The Frontline News: Your Daily Dose of Freedom How The War Began Archduke Ferdinand of the Austro-

Hungarian Empire was assassinated on June 28, 1914 by Serbian nationalists. This sparked an intense feud between the Austro Hungary and Serbian government. A month from Ferdinands assassination, the Austro-Hungarian government had delivered an ultimatum to the Serbian government, along with a time limit and expiration date. Germany, having Austro- Hungary as an alliance; and Serbia, having Russia, had then declared war on not only Russia, but also France on August 1, 1914. And the very next day, German troops disregarded Belgiums neutrality on the war and marched into their territory while also having Great Britain declare war on Germany on the exact same day. America had sworn to continue to be isolated from this war, but on April 6, 1917, we gave in. Unrestricted submarine warfare with Germany had caused our nation to enter the World War. And even in that crisis, American citizens stood behind the governments decision to do so. Those in the media had conjured up posters, presenting an almost desirable representation of life as a soldier propaganda, rationing, military drafting, trench warfare, employment, and further industrialization had also begun. The American public stood behind its country, and as drafting began for the army, citizens all over had known from the beginning what would be expected of them: they knew that it would be necessary to cut down proportions on foods and resources for the sake of the soldiers wellbeing. And as soon as our men began fighting in combat, we as the citizens of America rose to support the blood-ridden battle and its cause whatever the outcome might have been.

How Did The US Become Involved In The War? There were two reasons we got involved in the war. The first reason was that we were so involved with Britain and France economically: they both held many investments with us, and their defeat in the war would mean that they would not be able to pay us back, and this would cause our economy to crumble before our eyes. The second reason was that Germany did not stop making foolish choices Initially, our President, Mr. Woodrow Wilsons desire was for us to stay neutral in the war, but that desire began to fade as soon as the actions of Germany became more menacing towards us as to just the Allies. At first, we were pissed offto say the leastby the sinking of the British ship Lusitania by the German U-boats on May 7, 1915. But even with the deaths of 128 American citizens aboard that ship, our president tried to keep a level head by trying to create peace, a peace that many of us could not even comprehend. Those deaths became our spark for fire; their deaths became our first step towards the discarding of the idea of staying neutral. And as if killing 128 of our citizens wasnt enough, the German U-boats attacked again, but this time on the British ship Sussex. Again, Wilson tried to initiate a peace. But this time, there was a point of understanding. Germany said that they would not attack non-military vessels. But they did. This time, Germany did not even attack British ships, they directly attacked us. They struck three American merchant ships. And thats when it all kicked in, thats when we decided as a nation that that was the last straw, and there would be no more negotiation.

The Frontline News: Your Daily Dose of Freedom And to feed the fire that was starting to burn brightly and widely, Germany had the nerve to send a telegram to Mexico in February of 1917, saying that they should be allies. What Was The War Like For The Soldiers? A normal days routine for them would consist of waking up an hour before dawn by a sergeant/officer to watch the enemy with guns in hand, a cleaning of weapons, an inspection by officers, breakfast, and lastly, chores like refilling sandbags or repairing boards on the floors or draining trenches. But thats only the pretty side of the war. Our soldiers lives were complete crap. Literally. In trenches, our men had to stand in their own defecation and urine. But standing in their waste wasnt their only problem. There were annoying problems our soldiers had to endure like body lice that left them with red and itchy marks all around their body, rats that ate corpses and were just a bother and health hazard, and hot/freezing weather that couldnt be helped because of lack of proper clothing. But there were also things that were beyond annoying, there were things that were simply unbearable. Soldiers had to endure the struggles of surviving the various poisonous gases, like mustard and tear gas among others its revolting and saddening to know that in order to survive before gas masks were invented, a soldier had to press a cloth soaked with urine over their mouths and noses. But gases werent their only problems. Waste and rats and bugs and flooding trenches were responsible for contracting diseases, including trench foot and/or mouth. When men werent completing suicide missions by going onto No Mans Land, when they werent in combat, and when they werent fretting for their lives, they were busy dying. And even after the war was over, the lives of our soldiers held anxiety in its highest form. These men were psychologically and physically scarred and traumatized, and I can only begin to imagine how impossible it is to forget years of living in a constant fear of planes dropping grenades, being buried alive in the rooms that collapsed, or watching your friends bodies decay before your eyes. So what was war like for our soldiers? It was miserable, filthy, and nerve-wracking. What Was War Like For Americans On The Homefront? With all that has happened with the World War, life has definitely changed for those of us living on the home front. Though we should remain thankful for the men who fought for our country, we should also be thankful for everyone working behind the scenes in our very own cities. With all the men serving in war, women and African Americans have done their part to contribute in the war effort. Many have worked in factories to produce goods needed for the war which is quite unusual in our community, but because of all the people fighting, there have been more job opportunities for these people. Not only did they start serving jobs in factories, but cared for those who were wounded and helped recruit soldiers for the war. In the factories, there have been almost one million women working, whereas men would usually be working in their positions. This has supported womens independence, and has also given them more respect from our politicians. Many of these women were working in order to make their own wages and support their families at home. Upper class women, who didnt need to work for money, joined organizations which helped care for wounded soldiers. One of these

