1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:01,520 Speaker 1: The Michael Berry Show. 2 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 2: Memorial Day. 3 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:05,280 Speaker 3: It traces its roots to. 4 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:09,479 Speaker 2: The aftermath of the American Civil War, which claimed more 5 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 2: lives than any other US conflict and led to the 6 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 2: establishment of national cemeteries. The holiday was originally known as 7 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:26,599 Speaker 2: Decoration Day. It was a day when Americans would decorate 8 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 2: the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers, flags, and wreaths. 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 2: The first widespread observance was on May thirtieth, eighteen sixty eight, 10 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 2: organized by General John A. Logan of the Grand Army 11 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 2: of the Republic, a Union veterans group. Several towns claimed 12 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 2: to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Waterloo, New York, 13 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 2: which was officially recognized by the federal government in nineteen 14 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 2: sixty six for holding an annual community wide event honoring 15 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:08,559 Speaker 2: our War Dead starting in eighteen sixty six, one hundred 16 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 2: years earlier. Originally honoring only those who died in the 17 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 2: Civil War, the holiday was later extended to commemorate American 18 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 2: military personnel who died in all wars, including World War One, two, Korea, Vietnam, 19 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 2: and more recent conflicts. The term Memorial Day became more 20 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 2: common after World War Two, and in nineteen seventy one, 21 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 2: Congress declared itd a federal holiday, officially naming it Memorial 22 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:42,400 Speaker 2: Day and moving its observance from May thirtieth to the 23 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 2: last Monday in May, creating a three day weekend. It 24 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 2: wasn't a dedicated last Monday in May before, it was 25 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 2: a set day so it could fall in the middle 26 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 2: of the week. Now, the day of the month that 27 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 2: it occurs differs every year because it's set based on 28 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 2: where it is in the month, not say December twenty fifth, 29 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 2: which is December twenty fifth, regardless where it falls. Thomas 30 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 2: Connor holds the William P. Harris Chaff of Military History 31 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:22,239 Speaker 2: at our beloved Hillsdale College, where he has taught since 32 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 2: nineteen eighty three. He is the author of War and Remembrance, 33 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 2: The Story of the American Battle Monument's Commission, which explores 34 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 2: the history of US memorials abroad. We thought his lecture 35 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 2: on War and Remembrance at Hillsdale College was appropriate this weekend. 36 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:46,679 Speaker 2: We hope you enjoy this Saturday podcast. We do appreciate 37 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 2: any of your suggestions as to things you come along 38 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 2: that you would like to see us share, whether it's 39 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 2: during the week or on our Saturday podcast. I do 40 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 2: read my emails even on the weekends. You can right 41 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,639 Speaker 2: now go to Michael Berryshow dot com and it says 42 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 2: send Michael an email and I read them. You can 43 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 2: buy our merch while you're there, and you can sign 44 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,119 Speaker 2: up for our daily six days a week, one time 45 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 2: per day. We never share or sell your email, never have, 46 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 2: never will. Our eblast, which tells what we're talking about, 47 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,359 Speaker 2: links to stories, silly memes, and the light. We love 48 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 2: to have you join us for that. You can sign up. 49 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 2: It's free there and otherwise enjoy this podcast. 50 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: Good evening. 51 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 4: I'm Matthew Spalding, Associate vice brend Dean for Hillsdale College 52 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 4: here in Washington, d C. 53 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Kirby Center. 54 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 4: In his first inaugural Hibraham Lincoln famously talked about the 55 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 4: mystic chords of memory, the ones that would swell the 56 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 4: course of the Union when they are touched by the 57 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 4: angels of our better nature. Those chords, if you recall, 58 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 4: stretched from every living heart and hearthstone back to every 59 00:03:54,240 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 4: battlefield in Patriot Grave. It's a question that go go 60 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 4: back to ancient time. I have in mind the great 61 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 4: Greek myth of Antigony, who she wants. 62 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: To bury her brother who died in the Battle fhel 63 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: at Thebes. 64 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 4: It's always been a question what do we do with 65 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 4: those killed in battle in foreign lands? Our guest this 66 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 4: evening has written a book on the smallest of federal 67 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 4: agencies with one of the most noble of missions to 68 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 4: oversee twenty six overseas cemeteries honoring one hundred and thirty 69 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:38,600 Speaker 4: nine thousand war dead. The book, which is called Warren Remembrance, 70 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 4: the story of the American Battle Monument's Commission. I have 71 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,119 Speaker 4: to say the book is not available because it's already 72 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:50,599 Speaker 4: sold out its first printing, although we have you can 73 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 4: order it, and I encourage you to do so. If 74 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 4: you order it, the school Hillsdale will ship it to you, 75 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 4: and our speaker has books plates which he will sign 76 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 4: here that you can put in the book. So I 77 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 4: strongly encourage you to do that. It's a history. 78 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:14,279 Speaker 1: Of those who take care of those dead. I've started 79 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: reading it this afternoon. It's a wonderful book. 80 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 4: The pictures of the sites, most taken by the author, 81 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 4: by the way, are very fascinating. Most of us know 82 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 4: Thomas Connor, Tom Connor, he's the William Harris professor of 83 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 4: Military History at Hillsdale College. He teaches Western Heritage and 84 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 4: American Heritage, which are two courses in the Hillsdale Cork curriculum. 85 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 4: He also teaches upper level courses on European history and 86 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 4: the Two World Wars. He is one of the colleges 87 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 4: currently longest serving faculty members. He's also one of the best, 88 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 4: and he's been named Professor. 89 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 3: Of the Year. 90 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 1: I can't count how many. 91 00:05:55,040 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 4: Times at this point, and so he's always he's always popular, 92 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 4: and I am especially happy to introduce him as a 93 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 4: dear friend and, among others, a teacher of both my 94 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 4: wife and my daughter. 95 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:12,159 Speaker 1: So I give you Thomas Connor. 96 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 3: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you Matt for that 97 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 3: nice introduction. You stay at a place long enough, you 98 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:41,480 Speaker 3: will be what intergenerational in your contacts anyway. But I 99 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 3: want to welcome you to this presentation. I hope it 100 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 3: will appeal to the better angels of your nature. And 101 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 3: there are a couple of people I want to acknowledge 102 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:57,039 Speaker 3: and thank before we get into the presentation proper. I 103 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 3: certainly want to thank the entire staff here Kirby Center, 104 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:06,679 Speaker 3: Matthew Spauling, Matthew Morrell, andrew Heim, all the technical crew 105 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 3: or who have made it possible to actually display some pictures. 