'We're trying to incite a national conversation'
National War War One Centennial Commission Executive Director Daniel Dayton spoke during The American Legion's 98th national convention in Cincinnati on Aug. 27. Photo by Lucas Carter/The American Legion

'We're trying to incite a national conversation'

On Saturday morning during The American Legion's national convention in Cincinnati, National War War One Centennial Commission Executive Director Daniel Dayton spoke to the Legion's Internal Affairs Commission about progress on a national war memorial in Washington, the ongoing impact of World War I, and how The American Legion can work with his commission to mark the 100th anniversary of both the war's end and the Legion's beginning.

Dayton, who is a member of the Navy Reserve, said that in only 18 months the United States sent more than two million troops to Europe; more soldiers died there than in Korea and Vietnam combined. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles redrew maps and ended empires - actions Dayton said are linked "inexorably" to current crises like the civil war in Syria and the rise of ISIS. "We're trying to incite a national conversation" to make those links more visible, he added.

Along with increased recognition of the war and its legacy will be increased recognition of its dead. Dayton went into detail on the makeup of the commission (including American Legion representative Jim Whitfield) and progress on the restoration of Pershing Park/construction of a national World War I memorial in the nation's capital. They have approval from Congress but no money - at this point, they are largely funded by the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago, although they hope to announce more sponsors soon. Plans are in place for a commemorative coin and stamp, and Dayton described plans for a meeting of heads of state of participating nations - on both sides - in Kansas City. They are also in communication with transition teams for the major presidential candidates, to keep the war's centennial on the mind of the White House through its end.

Pershing Park is set to be dedicated on Veterans Day 2018, and with it rededications of the winning 100 local memorials in the 100 Cities/100 Memorials fund-matching program that kicked off in July. All sorts of local groups are being encouraged to apply for $2,000 out of a $200,000 block for restoration, but Dayton put special emphasis on American Legion posts. The Legion is a supporting organization of the program, which was adopted by Resolution 19, passed in May by the National Executive Committee.

Dayton estimated that there may be between 8,000 and 10,000 World War I memorials in the United States, "depending on what you call a memorial," he said. Details of the program, including guidelines and online application form, can be found here. It is sharing space with the Legion's 100th Anniversary promotion in the exhibit hall of the Duke Energy Convention Center. "We're all on the same team here," Dayton commented, "and we're delighted to be."