From the World War I Centennial News Podcast
Updates from the States:
Susi Adler from the Minnesota World War I Centennial Committee
In April 19th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 119, host Theo Mayer interviewed Susi Adler, a Minnesotan determined to commemorate the soldiers from her state killed in action during the Great War. The following is a transcript of the interview, edited for clarity:
Theo Mayer: As we came up on the Centennial of World War I, the U S World War I Centennial Commission tried to identify, support, and when needed, help organize local state organizations that would focus on their State Centennial Commemoration. These organizations really rocked it. They did an incredible job and created awareness, events, focused state legislative initiatives, education, and a lot more in their states. Although some of the organizations have since disbanded, as we crossed the centennial of the Armistice last year on November 11th, we really expected most of the state organizations to cease operation. To their credit, and to the great benefit of remembering World War I, many state World War I centennial organizations are not only still active, but as active as they've ever been. Even if the official organizations disbanded, the individuals who served on those committees and commissions have not stopped their activity. We want to use the section of the podcast to highlight and promote some of the exemplary work that is still going on. Especially since most of it is in the context of remembering those who served. Susi Adler is one such individual, a member of the Minnesota World War I Centennial Committee, who has created and continues to curate a Facebook group called Minnesotans Remembered. She here with us today to tell us about her project. Susi, welcome to the podcast.
Susi Adler: Thanks for having me on.
Susi Adler is a member of the Minnesota's State Committee, and also the curator of Minnesotans Remembered, a Facebook page dedicated the memory of WWI soldiers from MinnesotaTheo Mayer: So Susi, let me start by asking you, the Minnesota World War I Centennial Committee, is it still officially operating?
Susi Adler: Well, we did not want to disband officially, so we have decided that we are dormant. We keep in touch, if our group is needed. One of the items that we're currently working on is at Minnesota State Legislature. We have a bill to update a World War I plaque to be more inclusive. As part of our committee, we are following along. One of our members has gone to testify, to give our support to this new plaque. We're watching that as it's going through the legislature. At this point, we are informally still keeping in contact, and still doing our thing; but not as a formal process anymore.
Theo Mayer: Okay. Well thank you. Let's talk about your Facebook page, Minnesotans Remembered. What is it, and how did it get started, and, what kind of things will I find if I go there?
Susi Adler: Well, my interest in the Minnesotans who served in World War I started back in 2014. I was in the Meuse-Argonne area for a week, at the same time as a group of friends, including Doug Bekke, who was then the curator of the Minnesota Military Museum. And each morning our group would get together for an early breakfast, Doug would tell us what he was planning to do that day; pull out maps and describe the context, and the special significance to Minnesotans. I was totally fascinated, and of course, we followed Doug on his plan for the day. Doug Bekke has been my mentor ever since. Along with most of the notable sites of the area, we went to the American cemeteries. On my first visit to the Meuse-Argonne American cemetery, I was struck by the beauty and calm of the cemetery. There are 15,000 Americans commemorated in that cemetery. The grave markers are perfectly aligned. It's quiet, except for the trees rustling a little bit in the wind, and the occasional visitor wandering down a row. This is on the same land that our soldiers fought valiantly; it would have been very chaotic at the time. While military strategy and geography are important to understanding World War I, I was just drawn to the individual soldiers named on the crosses. As I stood there, alone in a section, my eyes are drawn to a grave marker from a soldier from Minnesota. And then, another one from Minnesota, and another one. And I wondered, does anybody from Minnesota remember, the Minnesotans who were very buried 4,000 miles from home? People know their uncle. They may have heard about a great-uncle who knows, or remembers the great-great-uncle. I decided I would remember them. That began my mission, to document something personal about each of the Minnesota soldiers. After I started this project, now when I stand in the cemetery, I don't see a field across us. I see faces of soldiers from Minnesota, I hear their stories, and they know their stories are documented and will be remembered.
Theo Mayer: Oh, that's beautiful. Well, as you compile these stories, what are one of two that stick out for you the most?
Susi Adler: Oh, they're all my Minnesota boys. In France, my friends over there, my local friends there tease me. I have a Minnesota boy for you, they tell me.
Theo Mayer: So you've adopted them all.
Susi Adler: About 466 so far. But there are some, that just tug at my heart. For instance, Lauren Gammell who was a Sergeant First Class, and a classmate of his at Hamlin University, Glenn Donaldson, they were part of a group that volunteered together to be an ambulance unit. As an ambulance unit, they did get split up and put wherever they needed to be. Lauren and Glen happened to be together in October of 1918, and were serving the 2nd Division, bringing the wounded back from a fierce battle and the ambulance got hit by shell fire. Both of them won the distinguished service cross, and it's one thing to have won the distinguished service cross, but most of these people were just ordinary boys. I'm older now, so boys is appropriate, because they're my son's age.
The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in FranceTheo Mayer: They were boys. You are absolutely right.
Susi Adler: Yes, and I feel, as the mother of these men, they didn't have to go one more time to go get more wounded, but they did it because they felt they needed to. So those two are both buried at the Meuse-Argonne American cemetery. I visit those two, each and every time I go to the cemetery. Then, I actually was on the spot where their ambulance had been hit, and commemorated their story 100 years later. That really struck something to me, about being in their place at the time. They were easy to research, and the other soldiers are a little harder. Sometimes, all I can get as the basic rank name, unit date of death. One of these soldiers is private Clark Harris, who was with the 369th Infantry, which is part of the 93rd Division. The policy and practice of segregation and discrimination, discounted the bravery and patriotism that had been shown by the 369th. I could not find a gold star file, a bonus file with the Minnesota Historical Society. There's no mention in Winona county in their book of the war. He is listed in The Soldiers of the Great War book, under died of accident with a home town of Winona. But I have nothing more personal than that. Which means that I have not given up. It's just gone on my list of need to find photo in different places, for this man. I could probably talk for another five, six hours on my Minnesota boys.
Theo Mayer: But, you know, Susi, it's obvious that this is a deeply personal, and an emotional, and a beautiful story for you. If somebody wanted to undertake a similar project, what advice would you give them?
Susi Adler: Number one, be organized. I can't tell you how many times I have gone down that same path to not find a photo, and then realize, "Oh yeah, I checked that before." The second thing would be to be very, very diligent. You can't give up. The photos will come eventually, you just need to keep going. And third is, have as much Kleenex around you as you're going to need. Because, as I read the stories, especially a gold star file that was written by their mother, where they say, "My boy," oh, that tugs at my heartstring. My husband can always tell if I have been doing research on this, because I have my pack of Kleenex right next to me. He says, you can stop. And it's like, "No. No, I can't."
Theo Mayer: Well, Susi, first of all, thank you for coming on and telling us about this. Also thank you for the work that you're doing. On the Doughboy MIA site, there's a little inscription that they say that, "No one is truly lost, if they are not forgotten," and, it's so true. It's people like yourself that are really important to keeping this in America's reality.
Susi Adler: Well, thank you for letting me share the stories, and having me on. I really appreciate it.
Theo Mayer: Susi Adler is a member of the Minnesota World War I Centennial Committee, who's created and continues to curate a Facebook page called, Minnesotans Remembered. We have links for you on the podcast notes to the Facebook page. Thank you, Susi.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2070559592974501/
https://youtu.be/Y_Y74qRYSCo