Commemorate anniversary of World War I at LV museum

"National Self-Determination," "Terrorist Attack," "Weapons of Mass Destruction," "Women's Rights." These may be modern headlines, but they are only a few of today's current issues that have roots going back at least 100 years to World War I.

At 1 p.m. July 15, the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum, 432 W. Walnut St., Allentown, will host a talk commemorating the anniversary of World War I and the Lehigh Valley's contributions to the war effort.

"Most current Americans view World War I, which the United States joined 100 years ago in 1917, as little more than a dry, distant historical footnote. Yet understanding World War I and its legacy is critical to understanding today's international situation," said Joseph Garrera, executive director of the museum.

In March 1917, after three years of official neutrality, the United States joined the war against Germany, fighting until victory came in November 1918. The nation mobilized around the cause of making the world "safe for democracy."

The heritage museum program will include a slide lecture and feature the chance to view a historical collection of photographs illustrating how the Lehigh Valley and its residents helped win the war.

Boys marched off to fight. Locally more than 20,000 trained at Camp Crane in the Allentown Fairgrounds. Camp Crane became the national headquarters of the United States Army Ambulance Service, preparing ambulance drivers and other medical personnel to serve on the brutal war front. The boys began arriving in camp on June 1, 1917, living in converted fairground barns and sheds.

The trainees were an exceptional group. Many were medical students studying at some of the finest universities in the country, including Harvard, Princeton and Yale.

Writers such as John Dos Passos and Ernest Hemingway trained at Camp Crane. Passos' novel "Three Soldiers" features characters he met at Camp Crane and relates some of his experiences in France.

The Lehigh Valley's industrial might also helped win the new style of war with its submarines, infantry trenches and chemical weaponry. Bethlehem Steel, Traylor Engineering, Mack Trucks and many other local companies produced military weapons, vehicles and even barbed wire for the trenches. With so many marching off to fight, people who had previously experienced few industrial job opportunities, including women and African-Americans, joined the wartime workforce. Their contributions spurred demands for equal rights.

Meanwhile, farmers and housewives contributed by growing more crops to feed the army and limiting use of critically needed foodstuffs such as wheat and meat.

There is an admission fee for nonmembers.

For more information, contact Garrera at 610-435-1074, or visit www.lehighvalleyheritagemuseum.org or visit on Facebook.