Blood, Mud, Concrete, and Barbed Wire: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Army Heritage Center...

So little is really discussed about America's involvement in WWI anymore...we may have come to the party late, but we certainly closed the bar.

Another campaign few know about was the expeditionary force sent to Archangel, Russia to fight the Bolsheviks...while the CIC was giving Lenin his tacit "approval".

Re: MEUSE-ARGONNE My family and I visited the Meuse-Argonne American Military Cemetery in 2009. I was stationed in Stuttgart and we were coming home from a glorious trip to Paris (we drove my 1990 Mercedes 130E). There was NO WAY I could drive by an America military cemetery and NOT pay my honors (I lost 1 soldier KIA in OEF VII). The cemetery is in the rolling hills of Eastern France and it was not unlike my home state Missouri. I had MINMAL knowledge about the American campaign in WWI at-the-time. I spent about an hour with one of the AMBC (French) local admin personnel. I remember asking him where the FLOT was. He told me right smack in the middle of the cemetery. He pointed out on a map where (1) Patton was wounded by fragmentation (he was on foot behind a tank directing the battle (I think)). (2) My State's own CPT Harry S Truman directed D/129 FA (MOARNG) against Germans. (3) Where SGT Alvin York exploited the enemy and earned the MoH. Unfortunately, we did not get to see those sites. What we did notice on the tombstones were the names of the fallen. What was interesting was to see the Ranks/Rates of soldiers of that era. I saw lots of Privates who were "Buglers" and "Wagoner's." Brave, brave men. Somewhere on my databook I have a ton of photos. The following is NOT my photo (and not Meuse-Argonne) and needs some explanation. In France, you will see signs with our Old Glory directing travelers to AMBC sites. In the past we as a Nation often got pissed off at the French for not supporting our military interests. I can't help but believe they will NEVER FORGET what we have done for them. "Lafayette, we are here!" V/R K. Brennan

I'll tell you one thing. I'm glad I wasn't a soldier during WW1. Chemical warfare. Trench warfare. Running across massive open areas between trenches with NO cover. Insanity. Respect to all of those who fought in WW1, all sides.