Carolyn Timbie, the granddaughter of Hello Girls Chief Operator Grace Banker, set off in 2025 on a trip to the San Francisco Bay region to survey the final resting places of twenty-six Hello Girls who were buried in that area. What she found both dismayed and inspired her. Learn how her California journey helped lead to long-overdue action  recognizing and honoring Hello Girls who were buried in unmarked graves, or had incomplete grave markers, creating a model for future action to recognize, remember, and celebrate America's First Women Soldiers.

Eugene "Reynold" Thomas was born in 1898, in Pennsylvania, to George and Evelyn Thomas. In 1917, he would enlist in the war as a Marine, and see action. After the Armistice was signed, he was sent to occupy Germany with the rest of his detachment. During that time, he sent a series of letters to his family describing what it was like in Germany at the very end of the war and during the German occupation. (One of his stories about his Occupation experiences, "Seeing Tina Home," was previously published on the Doughboy Foundation website.)  In the third of four new articles showcasing his WWI experiences, here is Thomas's account of how he and his friend "Mac" resorted to "a little conniving" to bypass the food and lodging shortcomings of duty in Occupied Germany with the American Expeditionary Forces.

"This group came with a heartbreaking story from the collector who acquired the frames from the family. John Rauscher Jr. was born in Austria-Hungary on August 27th, 1899. He and his parents, Johannes Gottlob Rauscher and Elizabeth Rauscher, immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century."  Thus begins Michael Santoro's most recent investigation into the hidden history of WWI artifacts. Read more about how a 16-Year-Old Austro-Hungarian immigrant defied his father and made the Supreme Sacrifice for his new nation in World War I.

Corporal Frank Buckles, the last living Doughboy from World War I, died in February 2011 at the age of 110. Historian and author Stuart Lutz attended Buckles' funeral at Arlington National Cemetery on March 15, 2011, and subsequently wrote a thoughtful article about the event and Buckles, who he had interviewed three years earlier when Buckles "was a mere 107."  Read Lutz's eloquent reflections from 15 years ago on "the final memory flicker from the Great War," that Buckles's funeral represented, and how the Last Doughboy felt that “The American public forgot about the war quickly and veterans were disappointed in the attitude of the people.  Most Americans couldn’t give a damn."

The revelation of secret communications can propel states to war. German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann learned that lesson at a high price. On March 1, 1917, Americans discovered that Zimmermann had sent a telegram offering Mexico an alliance against the United States and the chance to recover the territory lost in the Mexican-American War. The offer was wildly ill-advised and would have meant nothing if it had remained secret. But it didn’t. Read how news that Germany was encouraging Mexico to attack the United States weakened already eroding American public support for remaining neutral and eased the U.S. entry into World War I. Zimmermann’s bid to secure Germany’s victory helped trigger the events that led to its defeat.

A new book is bringing national attention to the remarkable life of World War I veteran Dr. Frank Erdman Boston, a physician whose quiet innovations helped shape modern emergency medical care in the United States. Dr. Frank Boston: How a World War I Veteran Quietly Shaped Modern Emergency Care, written by George Whitehair and published by Boston Legacy Foundation Press, tells the story of a soldier, doctor, and community leader whose influence reached far beyond his time. Read more about this new book, and find out why “What started as a local history has grown into something much bigger. People across the country are beginning to understand the importance of Dr. Frank Boston and what he accomplished.”

Texas significantly influenced the American war effort during World War I through its manpower, training grounds, and supply networks. The state hosted major camps that prepared thousands of soldiers for overseas combat. Communities near these camps grew at a rapid pace. Farms increased production to support troops, while rail lines carried equipment across the region. As a matter of fact, military demand pushed small towns toward long-term expansion. Business districts formed near camp gates, and new neighborhoods welcomed workers and families. For this reason, many residents today experience the lasting impact of that era. Learn more about why living in a WWI legacy town means seeing history in daily routines, public spaces, and community traditions, and how Texas military history continues to shape identity, growth, and civic pride across generations.

It wasn't until Mike McDonald was in the 8^th Grade or so that he realized that nobody else he knew had a family story like his, and that what he had was a World War I legacy that could be unique. McDonald's grandfather George T. Welk and his grandmother Elizabeth May Nelson were both living in Oregon when WWI started, and both went off to serve in uniform during the conflict. But how the two ended up together in Oregon after the war...well, you have to read it to believe it. Find out how George and Elizabeth were percipitated into "a series of events that in all likelihood changed and/or ended postwar expectations for both of them!"

World War I started on July 28, 1914. But for American universities, the real turning point came later. Namely, after the declaration of war on Germany in April 1917. It was then that campuses transformed from spaces of academic autonomy into mobilization centers for the nation-state. World War I changed the structure and social function of American higher education. Read more, and discover how universities were forced to adapt their curricula and restructure their funding, rethink their mission in a society at war, and deal with the long-lasting impact of the war that transformed academic freedom, and strengthened the connection between science and the state.

