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U . S . A R M Y C E N T E R O F M I L I TA R Y H I S T O R Y
THE U.S. ARMY
WORLD WAR I
CENTENNIAL
COMMEMORATION PLAN
2017–2019
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Cover: Based on the 1917 recruiting poster for the U.S. Army by artist and illustrator
James Montgomery Flagg (Library of Congress)
THE U.S. ARMY
WORLD WAR I
CENTENNIAL
COMMEMORATION PLAN
2017–2019
Center of Military History
United States Army
Washington, D.C., 2016
Storming Machine Gun, by
George Harding. Completed
in October 1918, the scene
depicts Army infantrymen
attacking a German machinegun nest with the support of a
tank. (Army Art Collection)
Remembering the Great War
The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), formed in 1917 for service in Europe,
represents the beginnings of the twenty-first-century Army. Fittingly, we will mark the
centennial of the United States’ pivotal involvement in World War I in 2017 through 2019.
We will commemorate this crucial time in our history through a series of events in which
we will Honor the service of more than four million American soldiers, Remember the
sacrifices of the more than 300,000 killed, wounded, or captured, and Educate our current
soldiers and the American public about the accomplishments that added new chapters to
the proud history of the nation’s premier fighting force.
Most of the divisions in the current U.S. Army force structure, as well as other organizations that carry on the lineages of historic divisions, were first organized for overseas
deployment in 1917 and 1918. The armor, aviation, air defense artillery, and chemical
branches, as we have come to know them, trace their beginnings and first combat experiences to the Great War. A number of the installations founded in 1917 and 1918 to
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GEN John J. Pershing, U.S. Army, Commander in Chief,
American Expeditionary Forces (National Archives)
support the wartime mobilization remain
vital elements of our nation’s military establishment. Though largely dismantled in
the demobilization that followed peace in
Europe, the Army’s World War I structure
and the experiences of the American Expeditionary Forces, the Army Air Service,
and the Services of Supply nonetheless
provided the framework for the organization and missions of Army ground, air,
and service forces, as well as their doctrinal development, which led to victory
a generation later in World War II. That
legacy continues today as the Army adapts
to changing threats and missions.
The U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH) serves as the Army’s lead agency
for coordinating the Army-wide observance
and invites other commands and agencies
to join this effort. We will serve as liaison
and coordinate with the U.S. World War I
Centennial Commission (USWWICC) for
observances in the United States and with
the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) for major observances at locations abroad. CMH will develop relations
with public and private historic associations, military history interest organizations, and
veterans groups.
The Executive Director, CMH, will serve as the Army’s senior representative to the
national centennial commission. CMH will form and lead an Army centennial committee
composed of representatives from the Department of the Army headquarters and major
Army commands.
The Army will commence the commemorative period on 6 April 2017, the
centennial of the United States’ declaration of war on Germany, with a ceremony
opening the World War I exhibit at Arlington National Cemetery. A number of events
will follow through 2019.
This commemorative campaign will highlight significant events in our Army’s history,
which present a unique means to build esprit de corps, increase morale, and further
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The first American troops arriving at St. Nazaire, France,
June 1917 (American Battle Monuments Commission)
contribute to a sense of institutional heritage among our soldiers and within the service.
Because the AEF was composed overwhelmingly of citizen-soldiers and the war affected
every community across the country, this campaign can enhance civil-military relations
by using history to reinforce the legacy of service rendered by massive numbers of
everyday Americans who contributed either directly as military members or who offered
support in communities across the nation.
Army Commemorative Activities
Units. Several division and higher-echelon commands still in the Regular
Army force structure, as well as divisions, brigade combat teams, and supporting
commands of the Army Reserve and Army National Guard, trace their origins and
lineage to units first organized to serve in the American Expeditionary Forces. The
World War I centennial marks an opportunity to celebrate this “Century of Service”
during 2017 and 2018. Such celebrations may be used to enhance unit pride and
inculcate a sense of history by connecting former and current members to their unit’s
heritage and informing the public of our Army’s historic role in defending the nation.
Installations. The Army installations that existed in 1917 were inadequate
to support the mass mobilization when the United States entered World War I.
Some of the new installations established then remain occupied by the Army or its
reserve components. Because of their connections to local communities, they will
celebrate one hundred years of service to the nation as well as their importance to
the communities of which they have become an integral part.
