Kansas WW1

Commemorating the First World War Centennial in Kansas

An unknown American soldier is found in France

Fifteen months ago an unmarked grave was found in the French community of Villers-sur-Fère. The incomplete skeletal remains couldn’t be identified but the grave also contained numerous artifacts which were clearly American. On June 7th the remains will be re-buried with full honors in the Oise-Aisne American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) cemetery at Seringes-et-Nesles. Since this is the first unidentified American to be found in 35 years, the ABMC will live-stream the ceremony, which is scheduled to be headed up by the Army Chief of Staff, General James C. McConville. You can read more about this and learn how to watch the live-stream (which will start at 6:00 AM CDT) by clicking here. ...read more

Choctaw Code Talkers Honored

We have previously covered the story of the Native American code talkers in WW1. Among these soldiers were the Chahta Okla (“Choctaw”) from the Oklahoma National Guard who served with distinction at The Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge in 1918. They have recently been recognized in a special way. The 114th Fighter Squadron, an Air Force National Guard (AFNG) unit based at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, OR, has dedicated one of their F-15C aircraft to the Choctaw code talkers. You can read about the nose art by clicking here. The 114th Fighter Squadron is an ‘Air Education and Training Command’ unit which instructs both US and Canadian fighter pilots. Last week this squadron lost an F-15D in a crash landing. The pilot was uninjured. All of their F-15’s are slated to be replaced by the new F-15 EX in FY 2024, becoming the first AFNG unit to receive these types. ...read more

Coronation Day Described by the King

It was overcast & cloudy with slight showers & a strongish cool breeze, but better for the people than great heat. Today was indeed a great & memorable day in our lives & one which we can never forget, but it brought back to me many sad memories of 9 years ago when the beloved Parents were crowned. May [Queen Mary (1867-1953)] & I left B.P. [Buckingham Palace] in the Coronation coach at 10.30. with 8 cream coloured horses.  ...read more

The Quintessential Missing Man Memorial

The small Hungarian village of Vácrátót is about 25 miles NNE of Budapest. A feature there is a world-class sixty-seven acre botanical garden which includes a modern war memorial. It’s created in the genre of Emil Krieger’s 1956 Four Mourners (at the Langemark German Cemetery in Belgium) and the 1932 Käthe Kollwitz sculpture The Grieving Parents, (now at Vladslo Gerrman Cemetery, also in Belgium), each of which emphasize the tragedy of loss rather than sacrifice for victory. The Vácrátót statue depicts a family of four in traditional Hungarian folk dress, but the father is a cutout silhouette, forever gone but never forgotten. The wife is trying to wrap her arm around the husband’s missing shoulder, the infant child is trying to sit on daddy’s knee and the daughter is attempting to cuddle with the void. These little actions emphasize the horrific loss of thousands of families in two catastrophic wars. ...read more

The Bullets that Collided in Mid-Air?

This photograph has been zinging around the social media for a few weeks now. The artifact in question is reported to have been found on the WW1 Gallipoli battlefield and is held in a private collection in Turkey. Although the Turkish bullet, which is on the right, collided with the British one, on the left, there are no rifling marks on the British bullet, which means that it was never fired at all. The likely explanation is that the Turkish bullet struck a British cartridge, and the brass was later salvaged for scrap. You can read more by clicking here. Some have termed this collision to be a ‘billion to one’ chance, but there are five other examples of similarly collided bullets in this Turkish collection alone. ...read more

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