The War We Forgot

To Bruce Bartels, grandson of a WW1 Polar Bear


You may find this of interest a new documenetary film about the Polar Bears is being produced. You can learn more about the film at www.polarbeardocumentary.com . If you have photos, letters or other items you might like to share conatct the producer.

Dale

Honestly i believe that not building the WWI Moument was alittle selfish. I think that if u sacrifice your life that u deserve something that should be looked on upon by many, but thats just my opinion..:)

Casey J.

There is a WW1 monument, it.s on the National Mall, not too far away from the Vietnam Memorial.
It.s not in great shape, and mostly forgotten.
I have washed it,s floor twice,to pay my respects, It's a shame we don't respect our dead.
Michael Garringer
gmangmc1@hotmail.com

The country as a whole seems to be wantenly isolated, not getting involved, we might upset someome or hurt somebodies feelings. All of our freedoms that we have, are because our veterans have sacrificed themselves and families the protect our freedom that we take so much for granted. We live in a society that believe they are entitled to all of our freedoms, that is far from the truth, we have to fight and protect what we have, or it will all be lost. If we give up this right, we might as well live in a dictatorship and let the "Government" tell us what we can have, do, or where we can go.
I am not willing to do this, I love my country and my freedom and want the same for my grandkids.
When you have the chance, make an effort to thank a veteran for his/ her service to protect our freedom.
As for WW1, my grandfather had two cousins die in Europe, while fought in Northern Russia, per his words, lived like wild animals in 50 below zero weather and not getting inside from September till around Christmas of 1918, after the war was declared over. They were fighting in 1919 and did not get home until July of 1919. They deserve a place to be honored and not forgotten.

Bruce Bartels, grandson of a WW1 Polar Bear

This is not a forgotten war by any means. Indeed, this war was instrumental in creating the 20th century and arguably was but the first half of a 30-year war of which the second half was WW2. There is plenty of documentation if one knows where to look. The American presence there was short, officially, but it was a significant one. I urge anyone interested to look at the websites noteed below I edit two online magazines focusing on the Great

This article failed to mention the soldiers who served in Northern Russia during WW I. My grandfather also served with thwe Polar Bears. It's sad to think that these men that served will be forgotten and never to be recognized at the national level.
Dave Bartels
davbar2@gmail.com

Maybe it's a pity that the war is so forgotten that in an article dealing with the last surviving US soldier, you accompanied it with a picture of French troops in the trenches, not US.

I am an 8th grade student in Kansas and I just hope we dont forget about the great world war. I am just starting to learn more about the war. My Social Studies teacher told us about Frank Woodruff Buckles and it kinda made me unhappy that we are going to loose all of the generation before me and maybe even my parents. I think this is to special to forget about. It is really a big chunk of American History and we need to make more memorials and statues to these soldiers who gave their lives for us. Eventhough we have the WWI musuem in Kansas City we still need more places to learn and remember the war. I wish there was just as much reconsaton to WWII then to WWI.

Being the granddaughter of a WWI veteran, and an officer of an Association that spends a lot of time trying to make sure these men and that war are not forgotten, I actually take umbrage with your classification that all of us have forgotten this war. Here in Michigan, we have a wonderful museum honoring Michigan???s Own veterans, and they have a wonderful area solely dedicated to WWI veterans. And there are hundreds of us that gather every Memorial Day to honor these men specifically, and while seeing this article gives me hope that keeping the subject alive will only enhance the topic, I feel it necessary to inform all of you that some of us truly do care! If interested, please check out our website devoted to WWI???s truly ???forgotten??? heroes... a group that has been dubbed Polar Bears. The link is: http://pbma.grobbel.org/ You may be surprised by the wealth of information in there.

Kathy Canapini
Polar Bear Memorial Association
Secretary/Treasurer

I"m no historian, but I believe the soldiers pictured in the trench are not American soldiers. Our "doughboys" wore a saurer shaped helmet. These look like French soldiers! Anyone else agree! If so, maybe Newsweek forgot something about this war also!

My grandfather was in WWI. He died when I was about 5, so I never really knew him. Recently, my mother brought me a stack of pictures he came home from Germany with. I don't know any of the people in the pictures, but would love to make them more public in case people on the net recognize a father or grandfather. I have posted the pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/EricCh63/WWI.

Tony:
My grandfather was a sergeant in the 91st division, 363rd infantry, Company K. As a child, I am almost 60; I played with all of his gear, in those days they sent you home with everything but your gun I guess. Perhaps it was because he remained in the reserves, I still have his helmet, leather leggings and many other items, including was to become his purple heart. However after reading your article, I smiled because I have a bunch and I mean a bunch of negatives! He often told me of the strict measures taken if you were found with a camera. NO PHOTOS AND NO DIARIES! There was this fear that if you were caught by the Germans and they read your diary or developed the film they would discover weaknesses in your defenses. Well a fellow he was very close to had a camera and must have been using it often. Around 1955 this fellow passed away and he left specific instructions to his wife to give my grandfather the negatives, which later passed to me. I once tried to give them to the US Army and they were delighted to have them. The officer took them and I followed him to an old building in San Francisco where he put them on a shelf in a dark corner. I reached down and took them back.
So if you know of some official historian or someone that will develop them and use them let me know. I have no idea what all is there, I have looked at a few of them, but they are old and I would like to help history if possible. How knows they may not be important or may be.
JR Hyatt

When I read about the death of next to last veteran Harry Landis the story said there was a WWI veteran who was American who served in the Canadian Army. Which country's army is he listed with?

Very large error on the part of the author. There is a WW1 memorial on the Mall in Washington. SInce this was the major point of the article, I would think it needs to be addressed with a full article exploring how such a blunder could be made. This should not just be dismissed with a small "correction" bruried somewhere in the next issue or even wrose, on line.

Please visit the web site libertymemorialmuseum.org. It is the USA's only national memorial to WWI. It is as fine as any memorial that Washington has to offer. Do more research before you write or blog.

Please visit site libertymemorialmuseum.org learn about the only National Memorial to WWI in the USA. It is as fine as any memorial or museum that Washington has to offer.

What war?