Alright, so listen up, I’m gonna tell ya ’bout this fella, Edwin Fountain, and this war thing, World War I, they call it. Don’t know much about fancy words, but I’ll tell ya what I know, ya hear?
Edwin Fountain and the Big War Memorial
So, this Edwin, he comes from a family that knows war. His grandpas, both of ’em, fought in that there World War I. Guess that’s why he got all mixed up in this memorial thing.
See, back in 2013, some big shot in the Senate, the Majority Leader they called him, he picked Edwin to be on this commission, the World War I Centennial Commission. Sounds fancy, right? Well, it was a big deal. They wanted to build somethin’ to remember all them folks who fought in that war, a big ol’ memorial in Washington.
Now, Edwin, he wasn’t just sittin’ around twiddlin’ his thumbs. He and this Libby O’Connell lady, they were the bosses, the commissioners. They did all sorts of things. They wrote up the rules for the memorial, you know, how big it should be, what it should look like. They even had a contest to see who could come up with the best design. Imagine that! Folks drawin’ pictures and buildin’ little models, all for this memorial.
Edwin and Libby, they looked at all them designs, pickin’ and choosin’, makin’ sure it was just right. Then they had to get all the papers signed and stamped, you know, the government stuff. Took a long time, I bet. And then, they had to figure out what to put at the memorial, the things that would help folks remember, like statues and words and such.
- Edwin’s Big Role: He wasn’t just a member, he was the Vice Chair at one point. That means he was second in charge, a big cheese, ya know? He even talked to the important people in Congress, explainin’ why they needed this memorial.
- The Memorial Act: They had this fancy law, the “World War I Memorial Act of 2014,” to make it all official. Edwin went and talked to the politicians, tellin’ them why it was important to remember the war.
- Building the Memorial: They took this park in Washington, Pershing Park, and turned it into the National World War One Memorial. Imagine that! Takin’ a park and makin’ it a place to remember.
- Lots of Helpers: Edwin didn’t do it all by himself, mind you. He had lots of folks helpin’ him, other commissioners, interns, all sorts of people. They worked together to get the job done.
This war, World War I, it changed a lot of things. Some folks started writin’ sad poems ’bout it. Women, they started doin’ jobs that men used to do, workin’ in factories and on farms. And artists, they stopped paintin’ those weird pictures they used to do and started doin’ somethin’ different.
So, Edwin and his crew, they built this memorial to make sure we don’t forget all them folks who fought and died in that war. They wanted to make sure we remember the sacrifices, the hard times, and how it changed everything. It’s important to remember, ya know? Even if it was a long, long time ago.
That’s about all I know ’bout Edwin Fountain and that World War I memorial. He seemed like a good fella, doin’ somethin’ important. And that’s all there is to it.
Tags: [Edwin Fountain, World War I, National World War I Memorial, WWI Centennial Commission, Libby O’Connell, Pershing Park, Washington DC, war memorial, history, veterans]
