Random article that struck me

[aurordice]

The United States, in its capital, has many, many memorials. Some, like the Vietnam memorial, were controversial at the time but have since grown to be iconic.

What I was unaware of was that there is a small World War one memorial.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/09/world.war.one.memorial/index.html

Reading this, I'd support spending a couple million

Comments

[mexicantt]

I agree. I saw it the last time I was in DC, which was 2004, and it was pitiful. I sincerely hope they do something about it, and make the decision in time for that man to know.

[aurordice]

I never even knew it existed! I've wandered a couple times up and down the mall while awaiting others to get to DC (this was in college, 6 AM train arrival and my parents were getting in at noon by car), and i would have gone if I even knew where it was.

[mexicantt]

You might have passed it by without even knowing.

[ms_arithmancer]

I lived in the DC suburbs for a couple of years (1998-2000), visited the Mall area several times, and I'm not even able to figure out where this thing could be! (The article describes it relative to the WW2 memorial, which had not been built at that time).

It is odd how that war gets so little attention. I'll be interested in the comments of non-US LJers if any chime in.

[aurordice]

yeah, i have no idea either, but i don't know DC as well...

and totally interested in knowing comments about WW1 rememberances from non-US :)

[jessleyd]

aww...poor guy! It's got to be rough to be 107 and the last surviving American WWI vet.

I know there was a big move to build a WWII memorial, I seem to remember Tom Hanks voice over commercials...It's pretty amazing that the World Wars both took so long to get memorials, and it's a shame we still don't have one for the first world war.

Go Frank!

[aurordice]

I was doing the math last night...he probably enlisted illegally, since he was 17 when the war ended. A fighter from the beginning!

[fgg_1]

Mexicans pretty much started acknowledging WW1 in the late 60's, when free textbooks for children were made available. Before that, the economy was too messed up for the government to care about international conflicts. While WW1 happened, Mexico was immerced in the Mexican Revolution, so there were no resources or time to care about what other countries were doing in Europe and Asia. AND our participation in WW2 was merely symbolic (about 10 Mexican soldiers and one military airplane sent to Normandy for the D-Day). It was just the government of the time trying to seem as pro-American as possible at a time when their relationship with Germany and Italy was WAY too friendly for the American president's liking

[guad]

Hm, I don't know how the topic is handled in the US, but generally I guess in Europe there's a bit more emphasis on WW2 than one.

But we study WW1 quite thoroughly. We visited with school the Verdun memorial. And since my french family is from the north of France, you have lots of memorials there. I've been to the Vimy Memorial for example.

I guess though that it's more likely that we have memorials, since the battles were fought here.

Food for thought that struck me.

Hey, that's a lot of pressure! :P

I might also add that generally WW1 is considered more cruder and brutal than WW2, in terms of fighting. I personally am no expert.

Recently I saw a movie (Joyeux Noël based on the true story. Meanwhile the movie is a bit cheesy, I think the story behind is very touching.

[aurordice]

In the US we have a few books "All Quiet on the Western Front", for example, that really examine it. But for whatever reason - maybe the time between the two was so short - the second world war gets all the glory. I think a lack of chemical weaponry and trench warfare may have something to do with it too.

[guad]

Oh, I know the movie of All quiet on the western front, but have never read the book. Somehow I always had the impression it was a german story, but it isnt.

Hm I guess it's also the fact that it's more recent, plus the whole tragedy and terror around WW2 (holocaust and so on, as well as nuclear bomb) adds to it.