106 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 3: The nature of this story I think imposes veritable necessity 107 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 3: on whoever's doing it to show pictures of these monuments 108 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 3: and the cemetery sites, because therein lay the real beauty 109 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 3: of this whole story. But there's another gentleman I'd like 110 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 3: to recognize. He's not bashful, but he may not have 111 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 3: been expecting this. But it's a great honor for me 112 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 3: to have had the full cooperation of the American Battle 113 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 3: Monuments Commission across the whole ten years that I've been 114 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 3: working on this book. And my chief contact all that 115 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 3: time when we first met ten years ago, Michael Conley 116 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 3: was the public affairs officer. Now he's the chief of 117 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 3: staff at the headquarters office in our Lion, and he's 118 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 3: here tonight. So i'd like to acknowledge and thank Mike Jain. 119 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 3: I want to talk about the book, what's what it's about, 120 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 3: a little bit about how I came to write it, 121 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:18,920 Speaker 3: a little bit about how I put together this story, 122 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 3: and finally we'll give a little sneak preview of some 123 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 3: of the To me, anyway, most interesting discoveries that I 124 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 3: made while doing the research, and then leave the rest 125 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 3: of the discovery of those interesting findings to you, those 126 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 3: of you who do choose to buy the book. And 127 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 3: I'm very sorry that it is not available. It's kind 128 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 3: of a good problem and a bad problem to have. 129 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:53,079 Speaker 3: I think the first printing run was a bit small, so, 130 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,120 Speaker 3: but we're hopeful to get more books out there because 131 00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 3: the I'm very grateful to the Hillsdale College Market Division. 132 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 3: They had brought their full weight to bear on getting 133 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:06,840 Speaker 3: word out. And I don't think either I or the 134 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 3: University of Kentucky Press, which actually published it, was prepared 135 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 3: frankly for the impact of their efforts. But you see 136 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 3: the title of the book, it's called War in Remembrance. 137 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,839 Speaker 3: I actually learned when I proposed that title to the 138 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,079 Speaker 3: publisher they were a little reluctant to agree to it 139 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 3: right away, but they ultimately did you know that that's 140 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:33,679 Speaker 3: the title of a Herman Wuk novel, his sequel to 141 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 3: another Herman Wuck novel, of the Winds of War? And 142 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 3: I thought the title was suitable and I'll say the 143 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 3: reasons why for that, But strategically, I think you may 144 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:48,080 Speaker 3: remember back in two thousand, there were a lot of 145 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 3: Floridians who voted for Ralph Nader thinking they were going 146 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 3: to vote for al Gore. So I'm hoping that people 147 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 3: will buy this book thinking they're going to get one 148 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 3: of the great World War II novels. Maybe that might 149 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 3: even lead to a third printing. But the book is 150 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 3: genuinely about war and remembrance, because those two words, in 151 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 3: some ways anyway sum up the story of the American 152 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 3: Battle Monument's Commission. It was found in nineteen twenty three 153 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:21,320 Speaker 3: by an Act of Congress. That's five years after the 154 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 3: First World War ended, of course, and it is the 155 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 3: product the existence of this agency, which is now in 156 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 3: its ninety fifth year. It was a by product of 157 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:33,840 Speaker 3: the war, but for World War One and the fact 158 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,679 Speaker 3: that we lost so many men overseas, and then once 159 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 3: it was all over, we had to decide as a government, 160 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,640 Speaker 3: as a people where those bodies would ultimately be interred. 161 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 3: But for that there would have been no real need 162 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 3: for the American Battle Monument's Commission. But at the end 163 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 3: of the war, as it turned out, each family who 164 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 3: lost a soldier was given the opportunity to tell the government. 165 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,840 Speaker 3: The War Department did the canvassing whether they wanted the 166 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 3: body of their dead husband, dead son, dead nephew, whoever 167 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 3: it might have been sent home for private burial in 168 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:19,200 Speaker 3: the States or left in what would ultimately become a 169 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 3: permanent American cemetery. And one of the most interesting findings 170 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 3: in my own research, because you know, there was a 171 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 3: second generation of the creation of waries and memorials after 172 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:36,720 Speaker 3: World War Two, But the percentage of families that decided 173 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:40,959 Speaker 3: they wanted the bodies brought home versus the percentage of 174 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 3: those who opted to have the bodies kept in the 175 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:47,560 Speaker 3: theater of war and buried in an overseas cemetery was 176 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:50,200 Speaker 3: exactly the same. To the end of each World War, sixty 177 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 3: one percent one of the bodies brought home, thirty nine 178 00:11:53,480 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 3: percent said keep them where the particular individual fell, be 179 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:04,079 Speaker 3: buried with his comrades forever, on foreign soil, friendly soil, 180 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 3: but foreign soil. So that's the war part of the 181 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 3: story of the American Battle Monuments Commission, But the remembrance part, 182 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:17,600 Speaker 3: that's the ongoing mission of the agency. The agency is 183 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 3: heart and soul committed to fostering, furthering, promoting remembrance of 184 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 3: the soldiers who died in our overseas wars. But I 185 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 3: think in even the largest sense in the business part 186 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 3: of their mission, as they see it, is to promote 187 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:41,240 Speaker 3: remembrance and honoring of all who have served, survivors and 188 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 3: those who made the ultimate sacrifice alike, and in recent 189 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:50,000 Speaker 3: years particularly, but Mike is very proud and deservedly so, 190 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 3: the efforts the agency has made, particularly in the last 191 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 3: ten fifteen years, to beef up their educational programs. And 192 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:03,679 Speaker 3: there's a wonderful websit www. Dot ABMC dot gov that 193 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 3: I encourage all of you to go to just to 194 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 3: see the kinds of things they're doing. But I've said 195 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:15,840 Speaker 3: to Mike many times since the agency first began, they've 196 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 3: been in the education business. Because when you see some 197 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 3: of the photographs of the memorials and monuments particularly, you 198 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 3: see they have maps on them, they have inscriptions on 199 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 3: them that are designed not just to honor and remember 200 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 3: the soldiers, but also to honor and remember the cause 201 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 3: for which Americans have historically fought and given their lives 202 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:45,720 Speaker 3: in overseas wars. So that's the war and remember its part. 203 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 3: The ABMC itself is actually two entities. It is an 204 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 3: agency Matt Spaulding described it as the smallest government agency, 205 00:13:56,679 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 3: federal agency. I don't know for a fact that that's true. 206 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 3: Mike may know. But four seventy five to eighty million 207 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 3: dollars a year in spending they do their work. There 208 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 3: are a little over four hundred employees, most of whom 209 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 3: by a large majority are foreign nationals because the business 210 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 3: of preserving and maintaining the sites is largely done by 211 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 3: foreign nationals. Where the cemeteries and monuments are Frenchmen, Belgians, Italians, Dutch, 212 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 3: et cetera. And then there are headquarters staff here in Arlington. 