Mayor George Leach of Minneapolis
Minneapolis Central Library
October 19, 2019
Click here for more…
I addressed the gathering on Victory Memorial Drive on November 11, 2018
on the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War
or, as we know know it, World War One.
“On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, November 11, 1918”
click for copy of the official program
click for feature article on the event including my address
click for brief video clip from local television
Among the many reviews received:
“Extraordinary research on the men and women memorialized at Victory. Excellent job today” – Mike, Minneapolis
“Your talk was wonderful and so important. You brought the men and women to life with their stories” – Barb, Minneapolis
“You did a fantastic job at Lakewood Cemetery on Memorial Day with your very fine speech” – Sissy, Edina
“Steve, thank you so very much for your remarks at the Victory Memorial event. Your tie-in to the monument provided a great perspective and a deeper appreciation of the dedication and service of those memorialized there” – Diana Houston, Hennepin County Communications
Victory Memorial Drive on Minneapolis’ north side was dedicated in 1921 as a memorial to those 568 Hennepin County individuals, who gave their lives in the service of the nation in the World War. Over 30,000 attended the dedication. See the photos below.
Each who died in the war was honored by an elm tree and a plaque. The elm trees died and had to be replaced with hackberry trees. In 1928, bronze plaques, each with the name, rank and unit of the deceased, were placed in front of each tree. In 1953, those plaques were replaced with bronze plaques (cenotaphs) set into the ground.
DETAILS ON SOME OF THE 568 INDIVIDUALS
HONORED ALONG VICTORY MEMORIAL DRIVE.
The tragedy of war is the loss of promising lives by those who had such plans.
There is no solace in the naive notion that any war will end all wars.
Pvt. Wilbert Woodruff was not quite seventeen years old when he enlisted in the Marine Corps on July 18, 1917. He lived with his family at 2735 Lyndale in South Minneapolis. Woodruff went through boot camp at Parris Island and served with the 51st Company, 5th Regiment Marines. The regiment was among the first American troops to arrive in France in June 1917. One year later, at the beginning of June 1918, the 5th Marines were rushed to stop the German advance on Paris. The commanding officer of Woodruff’s company was Captain Lloyd Williams. When the retreating French urged Williams to turn his men around and join the retreat, the Marine officer replied, “Retreat, hell! We just got here!” The Marines held and began an offensive to take Belleau Wood in the early morning of June 6, 1918. The fighting was intense and both sides sustained serious loss of life. The Marines suffered 1,087 casualties on the first day of the offensive. On the following day, June 7, Private Wilbert Woodruff was killed in action. He was three months short of his eighteenth birthday. Captain Williams was killed in action three days later. The fierce fight for Belleau Wood continued until the Marines gained control on June 26. Wilbert’s mother brought home her son’s remains to be buried in Minneapolis Lakewood Cemetery.
Among the more famous soldiers honored along Victory Memorial Drive is John Rosenwald. He was an All-American football player for one of the greatest University of Minnesota football squads of all-time. The New York Times reported Rosenwald, ” … was formerly one of the best known of the Western football players.” He was a physician and surgeon in Minneapolis. Dr. Rosenwald enlisted and was commissioned a first lieutenant in the medical detachment of the 151st Field Artillery, 42nd Division. John P. Rosenwald, First Lieutenant (Medical Corps), U.S. Army, received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action at Pexonne, France, on March 5, 1918. First Lieutenant Rosenwald twice entered the quarry of Battery C, 151st Field Artillery, under heavy shell fire, in order to care for the wounded. He died May 6, 1918, of wounds received in action. His remains were returned home and buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Minneapolis. See his Gold Star Roll form and his photo at this link.
Sergeant Theodor Petersen of the Medical Department with the 151st Field Artillery also died in the same action as Lt. Rosenwald above. He enlisted on April 18, 1917, just after the U.S. entered the war. Sergeant Theodor Petersen received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Medical Detachment, 151st Field Artillery (Attached), 42d Division, A.E.F., near Pexonne, France, 5 March 1918. After being mortally wounded, Sergeant Petersen gave first gas tests in order to save the lives of the men about him. He died the same night. He was a well-known and liked swimming instructor at the Minneapolis Athletic Club.
