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Monument honors AMVETS
Cantigny is the site of the first major offensive and the first combat success of U.S. forces in France during World War I.
The residents of Cantigny, France, are very grateful to the American soldiers who fought and died driving the Germans out of their town in 1918, said John “J.P” Brown, Youngstown resident and national commander of the AMVETS (American Veterans).
Cantigny is the site of the first major offensive and the first combat success of American forces in France during World War I, Brown said.
One online site described the battle:
“The American attack was made by the American First Division under Major General Robert Lee Bullard. The village was captured, and then held against repeated German counterattacks on May 28 and 29. American losses were 100 dead and 1,500 wounded, out of an initial force 4,000 strong [one infantry regiment], later increased to 8,000. German casualties are unknown, but around 200 men were captured during the battle.
“In the context of the Western Front, the Battle of Cantigny was little more than a skirmish. However, it gained great significance in part because it was the first combat success of the American army, after nearly a year of preparation in France, and partly because it took place on the second day of the Third Battle of the Aisne (May 27- June 3, 1918). The first day of that battle had seen the Germans advance 13 miles, the greatest distance achieved in a single day since the start of trench warfare. The American victory at Cantigny was therefore a valuable boost to Allied morale.”
“What I experienced, especially in Cantigny, is that the French there have a great deal of respect and love for the American people for saving their people,” Brown said.
Brown, and his wife, Jan, were members of an American contingent, who were guests of the McCormick Foundation, at the dedication of placement of a bronze uniformed WWI soldier with fixed bayonet atop the Battle of Cantigny Monument on May 28, the anniversary of the beginning of the battle. The marble base of the monument was dedicated on July 8, 2007.
The McCormick Foundation is named after Robert McCormick, who owned the Chicago Tribune newspaper and himself fought in the Battle of Cantigny. Several members of the McCormick family were there for the unveiling of the soldier portion of the monument, Brown said.
The inscription on the Battle of Cantigny Monument says, in part:
“The seizure and defense of Cantigny against determined German opposition proved the worth of the American soldier and bolstered Allied morale at a critical time.
“The regiment earned the French Croix de Guerre with Palm and the designation ‘The Lions of Cantigny.’
“The Battle of Cantigny showed our commitment to defend France and Europe during WWI. I was really honored that the McCormick Foundation invited us to participate,” Brown said.
The national AMVETS commander also was in France for the dedication of a carillon at Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial just outside of Paris on May 26, Memorial Day.
One of AMVETS’ missions is installing carillons at national cemeteries in the United States and at cemeteries overseas. To date, AMVETS has spent $1.5 million placing carillons at 71 cemeteries at home and 17 overseas since the inception of program in 1949, Brown said.
A carillon is a musical instrument consisting of cast bronze cup-shaped bells each producing one tone of the chromatic scale, now usually sounded by means of an electronic keyboard.
The McCormick Foundation helps AMVETS finance the carillons for overseas cemeteries, while the AMVETS national and state organizations pay for carillons installed in U.S. cemeteries, Brown said.
For instance, the AMVETS Department of Ohio, of which Brown is a past commander, installed a carillon at national cemeteries in Rittman and Dayton, and at Ohio Veterans Homes in Sandusky and Georgetown, Brown said.
Brown, a retiree of AT T, has been involved in veterans affairs for many years. He served in the Navy from 1965 to 1970 during the Vietnam War, and was elected AMVETS national commander in August 2007, taking office the next month.
His wife retired from the Air Force as a senior master sergeant after 27 years of active duty. The Browns flew to Paris on May 23, attended the dedications on May 25 and May 28, and returned to the United States on May 29.
alcorn@vindy.com