213 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 3: There's also a sizable contingent in an office outside Paris, 214 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 3: the European Office. That's one of the entities that the 215 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 3: ABMC is. But the second entity it is is a commission, 216 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 3: an oversight board of eleven members, all presidential appointees. There's 217 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 3: a chairman and a secretary and staffers. But then they're 218 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 3: the eleven civilian members of the commit The members of 219 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 3: the commission are unpaid. They meet on average what three 220 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:07,480 Speaker 3: times a year, might more often than not on this 221 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:12,440 Speaker 3: side of the pond, but once a year maybe on average. 222 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 3: There's a big anniversary coming up next year, the seventy 223 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 3: fifth anniversary of D Day, And Mike just told me 224 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 3: at dinner tonight the Commission will actually go to Normandy 225 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 3: and meet over there next spring. So it's an independent agency, 226 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 3: which is something of a miracle, you might say, for 227 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:39,720 Speaker 3: an agency so small to have avoided all these years 228 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 3: being absorbed by some larger agency. And there were a 229 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 3: couple of near misses that I learned about and wrote 230 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 3: about in the book. But I think the key person, 231 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 3: at least in establishing the agency as an independent agency 232 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 3: was its first chairman, General John J. Pershing, the only 233 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 3: soldier in American history to hold the honor of the 234 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 3: extraordinary rank of General of the Armies while he was alive. 235 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:18,360 Speaker 3: Some people in the Army consider that a sixth star rank, 236 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,160 Speaker 3: and Pershing was given that rank. He learned about it 237 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 3: in September of nineteen nineteen as he was literally sailing 238 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 3: home from Europe with the mission accomplished of the American 239 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 3: Expeditionary Forces which he commanded, and it was obviously an 240 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 3: extraordinary elevation he Pershing is resting now in Arlington National Cemetery, 241 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 3: and he is the highest ranking soldier in that cemetery. 242 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 3: But you'd hardly ever know that, because he has the 243 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 3: simplest headstone possible for anybody to have in that cemetery. 244 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 3: So I hope if you haven't yet, he's buried on 245 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 3: Pershing Hill, and you can certainly find it in Arlington 246 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 3: and go pay your arm George Washington, of course, was 247 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 3: elevated posthumously to the rank of General of the Armies, 248 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,439 Speaker 3: but not till nineteen seventy six in connection with the 249 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:12,439 Speaker 3: bi centennial, so Washington never enjoyed that rank when he 250 00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:15,479 Speaker 3: was alive. The second chairman, by the way, was General 251 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:20,119 Speaker 3: of the Army George C. Marshall. Eleven stars between the 252 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:26,199 Speaker 3: first two chairmen of the ABMC. But Franklin D. Roosevelt 253 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 3: actually said it was recorded in a press conference that 254 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:33,400 Speaker 3: he gave. I don't know whether this ever got back 255 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:38,680 Speaker 3: to General Pershing or not. But by the end of 256 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 3: the nineteen thirties, after the first collection of overseas memorials 257 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 3: had been built and dedicated, General Pershing himself was suspicious 258 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:50,720 Speaker 3: that the agency might go out of business because it 259 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 3: had accomplished its mission. But Franklin Roosevelt told a press 260 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 3: conference in nineteen thirty nine he says as long as 261 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 3: General Pershing is alive, I'm. 262 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 1: Not going to touch the ABMC. 263 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:07,240 Speaker 3: And it's dodged a couple moments later in its history 264 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 3: when it looked like it might be absorbed into a 265 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:14,760 Speaker 3: larger agency, but it still remains independent. President Trump has 266 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:20,200 Speaker 3: repopulated the members of the Commission, chairman, and secretary. There's 267 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 3: just one vacancy, I think on the Commission right now. 268 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:29,720 Speaker 3: But the agency reports directly to the President. How did 269 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:36,200 Speaker 3: I come to write this book. I've been visiting these 270 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 3: overseas sites, many of which you're going to see displayed 271 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 3: on the screen momentarily. I've been going to these sites, 272 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:46,840 Speaker 3: and maybe my first visit to the Normandy Cemetery in 273 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:50,679 Speaker 3: nineteen seventy eight, and I've been going back frequently with 274 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 3: student groups almost annually since that time. And if any 275 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,520 Speaker 3: of you have seen any of these sites, you know 276 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 3: that their beauty is is incomparable, and the quality of 277 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:09,840 Speaker 3: the maintenance and the preservation equally incomparable. And I also 278 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:14,520 Speaker 3: learned because when you take a student group to one 279 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 3: of the sites, the personnel there, the administrative personnel, supervisory personnel, 280 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:24,920 Speaker 3: are always Americans. At these sites, they may notice you 281 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:28,560 Speaker 3: and so I've been able to have many, many conversations 282 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:32,960 Speaker 3: with staff enough to know that this is an unusually 283 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:40,680 Speaker 3: dedicated and competent group, forthcoming, welcoming without fail, and they 284 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 3: love to tell the story of their own sites. But 285 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 3: they also are well aware, as I was made aware myself, 286 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:54,640 Speaker 3: that very few Americans know the story. So I hope 287 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:58,879 Speaker 3: this book will get the word out, so to speak, 288 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,720 Speaker 3: and bring to the agency and it's personnel, and also 289 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 3: to the sites themselves the attention that they have always merited. 290 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 3: Another reason why I wrote the book. The other reason, well, 291 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:22,119 Speaker 3: one of two other reasons, when I found out and 292 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 3: realized that no one else had ever covered this subject. 