Welcome To The 2023 “Bells Of Peace” National Bell Tolling 11am Veterans Day
The Doughboy Foundation invites the public to plan now to join the annual Bells of Peace ceremony, a national tradition initiated in 2018 to commemorate the WWI Armistice Centennial and to honor all Americans who have served their nation. It’s a great way to kick off local remembrances on Veterans Day.
In October, Tell Congress That You Support The Hello Girls Gold Medal
Congress (as you doubtless know) is currently headed down the homestretch to keep to the government open after October 1, not to mention passing a budget, and other important matters. So your Senators and Representatives are pretty distracted right now.
But after October 1, when the dust has settled and Congress is back in normal operations, it will be a great time to reach out to them with a strong reminder that you support the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal legislation to honor America's first women soldiers. The Hello Girls made critical battlefield tactical communications work effectively for U.S. and French military forces on the front lines of World War I, saving many lives by helping bring the long war to a faster end. But when the Hello Girls returned home after WWI ended, they were denied veterans status and benefits until 1977. The Hello Girls earned and deserve the recognition of a Congressional Gold Medal, and you can help make that happen this Congress!
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Click here for our toolbox that makes the process of reaching out to your Representative and Senators very straightforward. Please get in touch with your Senators and Representative, telling them that you want their support for the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal legislation in the 118th Congress. When their nation called in 1918, the Hello Girls answered -- please answer their call in 2023!
The historic DH-4 World War I biplane has a new home in Wichita, KS’s Old Town. Known locally as ‘the Bleckley plane’, this DH-4 is one of only five left in the world, and is the only one licensed to fly. It is identical in make, model and markings to the same plane flown to fame over France, in WWI, by Wichita native Erwin Bleckley. Bleckley’s fatal last flight, which attempted to locate, map and re-supply the Lost Battalion, earned him the Medal of Honor. Click here to read more about this historic aircraft, and learn why Bleckley’s flight has gone down in history as the most famous and legendary of all the missions conducted by the US Army Air Service during ‘the Great War’.
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On September 13, 2023, Daily Taps at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC was sounded in honor of General of the Armies John J. Pershing, USA, who was born on 9/13/1860.
Nicknamed "Black Jack," Pershing served as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during World War I from 1917 to 1920. In addition to leading the AEF to victory in WWI, Pershing notably served as a mentor to many in the generation of generals who led the United States Army during World War II, including George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Lesley J. McNair, George S. Patton, and Douglas MacArthur. In September 1919, in recognition of his distinguished service during WWI, the U.S. Congress authorized the President to promote Pershing to General of the Armies of the United States, the highest rank possible for any member of the United States armed forces. Pershing served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1921 until his 64th birthday, September 13, 1924, when he retired from active military service. On July 15, 1948, Pershing died at age 87 at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. |
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The Daily Taps program of the Doughboy Foundation provides a unique opportunity to dedicate a livestreamed sounding of Taps in honor of a special person of your choice while supporting the important work of the Doughboy Foundation. Choose a day, or even establish this honor in perpetuity. Click here for more information on how to honor a loved veteran with the sounding of Taps.
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World War I was The War that Changed the World, and its impact on the United States continues to be felt over a century later, as people across the nation learn more about and remember those who served in the Great War. Here's a collection of news items from the last month related to World War I and America. |
Winchester Model 1897 Trench Gun Of World War I
America In World War I: Military Camp Newspapers
Two WWI Submarines Sunk By Mines Discovered
World War I Helped Popularize Candy Bars
German Sabotage Damaged Statue Of Liberty During WWI
War & Evolution: 20 Ways World War I Reshaped The U.S.
Soldiers Don’t Go Mad: Brotherhood, Poetry & Mental Illness
Beyond The Battlefield: How WWI Changed US Women’s Lives
America’s Love For Baseball Shaped New WWI Grenades
A man is only missing if he is forgotten.
Our Doughboy MIA this month is Carter Landram Ovington. Born on 1 May 1897 in Baden-Baden, Germany to American parents, First Lieutenant Carter Landram Ovington was the only child & son of Edward J. Ovington and Georgia Cheatham Maize Ovington. His father and his uncle were the heads of the New York based Ovington Brothers Company with locations in Germany and Paris, France. Because his father managed the European portion of the family business, Carter spent his first ten years in Germany followed by eight years in France.
After the United States declared war on German on 6 April 1918 and just after his twentieth birthday, Carter Ovington, while attending the Ecole Superieure de l’Electricite (Superior School of Electricity) in Paris, decided to join France’s Service Aeronautique on 20 May 1917. He immediately was accepted and sent to the French aviation schools at Avord, Pau, and Cazeaux, receiving his pilot’s brevet on 17 August 1917 with the rank of Caporal (Corporal).
The young aviator was delighted to find he was being sent to advanced training to become a pursuit (fighter) pilot. Completing the training on 12 December 1917 Caporal Ovington was subsequently assigned to Escadrille SPA85 flying the rugged SPAD VII produced by the Societe Pour L’Aviation et ses Derives (Society for Aviation and its Derivatives). As an American citizen flying for France, Corporal Ovington was now an official member of the Lafayette Flying Corps.
Would you like to be involved with solving the case of First Lieutenant Carter Landram Ovington, and all the other Americans still in MIA status from WWI? You can! Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to our non-profit organization today, and help us bring them home! Help us do the best job possible and give today, with our thanks. Remember: A man is only missing if he is forgotten.
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Merchandise From The Official Doughboy Foundation WWI Store
School is back in session across the nation, and the Doughboy Foundation has several outstanding books available to make great book reports, or research projects that will earn an "A".
Lest We Forget: The Great War World War I Prints from the Pritzker Military Museum & Library. One of the nation’s premier military history institutions pays tribute to the Americans who served and the allies they fought beside to defeat a resourceful enemy with a lavishly illustrated book. It is an official product of the United States World War One Centennial Commission and is a tribute to those who served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and what would become the Air Force. It serves as a lasting reminder that our world ignores the history of World War I (and the ensuing WWII) at its peril―lest we forget.
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Honoring the Doughboys: Following My Grandfather's World War I Diary is a stunning presentation of contemporary photographs taken by the author that are paired with diary entries written by his grandfather, George A. Carlson, who was a soldier in the U.S. Army during World War I. Jeff Lowdermilk followed his grandfather's path through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany and returned with these meticulously crafted photographs and his own engaging stories that bring the diary to life for contemporary readers. Lowdermilk's passion for World War I and military history began as a young boy when he listened to his grandfather tell his stories about serving as an infantryman-- a "Doughboy"--in Europe during the Great War.
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This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the Doughboy Foundation.
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