Service Flag

The service flag, or the Blue Star flag, is an official banner authorized by the Department of Defense for families who have members serving in the United States Armed Forces.

“Gott mit uns und wir mit ihm!”

During the Great War, “Gott mit uns” (“God is with us”) was the rallying cry of the German military. It reflected deeply-held beliefs by German leadership and the hopes of the German people.

YWCA for United America

Clothed in white robes and arms outstretched, C. Howard Walker’s patriotic, feminine figure stands resolute in her goal to unite immigrant women in the United States of America.

Algerian Spahis in Artois

Spotlight on an illustration by French artist Charles Huard depicting Algerian colonial soldiers known as Spahis.

The Violin

Plaintive music wafts across a French compound where German prisoners of war are held behind the wire.

Ruth Law

At age 21, Ruth Law bought her first airplane from Orville Wright, who refused to train her since he believed women did not have the mechanical aptitude for flight.

Ersatz

By 1915, the great demand for material resources to support the war effort caused supplies that German civilians and soldiers commonly used to dwindle, increasing their costs and value.

Coffee and WWI

While there were no coffee shops on every corner in Europe during WWI, American soldiers and sailors could still get that hot cup of coffee.

Black Soldiers in WWI

Oral history provides rich support to the written records that fill the Museum and Memorial’s collection.

Religious Icons in Art and War

Calling upon classical Christian imagery, Saint Javelin became an online phenomenon in March 2022, mostly thanks to social media.

Memorial Day 1918

A recently processed Y.M.C.A. newsletter, The Daily Rumor, highlights how one group of soldiers observed Memorial Day 1918 “Somewhere in France.”

Camouflage Violin Case

Second Lieutenant Harry Hinman Sisson, Company E, 309th Engineers, 84th Division, carried a violin with him in France throughout his service in the American Expeditionary Forces.

A Little Birdie Told Me

Arthur Standing was a conscientious objector and did not fight during World War I. Instead, he participated in alternate service with the American Friends Service Committee.