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This FT17 tank is on display at the Fort George G. Meade Museum at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Established as Camp Meade in 1917 to support the mobilization, about 400,000 soldiers, including the men of three divisions and other units, as well as the Signal Corps’ women telephone operators called Hello Girls, trained at the post during World War I. Fort Meade became
the home of the Army Tank School after the war. (Fort George G. Meade Museum)
Museums. Army museums will feature a variety of exhibits and artifact displays during
the centennial period. The appropriate capstone of this effort will be the World War I
exhibit at Arlington National Cemetery. Other museums will highlight existing exhibits
or establish new or temporary ones that feature historic artifacts and focus on the Army’s
combat performance in World War I and the service of its soldiers. These exhibitions will
build toward 2019 and the opening of the National Museum of the United States Army,
which will feature a permanent World War I gallery.
Service Schools. Army lessons learned and the use of historical examples from
World War I actions will be integrated into the curricula of Army institutional training at
all levels. In addition, museum-quality exhibits at the training base will reinforce these
lessons to military students throughout the force as well as a variety of visitors.
Public Outreach. Army public affairs offices, as well as the activities at unit and
installation levels, are an excellent means of telling the Army’s riveting story from
the Great War.
U.S. Army Recruiting Command. Recruiting stations could reprise classic posters
and other material in their recruitment advertising campaigns during 2017 through
2019. The iconic image of Uncle Sam telling the reader “I Want You For the U.S.
Army,” by illustrator James Montgomery Flagg, is just one example of the Army’s
recruitment history told through art and creative slogans—a tradition that endures
and a message that remains relevant.
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Selected Commemoration Dates
Date
Event
2017
6 April
One hundredth anniversary of the U.S. declaration of war:
Army leaders open Army commemorations, Arlington National
Cemetery.
May
U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle,
Pennsylvania: “Army Heritage Days.”
24 June
Commemoration of AEF troop arrivals: St. Nazaire and Brest,
France.
14 July
Reenactment of the 1st Division parade and wreath-laying:
Paris, France.
9–11 October
Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting: World War I
exhibit.
11 November
Veterans Day: remembering the first American casualties; first
overseas cemetery, Suresnes, France.
2018
28 May
One hundredth anniversary of the first American offensive and
the commitment of the 1st Division to the battle at Cantigny.
June–August
Defense of the Marne: one hundredth anniversary of the 2d and
3d Divisions halting a major enemy offensive at the Battles of
Belleau Wood and Chateau-Thierry.
12–16 September
St. Mihiel Offensive: one hundredth anniversary of the first
operation planned and conducted by an independent American
headquarters, the U.S. First Army.
26 September–
11 November
Meuse-Argonne Offensive: one hundredth anniversary of the
largest combat operation in the history of the U.S. Army.
8–10 October
Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting: World War I
exhibit.
11 November
Armistice (Veterans) Day: one hundredth anniversary of the
end of the fighting.
U.S. Army field hospital in the ruins of a church in
Neuvilly, France, 1918 (Library of Congress)
Commemorative Publications
The U.S. Army Center of Military History will publish a series of commemorative
pamphlets, similar to those published for the fiftieth anniversaries of World War II and
the Korean War and recently for the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and sesquicentennial
of the American Civil War. The World War I series follows the progress of American
participation as defined by the campaign streamers on the Army flag.
The Mexican Expedition is the introductory publication and provides background explaining how the Army became a more professional, modern force in the aftermath of the
Spanish-American War and leading up to 1916. It describes national mobilization for possible war with Mexico and the efforts to defend our southern border and to apprehend Pancho Villa. The lessons learned served as a rehearsal and prelude to the buildup for entry into
World War I the following year. The narrative also provides context as to why the publication
of the Zimmerman Telegram helped to overcome American isolationism and introduces key
personalities such as John J. Pershing. Campaign Streamer: Mexico 1916–1917.
Joining a Global War will discuss the U.S. military buildup and will detail the Army
at the start of World War I. It will explain how the Army expanded prior to conducting
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An AEF Air Service reconnaissance plane over France, 1918
(National Archives)
major combat operations, will set the stage for the remainder of the series, and will
cover the initial participation of Army units in small defensive actions alongside Allied
forces as part of their training. Campaign Streamers: Cambrai 1917, Somme Defensive
1918, and Lys 1918.
From Defense to Offense will cover the first major engagements in which U.S.
divisions were committed, detailing the shift from marginal participation in Allied
defensive actions to undertaking division-level offensive operations. Campaign
Streamers: Aisne 1918, Montdidier-Noyon 1918.
The Marne will narrate the defensive operations to stop another German offensive
and U.S. participation in the large-scale Allied counteroffensive that followed to
eliminate the Marne salient. Campaign Streamers: Champagne-Marne 1918, AisneMarne 1918.