Stephen Sherman was born and raised in Minneapolis. The family lived at 1811 Colfax Avenue South. He graduated from Central High in 1916 and attended the University of Minnesota. He rushed to enlist in the Marine Corps on April 10, 1917, just days after the U.S. entered the war. By the end of July, he was on board a ship bound for France. He was a sergeant in 20th Company, 5th Marine Regiment by June 1918. On June 7, 1918, the second day of the famed Marine assault on the German position in Belleau Wood, Sergeant Sherman was killed in action during fierce fighting. He is buried in Minneapolis Lakewood Cemetery. For a photo of Stephen Sherman and to hear Stephen Chicoine’s address on Sherman’s service and sacrifice on this past Memorial Day, click this link.
PFC Arthur Handstad is another of the nine servicemen honored along Victory Memorial Drive who were in their teens. The son of Norwegian immigrants, Arthur was born and raised in Minneapolis. The family home was at 2017 30th Avenue S in the Seward neighborhood, not far from the Mississippi River. He graduated from Minneapolis South High School and was a clerk at a hardware store when he enlisted in the service in September 1917. Handstad served with Company M, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division (the Big Red One, as the division is known to this day). The division was among the first to go overseas, arriving in Europe in December 1917. Major Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., was an officer with the 26th Regiment. The 1st Division was given the assignment in July 1918 to close the Marne salient and take the French city of Soissons. It was the largest U.S. offensive of the war up to that time – involving two U.S. divisions. The victory was costly. Over 700 men were killed or wounded. Among the dead was PFC Handstad, killed by an artillery blast. He was eighteen years old. His parents brought the remains home and buried them in Crystal Lake Cemetery. For a photo of Arthur Handstad, click this link.
Ben V. Owens was passionate about baseball. His mother wrote, “He was converted and united with the Methodist Church . . . his favorite piece was “Abide in Me.” Ben and his wife Mabel lived in Minneapolis. He entered the Army and shipped off to France on the U.S.S. Tuscania. Private Owens was among more than two thousand American troops aboard. The convoy was steaming through the Irish Sea off the coast of Scotland at 5:40 p.m. on the night of February 5, 1918 when a German U-boat torpedoed the Tuscania. There were only enough lifeboats for half the passengers. Other ships in the convoy picked up as many from the sea as they could. The continued presence of the U-Boat hampered efforts. Near the end, the boats pulled back top avoid being sucked by the sinking of the ship. The Tuscania sank into the sea four hours later. 230 people were lost to the sea. Over 200 of those were American soldiers. Forty-seven bodies washed ashore at Port Charlotte on the island of Islay, Scotland. One of those bodies was that of Ben Owens of Minneapolis. The Tuscania was the first troopship carrying American troops to be sunk. Americans were outraged and saddened. Four hundred Scots attended a public funeral in the pouring rain. A bagpiper played and a rifle squad fired a salute. Mabel Owens eventually had Ben’s body exhumed and brought home. He was buried in Crystal Lake Cemetery. Pvt. James Buckley of Minneapolis was also among the bodies which washed ashore.
Lester Brennan was born in Minneapolis, graduated from North High School and the University of Minnesota. He studied law at the U, but was most interested in singing. He had a very fine tenor voice. He was the business manager and understudy to the lead tenor for the Walker Stevens Opera Company in Minneapolis. He enlisted in the British Royal Flying Corps in New York City on July 19, 1917. He left for England with his officer commission on 19 November 1917. He trained over the Salisbury Plain in England. One week before departing for war in France with the 99th Bomber Squadron, his plane collapsed at 6,000 feet and broke into pieces. He died on impact. He was buried in London Road Cemetery in Salisbury, England. For a photo of Lt. Brennan, click this link. For a photo of his gravestone, click this link.
Cyrus Chamberlain was born in Minneapolis. His father was president of a major bank in town. The family lived at 2312 Blaisdell Avenue in South Minneapolis, west of Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Cyrus graduated from Princeton in 1910 and returned home to work in insurance with Marsh & McLennan. He was a partner by 1917, as well as a member of the Minneapolis Club, the Minikahda Club and Hennepin Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church. When the U.S. entered the war, Cyrus Chamberlain went to France and joined the legendary Lafayette Escadrille, a volunteer unit of mostly Americans. When the Escadrille disbanded in February 1918, Chamberlain served in Escadrille Spad 98 of the French Air Corps. The squadron flew air superiority missions over the front lines in the spring of 1918. On 13 June, Sergent Pilote Chamberlain’s group dove from 12,000 feet on some German aircraft. Other German fighters were circling above and closed the trap. In the ensuing melee, Cyrus Chamberlain was killed by machine gun fire from an enemy aircraft. His remains lie in Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery in Paris. For a photo of Cyrus Chamberlain with his Spad, click this link. His family and friends published his letters after his death.
