Faded Glory: A Century of Forgotten Texas Military Sites, Then and Now

6. World War I

C h a p t e r 3 132 10 35 35 45 20 35W 37 10 G u l f o f M e x i c o U.S.S. Texas Galveston Coastal Defenses Camp MacArthur Rich Field Corpus Christi San Antonio Fort Worth Dallas Houston Waco Camp Bowie I T E X A S World War I M E X I C O Map by Molly O’Halloran The causes of World War I are deep-seated, multilayered, and continually debated, but in general they stem from events that occurred in the late 19th century and remained unresolved until circumstances in the early 20th century made international conflict inevitable. In many respects, war was the result of a perfect storm of factors that largely centered on economics, power, and national identity. The growth of unprecedented nationalistic and cultural pride across Europe in the 19th century, coupled with intense rivalries for dominance in trade, colonial holdings, and military superiority, led to a breakdown of the traditional balance of power, which was in turn supplanted by a complex and intricately bound system of alliances. The intensity of international disputes drove diplomacy in those years, and short-term objectives often won out over the need for long-term solutions. Military strength, fueled by a global arms race, was increasingly seen as a viable solution to unresolved differences among nations. By 1914, all factors were in place for a war of unprecedented scope. The spark came in the Balkans, a rugged and politically unstable peninsular region in southeastern Europe that had been the scene of considerable international 6 “I was in France as a soldier—where the flu was all around me, but had no effect on me whatsoever. . . .Yet I was reported dead, on the roll call, so I called the sarjent, saying do I look like a dead man, he said you look alrite to me, go rite ahead & eat, & obey the rules until correction can be made.” —Stephen Nolen, Waco,Texas, 1963 WOrlD War i 1917–1918 133 fighting for decades. Ongoing disputes among emerging ethnic and political divisions within the Balkans could not be contained and so threatened to draw in larger powers through a series of entangling and often seemingly unrelated alliances. When a plot by Bosnian Serbs resulted in the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo in June 1914, the alliances, coupled with failed diplomacy, inadequate communication , and overarching nationalistic concerns, led quickly to a trans-Europe war. On one side was the Triple Entente of Russia, France, and Britain, and on the other was the Triple Alliance of Austria-Hungary, Germany, and at least initially, Italy. Efforts by the United States to remain neutral in favor of an isolationist foreign policy proved difficult in the wake of relentless German submarine warfare that resulted in the loss of innocent American lives. As tensions mounted, the United States began enlarging its military and steadily preparing for the eventuality of war. Early in 1917, though, Germany made two significant moves that left the United States with few options. Occurring almost simultaneously were Germany’s implementation of an unrestricted submarine offensive, which would again place American lives in harm’s way, and its secret communiqué with Mexico calling for a military alliance between the two countries. The latter, sent by German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann, pledged assistance in reclaiming lost territory, including Texas, in return for Mexico’s pledge to take up arms against the United States if it should enter the war. Although Mexico ignored the offer, news of the Zimmermann telegram leaked out through the media and infuriated Americans, spurring increased calls for action. Despite his campaign pledge to avoid the conflict, Pres. Woodrow Wilson reluctantly bowed to the inevitable and petitioned Congress for a formal declaration of war, which it approved on April 6, 1917. Texans were quick to respond, and the fervor with which they responded to the call matched or even surpassed that shown in the Spanish-American War only a few years before. Military action along the Rio Grande in the years leading up to the war had prepared troops as well as citizens for the sacrifices ahead, and it had also provided invaluable field and command experience for those involved in the action —Texans and non-Texans alike. From the ranks of those who served along the border would come some of the earliest leaders in the...