[GRX]

As you may know, one hundred years ago today the United States Congress declared war upon the German Empire.

In some ways WW1 has become the new "forgotten war" for many Americans. Merely a blip between the Civil War and WW2.
Unbefitting of a conflict dubbed "The war to end all Wars" in which over 17 million people lost their lives.

Would like to recommend this excellent BBC documentary.

Full version in Hi-def on YouTube below. It is on NetFlix as well.

The First World War from Above

https://youtu.be/zpRMJxiOyk0

The story of the Great War told from a unique new aerial perspective. Featuring two remarkable historical finds, including a piece of archive footage filmed from an airship in summer 1919, capturing the trenches and battlefields in a way that's rarely been seen before. And aerial photographs taken by First World War pilots - developed for the first time in over ninety years - show not only the devastation inflicted during the fighting, but also quirks and human stories visible only from above. Presented by Fergal Keane.

This web page has some interesting images discovered 95 years after the War..

Forgotten images from the Western Front: Negatives discovered in a rusty metal box reveal devastation
of French battlefields at the end of the First World War

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...World-War.html

[GTOLiam]

My Grandpa was a Marine in that terrible war with some interesting stories. Have a trunk full of everything but the rifle he used. Also included is a French helmet, and some German soldier items including a dog tag (tried to look up family/info with no luck a few years ago). Best of all were two shoe boxes full of picture post cards and every letter he wrote home - including letters from his French lady friend after the war He lived to be 94 and drove his 1960 Polara with push button transmission until the end.

[Jack Peters]

My father was inducted in August of 1917 but only spent a short time in before being discharged 4F a few Months later. He was part of the Coast Artillary which were the large 16 & 18 inch guns along the west coast an was stationed in the San Jaun islands.

He was n the very first group (only group) to go through Camp Lewis in WA, which became Ft. Lewis and is part of Joint Base Lewis McCord.

He turned 21 in October that year. I was a later born child. LOL.

[400 4spd.]

During WWI my maternal grandfather served two years as a P.O.W. in a Russian prison. After release he remained in Russia for a couple of years. My mother has several stamped post cards from Russia that he sent to relatives in Czechoslovakia. I remember one of them has St. Petersburg on the stamp.

[63 Pontiac]

Both my grandfathers served in WWI, the photo is my paternal grandfather. I have a big ledger that a bunch of the guys in his unit signed and some have brief stories of their experiences. Some are difficult to read because the handwriting is so different from what we see today. Looks like they saw some heavy combat.

[beertracker]

WW1 gave us new weapons; the machine gun, tank, airplane and poison gas. It also signaled the transition from horse drawn to truck logistics.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index....d-world-war-i/ is a good article how alliances can pull nations into war. bt

[OZZIEVILLE 67 2 door]

My Grandfather is a Gallipilli Turkey return Australian soldier.
He was captured (jumped into the wrong trench) and spent the remainder of the war in the Russian coal mines,.
The red cross packets sent by his sisters keep him alive .

We will remeber them , lest we forget.

John L.

[Lightfoot]

That was quite interesting. I've been a WWII buff for all of my adult life but never read much about the Great War. I'll definately have to watch some more of those documentaries.
I knew two men when I was a youth, who were WWI veterans. One was a Boy Scout leader who was very patriotic. The other was a member of our church and his widow, who was a long time family friend, lived to be 105.
Mind bogling what lengths the British went to set those huge underground mines. The craters that still remain and the cemetaries make me want to go to Belgium and take it all in. I could almost think it has more mystique than WWII battle grounds.

Thanks for sharing.

[sts]

A thanks to all whom served

[north]

I think as time goes on WWI and WWII will be seen as really one war. That combined War killed 100,000,000 people but that was only the beginning of the damage. Sadly it also did irreparable damage to Western Civilization which for all its many flaws is still the high-point of human achievement.

Apart from the 100,000,000 lives lost (75% of which was European-North American) and the 100's of millions of lives impacted by injuries, lost employment and property damage it also destroyed the financial, military and moral worth of Europe.

European colonial systems collapsed throwing most of Africa, East Asia and the Middle East into 50 years of chaos and incessant corruption and war that as we sadly know continues to this day.

