Alright, so the other day I was digging around for some info on World War I, ’cause, you know, history buff and all that. I stumbled upon this thing called the “Edwin Fountain World War I Commission.” I had heard the name “Edwin Fountain” tossed around in some history circles, so I figured I’d check it out.
First thing I did was hit up the website of the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission. Turns out, this Edwin Fountain guy was a big shot there. He was appointed to the commission back in 2013 by the Senate Majority Leader, no less! The website talks about building a National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C. – pretty cool, right? They also have this Doughboy Foundation linked to it, which I guess is part of the whole memorial project.
So, I started reading up on World War I itself. Man, what a mess that was. It all kicked off with the assassination of some Austrian archduke in 1914. Then there’s something about the Balkans being the “powder keg of Europe” which caused the whole mess. I gotta read more on that later. Anyway, things really heated up when the U.S. joined the party. The website says that the U.S. entering the war was the turning point that ultimately led to Germany’s defeat. They had all these supplies and credit to throw into the mix. It was a real global conflict, too, with fighting all over the place, even in the air for the first time. They weren’t kidding when they called it a “World War.”
Back to Fountain, I learned he’s actually the grandson of two World War I vets. That’s a pretty direct connection to the whole thing. It makes sense why he’d be so involved in this commission. He probably heard stories growing up. I mean, imagine your grandparents fighting in that war.
Here’s what I gathered about the commission’s mission:
- They’re all about commemorating the 100th anniversary of World War I.
- Building that National WWI Memorial in D.C. is a major project for them.
- Seems like they’re trying to educate people about the war and its impact, which is super important.
Honestly, I went in just curious about this Edwin Fountain guy and ended up getting a whole history lesson. It’s amazing how one little search can lead you down such a rabbit hole, you know? I’m definitely gonna keep digging into this stuff. There’s so much to learn about World War I, and this commission seems like a great resource. Maybe I’ll even visit that memorial in D.C. someday, once it’s all finished. Would be pretty cool, and maybe a little emotional, to stand there and think about all those who fought and died over a century ago.
