By Sarah Schneekloth
Remembering history is important, but what is more important is remembering those that made that history possible. The National Park Service currently has 31 national war memorials. The newest one, completed on September 19 , 2024, is called “A Soldier’s Journey” and commemorates the soldiers and civilians who fought and helped in World War I.
“A Soldier’s Journey,” situated in Pershing Park, is only 150 yards from The White House is not only a sculpture but also a story. In 1981 the men who created Pershing Park and the American Expeditionary Forces Memorial had the idea of honoring the men who fought with General Pershing. The World War I Centennial Commission wanted to continue this idea and expand on it to create a monument that celebrates everyone who fought in WWI. The Commission decided to start the project back in 2014 with a contest to see who would have the honor of designing and sculpting the new monument. The honor was given to Joe Weisharr, who was only a college student when his design was chosen, and Sabin Howard, who had never made a sculpture so big and expressive before. Now that the sculpture is finished, the 60 foot long, 25 ton, bronze sculpture represents the 4.7 million Americans who served in WWI. The 38 figures on the memorial tell the story of the war and how it affected not only the soldiers, but the people around them as well.
The first section of the memorial, titled Departure, depicts a family. The daughter is handing her father his helmet while the father is kneeling and the mother is behind him showing the support that the family had for him going off to war. It then transitions to a scene called Initiation, where the mother grabs the fathers arm as he joins the parade of fighters going to fight, showing how the men were torn between their two duties: their family and their country. The parade of men also depict some of the ethnicities that fought for America during WWI. Included in it are some of the Harlem Hellfighters, one of the African American units.
After Initiation, the memorial continues with the section called Ordeal. You can see the soldiers start getting ready to charge and looking like they just jumped out of the trenches or across a bridge. They start charging and heading into battle; ready to fight for their country. This leads into the men fully charging into the fray; which the sculptor – Sabin Howard – says represents a famous saying from the battle of Belleau Wood. Following this, it shows the section called Aftermath. This section shows the after effects of the battles, with wounded soldiers being supported by nurses and other soldiers to the dead strewn across No Man’s Land. The memorial also depicts a man stuck in shell shock, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as it would become known as years later. He has a haunted look in his eyes and seems to be unable to move past the empty helmets piled up at his feet.
The final section, titled Return, shows the soldiers looking back at all that has changed while he continues to march forward back to America following behind the flag bearers. When he finally does reach his home, his daughter is there to greet him. He hands his helmet to her, which she looks into and sees World War II. The story starts all over again with the next generation being handed the duty to fight for their country.
The memorial isn’t the only measure that the Commission has undertaken to honor and remember the soldiers of WWI, though. Starting in 2018, the Commission along with the Doughboy Foundation have held a ceremony called Bells of Peace. This ceremony takes place on Veterans Day and holds to the original intent of the day, remembering everyone who served in WWI. During this ceremony they will ring a replica Liberty Bell 21 times and ask organizations all across the nation to ring bells, too, to show the soldiers honor. Along with this ceremony the Foundation sponsors a daily playing of “Taps” come rain or shine at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
Sarah Schneekloth is a Mabel-Canton High School student, one of 15 area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 26th year.
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