Europe lost its military, financial and moral power and as we see more and more its masculinity which is rendering it incapable of defending itself against external and internal threats from more primitive and aggressive cultures.

Of course terrible things were done in the name of Western civilization (like was done by all ascending and expanding cultures in the past) but the human condition has hugely benefited from the progress of the last 1,000 years.

100 years ago Europe and America ruled the world in every sense of the word and overall the world was far better off because of it. But the two world wars did immeasurable damage to that 1,000 year legacy.

We better get our act together or we are going to be over run by barbarians just like Rome did 2,000 years ago.

Sorry for the rant and no disrespect meant for the personal sacrifices made by people from any side of the conflict. Just looking at those wars from the broad scope of history shows what a disaster it was for winners and losers alike.

[GTOLiam]

Originally Posted by sts

A thanks to all whom served

Don Shipley is a bad ass!

[beertracker]

http://www.wnd.com/2017/04/100-years...orig=education

[Lightfoot]

Originally Posted by north;

Of course terrible things were done in the name of Western civilization (like was done by all ascending and expanding cultures in the past) but the human condition has hugely benefited from the progress of the last 1,000 years.

100 years ago Europe and America ruled the world in every sense of the word and overall the world was far better off because of it. But the two world wars did immeasurable damage to that 1,000 year legacy.

We better get our act together or we are going to be over run by barbarians just like Rome did 2,000 years ago.

Amen.

Excellent points in the rest of your post also.

[Doug]

About 3 years ago I was rummaging thru some junk stuff in a dirty tray of bits and pieces at a flea market looking at a shiny little lapel pin in the shape of an old bi-plane. I picked it out and looked over the tray some more when I noticed a dirty faded scrap of crumpled paper which turned out to be the discharge certificate for a WW1 soldier named Clarence Bierbaum. I bought the pin and the paper for a dollar each.

At first I thought I would frame the certificate and hang it on my wall but then I figured that maybe somewhere there was some relative of Bierbaum's that might like to have the discharge certificate. Enlisting the help of my sister who is into genealogy, after a few weeks she led me to a distant relative of his in Colorado whom I contacted by E-mail. He was deeply interested in it so I shipped it to him. He was extremely glad to receive it. He sent me a thank-you letter and gave me more insights as to Clarence's background and experiences and also included an old picture of Bierbaum in uniform .

Attached are copies of the front and back of the discharge, Bierbaum's photo, a copy of the thank-you letter and a picture of the little bi-plane lapel pin.

I hope you can read the listing of Bierbaum's battlefield engagements, he was in the thick of it.

When I sent the certificate to the man in Colorado I included a picture of the little bi-plane lapel pin, commenting that just as a similar bi-plane had protected Bierbaum during the war, a little bi-plane had again protected his papers for posterity.

[63 Pontiac]

Originally Posted by Doug

a little bi-plane had again protected his papers for posterity.

That's a Fokker tri plane, think Red Baron.

[north]

That's a good dead done!

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by 63 Pontiac

That's a Fokker tri plane, think Red Baron.

Ja -

Das ist ein Fokker Dri-decker.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Doug - I see that the discharge papers were from the county clerk's office in Hillsdale Michigan.

That's near me, and in fact, is where my daughter graduated college from.

Was Mr Bierbaum's family in the Hillsdale area?

K

[davelacourse]

I have an Uncle who was killed in WWI - born June 21, 1896, died Sept. 8, 1918, buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Sadly, I don't know more about him.

[Doug]

Keith,

Some info on Bierbaum is that he died 1n 1966 and his funeral services were in Camden, Michigan. The discharge certificate was recorded in Hillsdale in 1965.

He was born in Fort Wayne (Allen County) Indiana. Note that the hunting licenses stamped on the discharge were done in Allen County in 1927 and in 1945.

Other info is that it was listed in his obituary notice that his stepfather was George Brockhauf, Sr. and his step-brother was George Brockhauf, Jr. I seem to recall my sister telling me that a distant relative (name?) was located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

If by chance any of the above info rings a bell, let me know.