293 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 3: There's no other book that purports to tell the story 294 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,640 Speaker 3: of the ABMC. I'm a first time author, I said 295 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:37,120 Speaker 3: last week in Hillsdale. I never expected to give birth 296 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:41,119 Speaker 3: to anything at age sixty eight, but here this book 297 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:47,040 Speaker 3: has arrived. But I had the idea about ten years 298 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:50,119 Speaker 3: ago to start it, and Victor Davis Hansen, who was 299 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 3: a great friend of Hillsdale College and who was at 300 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 3: that time a member of the Commission. I ran the 301 00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 3: idea by him when we were traveling in Europe, and 302 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:04,000 Speaker 3: without hesitation, he said yeah, do it because he was 303 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 3: aware as a commissioner that there was no book length 304 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:13,119 Speaker 3: history of the Commission. And I knew enough about writing 305 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 3: books to know that that's every author's dream to come 306 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 3: by a topic that nobody else has really done, So 307 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 3: that was a second reason. Thirdly, ever since I was 308 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 3: a college student, I've been in the grips of World 309 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,440 Speaker 3: War One. It's really the event in history that I'm 310 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 3: most passionate about. Ever since I read Barbara Tuckman's The 311 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 3: Guns of August as a college sophomore, I've always had 312 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:47,919 Speaker 3: this yearning to learn more about World War One, but 313 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 3: also to talk about it, as I do in about 314 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 3: sixteen different classes back at Hillsdale College. But this book 315 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:03,600 Speaker 3: is obviously about an agency that has had a mission 316 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 3: through both world Wars. But there is a certain imbalance 317 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,719 Speaker 3: I freely concede in my own coverage of this story 318 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 3: in favor of World War One. There's seventh chapters in 319 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 3: the book. Four of them deal with the aftermath of 320 00:22:17,359 --> 00:22:19,919 Speaker 3: World War One, even before anyone knew there was going 321 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 3: to be a second World War. The fifth chapter deals 322 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 3: with the fate of the monuments and cemeteries from the 323 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:30,800 Speaker 3: First World War, while the Second World War came first 324 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,080 Speaker 3: through the territory as the Germans invaded France and Belgium, 325 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:36,760 Speaker 3: where all are northern France and Belgium, where all are 326 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:41,719 Speaker 3: World War One sites except for the cemetery in England are, 327 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:44,440 Speaker 3: the war came through there in nineteen forty and then 328 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 3: back through there in nineteen forty four. General Eisenhower's force 329 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:54,680 Speaker 3: and Ike actually had a stint attached to the ABMC 330 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 3: in the late nineteen twenties, And one of the most 331 00:22:57,040 --> 00:23:00,679 Speaker 3: touching things I found in my own research was a 332 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:06,439 Speaker 3: telegram that General Eisenhower sent to General Pershing on the 333 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 3: occasion of Pershing's eighty fourth birthday September thirteenth, nineteen forty four. 334 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,320 Speaker 3: If you know your chronology of the Second World War 335 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:18,200 Speaker 3: in detail, you know that by September nineteen forty four, 336 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 3: most of northern France and a goodly portion of Belgium 337 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 3: had been liberated. So Ike was able to and he'd 338 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 3: Ike had already sent out officers to go here, go 339 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:32,760 Speaker 3: there and check on the condition of our cemeteries and 340 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 3: World War One monuments, and those officers had reported back 341 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 3: to Ike, So he sent Pershing a telegram on his birthday, 342 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,920 Speaker 3: and I said, just thought you'd like to know that 343 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 3: the monuments, which Ike knew that Pershing had poured his 344 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 3: own heart and soul into creating, he knew then that 345 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 3: they were safe. So but that's the fifth chapter. Then 346 00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:58,880 Speaker 3: there's a chapter on the building of the World War 347 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:03,000 Speaker 3: Two memorials, and a conclusion which basically compresses the history 348 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,639 Speaker 3: of the last fifty or fifty five years of the 349 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 3: agency into about twenty pages. Mike has already teased me 350 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:15,520 Speaker 3: about a second book, or a second edition and expanded edition. 351 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,480 Speaker 3: I had a word limit when I signed the contract 352 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:21,440 Speaker 3: for this book. I did intend to cover the later 353 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:25,520 Speaker 3: years a little more thoroughly, but had to abandon that hope. 354 00:24:25,520 --> 00:24:28,399 Speaker 3: But maybe we'll pick it up again at some point. 355 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,880 Speaker 3: How did I do the book? Since there was very 356 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 3: little literature on the ABMC, The overwhelming bulk of the 357 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:45,240 Speaker 3: research is archival And I learned this as a graduate student, 358 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:47,879 Speaker 3: and I kind of make a joke about it, but 359 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,800 Speaker 3: archival history to me is doing history in the raw. 360 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 3: You read the documents. I handled all kinds of letters 361 00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 3: signed personally by Calvin Coolie, Frank Glenn Roosevelt, Pershing. I 362 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:07,680 Speaker 3: handled a number of Pershing correspondents handwritten letters that came 363 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:14,400 Speaker 3: back from wartime France with reports on how the monuments 364 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:18,440 Speaker 3: and cemeteries were doing. The official records of the agency 365 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 3: are in the National Archives out at College Park. I 366 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:25,159 Speaker 3: went to the Archives downtown to look at records of 367 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 3: the Commission of Fine Arts, which was another commission actually 368 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 3: a little older than the ABMC. But the Fine Arts Commission, 369 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:36,880 Speaker 3: as some of you may know, is responsible for overseeing 370 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:41,680 Speaker 3: the artistic quality of any memorial built by the United 371 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 3: States government. So the Agency is still beholden to the 372 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 3: Fine Arts Commission for approval of its own artistic designs 373 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:54,120 Speaker 3: whenever they want to do anything on the cemetery grounds 374 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:59,439 Speaker 3: or monument grounds overseas. General Pershing's private papers were a 375 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,199 Speaker 3: big sol for me there in the library at Congress 376 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:08,160 Speaker 3: General Marshall's personal papers, or in the Marshall Library in Lexington, Virginia. 377 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,440 Speaker 3: I went there. I went out to the Eisenhower Library 378 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 3: in Abilene, Kansas, had a wonderful week out there back 379 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:19,880 Speaker 3: in twenty ten or twenty eleven reviewing. I made very 380 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 3: detailed notes on the year that he spent with the ABMC, 381 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,080 Speaker 3: and I got a lot out of that there are 382 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 3: archival holdings in each one of the cemeteries. There are 383 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:37,239 Speaker 3: archives in the European Office outside Paris. I worked very 384 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,720 Speaker 3: selectively there, with the possible exception of the Normandy Cemetery 385 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 3: where the archival holdings are most extensive. But a lot 386 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 3: of the records in the overseas sites have not really 387 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 3: been sorted through catalog so it's kind of a challenge 388 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:57,280 Speaker 3: to get much out of them. But I did get 389 00:26:57,359 --> 00:27:00,240 Speaker 3: my fair share of nuggets, I think, out of out 390 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 3: of that material to including. One of the most fascinating 391 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 3: events recorded in the files held at the Normandy Cemetery 392 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:15,200 Speaker 3: were accounts of Steven Spielberg's time there for the filming 393 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 3: of Saving Private Ryan back in nineteen ninety seven, and 394 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:22,920 Speaker 3: one of the most moving things about that was to 395 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 3: see evidence that actually came out in the press months 396 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:30,640 Speaker 3: later in some cases, but evidence of how the cemetery 397 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 3: had affected both Spielberg and the star of the movie, 398 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 3: Tom Hanks. They were very candid about. Tom Hanks in fact, 399 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:42,679 Speaker 3: said that when he first arrived in the cemetery he 400 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:46,439 Speaker 3: thought only of the crosses, the headstones, the stars of 401 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 3: David that marked the graves, but the longer he was there, 402 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 3: the more he realized that underneath each of those headstones 403 00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:57,600 Speaker 3: was a human life, remains of a human being whose 404 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:01,639 Speaker 3: life had been cut short. And I know this is 405 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 3: part of the ongoing ambition of the agency, is literally 406 