The Frontline News: Your Daily Dose of Freedom organizations included the American Red Cross. Those who didnt work did their part at home by supplying organizations. African Americans migrated and undertook jobs also. Their efforts mostly came by helping to produce goods for both those serving overseas and producing goods on the home front. The support of all the dedicated people on our home fronts have led to the unity of our country today, so dont forget to thank all these people when you see them around! What Was The End Result Of The War For America? We all know that the recent wars have affected our country but also life at home. We have all our courageous soldiers, hardworking politicians, and dedicated neighbors to thank for the positive outcomes from the war. In terms of our population, many men have lost their lives fighting for our country. This has affected our families because weve lost loved ones throughout this journey of our country. There has been a significant decrease in our population, but is miniscule in comparison to other countries. We should be thankful that it wasnt more. Economically, our country has developed as a superior power in comparison to every other country across the world. The war has developed our economy and allowed higher wages for those working. It has helped increase employment rates across the nation, leading to better life at home for those who are finally able to support their families. Women have gained much more respect from society and politicians. This developed from how much they worked on the home front while many men were serving overseas. Women played a vital role in the development of our country. The negative results of the war included the general loss of innocence for the people in our nation. Many people were able to see the bad effects of the war, and this lead to the Lost Generation amongst poets, writers, and artists. But more so, there was a greater sense of nationalism. Many people in our nation have gone above and beyond to support our country in its time of need.

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Letter From The Editor Our government has supported America in its isolation in regards to the World War and now I believe we need to strategize and rethink our military tactics. Obviously, trench warfare has not helped us to advance in the war, and has in fact proven to kill off more people than actual battle. Now Im saying that if we must fight once more in the future, I will not argue against the notion but I personally find that this war is causing our economy, with all the rationing and industrial problems, to dig America into a large hole. Despite some of the good things that have come out of us fighting in this war, I believe that there are more negatives. And I believe that we should find a way to get ourselves out of that hole, that growing hole before our entire nation is under wreckage from the war. It seems to me that we had the right idea back in 1914, to declare isolation. Neutrality is mainly what I think is best for our nation.

