Alright, let’s talk about this Edwin Fountain fella and that World War I thing. I ain’t no fancy scholar, ya know, just an old woman tryin’ to make sense of things. But from what I gather, this Edwin guy, he was a big shot in somethin’ called the World War I Centennial Commission. Sounds important, right?
Now, they had this big war a long time ago, World War I. Lots of fightin’ and such. America, they didn’t wanna get involved at first, stayed neutral, like they say. But then this fella Wilson, he was the president back then, he decided it was time to jump in. Said somethin’ about makin’ the world safe for democracy. Democracy, that’s when folks get to have a say, right? Anyways, they went to war.
So, this Edwin Fountain, he comes along later, way later. Seems like folks kinda forgot about all them soldiers who fought in that war. Can you believe it? These young men, they gave it their all, and nobody even bothered to build ‘em a proper memorial, not a big national one anyway. Just little ones here and there. That ain’t right, I tell ya.
- They fought hard.
- They gave everything.
- They deserved better.
Edwin, he saw this wasn’t right. He was the Vice Chairman, big important title, for this WWI Centennial Commission. In 2014, seems like they started tryin’ to fix things. They wanted to make sure folks remembered them 4.7 million Americans who served. That’s a whole lotta people, more than you can shake a stick at, I reckon. They wanted a real monument, somethin’ big and grand to honor them heroes.
Now, I heard tell there was this sculpture, “A Soldiers Journey.” Sounds purdy. Edwin and the other folks from the Commission, they gathered around it. Probably talkin’ about how to get that national memorial built. It’s a crying shame it took so long. Edwin, he said it sent the wrong message, not havin’ a national memorial. He’s right, you know. It’s like sayin’ them soldiers didn’t matter, and that ain’t true at all.
So, they finally got it done, I think. A monument for all them World War I heroes, not just some local thing. Took ‘em long enough, if you ask me. But better late than never, I always say. Those boys deserved it. They went off to fight, some of ‘em didn’t even come home. It’s important to remember what they did.
This Edwin Fountain, seems like he was a good fella, cared about them soldiers. He helped make sure they got the recognition they deserved. That’s a good thing, a real good thing. We gotta remember our history, ya know? Otherwise, we might just forget it all, and that would be a real shame.
I tell ya, war is a terrible thing. But those soldiers, they were brave. They did what they thought was right. And Edwin Fountain, he helped make sure we don’t forget ’em. So, good on him, I say. Good on him.
And that’s about all I know about this Edwin Fountain and that World War I Commission. Like I said, I ain’t no expert, just an old woman sharin’ what I heard. But I think it’s important to remember, to honor them who served. And it seems like Edwin Fountain thought so too.
Tags: [World War I, Edwin Fountain, Centennial Commission, WWI Memorial, American Heroes, Wilson, US History, Soldiers Journey, National Monument]
