One hundred years ago, the world was plunged into a conflict that devastated Europe and changed the course of history for every nation involved. The First World War began on July 28, 1914, following the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28. The future king was killed by a terrorist named Gavrilo Princip, who was a member of a Serbian separatist movement known as The Black Hand.

The death of Ferdinand led Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia. In turn, Germany, eager to maintain their alliance with Austria and desirous of international prominence, joined the fight in a declaration of war against the Russians who had previously sided with the Serbians. And while the initiation of this seminal event is often confusing, the outcome is not. In the end, Germany was politically, socially and economically wrecked. Indeed, the harsh peace meted out by the French and the British led directly to the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Second World War.

For the first three years of World War I, the German advance into France was kept at a stalemate by a combined force of French and British troops. The simultaneous German advance into Russia was bolstered by a peace treaty that allowed the Russians to leave the war in 1918 after ceding major territorial concessions to the Germans. And, for the most part, the Russians had offered very little resistance to the Germans since 1915, as they struggled internally in a civil war that ultimately led to a communist takeover in 1917. A combination of outdated tactics and modern weapons ensured a dismal warfront where hundreds of thousands of men lost their lives without any clear resolution in sight.

It was not until American soldiers set foot in Europe that the tide of war began to change. Even though the U.S. declaration of war against Germany took place in 1917, it was not until 1918 American troops moved en masse into the European theater. For the French and the British, the million-man American Expeditionary Force (AEF) led by Gen. John J. Pershing was exactly the push needed to end the fighting. In a series of successful battles in 1918 the AEF beat back the German military forcing a surrender on November 11, 1918. In keeping with a longstanding American tradition, we as a nation will commemorate this date in honor of the service men and women who have given their all for kin and country.

Playing a large role in the success of the AEF was the American 42^nd or Rainbow Division. The division was created in August 1917 and was made up of National Guard units from 26 states and the District of Columbia. The division was assembled at Camp Mills, New York, and included four infantry units: the 165^th (New York’s 69^th), the 166^th (Ohio’s 4^th), the 168^th (Iowa’s 3^rd) and the 167^th (Alabama’s 4^th). As a result, the group contained men from all over the United States, including a sizable contingent from throughout the state of Alabama. At full strength the division totaled 27,000 men and was led by Maj. Douglas MacArthur. It arrived in France in November and December of 1917 and entered the battlefield for the first time in February 1918. It was MacArthur that inspired the divisional insignia when he remarked, “the 42^nd Division stretches like a rainbow from one end of America to the other.”

As the first combat division was sent to France, the 42^nd saw much action. They fought at the Second Battle of the Marne, Luneville Sector, Ourcq River, Chateau-Thierry, St. Michiel, Verdun, Champagne Woevre and Meuse-Argonne. The men of the 42^nd served 457 days on the front lines with 264 of those in combat. They suffered more than 12,000 killed and wounded during their time in France. After the armistice in November 1918, the unit was sent as an occupational force inside Germany. By May 1919, the division’s service ended but not before it was distinguished for the valor of its men in ending the Great War.