Bells of Peace Nov. 11 | Hello Girls Gold Medal: almost there! | WWI aviators’ stories | American-Swedish Soldier |Defiance in the Heartland



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October 2024
Bells of Peace 2024 header image [ [link removed] ]


Doughboy Foundation Sponsors Annual Bells Of Peace Ceremony Nov. 11, 2024 At The National World War I Memorial

The Doughboy Foundation will sponsor the annual Bells of Peace Ceremony [ [link removed] ] on Monday November 11, 2024 at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. The public is invited to attend: you can RSVP here to attend in person [ [link removed] ]; or you can watch the livestream of the event here [ [link removed] ].  Bells of Peace commemorates the end of World War I and pays tribute to the 116,516 Americans who died during that conflict. November 11 is Veterans Day which honors military Veterans in the United States Armed Forces. Originally the date was known as Armistice Day which commemorated the cessation of hostilities in WWI and is observed in other countries as Remembrance Day. In addition to remembering the original intent of Armistice Day, we also honor the service of all American Veterans. Read more about the special guests and featured speakers slated for the 2024 Bells of Peace Ceremony at the National World War I Memorial. [ [link removed] ]

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H.R.1572 Status 10302024 border
"Please Answer Their Call!"

Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Bill Exceeds* 290* Cosponsors In The House. "Your" "Help Made This Happen! "But Still
Work To Do To Complete The Call.

Hello Girls at switchboard with gas masks and helmets square [ [link removed] ]

*H.R.1572 - To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the female telephone operators of the Army Signal Corps, known as the "Hello Girls"* [ [link removed] ] has raced past the *290 cosponsors *needed to get a vote in the House of Representatives. "*Thank You!*" to everyone of you who
"*Made The Call*" to your Member of Congress and asked them to cosponsor this legislation.  As of this writing the measure has 296 cosponsors, which is great news! But there is "more" that needs to happen before this bill joins its companion that has already passed the Senate [ [link removed] ] and becomes law. 



Hello Girls pop-up image [ [link removed] ]

Congress returns on November 12, and there will be a lot going on during this "lame duck" session taking place after a November election and before the beginning of the new Congress. There will be mandatory legislation to pass to fund the government, and many, many other distractions. "*But let's not let them miss this call!  *"You can help in two ways.

First, check if "*your Representative*" has already become a *cosponsor of  H.R. 1572, the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal bill. [ [link removed] ]*  If they are not, request that they become a cosponsor "now". We're past the vital 290 threshold, but more cosponsors is always better. Use our online toolkit to check whether your Representative has answered the call. [ [link removed] ] The toolkit has links to "all" Congressional Offices in "all" states; you can look up their phone number and call, or send them an email message. Either way, make your request to your Representative "now!."



Hello Girls inspection [ [link removed] ]

Second, call the Washington, D.C. offices of the Speaker of the House [ [link removed] ] (202-225-4000), and the House Majority Leader [ [link removed] ] (202-225-0197), or email them via the websites linked above. Ask them to "Answer the Call", and *bring H.R. 1572 to a vote  as soon as Congress is back in session on November 12*. The Hello Girls "waited almost 60 years" for America to recognize their service as America's First Women Soldiers in WWI. The brave Hello Girls "*earned*" and "*deserve*" the recognition of a Congressional Gold Medal [ [link removed] ], *"*When their nation called in 1917, the Hello Girls *"*answered!  Please" tell Congress to "****answer their call* [ [link removed] ]** [ [link removed] ]* *"*for recognition in 2024!*"*



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Remember Us wall [ [link removed] ]
""REMEMBER US"" Documentary First  Screening Scheduled At U.S. Navy Memorial In Washington, D.C. Nov. 10

The"* REMEMBER US*" documentary guides the viewer through the years, hard work, and determination that produced the National World War I Memorial [ [link removed] ] and its newly installed sculpture, “"A Soldier’s Journey".” The screening on *Sunday, November 10,* from 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM at the U.S. Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20004, is *free and open to the public*, Learn more about "*REMEMBER US *"and RSVP to attend the free screening on November 10. [ [link removed] ]

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Doughboy Foundation’s Award-Winning WWI Teaching Resources On Display At NCSS 2024 Conference

NCCS conference logo [ [link removed] ]

Educators will get a close look at The Doughboy Foundation’s award-winning WWI Teaching Resources, [ [link removed] ] featuring the WWI Memorial Apps, during the 104th  Annual Conference of the National Council for the Social Studies, November 22-24, 2024 at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, MA. The annual NCSS Conference is a gathering of thousands of social studies educators, administrators, and professionals from across the country to inspire the best practices in the social studies profession. Learn more about the WWI Teaching Resources, and how teachers all across the nation are using them to tell America’s consequential story in WWI to a next generation of learners. [ [link removed] ]



