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DC War Memorial Virtual Visit

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Below are 34 images representing each panel (in pairs of two groups) of all 499 names, seals and medallions on the District of Columbia War Memorial.  You can pause or move through the show to locate the name of a relative or loved one.  Note:  while you cannot 'click' to enlarge the images, you can change your browser's magnifier settings if you have trouble reading the names.  To view a complete listing of the DC war dead listed on both the DC War Memorial and the 16th Street Tree Memorial including rank, branch of service, cemetery (if known), click on this link to view the District of Columbia WWI Dead, 1918-1921.

DC-related World War I Centennial Events & Programs


Here are links to events related to the centennial of World War I:

Please note:  Some of the events listed on this page may have already occurred or are no longer available; however, we have decided to leave them posted to demonstrate the breadth and scope of interest in this important period of our history.

World War One Centennial: The Imprint of World War I
Although Washington, D.C. awaits a national memorial to World War I, sites associated with the “War to End All Wars” are hiding in plain sight, testimonies to the foot soldiers, generals, bureaucrats and U.S. presidents involved in the cataclysmic conflict.
November 11 at 2:00 p.m.
Meet in Pershing Park by the statue of Gen. John J. Pershing (14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW).  Presented by Washington Walks, $20 per person.
​http://www.washingtonwalks.com/tours/imprint-world-war-i/

The Great War in Arlington Cemetery

Sunday November 12 at 1:00pm
​Duration - Approximately 2 hours.
Reservations - No reservations necessary. Simply show up!
Cost - $20 per person (kids 3 and younger free). $5 discount with U.S. military or federal government ID. Pay the walk fee in cash or with a credit card (using your smartphone) when you arrive.

http://www.washingtonwalks.com/tours/great-war-arlington-cemetery/​

National Air & Space Museum Film Series:
National Air and Space Museum exhibit on "Artist Soldiers: Artistic Expression in the First World War" and their film series:

https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/hollywood-goes-war-world-war-i-big-screen

More Smithsonian programs related to World War I:
National Museum of American History ("Advertising War," Uniformed Women and The Great War," and "General John J. Pershing"
http://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/world-war-i

National Postal Museum: World War I picture postcard. My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I April 6, 2017 – November 29, 2018
Through personal correspondence written on the frontlines and home front, this centennial exhibition uncovers the history of America’s involvement in World War I. The compelling selection of letters illuminates emotions and thoughts engendered by the war that brought America onto the world stage; raised complex questions about gender, race and ethnic relations; and ushered in the modern era. Included are previously unpublished letters by General John Pershing, the general who led the American Expeditionary Forces and a person who understood the power of the medium. In his postwar letter that begins “My fellow soldiers,” he recognized each individual under his command for bravery and service. My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I was created by the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in collaboration with the Center for American War Letters at Chapman University.

​The Library of Congress:  Echoes of the Great War, on-line exhibition
https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/world-war-i-american-experiences/online-exhibition/over-there/meuse-argonne/eve-of-the-offensive/

The Library of Congress:  Digital Collections
https://www.loc.gov/collections/?q=World+War+I

Newspaper Pictorials: World War I Rotogravures, 1914-1919 This online collection is drawn from three primary sources: The War of the Nations: Portfolio in Rotogravure Etchings, a volume published by the New York Times shortly after the armistice that compiled ...
o    Contributor: Library of Congress. National Digital Library Program
o    Date: 2004 ​ View 437 Items

Stars and Stripes: The American Soldiers' Newspaper of World War I, 1918-1919 This online collection includes the complete seventy-one-week run of The Stars and Stripes World War I edition. The Stars and Stripes was published in France by the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) of ...
o    Date: 1918 View 90 Items

World War I Sheet Music From 1914 through 1920 the Library of Congress acquired over 14,000 pieces of sheet music relating to what ultimately became known as the First World War, with the greatest number coming from ...
o    Date: 1914 View 13,506 Items

American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I The Nation's Forum recordings were made between 1918 and 1920 in an effort to preserve the voices of prominent Americans; in most cases, they are the only surviving recordings of a speaker. ...
o    Date: 1918 View 97 Items

​World War I Inventory Project -- Mark Levitch has designed a web site to record and document WWI memorials throughout the country.  Check it out:

http://ww1mproject.org/

World War I Exhibit at the President Woodrow Wilson House:
​http://www.woodrowwilsonhouse.org/exhibitions
​"The Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay" Exhibit Opening:  Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, 6-8PM.  Exhibition runs through Feb. 2018.  RSVP requested for opening.  See link above.