Supporting Allied Offensives will cover three major actions in which U.S. divisions
served as part of Allied armies engaged in major offensive operations at the Somme, OiseAisne and Ypres-Lys, on the Western Front, and one later in the war at Vittoria Veneto
in Italy. This American participation was a smaller subset of much larger campaigns that
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U.S. Army engineers returning from the front at the end of the St. Mihiel Offensive in
September 1918 (National Archives)
were all connected as part of the overall Allied strategy. Campaign Streamers: Somme
Offensive 1918, Oise-Aisne 1918, Ypres-Lys 1918, and Vittoria Veneto 1918.
St. Mihiel will describe Pershing’s successful effort to field the first American armylevel formation in the war, which also included command of French divisions; the largest
Allied air operation to that date; and the rapid reduction of a long-held German salient.
Although the battle was of relatively short duration, it will be presented as a separate
monograph to include a discussion of Pershing’s successful maneuver to form an army
and the state of U.S. forces, doctrine, and training that allowed him to conduct a major
offensive campaign. Campaign Streamer: St. Mihiel 1918.
Meuse-Argonne will cover the final offensive conducted by U.S. First and Second
Armies along the Western Front. This publication may reflect the most comprehensive
topic of the series, including operations through the end of October 1918, as well as
the renewed American offensive beginning on 1 November and the end of the war. This
campaign remains the largest combat operation conducted by the U.S. Army in history.
Campaign Streamer: Meuse-Argonne 1918.
Occupation and Demobilization will cover demobilization and the military occupation
of the Rhineland through January 1923.
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U.S. Army field artillery in action, 1918 (National Archives)
Other Information
In addition to CMH, other offices in the Army historical program will commemorate
the contributions of the commands and units and activities in World War I. These will
include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
The First World War: U.S. Army Engineers in the Great War, by the Office of History,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is a monograph that will study the organization, missions,
roles, and actions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Great War.
The Emergence of Army Sustainment: The World War I Experience is a monograph
by the command history office of the U.S. Quartermaster School of the Combined Arms
Support Center, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, Combat
Studies Institute. It covers a range of Army logistical support topics in World War I, both
on the home front and in Europe.
The CMH World War I web page and social media will include articles, links to general
reference materials, art and photographs, archival materials, and special postings, such as
artifacts and museum exhibits. CMH plans to digitize and post older World War I publications.
We also will share content with other Army sites, such as installations, museums, and
command history offices.
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U.S. soldiers returning home aboard a transport ship, 1919 (National Archives)
For further information, please visit the following web sites: www://history.army.mil
for the U.S. Army Center of Military History, www://abmc.gov for the American Battle
Monuments Commission, www://worldwar1centennial.org for the U.S. World War I
Centennial Commission, and www://army.mil for the U.S. Army.
Conclusion
With the U.S. Army’s proud history of readiness, service, and sacrifice, the centennial
commemoration of the Great War offers a unique opportunity to tell how the service
transformed from a small nineteenth-century constabulary and coast defense force
to the power-projection force it is today. This integrated program of commemorative,
educational, and public-outreach activities will enable the Army to further develop the
esprit of our soldiers by instilling pride in the legacy of service they represent and the
heritage they perpetuate. We will help educate the American public about the vital role
the Army has played in building the nation and guarding freedom around the world. It
is a proud legacy. Please join us in our mission to Remember, Honor, and Educate through
the U.S. Army commemoration of the World War I Centennial.
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The Logo
The U.S. Army World War I Centennial Commemoration logo depicts three
figures—an officer, an enlisted man, and a Red Cross nurse. They represent the almost
four million American men and women of every race and ethnic background, immigrant
and native-born, who served their nation in the U.S. Army and associated civilian
service organizations. Whether they deployed with the American Expeditionary Forces
in Europe, defended the borders and seacoasts of the United States and its overseas
territories, or served at numerous military installations throughout the country, we
remember, honor, and are inspired by them all.
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MEXICO I9I6 – I9I7
CAMBRAI I9I7
SOMME DEFENSIVE I9I8
LYS I9I8
AISNE I9I8
MONTDIDIER-NOYON I9I8
CHAMPAGNE- MARNE I9I8
AISNE-MARNE I9I8
SOMME OFFENSIVE I9I8
OISE-AISNE I9I8
YPRES-LYS I9I8
ST. MIHIEL I9I8
MEUSE-ARGONNE I9I8
VITTORIA VENETO I9I8