United States Branch
19th Annual National Seminar
U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center
Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania
Weekend of September 12-14, 2008

Over Here and Over There
America's Great War - America's Great Warriors

American Troops Arriving In France

You Are Invited!

The Western Front Association-US Branch Annual National Seminar will be held at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 12-14 September 2008. All programs will be held on the campus of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (AHEC) at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Click Here For Printable Registration Form

A block of rooms has been reserved for seminar attendees at the Hotel Carlisle, a four-mile drive from the seminar site, easily accessible via both Interstate Route 81 and U.S. Route 11, north of Carlisle. The group rate of $75.00 per night includes continental breakfasts Saturday and Sunday. All hotel rooms are on the first floor; a full bar and dining room are also available, as are a wide variety of other restaurants nearby. A complete overview of the hotel's services is available on its website http://www.hotelcarlisle.com. Reservations may be made by calling 1-800-692-7315 or 717-243-1717. Be sure to identify yourself as a member of the Western Front Association to receive the group rate.

To Reach the Hotel: Flying into Baltimore-Washington [BWI] or Dulles International [IAD] and renting a car is quite feasible, as both airports are within a two-hour drive of Carlisle. Harrisburg International Airport [MDT] is the major airport servicing central Pennsylvania, and is about a forty-five minute drive from the conference hotel. Driving: At the confluence of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Route I-76), Interstate 81 and U.S. Routes 11 and 15, Carlisle is easily accessible via automobile from all directions. A generic regional map with the hotel location is found at:
http://www.hotelcarlisle.com/mapanddirections

Pre-registration information, including seminar cost, which will be comparable to last year at Newport, will be mailed to the membership in early summer. A member of the WFA Program Committee will be present at the conference hotel, the Hotel Carlisle to distribute driving directions to reach the Army Heritage and Education Center campus for conference registration, dinner and evening programs. Also available will be directions to reach the Saturday night dinner site.

Louise Arnold-Friend,
Seminar Coordinator

Two Sergeants of the AEF

Our Program

Friday Evening, 12 September

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Registration in the lobby of Ridgway Hall in the campus of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, 950 Soldiers' Drive, Carlisle PA. Following registration, you will be free to visit exhibits in the building and on the adjacent Army Heritage Trail.
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Dinner - A picnic supper will be served outdoors on the campus. In the case of inclement weather, we will have shelter in our World War II Barracks building and Ridgway Hall.
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Visit the Army Heritage Trail for a talk on the development of our Pillbox & Trench educational exhibit. Visit Ridgway Hall and interact with staff professionals responsible for developing programs and exhibits on the Great War.

Saturday, 13 September

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM -- COL Robert J. Dalessandro & Mr. Michael G. Knapp [AHEC Director & Collection Manager]: "Forging the Force: Organizing and Preparing the AEF for Overseas Duty"
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM -- Dr. Jennifer D. Keene [Professor, Chapman University]: "Fighting on Two Fronts - Black Americans in Uniform"
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM -- Dr. Nancy Gentile Ford [Professor, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania]: "Americans All! Foreign-Born Soldiers in WWI"
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM -- Mr. Stephen L. Harris [Author/historian]: "Irish by Association, Irish by Adoption, Irish by Conviction: The Fighting 69th Changes Its Color From Green to Rainbow."
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM -- Dr. Marion Pinsdorff [Independent scholar/author]: "The Great War Touches Hawaii"
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM -- Mr. Jay Graybeal [Army Heritage Museum Chief Curator]: "'Us Sailors Never Reach France Cause!': The U. S. Naval Reserve Flying Corps in France"

Three Medal of Honor Recipients of the 27th, New York, Division
Cpl Alan Eggers, Sgt. John Latham, and Sgt Reider Waaler

Saturday Evening, 13 September, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM --

Buffet Dinner at the Allenberry Resort Inn in nearby Boiling Springs, PA.

After Dinner Speaker - Mr. Christopher Semancik [AHEC Arms Curator] "Trenches, Tranches, Schützengraben"

Sunday, 14 September

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM -- Dr. Douglas V. Johnson [Professor, US Army War College]: "Americans at the Battle of Soissons"
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM -- Dr. Mitch Yockelson [National Archives and Records Administration]: "Borrowed Soldiers: The Anglo-American Relationship in World War I"
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM -- Dr. Ed Lengel [Professor, University of Virginia]: "America's Experience in the Meuse-Argonne"

Check Back for Updates

Updated: June 27, 2008

Over Here and Over There America's Great War - America's Great Warriors