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Foundation For Women Warriors Hosting Online Screening Of Hello Girls On Nov. 6

The-Hello-Girls-Documentary-Poster [ [link removed] ]

If you have not yet seen *The Hello Girls* documentary, here is a great opportunity: The Foundation for Women Warriors (FWW) will sponsor an online screening of The Hello Girls on Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 4:00pm-6:00pm PT, in honor of Veterans Day. This documentary features rare 100-year old film footage of America’s first female soldiers courtesy of the National Archives and never-before-seen photos from family archives. The Nov. 6 special online screening requires advance registration. Learn more about the FWW, and find out how to reserve your slot to watch this outstanding documentary. [ [link removed] ]



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Giving Tuesday 2024 [ [link removed] ]
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Respectful Reburial Of American WWI Ace Captain Hamilton Coolidge In France

Captain Hamilton Coolidge [ [link removed] ]

September 15, 2024 brought bright sunshine, blue skies, and warm temperatures to Chevières, France as over 400 people gathered for the reburial of an American First World War ace. Captain Hamilton Coolidge was killed in action on Oct. 27, 1918 just a few weeks after his 23rd birthday. His burial small parcel of land on the site where he fell was the beginning of a century-long relationship between the Coolidge family and the village of Chevières. Learn how the course of nature over 100 years forced a relocation of his resting place, and how the family, the village, and the U.S. Air Force worked together to provide a final resting place where the aviator can continue to be watched over in "e"nduring gratitude"." [ [link removed] ]



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Support A Unit Plaque For The Hello Girls At The National Museum Of The US Army

National Museum of the United States Army logo [ [link removed] ]

The recently opened National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, VA is an award-winning facility with the theme “Soldiers Stories,” highlighting the experiences of the men and women who have served since 1775. Along the walkway from the parking lot is a wall filled with unit tributes to active and historic military units, paid for by private fundraising. The newest effort to highlight the service of Army women is dedicated to the “Hello Girls”, formally the Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit, who served in World War I. Learn more about the proposed unit plaque, and how you can participate in installing this tribute to the first all-female unit in the US Army and the first to directly contribute to combat operations. [ [link removed] ]



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An American-Swedish Soldier Who Fell In The Great War

Irving Hermanson [ [link removed] ]

Irving Hermanson was born to Swedish immigrant parents in New York City in 1895, but spent a large chunk of his young life in his ancestral Sweden before, very ironically, returning to the U.S. in 1914 for fear that Sweden would be dragged into the conflict that became known later as World War I. In cooperation with Joacim Hallberg, proprietor of the "*Swedes in the Great War*" website. Irving's great nephew Olof Svanberg tells the whole story of Irving's brief but eventful life, how he answered America's call to serve in the war that ultimately claimed him, and how he came to rest in peace finally back in Sweden for at last. [ [link removed] ]



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"*Daily Taps at the National WWI Memorial [ [link removed] ]*"

Honoring Capt. Charles D. Harris, USA

On October 20, 2024, Daily Taps at the National World War I Memorial  [ [link removed] ]in Washington, DC was sounded in honor of WWI veteran Capt. Charles D. Harris, 6th Engineers [ [link removed] ].

A West Point graduate in 1917; Harris served in France during 1917-1918. He was Killed in Action on Oct. 20, 1918, 106 years ago. His Distinguished Service Cross Citation reads as follows:

"For extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 6th Engineers, 3d Division, A.E.F., in the Claires-Chenes Woods, 20 October 1918. While leading his company in an attack on enemy machine-gun nests, Captain Harris, with three of his men in advance of the remainder of the company, fearlessly attacked an enemy machine-gun nest, capturing three prisoners, and two guns, turning the guns against the enemy. He was mortally wounded while operating one of the guns in an exposed position."