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:10,280 Speaker 3: to do everything it can to bring those dead soldiers, 407 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 3: fallen soldiers to life, even years after they actually lost 408 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:19,240 Speaker 3: their lives in either of the two World Wars. What were 409 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:22,119 Speaker 3: some of the most interesting discoveries. I'll try to just 410 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:25,919 Speaker 3: throw out a couple and then we'll turn to the 411 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:33,320 Speaker 3: slides and I'll narrate as we go. But there was 412 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:40,520 Speaker 3: a very surprising controversy back in the nineteen twenties in 413 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:45,480 Speaker 3: relation to that choice that I noted earlier was given 414 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 3: to each of the families, if you can believe this, 415 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:53,880 Speaker 3: But the journalistic community, and there were actually some committees 416 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:58,480 Speaker 3: organized to further one viewpoint or another. But a lot 417 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 3: of people who didn't necessarcessarily have a direct stake because 418 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:05,120 Speaker 3: they didn't have a fallen soldier in their family, but 419 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 3: they weighed in on the choice they thought the families 420 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:12,720 Speaker 3: of dead soldiers should make. There were partisans of both 421 00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:15,160 Speaker 3: points of view. Those who thought the bodies should be 422 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:19,840 Speaker 3: brought home tended to be skeptical of the idea of 423 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 3: leaving fallen American soldiers abroad, especially in a place like France. 424 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,480 Speaker 3: Believe it or not, that soon after the war there 425 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:32,600 Speaker 3: was a certain skepticism as to how the French might 426 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:37,320 Speaker 3: treat the interminents of large numbers of Americans. So would 427 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:40,960 Speaker 3: they look to exploit the fact that Americans would would 428 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:47,640 Speaker 3: come overseas to visit the sites, etc. But those who 429 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:54,000 Speaker 3: thought that the bodies should remain overseas were suspicious of 430 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:58,560 Speaker 3: the funeral director's lobby in the United States, that that's 431 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:02,200 Speaker 3: the real reason why families were being pressured to have 432 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:08,120 Speaker 3: their their dead family members brought back. So and it 433 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:14,600 Speaker 3: was almost an unseemly quality to that debate. Not as 434 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 3: bad necessarily as the debates we're living through right now 435 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:23,520 Speaker 3: in our politics, but considering how sensitive an issue it 436 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 3: is for families to decide where they want to love 437 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:33,720 Speaker 3: one buried, I was quite taken aback by that. I 438 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 3: certainly gained a very deep appreciation and broad appreciation of 439 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:41,680 Speaker 3: the contribution that General Pershing made to the work of 440 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 3: the agency. I've already referred to that and similarly with 441 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 3: General Marshall. But the interesting thing about these findings is 442 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:54,480 Speaker 3: that there's a rich biographical literature on both these these 443 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:59,960 Speaker 3: great Americans, but very little to nothing of any concepts 444 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:02,960 Speaker 3: on the service that Pershing gave for the last twenty 445 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,880 Speaker 3: five years of his life to the ABMC, and that 446 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 3: Marshall gave as chairman for the last ten of his life. 447 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 3: The third and fourth chairman, by the way, were also 448 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:19,880 Speaker 3: like General Marshall, World War Two, Generals Jake Devers, who 449 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:23,560 Speaker 3: had been the sixth Army Group Commander, among other roles 450 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:26,280 Speaker 3: that he played in the Second World War. He's the 451 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 3: only one of the first four chairmen to have been 452 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 3: at every single meeting that took place during his chairmanship. 453 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 3: General Eisenhower appointed him. President Nixon relieved him at the 454 00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:40,680 Speaker 3: end of the nineteen sixties because of General devers advanced years. 455 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 3: But then the fourth chairman of General Mark Clark, who 456 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 3: served for the last fifteen years of his life. I 457 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 3: don't know how many of you know much about General Clark. 458 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 3: His generalship is normally not praised unless it's General Clark 459 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 3: talking about it. But he wrote President Carter a letter 460 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:07,160 Speaker 3: shortly after mister Carter took office. I think General Clark 461 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:11,000 Speaker 3: might have been concerned that President Carter might relieve him 462 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:15,240 Speaker 3: of this position because President Nixon had initially appointed Clark. 463 00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 3: But he said, frankly, mister President, this is the highest 464 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 3: honor that my country's ever conferred upon me to be 465 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 3: chairman of this commission. So and I'm sure all of 466 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:32,200 Speaker 3: his successors have felt similarly. So that was an interesting 467 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 3: discovery to see the succession of very significant and great 468 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:42,280 Speaker 3: generals who gave their final service to their country in 469 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:47,640 Speaker 3: this role. And finally, I've already mentioned this, but the 470 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 3: sort of ongoing tension you might say, between the agency 471 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:54,840 Speaker 3: as an independent agency and the rest of the bureaucracy, 472 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:57,960 Speaker 3: which threatened on a number of occasions to absorb it. 473 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,880 Speaker 3: To see how that bullet kept being dodged was a 474 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:06,240 Speaker 3: very interesting discovery as well. So I'd like to go 475 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:09,640 Speaker 3: for the remaining fifteen or twenty minutes to the slides 476 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:17,080 Speaker 3: and just talk about what you're seeing obviously, and elaborate 477 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:22,680 Speaker 3: a bit on some of the backstory to the images 478 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:27,840 Speaker 3: so that can convey a bit more about the history 479 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 3: the agency. 480 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:29,120 Speaker 1: This is. 481 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 3: What you would see when you enter the reception area 482 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,640 Speaker 3: of an overseas cemetery, a photograph of the current commander 483 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:45,600 Speaker 3: in chief when this picture was taken, it was President Obama. 484 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:48,680 Speaker 3: Then you have the Secretary of the Commission and the 485 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:52,680 Speaker 3: head of the European Office. It was Max Cleland and 486 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:57,880 Speaker 3: Mike do you recognize that picture on the right, Okay, 487 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:04,160 Speaker 3: General Hawkins. And underneath you have the whole collection of 488 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:09,640 Speaker 3: former chairman starting with Pershing to the left and General 489 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:15,000 Speaker 3: Frederick Franks, who was a George W. Bush appointee who 490 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 3: was removed from the position on the day that President 491 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:21,439 Speaker 3: Obama took office. But General Merrill McPeak, who is mister 492 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:26,839 Speaker 3: Obama's choice for Chairman, had not been in office long 493 00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:29,759 Speaker 3: enough to be pictured there. But this is a statue 494 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:34,279 Speaker 3: of General Pershing in his hometown in Missouri. Any of 495 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:38,719 Speaker 3: you know the hometown. I don't even think there's a 496 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:42,400 Speaker 3: traffic light there. It's in the northwestern part of Missouri. 497 00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:49,960 Speaker 3: It's place called Leclead. Pershing left there in eighteen eighty one, 498 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:54,080 Speaker 3: I believe, to go to West Point and the rest, 499 00:34:54,120 --> 00:35:00,960 Speaker 3: as they say, is history. Now, this is the arguably 500 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:06,520 Speaker 3: the most important single World War One monument in France. 