Century Memorial

Century Memorial

In the picturesque Vosges Mountains in northeastern France near the border with Germany, Lexington, Missouri native George T. Cullom made the ultimate sacrifice for his country during World War I. Cullom became a local hero but is considered one as well by the people of Linthal, France. Cullom will be among 49 U.S. soldiers who died in a battle in 1918 in Linthal, France to be honored next year in the small mountain village. With an eye to commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1918 WWI battle in the village of Linthal, Hubert Martin, president of a memorial history society in Alsace, is attempting to gather information about all 49 U.S. soldiers who died there. Organizers have been contacting family members in the U.S. about a 100th anniversary commemoration of the battle planned for September, 2019. In addition, a monument is being built at the site of the Oberlauchen Cemetery where the U.S. soldiers were originally buried (the cemetery was destroyed by the Germans in 1940).  The monument will be dedicated during the commemoration. Pvt. Cullom was first buried on Aug. 27, 1918 in the Oberlauchen Cemetery. Later some U.S. soldiers, including Cullom, were reburied in the American Cemetery of Meuse-Argonne, near Verdun. Cullom was the first soldier from Lexington, Missouri to be killed in World War I. Pvt. Cullom volunteered in August 1917 for Lafayette County’s Company A of the 6th Missouri Regiment. He trained at Camp Clark (Nevada, Missouri.) and Camp Doniphan (Ft. Sill, Oklahoma) and arrived in France in 1918. After surviving Chateau-Thierry and the Second Battle of the Marne with the 140th Infantry, Cullom was killed in August. The American Legion Post in Lexington, Missouri is named in his honor. Hubert Martin has been in contact with some members of the George Cullom American Legion Post in Lexington in an attempt to make contact with family members of the U.S. soldiers who were killed in Linthal. “Many thanks for your answer for helping us honor the memory of our dear U.S. heroes; they were killed helping Alsace come back to France in 1918 (Alsace was annexed to Germany in 1871),” writes  Martin in one email exchange. Relatives of other fallen soldiers will also attend to the ceremony. In an email sent to the Lexington News, Martin explained why it was so important to pay tribute to these soldiers. “It’s really important for us to honor these soldiers because their memory has belonged to our village for a century. The way that leads to the Oberlauchen Cemetery is called ‘chemin des Américains’ (American Way),” said Martin. Martin said organizers got the idea for the commemoration and monument in 2014. Writes Martin: “I’m a tourist guide for our Historical Society and our City Council of Linthal (I’m member of it, responsible for tourism). Each summer, I organize different walks in the mountains for tourists and I tell them the history of our valley (wars, landscape, farming, etc.). When we crossed the Oberlauchen pasture, I told them the story of these 50 young soldiers who died in the mountains, so far away from home. We regret that nothing did remind them (about the sacrifices of the soldiers) and that the younger generations will forget them if nothing is done to save it. With members of our society and with my friends of the Franco-American Friendship Association we decided to do some research and to organize something for the Century Memorial.” We are attempting to get a small group together to go over to France in September, 2019 for the commemoration in Linthal. If anyone is interested in going, or has any information on George Cullom’s family or any other soldier, you can call Suzanne at 660-259-9887. In addition, if you want to organize your own travel to France, the best route is to contact the Office of Tourism which has information about the ceremony. They can give you suggestions for hotels or Bed and Breakfasts in the valley close to the place where the commemoration will be organized. They can also provide information about the airports and flights to Alsace. The email address is for the Office of Tourism is info@tourisme-guebwiller.fr

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Date of Installation:

September 29, 2018

Organization Responsible for Installation:

US Government, French ambassador

Memorial War Era(s):

WWI

Location:

Linthal, France

 

Published on February 21, 2018