KENTUCKY AND THE GREAT WAR Honors the 100th Anniversary of the U.S. Entry into WWI

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the United States' entry into World War I. Since our entry on April 6, 1917, many books have been written detailing the war and exploring its effects on the world and nation at large, but no comprehensive history of the war's effects on Kentucky existed. At the outbreak of the war, most citizens had relatively little government interaction in their daily lives. In addition, Kentuckians' unique way of identifying by county did little to promote unity. However, unlike the Civil War, which pitted brother against brother, Kentuckians of all ages, races, both sexes, and every political, economic, and social status were expected to "do their part." The Kentucky that emerged from the war was markedly different than the state that entered it.

In Kentucky and the Great War: World War I on the Home Front, historian David J. Bettez provides the first in-depth study of the way Kentuckians were both affected by and supported the US war effort on the home front. Focusing mainly on the domestic aspects of Kentucky's contribution, Bettez gathered sources from all over the state, including numerous local newspapers along with surviving county-specific histories of the war compiled at the time under the direction of state war historian Fred Caldwell. He begins by outlining Kentuckians' responses to the outbreak of war in 1914 and the decision to enter the war in 1917, and continues with chapters on army instillations in the state, the impact of the war on women and African Americans, the role of religious groups and institutions of higher education on the home front, and the impact of the war of the state's economy.

Rather than focus on the contributions that Kentuckians made overseas, Bettez discusses the impact of the war more locally. As a state dominated by mining and agriculture, Kentucky saw a boom in both industries, which set the stage for continued growth through the 1920s. The state's large agrarian population also made it easier for government programs such as the Food and Fuel Administration to permeate even the most remote parts of Kentucky, reaching both white and African American rural farmers. With a large number of men in Europe, women were also able to take a more prominent role statewide, and chapters of the Women's Committee of the Council of National Defense, under the direction of Sallie Bruce of Louisville, organized and led community garden efforts throughout the state to provide food for the nation.

Bettez, though focused on the home front, does not leave out the important contributions of Kentuckians who served "over there." With one of the lowest draft-dodging rates in the nation, Kentuckians showed that while they were a divided state, they were more than willing to unite in order to defend the nation. Over 100,000 Kentucky men served, including several key leaders in the overseas war effort, such as Army Chief of Staff Major General Hugh Scott of Danville and General Logan Feland of Hopkinsville who led the Marine Corp efforts at the Battle of Belleau Wood. In addition, two Kentuckians, Willy Sandlin and Samuel Woodfill, received the Medal of Honor for their actions.

Kentucky and the Great War gives a broad view of the Commonwealth during a period of immense national importance. Despite their differences, for a brief shining moment, Kentuckians from coal camps to urban areas cast aside divisive interests and coalesced during this tumultuous period to energetically support the nation's war efforts. In recognition of filling a major gap in the documented history of the Commonwealth, Kentucky and the Great War was awarded the Thomas D. Clark Medallion at a ceremony held Sept. 23, at UK's Maxwell Place. The Clark Medallion is presented by the Thomas D. Clark Foundation, which was established in 1994 in honor of Thomas D. Clark, Kentucky's historian laureate. Since 2012, the foundation has chosen one book each year that highlights Kentucky history and culture to be honored. The previous recipients are Kentucky Government, Politics and Public Policy, The Hills Remember: The Complete Short Stories of James Still, Violence Against Women in Kentucky: A History of U.S. and State Legislative Reform, and The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia.

David J. Bettez is the author of Kentucky Marine: Major General Logan Feland and the Making of the Modern USMC, which won the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's Colonel Joseph Alexander Award for Biography and has just been released in paperback.

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