501 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:11,759 Speaker 3: It's on a hill called Montfaucon in the mews ar 502 00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 3: Gone battle area. It's one hundred and seventy five foot 503 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:22,000 Speaker 3: high doric column capped by a statue of Liberty, and 504 00:35:22,040 --> 00:35:24,439 Speaker 3: the statue of Liberty on top is looking out into 505 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:28,360 Speaker 3: the infinity of time and space in the direction from 506 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 3: which the American troops came. The Battle of the Mewsargne 507 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:34,600 Speaker 3: began on the twenty sixth of September nineteen eighteen. It 508 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:38,440 Speaker 3: ended on Armistice Day at eleven o'clock in the morning. 509 00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:41,560 Speaker 3: Forty seven day long battle. It's the bloodiest battle in 510 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:45,359 Speaker 3: American history, one hundred and twenty two thousand casualties dead 511 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:48,680 Speaker 3: and wounded together. It's the bloodiest battle in American history 512 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:50,880 Speaker 3: because it was a very intense battle, but it also 513 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:53,640 Speaker 3: lasted over a long period of time. The Battle of 514 00:35:53,680 --> 00:35:57,080 Speaker 3: the Bulge is a very close second in terms of 515 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:02,200 Speaker 3: the overall casualties from nineteen forty four forty five. But 516 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:05,680 Speaker 3: this monument was dedicated on the first of August nineteen 517 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:11,000 Speaker 3: thirty seven. General Pershing was there, Marshall Petin was there, 518 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:14,759 Speaker 3: the commander of the French army during the last couple 519 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:17,319 Speaker 3: of years of the First World War. The President of 520 00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:20,799 Speaker 3: the French Republic was there, and President Roosevelt was on 521 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:24,240 Speaker 3: his yacht in the Potomac, but he gave a live 522 00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:28,440 Speaker 3: radio address that the audience heard. Most of the Frenchmen, 523 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:31,120 Speaker 3: of course, couldn't understand it, but it was something of 524 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:37,760 Speaker 3: a path breaking undertaking and it came off successfully for 525 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:45,920 Speaker 3: a live radio broadcast to actually reach its audience. The 526 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:51,760 Speaker 3: monument was erected on the ruins of a village called 527 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:58,760 Speaker 3: mont Falcon, and that's the ruins of the village church. 528 00:36:59,239 --> 00:37:03,520 Speaker 3: The French government gave us the ground but we didn't 529 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:09,319 Speaker 3: really take full possession of it until we'd worked out 530 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:13,600 Speaker 3: a liability agreement with the French because they considered it 531 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:18,040 Speaker 3: a dangerous place. And it probably still is. The ground 532 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:23,440 Speaker 3: underneath its honeycombed with underground bunkers. There's still if you 533 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:28,239 Speaker 3: look hard enough, you can cut yourself on rusty barbed wire, 534 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:31,719 Speaker 3: even to this day. The architecture of the monument was 535 00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:36,200 Speaker 3: John Russell Pope, who later did the Jefferson Memorial and 536 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:41,880 Speaker 3: had a very testy relationship Pope did with the Secretary 537 00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:44,920 Speaker 3: of the Commission at the time, but he was given 538 00:37:45,120 --> 00:37:47,680 Speaker 3: this chore in recognition of the fact that he was 539 00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:51,160 Speaker 3: one of the great architects of his day. The next 540 00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:54,759 Speaker 3: three shots are just shots from the top of the memorial, 541 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:58,920 Speaker 3: and as you look at each one, realize again that 542 00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:04,880 Speaker 3: you're looking at the bloody battlefield in American history. The 543 00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:10,759 Speaker 3: monument occupies a commanding spot. One can see miles from there, 544 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:14,399 Speaker 3: and one can see the monument miles away from it. 545 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:19,080 Speaker 3: And all that's deliberate pershing one of these memorials to 546 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:22,600 Speaker 3: be seen from miles away, because he hoped that anyone 547 00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:24,680 Speaker 3: who saw the monument would just have to come get 548 00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:27,960 Speaker 3: a closer look and actually visit it, and anyone who 549 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,080 Speaker 3: visited there would be reminded of what the Americans had 550 00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:38,160 Speaker 3: contributed to the war effort. The second biggest monument of 551 00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:40,839 Speaker 3: World War One, vint Each, is on a hill called 552 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:45,799 Speaker 3: Molt Sec south of Verdunn. It's was in the sat 553 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 3: Mihel sector. The Battle of sat Miel began on the 554 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 3: twelfth of September nineteen eighteen. It was the first major 555 00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:56,200 Speaker 3: battle that the United States fought as an independent army. 556 00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:02,440 Speaker 3: And this monument crowns its height this day. First you 557 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:06,040 Speaker 3: saw a perspective from distance. Now you see it closer up. 558 00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:10,120 Speaker 3: But next you're going to see the view from the memorial. 559 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:15,279 Speaker 3: So this monument was actually rather heavily damaged during World 560 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:20,120 Speaker 3: War II by American tank fire. The Germans were there 561 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:24,600 Speaker 3: in the closing weeks of August or beginning weeks of September. 562 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:27,879 Speaker 3: The Americans had to blast them out of there, and 563 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:31,759 Speaker 3: the monument was hit several times, but easily enough repaired 564 00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 3: in the aftermath of the war. Now this monument is 565 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:49,239 Speaker 3: the third most important monument. It's on Hill two four, 566 00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:52,360 Speaker 3: which is military language for a hill outside Chateau Tierre 567 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:56,600 Speaker 3: in France, about thirty five miles east of Paris. The 568 00:39:56,719 --> 00:40:00,640 Speaker 3: architect for the monument was the first consulting architect for 569 00:40:00,680 --> 00:40:05,120 Speaker 3: the commission, a Frenchman transplanted to Philadelphia, where he was 570 00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:08,600 Speaker 3: on the faculty of the School of Architecture at the 571 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:12,600 Speaker 3: University of Pennsylvania. Paul Philippe Krach was his name. Cre 572 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:18,080 Speaker 3: E t He designed that memorial. It's the n Marne Memorial. 573 00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:24,120 Speaker 3: The Commission just opened up a new visitor center underneath 574 00:40:24,120 --> 00:40:26,440 Speaker 3: the memorial, which I was able to visit last spring. 575 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:31,480 Speaker 3: It's an extraordinarily fine piece of work, very informative panels, 576 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:38,200 Speaker 3: and even they even have some footage of Pershing giving 577 00:40:38,239 --> 00:40:44,719 Speaker 3: his dedicatory address at the muse Argonne monument. And here's 578 00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:48,240 Speaker 3: the ever present map to which I made reference earlier. 579 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:52,239 Speaker 3: It's designed to acquaint people who visit the monument with 580 00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:56,920 Speaker 3: some of the action that took place around it. One 581 00:40:56,960 --> 00:41:00,600 Speaker 3: of the smaller memorials World War One memorial there were 582 00:41:00,640 --> 00:41:03,680 Speaker 3: eleven World War One memorials all together, is in the 583 00:41:03,719 --> 00:41:06,440 Speaker 3: village of Cantigny. Some of you may know that the 584 00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:09,279 Speaker 3: First Division saw action there at the end of May 585 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:13,520 Speaker 3: nineteen eighteen. They drove the Germans out of this village 586 00:41:13,560 --> 00:41:17,320 Speaker 3: and then managed to hold it against the inevitable German 587 00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:21,040 Speaker 3: counter attack. And it was a big plus for the Americans, 588 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:24,120 Speaker 3: the first time really that we'd been bloodied in an 589 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:29,920 Speaker 3: action that we took pretty much by ourselves. And the 590 00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:34,080 Speaker 3: monument is right in the center of the little village 591 00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:36,839 Speaker 3: in Picardia, I think it is in France. And then 592 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:43,440 Speaker 3: the ever present map and explanatory panels again. This monument 593 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:47,160 Speaker 3: is on top of a ridge in Champagna. It's called 594 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:54,680 Speaker 3: near the village of Sompi. The dedicatory plaque there saying 595 00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:58,839 Speaker 3: that the monument is plainly erected to remind people how 596 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:04,279 Speaker 3: grateful the United States is for the service of the 597 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:07,080 Speaker 3: men in this area, the soldiers in this area. This 598 00:42:07,239 --> 00:42:09,120 Speaker 3: is the view from the top of the memorial. You 599 00:42:09,120 --> 00:42:13,560 Speaker 3: can see down in the foreground. They're German trenches that 600 00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:19,520 Speaker 3: still survive. They're actually meant to survive. And this just 601 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:23,759 Speaker 3: simply reemphasized the point that the agency, the ABMC, was 602 00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:27,600 Speaker 3: very much intent to put its cemeteries and its monuments 603 00:42:27,719 --> 00:42:37,920 Speaker 3: right on the battlefields. There are individual panels along the 604 00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:44,799 Speaker 3: base of the memorial honoring the divisions that did the 605 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:47,360 Speaker 3: bulk of the fighting. There you see the second thirty 606 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:51,960 Speaker 3: sixth Division, and this other plaque refers to the forty 607 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:54,520 Speaker 3: second Division that was the Rainbow Division. So many of 608 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:58,840 Speaker 3: the divisions in World War One were organized state by state. 