More Americans died in World War I than in Korea and Vietnam combined. The US played a key role in the Allied victory and became transformed into a world power as a result of it.
So, why no National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC? Part of the problem is a territorial feud between those who want to enhance the current mall memorial and those who say the Liberty memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, the site of the National World War I Museum already is the national memorial. Both groups have strong backers in the Congress.
The DC monument has deteriorated a lot since 1931, so much that in 2006, the D.C. Preservation League put it on their Most Endangered Places List.
A compromise has been reached between DC and Kansas City whereby both would be designated national World War memorials, but a bill still has to pass through Congress for it to come to pass.
A total of 4.7 million Americans served in the First World War (including my two grandfathers; one in the Army and the other in the Merchant Marine) and they seem to be the forgotten warriors.
Here's Hoping This Get Resolved While Mr. Buckles is Still With Us. --Cooter
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