The Frontline News: Your Daily Dose of Freedom Rationing has gotten too extreme and our economy had crumbled. I realize soldiers resources are low and American citizens should be able to cut down their own resources, but we would not have had to undergo these circumstances if we remained neutral. And I think the government underestimates just how much it affects us. Bottom line, in the war we have attempted to avoid, I believe we should find a way out before it gets out of handfor both the American citizens, and American soldiers. America can only bear so much war. - From editor Interview With A Soldier Our newspaper has interviewed a 38 year old veteran with one leg gone and a traumatized mind. I have been to hell and back... he says Interviewer: I understand you had gone through life in the trenches and because you have been able to see its effects, could you tell us the advantages and disadvantages trench warfare had during your time in the World War? Soldier: The trenches definitely had more disadvantages than advantages. Living in a hole every day; waiting for the opponents attack; constantly trudging through muck, disease, and pure filth can really do something to you. And honestly, it seemed more of our men died from those trenches, our source of protection, than from actual battle with the enemy. And every soldier in our trenches had experienced the troubles of living in a trench before the first battle had even come our way. Interviewer: Just for a little more background of your story, when were you drafted? Soldier: I believe I was drafted a week or two into April of 1917. Interviewer: What did you expect when you were assigned to the trenches? Soldier: I was 25 and pretty nave, I must say. I expected tents to be provided, battles to be fought here and there basically I had imagined free room and board. I pictured being able to rest, and even being able to take nice showers, and all those luxuries but I definitely didnt get any of that during my time in the trenches. Interviewer: Did you ever go into No Mans Land? If so, what was your experience? Soldier: They called it No Mans Land for a reasonI was a good soldier, a strong one at that, but even I could not muster up the courage. I mean, it was a suicide mission. And I can definitely say that if I had gone in, I would be dead right now. Just like some of my very good friends.

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The Frontline News: Your Daily Dose of Freedom Q: Hi The Frontline News, my name is Martha and Im a kid, and my daddy fought in the war. If there was another World War, would there be any way I could help out from home? I want to do something to support my daddy and my friends daddys. A: Hi Martha! Well, there are so many things you can do to aid in the war effort, in case of another one. You and your family could use the same tactics that we used for this world war: saving cooking fats, saving scraps of tin and metal and rubber, growing your own garden, saving money for bonds, and getting the jobs that the men have left behind. People saved their cooking fat because the glycerin could be used to create bullets. People also saved their tin cans to give them to the government seeing as the government used that tin to create tanks and ships. You could help your mom create a victory garden (its also a good way to bond with your mom), all you have to do is grow your own fruits and vegetables instead of buying them from a store. The extras you have can be sent as rations. The idea of war bonds came into play when our President, Mr. Roosevelt introduced his campaign. War bonds are a relatively simple concept: people save their coins like pennies and nickels to purchase a war stamp, which cost five cents, and then that stamp was placed into a booklet. When the booklet had 375 stamps (18.75 dollars), it could be turned into a 25 dollar war bond (this war bond is an easy way to help out, and if your school holds a drive for raising money for planes or tanks and makes enough to purchase a bomber plane, that plane would have your schools name on it! So it helps and its really cool). And lastly, your mom or sister could get a job working at the factories, or join and volunteer at the Red Cross. The best part is that all these ways not only help the war effort, but also bring you and your family and your community together. Q: Dear The Frontline News, my name is Phillip and Im 14 years old, Im one mere year away from being able to be enlisted in the draft and fight in combat. Ive seen what has happened to my father: losing limbs and his toes from trench foot. Instead of using the trenches, what do you think would have been a better tactic to use? A: Well, Phillip, first and foremost, Im sorry about your fathers body, but hopefully he doesnt have shellshock, and I hope your family is doing more than surviving. But sentiment aside, Im not a military general so I dont know the whole picture, but I think linear/naval warfare or lightning warfare could be a lot better than trench warfareconsidering the fact that more people died from disease and sickness within the trenches as to fighting in combat. Being in a linear formation and having ships lined from one end to the other, this type of warfare would be a great idea because there would be certainty that your attack would hit the opponent (in trench warfare, the planes had high chances of hitting their own trenches). And being in this formation helps for concentrated rounds of fire. I also think that using the method of lightning warfare would be great because it would be overwhelming for the opponent to take on a huge amount of weapons, and strong and extremely lethal ones at that. Attacking at a high speed would guarantee a crushing and overpowering effect. It would keep the enemy unable to recover or retaliate quickly enough. And by the time the enemy does attack again, the line will have advanced even closer.