Charles Harris [ [link removed] ]

The Daily Taps program of the Doughboy Foundation [ [link removed] ] provides a unique opportunity to dedicate a *"livestreamed" *sounding of Taps in honor of a special person of your choice while supporting the important work of the Doughboy Foundation. Choose a day, or even establish this honor *"in perpetuity"*. Click here for more information on how to honor a loved veteran with the sounding of Taps. [ [link removed] ]

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Defiance In The Heartland: Resistance To Hyper-Patriots In WWI-Era Wisconsin

Wisconsin Sedition Map [ [link removed] ]

In 1918, Wisconsinites who were critical of the US’s involvement in the First World War, or were thought to be, became victims of targeted violence, harassment, and intimidation by the state’s hyper-patriots. This group of diehard government supporters took it upon themselves to enforce President Woodrow Wilson’s goals during World War I through vigilantism and violence. Read more about this episode, and learn how, though these events were completely antagonistic to the American freedoms that the hyper-patriots thought they were protecting, in a way those freedoms were eventually strengthened through responses to hyper-patriotic vigilantism.  [ [link removed] ]



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First WWI Victory For The U.S. Air Service

Alan Winslow, Douglas Campbell, 94th Aero Squadron [ [link removed] ]

The first U.S. Air Service aerial victories by fighter planes in the American sector in France were by Lts. Alan Winslow and Douglas Campbell, two pilots of the 94th Aero Squadron, which had just been transferred to the front. On Sunday morning, 14 April 1918, they were on "alert" at Gengoult Aerodrome near Toul, France. German planes were reported in the area and the two U.S. pilots, completely inexperienced in aerial combat, took off in their Nieuport 28s. Almost immediately they saw two German aircraft and attacked them directly over the flying field at less than 1,000 feet altitude, in full view of not only the Americans at Gengoult Aerodrome, but also the French citizens of Toul. Read the whole story, and learn how the novice aviators Winslow and Campbell shot down two German airplanes and were back on the ground in a matter of minutes. [ [link removed] ]



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The Influence of World War I on Washington, DC

American soldiers returning from WWI parade in Washington DC

World War I had a profound impact on the global stage and the development of Washington, DC. Before the war, the city was a growing but relatively modest government hub. However, as war demands increased, so did the city’s importance. The Federal government expanded rapidly, military installations were established, and Washington became a focal point for international diplomacy. The influence of World War I on Washington, DC, can still be seen today, from its infrastructure to its cultural significance. Explore how the war shaped the city’s political, social, and cultural landscape, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to influence its role as the nation’s capital. [ [link removed] ]



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Doughboy MIA for October 2024

Private Fred Eugene Turner [ [link removed] ]

A man is only missing if he is forgotten.

Our Doughboy MIA this month [ [link removed] ] is Private Fred Eugene Turner, born on March 3, 1893, in Hephzibah, Georgia. He completed his education at the local high school and was an active member of the Hephzibah Methodist Church. In 1910, his family relocated to Tampa, Florida. The Turner family was known to be quiet, and Private Turner remained relatively unknown around town. In April 1917, he told his mother that he believed the United States would soon be at war with Germany and expressed his eagerness to serve. On March 27, 1918, Private Turner enlisted in the U.S. Army in Tampa, and just ten days later, the U.S. officially declared war on Germany.

Private Turner underwent basic training at Fort Screven and was assigned to Company “E’” of the 28th Infantry Regiment,  1st Division. He later trained at Fort Ringgold before departing for France from Hoboken, New Jersey, on June 11, 1917. In his final letter to his mother, Private Turner wrote that he expected to return home soon and enclosed a few faded flowers from the fields of France as a Mother’s Day gift.

In the early hours of May 27, 1918, the 3rd platoon of Company “E,” 28th Infantry, moved into frontline trenches near Cantigny. Just after 5 a.m., a heavy German bombardment struck the Allied lines. It was during this bombardment that Private Turner was killed.

Read Private Turner's whole story. [ [link removed] ]

Would "*you*" like to be involved with solving the case of PVT Fred Eugene Turner, 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 [ [link removed] ], and help us bring them home! Help us do the best job possible and give today [ [link removed] ], with our thanks.  Remember: "A man is only missing if he is forgotten".



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Merchandise from the Official
Doughboy Foundation WWI Store

The changing seasons could bring sun, wind, or rain down on your head. Get topside protection with these stylish and versatile hats from the Doughboy Foundations Store.

DoughBoy-Foundation-Poppy-Hat_border [ [link removed] ]
Poppy Hat [ [link removed] ]

* The front features our beautifully embroidered poppy design
* Classic white relaxed golf cap
* Low profile six panel unstructured
* Standard pre-curved visor
* Washed chino twill
* Fabric strap with antique brass sliding buckle
* Doughboy Foundation logo embroidered on side


Doughboy Foundation logo hat [ [link removed] ]
Doughboy Hat [ [link removed] ]

* The front features our beautifully embroidered Doughboy Foundation insignia
* Classic navy relaxed golf cap
* Low profile six panel unstructured
* Standard pre-curved visor
* Washed chino twill
* Fabric strap with antique brass sliding buckle

This and many other items are available as Official Merchandise of the Doughboy Foundation [ [link removed] ]. [ [link removed] ]



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App image 3 [ [link removed] ]

Click the image above or scan the QR Code below to download the Virtual Explorer App for the National World War I Memorial [ [link removed] ], and and explore the Memorial from your phone, at home or onsite.

