Glass, granite and marble: Remembering World War I Veteran Milton L. Mitchell

A history professor once told me, “There is a reason you don’t see World War I reenactors.” World War I (1914-1918) centered around military leaders using the tactics of Napoleon from the late 18th century with the technology of the 20th century, an incredible deathly combination for the average soldier. The horrors are truly beyond imagination with chemical weapons, the first use of tanks and submarines, German airships called Zeppelins bombing population centers, suicidal charges against enemy trenches fortified with machine gunsand a scale of artillery use never before seen in human history. Millions of lives would be extinguished, including roughly 10 million members of the military (when considering all sides), 10 million civilians and an estimated eight million beasts of burden including horses, mules, and donkeys. One English veteran named J.R.R. Tolkien, who fought on the Western Front in France, could only process the horrific events he witnessed during the war firsthand by writing such works at “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.”Some historians argue that World War I had a greater impact on our modern world than even World War II. Besides consuming nearly 20 million human lives, this war would also end monarchies

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