Also honored along Victory Memorial Parkway is another Minneapolis flyboy, Ernest Groves Wold. His father Theodore was a bank president, whom became the first governor of the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis in 1914. His parents lived at 1779 Emerson Avenue South in the Lowry Hill neighborhood and the family was active in Plymouth Congregational Church. Young Wold graduated from Minneapolis West High School in 1914 and went on to study at the Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania. He left Penn in May 1917 and enlisted in the Army. He sailed to France in November 1917 and served with the 1st Aero Squadron. He received his officer commission in May 1918. The squadron flew out of Issoudun Aerodrome. During his time in France, Lt. Wold set an altitude record. His Certificate of Gallantry reads as follows: On July 25, 1918, during the Chateau-Thierry Offensive, Lieutenant Wold with Lieutenant Corley as Observer, while on a reconnaissance mission, was attacked by a patrol of seventeen enemy planes. The enemy patrol descended through a hole in the clouds and had surrounded Lt. Wold’s ship. In spite of the overwhelming odds, Lieut. Wold, through exceptional coolness and accurate firing, succeeded in eluding the enemy and shooting one down out of control. Although the enemy remained in the immediate vicinity, he re-crossed the line three more times, being driven out each time. Due to the courage and tenacity of Lieut. Wold, the mission was finally completed and information of the greatest possible value obtained. Lieut. Wold was killed in action 1 August 1918 while on a photographic mission. He was driven out several times by hostile patrols. On his fourth attempt, he was attacked by five enemy planes and although wounded twice by machine-gun bullets, he re-crossed the lines, but his controls had been shot away and his plane fell in a vrille [nose-first spinning descent]. Wold was twenty-one years old. He was buried in Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France. To see a photo of Lt. Wold in uniform, click this link.
Sabra Hardy graduated in nursing from Asbury Hospital in Minneapolis. She enlisted as a Red Cross Army Nurse at Minneapolis on December 10, 1917. She shipped overseas with Base Hospital #54 in the fall of 1918. She came down with influenza shortly after arriving in Mesves, France and died of pneumonia a week later on October 4, 1918. She was twenty-seven years old. Sabra Hardy’s remains lie in St. Mihiel American Cemetery in France. For a photo of Sabra, click this link. For the Gold Star Roll form, several letters and numerous photos of Sabra Hardy, click this link.
Edward Moore was born in Excelsior. After graduating from Hopkins High School, Edward worked as an assistant shipping clerk. He lived with his parents in St. Anthony Main at 408 9th Street SE. Edward enlisted in the Army and was posted at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. He died on October 8, 1918 of pneumonia brought on by influenza. For a photo of Pvt. Moore, click this link.
Elmer Sherman attended Edina High School. He enlisted in the Army on April 15, 1917, just days after the U.S. entered the war. He was seventeen years old. On January 1, 1918, he boarded a troop transport to cross the Atlantic Ocean. He was a private in the 9th Regiment, a U.S. regular Army unit in the 2nd Division. Near midnight on April 13, 1918, the regiment near Maizeey endured intense artillery fire from a German box barrage. The doughboys emerged from their dugouts to find the position overwhelmed by German storm troopers. The Germans gained entry wearing French uniforms with Red Cross armbands. Hand-to-hand combat ensued and lasted for two hours. A number of Americans were taken prisoner, but later escape. The regiment suffered over seventy casualties. This and subsequent raids were Private Sherman’s first combat experiences. In June 1918, the division blocked the German advance on Paris. The 9th Regiment took the village of Vaux and held the line against German counterattacks on the right flank of the Marines in Belleau Wood. They sustained intense artillery fire. The 9th Regiment saw considerable action in September in the costly St. Mihiel Offensive. In October 1918, the 9th Regiment took part in the assault on Blanc Mont Ridge, one of the most formidable positions in the entire German line. Tens of thousands of French soldiers gave their lives trying to dislodge the Germans in the course of the war. The mission to take Blanc Mont Ridge was given to the veteran soldiers of 2nd Division. Private Elmer Sherman was eighteen years old. An open slope more than a mile long exposed any attacker to machine gun and artillery fire. He died on October 3, 1918, the first day of nearly a month of vicious fighting which took place before the Americans took the fortress. He lies buried in Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. At his memorial service in Edina, it was noted that he was the first of the community to enlist and the only one that did not return home. His parents and his three younger brothers were in attendance. Three Civil War veterans also were present to honor the young man.
