question and answer time give you name. present dr. timothy or. in american es military history. he has written about the lives of union soldiers.

american naval history and virginia history. dr. timothy or. [applause] >> on september 19, 1917. one of medal honors. the medal e admitted was a small conversation for his services. the more he looked at it the more despicable than medal.. i was left alone with

across, i have thoughts in my mind with those that were with me. it resembled a grotesque impression of the war brutality. focused upon the colors, solid black with a sickly yellow edge. he began nightmares. he wrote, it seems like progress is made of shell. bandages crossing, voices, of stump of a leg. not want to see all those black and yellow sites again.

he did not have to wait long for fate to render, four days later he was killed. of the area across -- iran cross. symbol of suffering and death. the middle ought to be designed for the symbolizes. who unremembered human cause. way the great war, it emphasized between what the war was and what people wanted it to be. the impersonal forces do not wait long to teach this lesson.

the emptiness of the war spirit and astonishing transformation. with high-minded ideals, robbing national patriotism. how can such a transformation happen so quickly. they accounted for the speed and humanity destroyed itself. was so well prepared, accelerated that held back destruction. senseless and caos. you get the sense that organization went hand-in-hand. when the great war began, it the military in

europe flat handed. germany possessed the to plans to invade. the sweeping plan. 10 movement to belgium witth german armies going against french the fences. they ultimately strategy in the years after. the french meanwhile, set an elaborate plan of their own. which involved a massive army this slammed ing the gemini -- germany left flank. they were untries so

not ready. defenses ran into trouble. offense made it incredible ng an sweep to belgian. leapfrogging moves from the german and the allies, to tell the enemy to the northern flank. run out ctober they had of land. great of a stalemate. for the soldiers the early base the war was open.

one german soldier in his the face felt ashamed to

of enemy he never returned home.

the soldiers were spared the great horror of later years. to a e wall made of it bloody stalemate. the germans played a single army. million person hold the german armyoperated in the notion. the outnumbered germans play tactics with russia. they kept at 19,000 prisoners. the russian army make that progress. arrival of of the reinforcements, the

russians were ready. although the eastern front represented hell on earth, the next two years by end of the war 9 million allied soldiers have died. wire and deep trenches. a german soldier went into no man's land. the whistle of bullets, on the right another man was shot in the arm. we're supposed to fire but

there was no enemy. getting into er on the disorder. tic tac, our own machine gun was firing at our backs. from behind we heard the cry of the soldier. we crawled out in spite of the fire. over later we had crawled the dead bodies. was killed soon after, in may 1915. allies and central powers. they had gas attacks and with special

infiltration units. land ing through no man's and barb wire. 1915, the spring of everyday since small engagement occurred along the line. august, they to committed 1.2 million german soldiers. by the end of the struggle the in something thousand casualties. battlewas ust as the

going to close, the british organized an ambitious offensive. using the british fourth army of the french fifth, they went into the gym -- german line. there was little destruction with their artillery. the afflicted 30,000 casualties. that number rose to 57,000. they did nothing to break the deadlock. the fighting was done, and had a particularly devastating effect on the survivors.

overpowering urge, even ask a mutiny just for self-preservation. in the shell holes. soldier to set down and waited in whole what they were going to kill him. soon wondered enlisted men started to fill the whole asking for help. what can we do? there ror some visible in is that everywhere. two of them was seriously hit. in addition he lost a leg. the second man has no faith, and an arm blown off.

lieutenant, don't make me die. another important me to kill him. terrible moments. mud. were splattered with they died before eyes without anybody been able to help. that did not hold the allies back. in 1917 the only increased the frequency. knowing russia is seen knockout. a series of the language ake

in flandes. by this point the german had mastered the defense. this allowed allied troops to in only to find a hot system of defense. the germans minimize the losses. inflicting heavy losses between the british and french. british lost 40,000 men. 1917 the ictory in german army did not sit back. with the us now sitting on the side of the allies. believe the army was under

the clock. plant g diligently, they in meticulous sprints hoping to have the armies in the western front. the german army clouded the british position to share back a mile. still, germany's offense did not have the goal. impetus general maintain the line. by the time it was over and over 688,000 have died. the spring german

offensive, a signal an important change in the effort. us forces entered the war back in april 1917. 50,000 arrived in summer. that demonstrate offense, attacking a newly arrived american division. by the americans held their sector firm. they initiate a counteroffensive of their own. defensive one better than anticipated. if produced what is known as the black day of the german army. he ordered two simultaneous

offenses. the primarily american current more than 80,000 troops. all the other offenses, it was terribly disappointing. if a shot of his objectives. to the americans the award started like they had not imagined. accepting hard time unsafe. ry area was soldier found a hard to consent the filthiness of the war he saw around him.

he noted the horrible conditions on the road. rain in ouring down november 2. we crossed the stream, then we were told to sleep anywhere be pleased. blanket downin the mud. the death of friends that died from other ones that were not from battle. he recalls the death of a man from his unit. a soldier from oregon decided he and i had enough. trigger and his brain was all of the ground. he was getting

to stay in ecided france. but he's bitter memory was the invocation camp in 1919 waiting after the war ended. conditions were so bad in the so just so f you bad. home to local newspaper, german prisoners have not been treated so bristly -brutally as americans had. he n he went back to the us made a poem.

we have loaded ships in the cold. we went about our duties. we knew it would be heaven when we got back or breath. when we laid aside, they were not even ask us to dust golden stairs. were here st. peter happiness.ve wellfleet is preserved peace after the war. the members of all of those which perished in the wall.

the government organization took a primary mission of preventing war. service -- observers have their doubts. in fortunes, ed war accomplished a thing. it was the bloodiest war in human history. the r the formation of

league of nations. conflicts upon armed with pessimism. are not our nation's in war. to have ill continue the idea that the national spirit will prevail. the reality is that we can create unbreakable that looks. a veteran was asking for the peace in the 20th century. i cannot see how human ideas can be settled. except by force.

make it impossible only when he's forced to do so. thank you very much. [applause]