Jersey Doughboys

This is not a military blog, but as the 100 year anniversary of the conflagration of the Great War approaches, Team VFH has thought to honor our fallen heroes with visits to the area’s WWI memorials. In an earlier entry we introduced you to the ubiquitous E.M. Viquesney statue, “Spirit of the America Doughboy”. It was produced in great quantities by the Indiana sculptor and roughly 300 were erected across the United States. There are approximately 140 still standing in various locales like town squares or parks and the relatively small state of New Jersey can boast it has eight. The statue is of an American Doughboy striding forward into “No-Man’s-Land”, holding a grenade in his right hand above his head. It is estimated by some historians and researchers that of all the WWI memorials erected 10% feature the Viquesney Doughboy.

To find statues in your area a good source is this database.

SPIRIT OF THE AMERICAN DOUGHBOY DATABASE 

“Doughboy” is the nickname given the American Expeditionary Forces that flooded Europe when this country entered the war in 1917. There are many theories over the origin of the moniker. One comes from the Mexican-American War of 1916 when the dusty infantry were called "Adobes" by the cavalry, but the somewhat derisive nickname became very popular. If you are interested in reading further about the Doughboys and the AEF, here is a good website, 
HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN DOUGHBOY

New Jersey played a very important role in the war effort. Over 150,000 soldiers from NJ served in WWI and over 3,800 paid the ultimate sacrifice. Camp Merritt in Cresskill, NJ was a staging area for much of the AEF who were then deployed to Hoboken before being shipped overseas. Around 4 million soldiers passed through Camp Merritt during the war. NJ also contributed to the war through weapons materiel and shipbuilding. 

Okay, so perhaps only history buffs would be so inclined to visit these and similar memorials, although given the upcoming anniversary of the “War to End All Wars,” one should pay homage to our heroes. Understandably, endeavoring to trek to the towns that have a “Spirit” statue (and at least one that is similar, but NOT a Viquesney, in Verona) just to see the memorial may not be on the top of your list of things to do, but VFH has decided to sweeten the pot and lure you with things to do in or near these particular towns. Readers of this blog will know that we shall focus on places to eat and have a drink. Hopefully after following our antics, you too will be so inclined to take a road trip and amble through some New Jersey towns to see their Jersey Doughboys. Perhaps you will be inspired to search for "Spirit" memorials in your own neck of the woods. Remember the database is a good resource, and even the Smithsonian has a listing of known Viquesney statues to help you in your search.

Again, there are eight "Spirit of the American Doughboy" statues in New Jersey. They are in Belmar, Dover, Fair Haven, Frenchtown, Matawan, Perth Amboy, Roselle Park and Secaucus. We shall visit each one and report on our visit.

Our first stop will be Secaucus! 

 FOOTAGE OF WWI SOLDIERS EMBARKING FOR WAR FROM NEW JERSEY

The Lost Generation

This year is the hundred year anniversary of the “War to End all Wars”. The spark that caused the conflagration more commonly known as World War 1 was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne. Ferdinand and his wife were shot by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia on June 28, 1914. If you travel to Sarajevo you can see footprints etched in the sidewalk where Princip, a hero to the Yugoslav cause, fired his weapon and changed the world.

Princip's footprints

The ensuing diplomatic crisis from the assassination evoked international alliances forged by countries over decades and in a month the world was at war. The four year conflict between the Allied and Axis Powers quickly ground to a halt with trench warfare that saw the use of heavy artillery, machine guns, chemical weapons, barbed wire and, for the first time tanks and airplanes, all with deadly efficiency. Seventy million military personnel became embroiled in WWI and the world suffered at least 37 million military and civilian casualties.  Such bloodshed and devastation had never before been experienced at this scale and it had a lasting effect on the world, giving rise to a disaffected core of young men who were disillusioned after what some historians have termed an aimless, stupid war.

Gertrude Stein called them a “Lost Generation”.

The United States remained neutral even after the Lusitania was sunk by German U-Boats in 1915 with the loss of 128 American lives, but after January 1917 when the Germans sunk a number of U.S. merchant ships, war was declared on the Axis powers.  The American Expeditionary Forces, more commonly known by the enduring nickname “Doughboys” made a difference in the war. Major battles included Cantigny, Belleau Wood, St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. In 1 ½ years of fighting the AEF suffered nearly 53,000 battle deaths and over 200,000 wounded.

Varied memorials to the veterans were erected in communities across the country as they welcomed home their wounded and honored their dead. The most common statue from the time is “The Spirit of the American Doughboy” created by a sculptor from Indiana, E.M. Viquesney. It is his most enduring and well known work and according to his records he created upwards of 300 of this statue, although this number may have been inflated by Viquesney. The statue is of a doughboy walking into “No Man’s Land”, that area between the trenches. Tree stumps and barbed wire are at his feet. He holds a grenade in his right hand over his head and a bayonetted carbine in his left. He has a square gas mask pouch on his chest, a backpack and wears a flat steel helmet. The details of the soldier are uniform through the various versions Viquesney created, either in copper, stone or zinc.

Though this detailed statue shows him approaching battle a Viquesney quote said: “I do not

SPIRIT

urge the building of war memorials to perpetuate war, but to impress on American Youth the desirability of peace.”

Other similar statues of the American Doughboy were erected, but it is Viquesney’s that is the most common. Production of the statue began in the 1920’s through to the mid-30’s. Some no longer exist, others have been moved or some are missing parts of the statue. In all 30 states had claimed a Viquesney statue at one time. Active restorations continue by those dedicated to the ubiquitous doughboy and a listing of the whereabouts of the Viquesney (and other) doughboys can be found on various websites as well as the Smithsonian. But, because Viquesney left an incomplete listing of where his doughboys were sent, no one knows for sure how many are there and some doughboy statues are mistaken for Viquesney’s.

VIQUESNEY DOUGHBOY DATABASE

This year, as part of the Wounded Warrior Project, Tour of Honor will ride in search of all of Viquesney’s Doughboys, and hopefully find a few not listed in any database. Regardless, this AMA (American Motorcycle Association) sanctioned Tour of Honor is a way some honor our heroes and help contribute to veterans’ causes. It begins April 1.

TOUR OF HONOR

We at VFH chose to honor our fallen heroes in a different way. Nothing will get me on a motorcycle, but I shall endeavor to visit known Viquesney Doughboy sites in at least New Jersey. There are eight, mostly on municipal grounds or small parks at intersections. Come back for our ride and perhaps you can too honor our American Doughboys.