., we seem to have forgotten about the Great War altogether. Two magnificent pieces in today’s Washington Post explore the reasons why. But the facts are these: Nearly 5 million Americans were under arms during the Great War. 116,000 died. And There is no national memorial for World War I veterans or those killed in combat.

Corporal Frank Buckles has one final fact to add: 1. That’s the number of U.S. World War I veterans still alive today. And according to George Will, Cpl. Buckles is “feeling fine, thank you for asking.”

Whole industries have sprouted for remember the U.S. Civil War, World War II and Vietnam. Increasingly, thanks to amazing authors like David McCullough, Americans are rediscovering the period of our independence and founding. But somehow, we the brave men who fought in France in 1917 and 1918 are too often overlooked. We do those men and the memories a grave disservice by neglecting their sacrifice.

So on this Memorial Day, let’s make a special effort to remember the importance of the First World War, remember what they did, and maybe, take a bit of time to learn more about why they did it.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at May 25, 2008 - 3:10 pm and is filed under International Relations, Military, Patriotism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.