The Anderson House has a number of events related to World War I.  See their calendar of events:  http://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/events/public

​​French-American Cultural Foundation presents an evening of jazz:  A UNIQUE JAZZ CONCERT AT THE LISNER AUDITORIUM TO COMMEMORATE THE CENTENNIAL OF THE U.S. ENTRY INTO WORLD WAR I
​
When: November 15, 2017
Where:  Lisner Auditorium
​www.frenchamericancultural.org

​
The National Guard Memorial Museum
​"Commemorative Exhibit of the National Guards' Entrance into World War I"
​http://www.ngef.org/national-guard-memorial-museum/

​
The United States Navy Memorial Library
"The U.S. Navy in World War I"
​http://www.navymemorial.org/

​The United States Capitol Visitors' Center
"Congress and the World Wars" exhibit, through Sept. 11, 2017
https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/exhibitions/congress-and-world-wars​

​The American Battle Monuments Commission, which maintains the U.S. cemeteries and memorials overseas as well as many here has just published "The Commemorative Sites Booklet" which can ben obtained by visiting their ​web site or by calling 703-696-6900.
https://www.abmc.gov/

​The American Red Cross - "Answering the Call:  The American Red Cross and World War I."  It can be seen on tour of the national American Red Cross building on Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 am and 2 pm at 430 17th Street, NW.  E-mail: tours@redcross.org for more information.

​The National Postal Museum - "In Her Words:  Women's Duty & Service in World War I" exhibition open through May 8th,  offers a glimpse into the lives of four women serving in and alongside the American military during World War I.  Through letters, uniforms, ID badges, notebooks and other authentic objects, the exhibition reveals the wartime experiences, personalities and aspiration of two U.S. Army Nurses, a U.S> Navy Yeoman and a YMCA worker.  Visit the museums special website:  https://postalmuseum.si.edu/in-her-words/

Georgetown University - "A War to End All Wars"
Special Collections Gallery
Charles Marvin Fairchild Memorial Gallery
Leon Robbin Gallery
January 31, 2018
May 13, 2018
https://www.library.georgetown.edu/exhibition/war-end-all-wars

​The National Civic Art Society is offering a series of walking tours related to the centennial of World War I.  To see their schedule of events for April and May 2018, click this link:
Washington At War.

​The AOI Board of Directors would like to publicly thank and acknowledge the research that Director Barbara Bates has undertaken to identify and document these sites and programs.  ​Bill Brown, President, 1999-2019


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World War I in the District of Columbia

The District of Columbia War Memorial
https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/dc-war-memorial.htm

​The list of the 499 fallen on the DC War Memorial Listing of the DC War Dead
​

​The Supreme Sacrifice, Sculpture at the John A. Wilson (District) Building
http://dccouncil.us/news/entry/the-supreme-sacrifice

The District of Columbia World War I 16th Street Tree Memorial
​http://www.aoidc.org/world-war-i-16th-street-tree-memorial.html

While she was not a District native,
​Opha M. Johnson was the first District woman to enlist in the Marines
​
http://www.worldwar1centennial.org/2432?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

DC War Memorial Slide Show including: wreath ceremony, rededication ceremony and some memorial details.

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The Library of Congress World War I Memorial Tree, a Japanese elm planted on the grounds of the Jefferson Building in 1921, is still there, and the memorial plaque is still mounted at the base of its trunk.

PictureA Bronze Memorial Plaque on the Grounds of the Library of Congress.  It contains the same names of the fallen as the memorial show to the right.
The best geographic description of the WW I Memorial Tree is that it’s located on the Jefferson Building grounds, adjacent to the walk leading to the main entrance from the intersection of First Street, SE and Independence Avenue, SE.  In April, the LC Blog did an excellent article on the tree planting, including a photo – it appears to have been a major event.  Note that one of the deceased, Cpl. Charles Chambers served in the 312th Machine-gun Battalion, which is described as “Washington’s Own.” 
​(Text provided by Thomas Neale, AOI Director and LOC CRS Staffer)

​Read more:  https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2017/04/world-war-i-the-library-of-congress-memorial-tree/


The American Legion Building located at 1608 K Street, NW.
​The American Legion, an organization of American veterans, was founded by act of Congress on September 18, 1919

Within footsteps of the Pershing Memorial (soon to be re-envisioned/rededicated National World War Memorial), there are several WWI related sites and markers, in addition to the Supreme Sacrifice in the John A. Wilson Building.  The Reserve Officers Association plaque is at the Willard Hotel.


The Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial
Located at 200 Maryland Avenue, NE


The American Red Cross World War Memorial Building's Dedication

The American Red Cross building was dedicated on March 19, 1930 to the nurses of World War I and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson laid the cornerstone in 1928.
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AOI Director Barbara Bates has compiled a biography of the 10 District of Columbia woman memorialized on the DC War Memorial and on the 16th Street Tree Memorial.  Read what Barbara has discovered here:  Ten Women on the DC War Memorial

NEW!  Barbara Bates has completed her comprehensive compendium of ""Remembering the Great War in Washington, DC Through its Memorials and Monuments."  Read it now!
Check Back Often for More
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WWI on the National Mall or Parks

 The First Division Monument
https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/
historyculture/first-division-monument.htm


The National World War I Memorial at Pershing Park


https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/
​national-world-war-i-memorial.htm

​
The Second Division Memorial

​http://mallhistory.org/items/show/417

The Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial (on the George Washington Parkway at Lady Byrd Johnson Park, Arlington , VA)
​http://www.dcmemorials.com/index_
​indiv0005200.htm

The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum's tribute to Eugene Bullard
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World War I
​at Other Locations and Cemeteries


World War I Memorial at the Library of Congress

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AOI Director Thomas Neale of the Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service points to the World War I Memorial plaque located in the East Mosaic Corridor of the LOC's Jefferson Building. These individuals are also listed on the DC War Memorial and on the District's 16th Street Tree Memorial Rolls.
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U.S. Department of Agriculture Memorial (not currently open to the public)​

"War Memorial" dedicated to the heroic men of the United States Department of Agriculture who died during the Great War:
​http://archive.org/stream/warmemorial
​dedic00unit#page/n7/mode/2up
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Mark Levitch (creator of the World War I Inventory Project, see link above), Bill Brown (AOI President) and Richard Fierroz (Executive Service Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture) in the patio of the Jamie L. Whitten Building (Main Building) with the War Memorial in the background.

Arlington National Cemetery (some points of interest, tombs and honorees are descriptions only)

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/
Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier
​General John J. Pershing's Grave at Arlington National Cemetery​
​General Pershing's grave, the nearby memorial tree and the plaque at the bottom of the memorial tree. (Plaque photo taken by Ron Williams and borrowed from Find A Grave)
The Argonne Cross
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/
​Monuments-and-Memorials/Argonne-Cross
Canadian Cross of Sacrifice
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/
Monuments-and-Memorials/Canadian-Cross

​
Third Infantry Division Monument
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/
Monuments-and-Memorials/3rd-Infantry-Division-Monument


Nurses Memorial
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/
Monuments-and-Memorials/Nurses-Memorial

and
​Prominent Women Figures including Jane A. Delano, founder of the Army Nurse Corps)
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/
Notable-Graves/Prominent-Women-Figures


More about Jane Delano:
​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Delano

Chaplains Hill and Monuments
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/
​Monuments-and-Memorials/Chaplains-Hill

​Coast Guard Memorial
​​
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Explore/
​Monuments-and-Memorials/Coast-Guard


Frank W. Buckles was the last surviving World War I veteran.  He died Feb. 27, 2011.  He was 110 years old... born Feb. 1, 1901.
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Gold Star Mothers Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
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Arlington Cemetery Fourth Infantry Ivy Division Memorial
​Along Memorial Drive Entrance to the Cemetery
http://www.4thinfantry.org/content/4th-infantry-division-monuments
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The Armored Forces Monument on Memorial Drive at Arlington National Cemetery​

Women in Military Service for America Memorial
Celebrating the First Enlisted Women exhibit featuring
​Private Opha Mae Johnson, the Marine Corps' first enlisted woman, August 13, 1918



Washington National Cathedral

Norman Prince Centennial (2016)
​https://cathedral.org/event/norman-prince-centennial/
and
​https://cathedral.org/cathedral-age/war-hero-laid-to-rest/​
The Joint Armed Forces Full Honor Guard lays a wreath at the Woodrow Wilson Tomb on December 28 on the Anniversary of His Birthday.

Arlington County, Virginia's World War I Commemoration Commission.

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Click here to view Arlington's WWI Commemoration Task Force's activities.
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