For over a century, the former Bywater Navy base in New Orleans has been a prominent riverfront landmark, and after 92 years of military use and 14 years of uncertainty, its future is finally coming into focus as a mixed-use housing and retail hub anchored by a tech-innovation center. A place of many names since its completion in 1919, the former Naval Support Activity East Bank is made up of three 600-by-140-foot, six-story depots plus grounds so large it has two addresses (officially at 4400 Dauphine Street and paralleling 600-700 Poland Avenue) and two waterfronts (facing the Mississippi River and flanking the Industrial Canal). Learn how the complicated history of this sprawling facility began rather unexpectedly, at the outbreak of what would become World War I.

In the summer of 1919, in the immediate aftermath of World War I, a young Lieutenant Colonel—only four years out of West Point—named Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in the first Army transcontinental motor convoy. The expedition consisted of 81 motorized Army vehicles that crossed the United States from Washington, DC, to San Francisco. The convoy was to test the mobility of the military during wartime conditions. As an observer for the Tank Corps, Lt. Col. Eisenhower learned first-hand during the war in France of the difficulties faced in traveling great distances on roads that were impassable and resulted in frequent breakdowns of the military vehicles. Find out  how these early experiences influenced his later decisions concerning the building of the interstate highway system during his presidential administration.

The advent of tank warfare during World War I introduced a totally new battlefield threat to the infantryman. The first operational tank was fielded by the British during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916, and the French developed their own tanks in the spring of 1917. Although slow- moving and plagued by mechanical difficulties, the tanks were relatively safe from rifle and machine-gun fire and struck fear into the average German soldier. The U.S. military also contended with the reality that infantrymen would need an effective arm to defeat tanks. Their idea? Bring more gun. Read more about the U.S armed forces efforts to develop an effective infantry anti-tank weapon during the post-World War I period.

On Nov. 6, 1918, 95th Aero Squadron pilot William Vail engaged nine German Fokker D.VII fighters alone and saved the life of a fellow aviator. Vail’s adversaries peppered his Spad XIII No. 7 with upwards of 150 rounds of machine gun bullets, one or more striking his left leg below the knee, shattering it. He crashed into a farm field and survived only because the soft mud cushioned his impact and enveloped him in an earthen scab that kept him from bleeding to death. His commanders recommended him for both the Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor. He received the DSC and later the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. The Medal of Honor recommendation vanished into Army bureaucracy and was never seen by Gen. John J. Pershing for adjudication. Learn how, 108 years later, William Vail’s only son is working to finally secure the nation’s highest military honor for his father’s actions. “I always felt I needed to redeem him,” Greg, 75, told Military.com. “He sacrificed over and over again for other people, and me. All these extraordinary things he did, I need to redeem him and thank him.”

Sam Denby of Half as Interesting explains the history behind the widely used “dazzle camouflage”, which was painted on ships to help evade naval torpedoes during World War I. "Dazzle camouflage, probably the most popular and widely used method for camouflaging a ship. It’s been used since World War I, and can still be seen on warships today. …Dazzle camo, of course, did not make the ship harder to see, but it did make it a lot harder to understand what you were seeing." Read more and watch the Half as Interesting video exploring the dazzle Camouflage concept, and how it was invented by a British WWI propaganda poster artist.

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Our Doughboy MIA this month is 2nd Lt. Otho Bradford Place. Born March 27th, 1893 in Bremen, Indiana, Place served as a lieutenant in Company G/305th Infantry/77th Division. During an attack along the Agron River about a kilometer north of St. Juvin on November 1st, 1918, Lt. Place was killed instantly by machine gun fire to the head. His soldiers buried him along a hedge, marking his grave with his cane. One of his dog tags was affixed to the cane, while the other was left around his neck. When GRS searchers went to look for him following the war, they were unable to locate a grave based on the information provided. However, a recommendation was made to examine a certain set of remains recovered by the French in the general vicinity and reburied in a local cemetery, where they had been recovered by GRS and were then at the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery; the circumstances of initial recovery and basic physical evidence of which seemed to point toward being those of Lt. Place. There is no evidence that has been found to this point which indicates that this recommendation was ever followed up on. In August, 1931, Lt. Place’s mother went on a Gold Star Pilgrimage to see her sons name on the Walls of the Missing at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery at Romage-sous-Montfaucon. American Legion Post 191 in Bremen, Indiana is known as the Otho B. Place Post

Would you like to be involved with solving the case of 2nd Lt. Otho Bradford Place, and all the other Americans still in MIA status from World War I? 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.

Doughboy Zip Fleece

Show your support for the Doughboy Foundation’s resolve to "Remember them" by adding this versatile WWI embroidered half-zip pullover to your spring wardrobe Made of 100% polyester microfleece, it provides the ultimate in comfort and style. Featuring open cuffs and hem, this fleece has been embroidered in the USA and is machine washable. Available in black. (Please note that the Zip Fleece pullover is only available in Men's sizes at this time.)

Proceeds from the sale of these items will help keep watch over the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC.

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the Doughboy Foundation.

Pershing Sponsors