609 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:02,640 Speaker 3: Thirty second Division was known as the Rainbow Division. That's 610 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:06,200 Speaker 3: the division Douglas MacArthur fought with, and that's because it 611 00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:09,920 Speaker 3: literally had soldiers in it from coast to coast, like 612 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:13,640 Speaker 3: a rainbow stretching across the continent. This is what the 613 00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:16,799 Speaker 3: cemeteries actually look like, a very different look from what 614 00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:20,400 Speaker 3: you see at Arlington. For one thing, the headstones are 615 00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:24,560 Speaker 3: much higher off the ground and they are overtly I 616 00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:30,480 Speaker 3: dare say, unapologetically, unabashedly religious shapes Latin cross for the 617 00:43:30,560 --> 00:43:35,200 Speaker 3: Christian dead, Star of David for the Jewish dead. This 618 00:43:35,360 --> 00:43:38,400 Speaker 3: is from the muse Argon Cemetery, which is the largest 619 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:43,160 Speaker 3: ABMC cemetery in Europe. There are over fourteen thousand men 620 00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:48,640 Speaker 3: buried there and about half the total dead from that battle, 621 00:43:49,239 --> 00:43:52,000 Speaker 3: and very sad to say that no American president has 622 00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:56,840 Speaker 3: ever visited there. That's perhaps all the evidence we need 623 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:03,520 Speaker 3: to suggest how little remembered, even in the centennial year. 624 00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:07,399 Speaker 3: I fear to say the Great War is for us. 625 00:44:09,480 --> 00:44:13,320 Speaker 3: Every cemetery has a chapel. This is the muse Argon 626 00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:20,440 Speaker 3: chapel in Romanesque style. Chapel is on the highest part 627 00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:24,719 Speaker 3: of the cemetery, so there's a very panoramic view approaching it. 628 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:30,880 Speaker 3: This palm was actually left on the altar of the 629 00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:35,680 Speaker 3: chapel on dedication day for the cemetery, which was Memorial 630 00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:38,719 Speaker 3: Day in nineteen thirty seven. It was left there by 631 00:44:38,719 --> 00:44:44,840 Speaker 3: the President of France and he was there in General 632 00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:49,600 Speaker 3: Pershing's company. This is what the cemeteries look like on 633 00:44:49,719 --> 00:44:54,840 Speaker 3: Memorial Day. Each individual grave is decorated. In this case, 634 00:44:55,040 --> 00:44:58,920 Speaker 3: because this is a French cemetery, this is the Wasen cemetery. 635 00:44:58,960 --> 00:45:02,680 Speaker 3: Our second largest World War One cemetery. You see an 636 00:45:02,719 --> 00:45:05,799 Speaker 3: American flag and a flag of the host country. If 637 00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:08,200 Speaker 3: it were in Belgium, it would be a Belgian flag. 638 00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:11,200 Speaker 3: In Italy, an Italian flag from World War Two, so forth, 639 00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:15,840 Speaker 3: and so on so but it makes for a spectacular site, 640 00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:18,520 Speaker 3: and all those flags are put in by hand as well. 641 00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:24,839 Speaker 3: This is what the interior of a chapel can look like. 642 00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:32,400 Speaker 3: This is a bellow wood chapel, but again unabashedly Christian 643 00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:38,160 Speaker 3: symbols inside inscriptions, stained glass windows, and this one I 644 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:41,160 Speaker 3: can't see them, but they're there, and up and down 645 00:45:41,239 --> 00:45:44,960 Speaker 3: the walls in this particular case names of the missing 646 00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:50,320 Speaker 3: as well. Each of the cemeteries obviously honors those buried there, 647 00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:53,839 Speaker 3: but there are walls of the missing each place, so 648 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:58,240 Speaker 3: the total number of soldiers honored is actually an excess 649 00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:04,359 Speaker 3: of those with individual interments. At the end of World 650 00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:07,800 Speaker 3: War One, families were given the opportunity to create a 651 00:46:07,960 --> 00:46:12,120 Speaker 3: verse or some memorable passage that they would like to 652 00:46:12,160 --> 00:46:15,160 Speaker 3: have engraved on the back of the headstone of their 653 00:46:15,239 --> 00:46:18,759 Speaker 3: dead loved one. This is an idea that we took 654 00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:24,240 Speaker 3: from the British. The British created their war cemeteries before 655 00:46:24,320 --> 00:46:27,560 Speaker 3: we did. And for those of you who ever visited 656 00:46:27,560 --> 00:46:29,920 Speaker 3: either a World War One or World War Two cemetery 657 00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:34,480 Speaker 3: maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission of the British Government, 658 00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:38,080 Speaker 3: you'll see just about every grave at the base of 659 00:46:38,120 --> 00:46:42,879 Speaker 3: it has a very moving inscription. First time I ever 660 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:46,759 Speaker 3: visited such a cemetery was in Bayeux in Normandy, and 661 00:46:47,160 --> 00:46:49,360 Speaker 3: my father was along as a World War Two veteran, 662 00:46:49,360 --> 00:46:51,520 Speaker 3: and he read about six or eight of the inscriptions 663 00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:57,080 Speaker 3: and just couldn't go any further. They're very personal, very loving, 664 00:46:57,280 --> 00:47:00,440 Speaker 3: very moving. But for some reason the people the United 665 00:47:00,480 --> 00:47:05,840 Speaker 3: States didn't rise to that challenge. They're only nineteen headstones 666 00:47:06,560 --> 00:47:12,160 Speaker 3: in the twenty nine thousand plus headstones with names on 667 00:47:12,239 --> 00:47:16,800 Speaker 3: them that have those inscriptions. The crosses are of Carra marble, 668 00:47:16,920 --> 00:47:20,640 Speaker 3: Italian marble with a beautiful silvery vein to it. It 669 00:47:20,719 --> 00:47:23,719 Speaker 3: was quite a controversy about that, the idea that we 670 00:47:23,719 --> 00:47:26,760 Speaker 3: were going to get our material for the headstones from 671 00:47:27,040 --> 00:47:31,160 Speaker 3: Italy as opposed to using good old American granite. The 672 00:47:31,200 --> 00:47:35,839 Speaker 3: American Granite Association pitched quite a fit at a succession 673 00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:38,799 Speaker 3: of Commission meetings. Finally, General Pershing had to tell them 674 00:47:39,160 --> 00:47:42,240 Speaker 3: in nineteen twenty six that the issue was closed and 675 00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:46,759 Speaker 3: they weren't to come back and try to browbeat the 676 00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:51,239 Speaker 3: Commission anymore. In fact, the Italian marble came in at 677 00:47:51,280 --> 00:47:55,600 Speaker 3: low bid. Granted would have been three or four times 678 00:47:55,640 --> 00:48:00,960 Speaker 3: more expensive per headstone, but it was the purity of 679 00:48:00,960 --> 00:48:05,239 Speaker 3: the whiteness that ultimately I think clinched the deal. This 680 00:48:05,360 --> 00:48:07,799 Speaker 3: is the gravestone of the son of one of the 681 00:48:07,840 --> 00:48:12,839 Speaker 3: original members of the Commission, the woman by the name 682 00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:16,040 Speaker 3: of Jacqueline Cody Bentley. She was a gold Star mother 683 00:48:16,080 --> 00:48:19,359 Speaker 3: from Chicago. She was one of the original seven commissioners. 684 00:48:19,680 --> 00:48:23,279 Speaker 3: Her son had died in nineteen seventeen. He's buried in 685 00:48:23,360 --> 00:48:26,640 Speaker 3: the was Ain Cemetery, and I have a picture a 686 00:48:26,640 --> 00:48:30,200 Speaker 3: couple of pictures in the book of Missus Bentley and 687 00:48:30,239 --> 00:48:35,280 Speaker 3: also General Pershing at that grave when the entire Commission 688 00:48:35,280 --> 00:48:38,799 Speaker 3: went over there in nineteen twenty four to inspect the 689 00:48:38,840 --> 00:48:43,040 Speaker 3: cemeteries in the monument sites. This is the only piece 690 00:48:43,080 --> 00:48:48,239 Speaker 3: of privately donated artwork in any of the American Cemeteries's 691 00:48:48,280 --> 00:48:51,560 Speaker 3: a beautiful statue of an American dough boy, given by 692 00:48:51,719 --> 00:48:55,560 Speaker 3: a mother whose son is buried in the sat Miell Cemetery. 693 00:48:55,600 --> 00:48:58,640 Speaker 3: That's where the statue is. She paid thirty thousand dollars 694 00:48:58,680 --> 00:49:01,800 Speaker 3: for this at the end of the nineteen twenties, and 695 00:49:01,840 --> 00:49:04,719 Speaker 3: the Commission initially voted not to allow the statue in 696 00:49:04,719 --> 00:49:08,440 Speaker 3: there because they didn't want to have to rule on 697 00:49:08,960 --> 00:49:14,560 Speaker 3: individual submissions for private donations. But when General Pershing found 698 00:49:14,560 --> 00:49:16,279 Speaker 3: out a couple of years later that the woman in 699 00:49:16,400 --> 00:49:20,239 Speaker 3: question was the daughter of James G. Blaine, who was 700 00:49:20,280 --> 00:49:24,840 Speaker 3: Republican nominee for president in eighteen eighty four, he changed 701 00:49:24,880 --> 00:49:28,880 Speaker 3: his mind, and Pershing, as a young man, greatly admired 702 00:49:29,560 --> 00:49:33,080 Speaker 3: mister Blaine. So there the statue is. But if they 703 00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:36,560 Speaker 3: were going to make an exception over anything, I'm glad 704 00:49:36,600 --> 00:49:39,480 Speaker 3: they did it with that one. This is Superintendent Michael 705 00:49:39,560 --> 00:49:43,400 Speaker 3: Kons some years ago. Michael has posted at the Normandy Cemetery. 