As tragic as it was, no one would have believed the assassination of the Archduke of the Austria-Hungarian Empire and his wife in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, would bring worldwide destruction. Yet, because the network of treaties among the European nations (supposedly in place to ensure peace) was so one-sided, it only took one infraction to create a firestorm. In retaliation for the assassination, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, a domino effect began that would bring all of Europe into the bloody morass we now know as World War I.
President Wilson and Congress were content to leave Europe to its problems, at least until May 1915, when Germany was accused of sinking the Lusitania, in which 128 Americans died. Still, Congress was reluctant to enter the war. One year later, in April 1916, Wilson gave an unheeded warning to Germany. And one year after that, the President addressed Congress, asking it to declare war on Germany. Within hours Congress complied, and the United States officially entered the war on April 6, 1917.
In 1918 Allen Saye Plexico of Sharon wrote from Belgium, where he was stationed, to his sister. She had written him about a recent murder in their town. “But sister, things like that do not affect me as they once did. I have become too much accustomed to it. Where I used to be stirred over the death of one individual, now my outlook is over thousands and thousands of mothers who have lost their dear boys.
“If you could see what I am seeing, which God forbid, I fear that you too, would soon become callous to the sight of dead men. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of them. It made me feel kind of curious at first; but not so any more. I do not mind it so much.
“During my last turn in the trenches, the man next to me was shot down dead. It made me feel a little shaky just as he fell; but that did not last long, as the bullets whistling about my head gave me something else to think about. I am glad to say that I was able to stand my ground and that I have come safely through thus far.
“I have not been in the trenches since July. I am not hankering for a return to the trenches, and I do not mind telling you so; but, if I am ordered to go back there, I shall not complain. While I have not told you before or anyone else, I will tell you now that I had what I thought was a close shave in the trenches. I got poisoned so badly that it seemed I would die. They got me back to the first aid station and fixed me up all right, so you need not worry about that.”
Plexico’s account of his war experiences was not uncommon, and many did not “come safely through.” It was the bloodiest war the western nations had seen. Naively, they believed it was “the war to end all wars.”
J.L. West – Author
This article and many others found on the pages of Roots and Recall, were written by author J.L. West, for the YC Magazine and have been reprinted on R&R, with full permission – not for distribution or reprint!
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