QR Code for Virtual Explorer App download [ [link removed] ]
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Story of a Rose [ [link removed] ]

*Click on the image above, or*
*scan the QR Code below*
*for ticket information.*

QR Story of a Rose [ [link removed] ]
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Taps Sponsorship VS1 [ [link removed] ]
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Hello Girls CGM VS2 [ [link removed] ]
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"NEW!" Desktop Explorer
Desktop App screen

Use the new “*WWI Memorial: Desktop Explorer*“ to learn about the National WWI Memorial in the classroom or at home. Both Mac [ [link removed] ] and PC [ [link removed] ] apps are available. Check them out here:

MAC Desktop App [ [link removed] ]Windows Desktop App link [ [link removed] ]
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Education Thumb Drive image [ [link removed] ]

*Free Self-Contained WWI History Web Site on YOUR computer! *

*Sources, lessons, activities, videos, podcasts, images*

We have packaged all the content we created for “How WWI Changed America” into a format that is essentially a web site on a drive. Download the content onto any drive (USB, external, or as a folder on your computer), and all the content is accessible in a web site type format even without an internet connection. Click here to learn more, and download this amazing educational resource for home or classroom use. [ [link removed] ]

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Genealogy Guide VS2 [ [link removed] ]
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Doughboy MIA [ [link removed] ]
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Pershing Sponsors

Pershing Sponsors sidebar w-founding sponsor [ [link removed] ]
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Legacy Society [ [link removed] ]
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Valor Medals Review [ [link removed] ]
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Roy William Billingsley

A Story of Service from the Stories of Service section [ [link removed] ] of "doughboy.org"

Roy William Billingsley [ [link removed] ]

*Submitted by: Deborah Billingsley Cavalcante {"grandniece"}*

My great-uncle, Roy William Billingsley, was born on July 20, 1901. He lost his mother in January 1913. Shortly after his mother's death, his father put him and his younger brother, James Stanley, in the Louisville Industrial School for Boys, to finish their education. He gave their youngest sister, Alice Rose, to a family in Oklahoma and then he skipped town, never to be heard from again.

Billingsley enlisted in the Army, at age 15, on April 9, 1917 (30th Infantry Regiment, Company “A”) and was stationed at Camp Merritt, New Jersey. According to his Roll of Honor entries, he was in the Aisne Defensive of June 1918, Chateau-Thierry in July 1918, and the Champagne Marne Defensive of July 1918. He was captured by the Germans July 18, 1918 and spent time in a prisoner of war camp, Camp Rastatt. He was released December 9, 1918. But in the interim, he was reported dead in the Louisville Courier Journal in August 1918. When he returned home about a year later, his sister Pearl fainted when she saw him standing at the door. He was honorably discharged July 23, 1921.

Uncle Roy later enlisted in World War II on September 19, 1942. He was honorably discharged March 11, 1943. After World War II, he married but never had children of his own. After the death of his niece in 1960, he helped raise her 5 young children. I was one of those children and, even though I was his grand-niece, he was a real grandfather to me. We have 6 of his medals in our possession, one being a Silver Star and another a Purple Heart, both of which he received in World War I.

Submit your family's Story of Service here. [ [link removed] ]


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Wreaths Across America 2024 Horizontal [ [link removed] ]


Footer Image pigeon messages

*Contact Form:
*[Click Here] [ [link removed] ]

*Mailing Address:
*The Doughboy Foundation 
1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

*Website:
* [ [link removed] ]www.doughboy.org [ [link removed] ]

*Telephone:
*(202) 380-0725

*Carrier Pigeon:
*Please call first! 

 

 

 

 

The Dispatch is a monthly publication of the Doughboy Foundation
in cooperation with
the United States World War I Centennial Commission.

Publisher: CAPT Chris Christopher, USN (Ret.)      Chief Technologist: Theo Mayer






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"The Doughboy Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit funded by philanthropic contributions. Our mission is to keep the story of WWI in the minds of all Americans, so that the 4.7 million who served in the Armed Forces, and how WWI changed America, will never be forgotten."

Stay Connected with The Doughboy Foundation through our Social Media Channels Facebook [ [link removed] ]   Twitter [ [link removed] ]   you tube [ [link removed] ]   instagram [ [link removed] ]   Govdelivery [ [link removed] ] [ [link removed] ] SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:
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This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: The Doughboy Foundation · PO Box 17586 #123 · Arlington, VA 22216 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]
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