Ashtyn Britt
abritt@lc.edu

This year is the one hundred year anniversary of the armistice of World War I, having been signed on Nov. 11, 1918. An educational and meaningful presentation was given to an audience of veterans, family members, and students educating them on the history of the first world war and the struggles that the soldiers of that time went through. The turnout had been wide, even including small children learning about the history of the war. In a presentation, it was discussed on the background of how World War I (WWI) started, the 45 nations who participated in WWI, and how by the end a few of those countries would no longer even exist.

Included in the presentation was a description of what life in the trenches had been like for WWI soldiers as well as the different medical situations that affected both their physical and mental health after being separated from their families to fight in the war, including Trench Foot and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as shown and described in letters from the soldiers to their families and loved ones. As everyone listened and learned in respectful silence, more interesting information of the Armistice and what the Armistice meant to the world had been described.

In between sections of the presentation, a choir had stood to sing and honor the veterans with classic patriotic songs such as God Bless America in memory of the soldiers who gave their lives during WWI for the United States of America to continue to have its well-beloved freedoms. Close to the end of the presentation, all the veterans who attended were asked to stand and be honored and applauded and thanked for their services by everyone else who attended. Afterward, a Q and A had been hosted to answer anyone else’s questions about WWI.