Lydia Whiteside, a 1911 nursing graduate of Asbury Hospital in Minneapolis, went overseas to serve with the University of Minnesota Base Hospital. She saw considerable action as an Army nurse near the front with Mobile Hospital #1. Lydia died on October 21, 1918 from pneumonia following a bout with influenza. See Lydia’s photo, letters and more at this link to her page on the Minnesota Historical Society website. Additional letters and articles concerning Lydia are at this link.
Alfred Peterson lived with his parents at 23 East 17th Street in Minneapolis, near Stevens Square Park. He studied at Dunwoody Institute. His plan was to be an electrician. On April 23, 1917, just after the United States entered the war, Alfred enlisted in the United States Navy. On September 1, 1917, after going through Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Peterson went aboard the USS Marietta. She was a schooner-rigged gunboat, which served in the Spanish American War. The Marietta did convoy duty across the Atlantic Ocean. On October 1, Seaman Peterson was sent to a hospital in Pauillac, France. He died of bronchial pneumonia on October 14, 1918. He was nineteen years old. He was buried in a cemetery in Pauillac. For a photo of Seaman Alfred Peterson in uniform, click this link.
September 26, 1918 was the initial day of the massive Meuse-Argonne Offensive by the United States forces. The U.S. Aero Squadrons were in the air in full force to support the troops advancing on the ground. Accordingly, the Germans had every plane they had available in the air. Lieutenant Irving Roth was a pilot with the 49th Aero Squadron, 2nd Pursuit Group. Three German fighter planes attacked Lt. Roth and shot him down on September 26. He is buried in Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery. His widowed mother wrote of her son, “He was a lad of so much pluck and pep and would have made so much of his life if he had been spared.” Irving Roth graduated from Minneapolis East High and Macalester College. At Macalaester, he was a mile runner, captain of the 1916 track team, editor of the school’s paper and an intercollegiate debater. He somehow found time to teach Bible classes at the Y. Immediately upon graduating, he rushed overseas and served as a volunteer ambulance driver with the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps. He survived and joined the U.S. Aviation Corps when the U.S. Army took over the ambulance corps. He was commissioned as an officer on April 1, 1918. He planned to attend Harvard University’s new Graduate School of Business once the war was over.
Sgt. William Peck died in action near Remonville with the 42nd (Rainbow) Division on November 1, 1918. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for his extraordinary heroism and was selected as One of Pershing’s One Hundred Heroes.
Sergeant Peck was advancing with his company across an open field when an enemy machine gun opened fire on them from the right front. The attention of the platoon commander was occupied by the enemy in his front while the enemy on the right flank was directing his gun upon him. Observing that the gunner was aiming directly at Second Lieutenant William S. Holcombe, Sergeant Peck threw himself against the lieutenant, pushing him into a shell hole, thereby saving his life, but exposing himself to the fire of the hostile gun which killed him instantly. For a brief four-page summary of the Gold Star Roll form for Sgt. Peck, click this link.
Vincent O’Sullivan survived six months as an ambulance driver for the Norton-Harjes Volunteer Ambulance Corps in France before American forces arrived in France. A number of ambulance drivers enlisted in the Army Air Corps, possibly seeking similar independence and adrenalin rush. O’Sullivan never made it back overseas. He was severely wounded in a machine gun explosion during a class on November 1, 1918 and fought to live for hours before passing. He was ten days from receiving his commission as a lieutenant. For a brief four-page summary of O’Sullivan’s Gold Star Roll form, click this link.
Marine Pvt. Harold Moldestad posthumously received the Silver Star for his heroism on November 1, 1918. Private Moldestad distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving with Company C, 6th Machine-Gun Battalion, 2d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in action near Magenta Ferme, Meuse-Argonne Sector, 1 November 1918, in charging and capturing a battery of artillery with other members of his company and endeavoring to remove it to the rear. His body was brought home and buried in Minneapolis’ Lakewood Cemetery.
