A WWI Memorial: And Happy Birthday Storm Clouds!

It was my sister-in-law who first told me about the place. “Mel,” she said. “You just have to visit the World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.” To really sweeten the deal, she brought me home a mug from her own visit there. A nice little yellow mug that commemorated the female land army of the war years. And honestly, any place that sells mugs is likely a place I’d visit.

But an entire museum dedicated to World War I? Here in the United States? I admit I was kind of surprised. Because World War I, to me, feels like the “forgotten war” here in America. Sort of the overlooked middle child between the Civil War (which there are mountains of books on) and World War II (which there are also mountains of books on). But World War I? You’re lucky if you can find a few old volumes sitting on the shelf at most bookstores.

Probably because, in the grand scheme of things, we weren’t really involved in it for that long. Make no mistake – American blood was shed in that war, on those fields, and in those airplanes, both before our official sign-on and after. But for us, it wasn’t the total and complete bloodletting that most of Europe suffered. It didn’t leave quite as profound a mark on our population or on our national soul. Thus, it just doesn’t always get the attention that I feel it should.

So, when I found out there was an entire museum dedicated to the American involvement in this conflict, one that I could get to quite easily by car, I decided I just had to make my own visit there. Especially given my own personal investment in the battlefields of the First World War.

Oh, I’m no fighter when push comes to shove. However, I do take up my pen like a sword on occasion. And when it comes to World War I, it turns out that I had a lot to say. An entire book’s worth, in fact. A book that you are probably more than familiar with, since I’ve posted about it here quite often. And a book that I am probably the proudest of, given what both it and I went through to get it on store and library shelves (click here to learn more about that).

By the time I was finally ready for my own visit to the National WWI Museum and Memorial, that book had already been released in hardback, and I felt like it was okay to call myself a Bonafide World War I expert. But even I wasn’t quite prepared for the exhibit I was about to see. I mean, what a place. What a sight. What a great way to learn about how, for the people involved, this war well and truly packed a punch. And therefore, it well and truly deserves its place in the collective memory of our history.

Let’s take a pause here and talk a little bit about how this memorial came to be. Because that alone is kind of a neat story, and a solid reminder that after the war ended, citizens across the country were very adamant that it be remembered. Especially for the sake of the men and women who served in it. Which is why in the immediate aftermath of the conflict, in 1919, a prominent band of forty Kansas City citizens got together and decided, “Hey, let’s do something to keep the memory of our war heroes alive.” So, they came up with the Liberty Memorial Association, and they starting drawing up plans for a monument.

Now, normally when people want to build a monument, they run into this little snag known as funding. It’s harder than one might think to raise the money for a big war memorial, and lack of funds has put the halt on many of them in the past. I’m sure the Liberty Memorial Association had this in mind when they started trying to raise the funds for their own monument.

However, they, and Kansas City as a whole, couldn’t have been more surprised at the response to their pleas for money. People ripped open their wallets and threw money at the LMA like candy at a parade. Before they knew it, those forty Kansas City citizens had raised over two million dollars, a staggering amount of money, in just two weeks. A show of unity and patriotism that, quite frankly, I can only dream of seeing here in my own divisive spot on the timeline.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Kansas City war memorial came on November 1, 1921, and it was attended by over 200,000 people. Including Vice President of the time Calvin Coolidge, some random general named John J. Pershing (wink), and a guy named Harry S. Truman who would be destined to make quite the name for himself down the line. He was also a guy who would come back to the monument to help re-dedicate it in 1961 after he himself had been and gone from the Presidency.

Calivn Cooldige, another veteran of the ground-breaking ceremony, would also return to the monument tin 1926. This time to dedicate it as a completed structure that was ready to receive visits from the public. He had this to say on the occasion – “[This Memorial] has not been raised to commemorate war and victory, but rather the results of war and victory which are embodied in peace and liberty … Today I … place the official sanction of the national government upon one of the most elaborate and impressive memorials that adorn our country. The magnitude of this memorial, and the broad base of popular support on which it rests, can scarcely fail to excite national wonder and admiration.”

True to those words, the Memorial proved a popular landmark from the start, and over the ensuing years it saw several updates, remodels, renovations, and new exhibits. But it was when the building fell into major disrepair in the 1990s that it started taking the shape that we know and love today. Proving once and for all that every rain cloud has a silver lining. In 1998, Kansas City voters passed a measure to not only update the deplorable condition of the building, but also to fund a major expansion to accommodate the massive influx of items that had been donated to the Memorial for display.

And so, the Museum wing of the Memorial was born. In addition to contributions from Kansas City taxpayers, donations flowed in from all over the country, and eventually over $100 million dollars was raised to create a truly one-of-a-kind Memorial and Museum dedicated solely to the First World War. In 2006, the building celebrated a grand re-opening, and it was designated the official National WWI Museum of the United States by Congress. Then in 2014, it got its final and official designation when President Obama signed legislation deeming it the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Quite an end to a stellar journey that started with just forty people and a strong idea!

It was in the spring of 2025 that I finally got to make my own visit to this very impressive Memorial. I have to say I never thought I would see so many World War I artifacts together in one place. Things donated from countless families of veterans over many, many years. They have it all, guys. Uniforms. Letters. Guns. Weapons. Medical supplies. Personal effects. I mean, if you can think of something from World War I, this museum probably has one or two of them on display. It took my husband and I HOURS to make our way through the place, and even that didn’t feel like nearly enough time.

All in all, it was the perfect place for a student of WWI to spend a day, and it was a Sundae that would come with an incredibly sweet cherry on top. Because as I strolled through the place, I happened to notice the gift shop, where they had a dizzying array of WWI books for sale. Novels and Nonfiction alike. Which got me thinking. Maybe they’d be interested in putting my book on the shelf too.

It felt like a long shot to me at the time. I mean, who the hell did I think I was anyway? This was the NATIONAL World War I Museum and Memorial. They wouldn’t be interested in the likes of me or my writing. However, a few days later, I got in touch with the gift shop manager and made the inquiry anyway. Her answer stunned me. “Oh, we know all about you,” she said. “We already have copies of your book ordered and on the way.”

I don’t care how much of a geek this makes me, but having my book on display at THE place to go in the United States to learn about World War I is probably the single most stellar accomplishment of my career so far. When the gift shop manager sent me pictures of my book sitting there on their shelf, which I’m happy to say eventually sold out, I kid you not, I burst into tears. Because I wrote that book to play a small part in educating and memorializing. Just like those forty people back in 1919, I wanted to make sure the sacrifices of that generation were never forgotten. And now, my path had well and truly crossed with the Liberty Memorial Association’s. And that, my friends, was truly quite the honor for me.

This month of March marks the one-year anniversary of the publication date of As the Storm Clouds Gather. Since it first came out, a Large Print edition has been released, an audiobook has been released, and a paperback has been released too. And this little author couldn’t be prouder of all of that. I can’t wait to see what other impacts this story will make as it continues its journey across the world. How many people it might impact. The hearts it still stands to move. It’s quite a ride guys, and I’m strapped in, ready to go.

 

I do highly recommend a visit to the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City if you ever get a chance. For more information on how to plan your visit, check out their website here. And if you would like to order a copy of my book from their website, click here. 

As the Storm Clouds Gather the paperback has arrived! Click here to learn where you can purchase your copy! 

But wait! There’s more! My THIRD BOOK, “Hold On To Tomorrow,” releases in just one month! It follows the Kennedy years and assassination as seen through the eyes of one young woman living in Dallas. Click here to learn more!