Chattanooga and Hamilton County citizen will have the opportunity to join in a 100th Anniversary Commemoration of The Great War, later known as World War I, on Thursday at 6 p.m. The event will be hosted by the Chattanooga National Cemetery at the Armed Forces Pavilion. Residents of the Tennessee Valley are invited to this free event.
Dr. Michael Birdwell, chairman of the Tennessee Great War Commission, will be the featured keynote speaker and will focus specifically on the Great War and the Tennessee Valley’s involvement. President Wilson’s War Proclamation will be read by area students and attendees who have family members who served in The Great War will be recognized. Brief descriptions of Hamilton County’s involvement and the impact of World War I on the world will also be provided.
The Commemoration Event is the first of a series of events for the Tennessee Great War Commission that will conclude in the fall with a three-day symposium hosted by Chattanooga.
Thursday’s event is jointly sponsored by the Tennessee Great War Commission, Chattanooga and Hamilton County Government, Chief John Ross Chapter, DAR, the Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center and the History Company.
For more information, contact Chattanooga-Hamilton County Historian Linda Moss Mines at lsmines@gps.edu.