Twenty-eight Marines are honored and remembered along Victory Memorial Drive. Eighteen were killed in action, another eight died of wounds received in action and two died of disease.
Pvt. Everett McClay was the grandson of John McClay, who died in the Civil War with the famed 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment. For a photo of John and more information on his service, click this link. Everett grew up on the family farm in Eden Prairie. He worked for the Minneapolis Tribune as a machinist before enlisting and mustering into the 357th Infantry Regiment of the 90th Division. He was killed in action on November 4, 1918. He was twenty-two years old. His wife delivered their first child one month after his death. The family brought the body home to be buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Eden Prairie. For his Gold Star form, click this link. For a photo of Everett and more information about him, click this link
Delegations from Germany and France met in secret on November 8, 1918 to negotiate an end to the fighting. The process took three days, during which the death toll only rose further.
Pvt. Robert Schneider grew up at 1524 Morgan Avenue North, just across the street from the south end of North Commons in North Minneapolis. He was the son of German immigrants and worked as a teamster. Schneider entered the Army in June 1918 at the age of 23 years. He became part of the 148th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Division. The division entered Belgium as the war headed into November 1918. The Germans began a general withdrawal and the division followed in hot pursuit. Schneider’s Company M along with Company K built a makeshift bridge across the Scheldt River. They had the honor of being the first allied units to enter Belgium. They took up defensive positions on the east bank. The division prepared to press forward across the river and take up pursuit. The division attack order was given at midnight on November 9. Forward movement commenced at 7 a.m. on November 10. The doughboys soon realized that the Germans were in strength across the river and holding their ground. Intense artillery fire caused considerable loss of life. It was during this fighting on the last day of the war that Pvt. Robert Schneider was killed in action. His family recovered his remains and buried them in Crystal Lake Cemetery. Pvt. Arthur Taberman, also of Minneapolis, served in Company M alongside Pvt. Robert Schneider. He too died in the fierce fighting on November 10.
Finally, at 5:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the two parties agreed that the armistice would commence at 11:00 a.m. Six more hours of artillery shelling to add further to the death toll. The firing ceased on the moment at which the armistice took effect.
Corp. Robert Northway was born and raised in Minneapolis. He was older than most soldiers in the Great War. His father Winslow was a Civil War veteran, who fought at Shiloh, Corinth and in the campaign for Atlanta. His parents were both deceased. Robert had a successful business career. He ran the the Minneapolis office of a major timber company headquartered in Seattle. Northway was active in Westminster Presbyterian Church and a member of the Minneapolis Athletic Club. He was forty-six years old when he enlisted in the Canadian Army. He trained for sixteen weeks on the Isle of Sheppey off England. A comrade wrote, ” . . . in spite of his years bravely endured the long, hot drills in the sultry field, the jumping, running, climbing. It is no easy thing for a man of 47 to do violent exercises for 8 hours with boys of 20. He shot well.” The 18th Battalion Rifle Brigade moved to France on September 22, 1918. In October, Corporal Northway led his section into a hedge and was badly wounded. As stretcher bearers were carrying Northway off the field, he was struck by shrapnel. He was removed to Bethnel Green Military Hospital in London, where Robert Northway fought for weeks to stay alive. On November 12, 1918, the day after the Armistice, Corp. Robert Northway died. His earthly remains are buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery in England. To read a three-page letter about Robert, written by a comrade and friend, who last saw him wounded on the battlefield, click this link.
Corp. Enoch Shodall was born to Swedish parents and resided at 1939 Drew Avenue South in Minneapolis. He worked as a chauffeur for an engineering company in Minneapolis. He was inducted into the Army at Minneapolis in January 1918 and shipped out to Europe in May with the 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division. On September 29, 1918, the 30th Division assaulted the formidable Hindenburg Line, an important segment of the German defensive network on the Western Front during World War I. The division sustained heavy casualties before taking the village of Bellicourt and breaking the Hindenburg Line. Corp. Shodall suffered wounds in both legs on September 29. From that point on, he fought for his life in a hospital at Rouen. Surgeons amputated both legs in an attempt to save his life. He was able to celebrate the end of the war on November 11. Two days later, Enoch Shodall died of blood poisoning. His remains lie in the hallowed ground of Somme American Cemetery in France. He was twenty-four years old.
