World War I Brought My Grandparents Together He was given $5 and told to buy his own shoes.

His feet were so small that the Navy did not have shoes small enough to fit him. Although he was 22 years old, he barely met the minimum height requirement. Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915.

enlisted in the United States Navy after the R.M.S. My great-aunt’s cousin, Jesse Hollingsworth of Mount Airy, N.C. He Barely Met the Minimum Height Requirement One of the nurses' happiest days ever.” - Holly Buchanan, Snohomish, Wash. Remarks such as this came from the boys: ‘Gee isn't this great!’ or ‘When was the last time I had my feet under the table?’ or ‘This is next to being at home.’ It was a great day. It was late afternoon before the last were served. All ambulatory patients were seated at the table after the bed patients had their trays. 11! This is her scrapbook account of Thanksgiving, three weeks later: “All was in readiness on time for the turkey and dressing. Imagine the joy and gratitude of the soldiers and nurses when the armistice was signed on Nov. Her station in Orleans, France, received soldiers directly from the front lines. A farm girl from Mound City, Mo., she left home at 34 to become a nurse. My great-aunt, Minnie Strobel, served in the Army Nurse Corps. Sometimes even without understanding a word of English, these men put on a uniform and fought for a country they wanted to call home.īelow is a selection of submissions from readers.

Other readers wrote of relatives who joined the military to earn their citizenship after immigrating to the United States.

Countless families were forged during and after the war: young men and women, who may not have ever met otherwise, brought together under circumstances tied to their service. We received hundreds of submissions, many of which went beyond the traditional definition of a war story among the tales of loss, death and trauma were also stories of love, mischief and unexpected happiness. To commemorate the anniversary, we asked readers to share stories and memories of their relatives who had a role in World War I. 11, 2018, that peace agreement will be 100 years old. “The war thus comes to an end.” Those were the words that President Woodrow Wilson delivered to Congress after announcing the terms of the armistice, signed hours earlier - ending a global conflict that killed an estimated 8.5 million soldiers across both sides and injured 21 million more.

Sister soldier life after death