706 00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:46,520 Speaker 3: Now I believe he's director of Visitor Services over there, 707 00:49:46,520 --> 00:49:49,640 Speaker 3: but in twenty ten when that picture was taken, he 708 00:49:49,719 --> 00:49:52,480 Speaker 3: was superintendent at sat Me Hell And he's taken the 709 00:49:52,520 --> 00:49:56,719 Speaker 3: flags down, which is done every day at every cemetery 710 00:49:57,040 --> 00:50:04,720 Speaker 3: to symbolize a duty day completed. And I've heard one 711 00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:09,719 Speaker 3: cemetery superintendent say this. I've read it elsewhere that there's 712 00:50:10,400 --> 00:50:14,080 Speaker 3: a belief, and I think for very very sound and 713 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:18,680 Speaker 3: poignant reasons, is every soldier buried in one of those cemeteries, 714 00:50:18,719 --> 00:50:23,239 Speaker 3: resting abroad is still serving his country by reminding us 715 00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:29,480 Speaker 3: all of the price of freedom. This is the Cambridge 716 00:50:29,600 --> 00:50:33,040 Speaker 3: Cemetery in England, the World War two cemetery. Now you 717 00:50:33,040 --> 00:50:36,920 Speaker 3: can see a little bit difference in architectural style. They 718 00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:40,919 Speaker 3: are more rectangular chapel building for example, we don't argue 719 00:50:40,960 --> 00:50:43,319 Speaker 3: about whether a chapel is in the case of the 720 00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:47,360 Speaker 3: World War One chapel is Gothic or Romanesque. With these, 721 00:50:47,560 --> 00:50:52,319 Speaker 3: they're more modern. They're about thirty six hundred of our 722 00:50:53,160 --> 00:50:58,799 Speaker 3: soldiers buried in Cambridge, the majority of them flyers. And 723 00:50:58,840 --> 00:51:01,840 Speaker 3: here's the wall of the mid at Cambridge Cemetery, and 724 00:51:01,880 --> 00:51:03,680 Speaker 3: there are actually more names on the wall of the 725 00:51:03,719 --> 00:51:06,520 Speaker 3: missing than there are buried in the cemetery. There were 726 00:51:06,560 --> 00:51:09,319 Speaker 3: five thousand names on the wall. The missing. Two of 727 00:51:09,320 --> 00:51:12,439 Speaker 3: them would be very well known. I suspect everyone here, 728 00:51:12,640 --> 00:51:19,480 Speaker 3: Glenn Miller and Joseph Kennedy Junior. So many were lost, 729 00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:23,760 Speaker 3: of course in bombing raids and whatnot, lost in places 730 00:51:23,800 --> 00:51:27,200 Speaker 3: where their bodies just simply couldn't be recovered the ever 731 00:51:27,320 --> 00:51:35,520 Speaker 3: present battle maps. This is at Cambridge. Again. Every cemetery 732 00:51:35,600 --> 00:51:42,000 Speaker 3: chapel has a memorial, an article of remembrance to commemorate 733 00:51:42,040 --> 00:51:48,080 Speaker 3: the Jewish dead. This is ten Roman numerals signifying the 734 00:51:48,120 --> 00:51:53,680 Speaker 3: Ten Commandments with the Star of David. And there you 735 00:51:53,760 --> 00:51:58,080 Speaker 3: see more of a perspective, but the Jewish symbol is 736 00:51:58,120 --> 00:52:00,760 Speaker 3: still there at the base of that right now hand pillar. 737 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:04,880 Speaker 3: This is the Britney Cemetery, built very much in the 738 00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:10,200 Speaker 3: style of the local parish church, with the chapel in 739 00:52:10,239 --> 00:52:14,080 Speaker 3: the middle, built of stone that is native to the area. 740 00:52:14,719 --> 00:52:20,719 Speaker 3: Beautiful flora, very colorful cemetery. It's actually the second cemetery 741 00:52:20,800 --> 00:52:24,400 Speaker 3: that we have in Normandy. But I'm just taking a 742 00:52:24,400 --> 00:52:27,680 Speaker 3: wild guess, but I'll bet for every one person who 743 00:52:27,760 --> 00:52:31,040 Speaker 3: visits Brittaney, ten or twenty go to the one that 744 00:52:31,560 --> 00:52:40,600 Speaker 3: overlooks Omaha Beach. Unabashedly religious inscriptions in the interior of 745 00:52:40,640 --> 00:52:49,480 Speaker 3: the chapel designed to comfort those who visit. And then 746 00:52:49,560 --> 00:52:53,240 Speaker 3: finally we come to what has to be the best 747 00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:57,839 Speaker 3: known of all of the ABMC sites, the Normandy American Cemetery. 748 00:52:57,880 --> 00:53:03,960 Speaker 3: This was Memorial Day twenty eleven. Old Glory flies next 749 00:53:03,960 --> 00:53:07,360 Speaker 3: to the French cry color one Memorial Day, each of 750 00:53:07,400 --> 00:53:14,480 Speaker 3: the graves decorated with flags of the respective countries. Off 751 00:53:14,480 --> 00:53:17,600 Speaker 3: in the distance this picture you can see the ocean 752 00:53:17,600 --> 00:53:22,360 Speaker 3: and the Channel when our soldiers landed on d Day. 753 00:53:23,040 --> 00:53:25,040 Speaker 3: Once they fought their way off the beach and up 754 00:53:25,080 --> 00:53:28,440 Speaker 3: the bluffs, they came right across the ground where the 755 00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:33,120 Speaker 3: cemetery currently is located. Currently it's not going anywhere, I 756 00:53:33,200 --> 00:53:57,960 Speaker 3: promise you, Normandy, again and again. This next picture is 757 00:53:58,120 --> 00:54:03,400 Speaker 3: of two of the sun of President Theodore Roosevelt on 758 00:54:03,480 --> 00:54:08,400 Speaker 3: the right hand side the grave of the headstone inscription 759 00:54:08,520 --> 00:54:13,480 Speaker 3: is accentuated because Theodore Roosevelt Junior was a Medal of 760 00:54:13,480 --> 00:54:16,760 Speaker 3: Honor winner. But next to him is his younger brother, Quentin, 761 00:54:16,800 --> 00:54:19,920 Speaker 3: who actually died in the First World War, but at 762 00:54:19,920 --> 00:54:23,719 Speaker 3: the request of the Roosevelt family after the Second World War, 763 00:54:24,080 --> 00:54:27,440 Speaker 3: when the oldest of the Roosevelt brothers wound up in Normandy, 764 00:54:27,719 --> 00:54:32,600 Speaker 3: Quenton's grave was moved. It's this pair of graves. I 765 00:54:32,600 --> 00:54:35,880 Speaker 3: think there are over forty sets of brothers in the 766 00:54:35,880 --> 00:54:40,719 Speaker 3: Normandy Cemetery to this day, but this is one of 767 00:54:40,760 --> 00:54:44,840 Speaker 3: the most frequently visited spots. This is the new visitors 768 00:54:44,880 --> 00:54:51,200 Speaker 3: center dedicated in two thousand and seven, and Mike has 769 00:54:51,280 --> 00:54:55,880 Speaker 3: told me over dinner tonight it's being renovated again, hopefully 770 00:54:55,920 --> 00:54:59,719 Speaker 3: ready in time for the seventy fifth anniversary next year, 771 00:54:59,760 --> 00:55:05,680 Speaker 3: where when there will surely be a new crush of visitors, 772 00:55:05,680 --> 00:55:08,440 Speaker 3: including the heads of state, who I'm sure will be 773 00:55:08,480 --> 00:55:13,440 Speaker 3: there on June sixth. And finally, this picture, the white 774 00:55:13,440 --> 00:55:17,040 Speaker 3: haired lady is a World War Two widow Billy Harris. 775 00:55:17,440 --> 00:55:21,400 Speaker 3: Excuse me, Peggy Harris, it's her name. Her husband, Billy 776 00:55:21,560 --> 00:55:25,000 Speaker 3: is buried in the cemetery. He was shot down in 777 00:55:25,120 --> 00:55:28,359 Speaker 3: Junior July nineteen forty four. He was twenty two years old. 778 00:55:28,400 --> 00:55:32,439 Speaker 3: They had just married prior to his going off into 779 00:55:32,440 --> 00:55:36,720 Speaker 3: the service. For about sixty years, Peggy was not aware 780 00:55:36,800 --> 00:55:40,120 Speaker 3: that her husband was actually in the cemetery, but she 781 00:55:40,280 --> 00:55:44,839 Speaker 3: ultimately learned that that's where he was, so she has 782 00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:46,960 Speaker 3: made a visit. I don't know that she's able to 783 00:55:47,000 --> 00:55:50,760 Speaker 3: make the trip anymore, but for a string of years 784 00:55:51,120 --> 00:55:54,880 Speaker 3: annually she would be over there on Memorial Day. She 785 00:55:54,960 --> 00:55:58,840 Speaker 3: never remarried because she never really knew for certain until 786 00:55:58,960 --> 00:56:01,279 Speaker 3: she learned that her husban was buried in Normandy that 787 00:56:01,320 --> 00:56:05,600 Speaker 3: he was in fact dead. So everybody knows her. That's 788 00:56:06,160 --> 00:56:09,360 Speaker 3: her receiving a red rose from a member of the 789 00:56:09,400 --> 00:56:13,120 Speaker 3: cemetery's staff, and that was a Memorial Day twenty eleven 790 00:56:13,200 --> 00:56:16,800 Speaker 3: as well. And I like to end with this because 791 00:56:18,520 --> 00:56:22,760 Speaker 3: her story is just one of thousands and thousands of stories, 792 00:56:22,760 --> 00:56:27,440 Speaker 3: because every one of the headstones marks the grave of 793 00:56:27,600 --> 00:56:32,560 Speaker 3: someone who was connected in life to a network of 794 00:56:32,880 --> 00:56:38,440 Speaker 3: friends and family. And the cemeteries are meant, of course 795 00:56:38,480 --> 00:56:43,839 Speaker 3: to honor and remember all of those dead soldiers. But 796 00:56:44,840 --> 00:56:48,359 Speaker 3: it's a call upon us to do the same. So 797 00:56:48,600 --> 00:56:49,439 Speaker 3: thank you very much. 798 00:56:52,680 --> 00:56:55,719 Speaker 2: If you liked the Michael Berry Show in podcast, please 799 00:56:55,880 --> 00:56:59,840 Speaker 2: tell one friend, and if you're so inclined, write a 800 00:57:00,160 --> 00:57:05,160 Speaker 2: nice review of our podcast. Comments, suggestions, questions, and interest 801 00:57:05,280 --> 00:57:09,160 Speaker 2: in being a corporate sponsor and partner can be communicated 802 00:57:09,160 --> 00:57:13,640 Speaker 2: directly to the show at our email address, Michael at 803 00:57:13,800 --> 00:57:17,600 Speaker 2: Michael Berryshow dot com, or simply by clicking on our 804 00:57:17,600 --> 00:57:22,440 Speaker 2: website Michael Berryshow dot com. The Michael Berry Show and 805 00:57:22,600 --> 00:57:26,560 Speaker 2: Podcast is produced by Ramon Roebliss, The King of Ding. 806 00:57:27,960 --> 00:57:37,480 Speaker 2: Executive producer is Chad Knakanishi. Jim Mudd is the creative director. 807 00:57:38,280 --> 00:57:43,880 Speaker 2: Voices Jingles, Tomfoolery and Shenanigans are provided by Chance McLain. 808 00:57:44,680 --> 00:57:49,160 Speaker 2: Director of Research is Sandy Peterson. Emily Bull is our 809 00:57:49,200 --> 00:57:56,640 Speaker 2: assistant listener and superfan. Contributions are appreciated and often incorporated 810 00:57:56,840 --> 00:58:00,400 Speaker 2: into our production. Where possible, we give credit, where not, 811 00:58:00,960 --> 00:58:04,120 Speaker 2: we take all the credit for ourselves. God bless the 812 00:58:04,160 --> 00:58:09,840 Speaker 2: memory of Rush Limbaugh. Long live Elvis, be a simple 813 00:58:09,880 --> 00:58:15,720 Speaker 2: man like Leonard Skinnard told you, and God bless America. Finally, 814 00:58:16,440 --> 00:58:20,200 Speaker 2: if you know a veteran suffering from PTSD, call Camp 815 00:58:20,240 --> 00:58:26,120 Speaker 2: Hope at eight seven seven seven one seven PTSD and 816 00:58:26,200 --> 00:58:30,520 Speaker 2: a combat veteran will answer the phone to provide free counseling.