Pvt. Linton Skobba grew up in South Minneapolis and graduated from Central High School. He left the University of Minnesota in April 1917 and enlisted in the Marines. He served with 78th Company, 6th Regiment. He was gassed at Belleau Wood and hospitalized. He returned to his unit in August in time to take part of the St. Mihiel Offensive. He went missing in action on September 15, 1918. His parents did not receive word that he was alive until November 2, 1918. He was severely wounded, both of his legs paralyzed, and was taken prisoner. Skobba’s captors sent him to a prison hospital in Germany. He wrote that he was well taken care of. Pvt. Skobba and his fellow POWs celebrated the end of the war on November 11 and expected to go home. However, Skobba’s health took a turn for the worse and he died on December 4, 1918. The family brought his body home and buried it in Minneapolis’ Lakewood Cemetery. For his Gold Star form and a news clipping, click this link. For a good photo click this link.
Corporal John Joseph O’Neill of Minneapolis served in an engineering unit in the Quartermaster Corps near the front and worked with the Inter Allied Railway Commission in Treves [known today as Trier], Germany after the war. He suffered from a cold for several weeks, entered the hospital on February 21, 1919 and died on the morning of February 25 of pneumonia. The Minnesota Historical Society website has a fine file of correspondence related to Corporal O’Neill at this link. The file includes a letter from John, a commendation for courage under fire on July 15, 1918 near the Chateau-Thierry front (“How your lives were spared, God only knows”), the funeral service (“No officer of the U.S. Army who died in Europe since we first arrived has had a better funeral.”) and some moving tributes to John Joseph O’Neill in the aftermath of his passing (“the old German with whom he was staying in Treves came to the funeral and wept with a heartfelt of pain …”).
Clarence Cofer grew up in Excelsior and was a captain for Donaldson Delivery Boats on Lake Minnetonka. The air service rejected him because of a heart defect so he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He trained at Dunwoody Institute as a mechanic and earned a machinist mate second class certificate. The Navy then sent him to Columbia University in New York City from which he became a machinist mate – one of the youngest Columbia turned out. He became the chief machinist on Sub Chaser 205, a small gasoline-powered vessel. Sub Chaser 205 served on the East Coast, escorting vessels to 500 miles offshore and then turning over the convoy to destroyers. On one occasion, the crew located and pursued a German U-Boat, which they sank with depth charges. He was the only child of his mother Elizabeth, who was widowed. On Saturday, April 4, 1919, Elizabeth received a telegram stating that there had been an explosion on Sub Chaser 205 off Key West and that Clarence was in critical condition. A few hours later, a second telegram informed her that Clarence died.
Of the total servicemen and servicewomen honored and remembered along Victory Memorial Parkway, approximately 178 were killed in action, 60 died of wounds received in action, 57 died of accidental deaths and 256 died of disease.
FOR THE DISTANT FUTURE
As a Board Member of the Dr. Harold C. Deutsch World War II History Round Table, I facilitated an interactive discussion each month (sometimes twice a month) in the auditorium at the Historic Fort Snelling Visitors Center.
I have taken a leave of absence from the WWII History Round Table so as to focus more on my consulting and also my writing (too many almost finished books). This is also appropriate as my focus has considerably shifted to the First World War.
This informal session is at 6:00 p.m. in advance of the formal program at 7:00 p.m. I talk with our guest speaker/author and also with the veterans, who will be on the panel after the formal program. Attendees are welcome to participate in the discussion. We encourage students to join us. The number of attendees has been on a steady rise for the last two years when we began this new and innovative addition to the evening’s program. If you have questions, please contact me via email at [email protected]
From time to time, I also facilitated the main session. Among the most notable was the American liberation of the Nazi camps. Another program involved the OSS. Interacting with the late Bob Maynard and hearing his stories of Wild Bill Donovan, whom he served for a time as aide in Kunming, China, was amazing. I had the pleasure of interviewing the renowned diplomatic and military historian Dr. Gerhard Weinberg in my pre-session program. His story of his days as a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany were both horrifying and very memorable.
For the most up-to-date Upcoming Events, see the Facebook page for “Steve Chicoine” or
follow this link to the author’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011345844988
Many people have asked when I will again teach a course through University of Minnesota. I am committed to getting at least my current book projects into print before I again immerse myself into a course. The time commitment of preparing for a course is a bit overwhelming and my writing inevitably suffers. I will return. I just do not know when that will be. Keep an eye on Facebook. Feel free to contact me at [email protected]