Rebuilding of World War I memorial
cements ties between U.S., France
Story and photos by Sean E.
Cobb, Stars and Stripes
A V Corps honor guard
posts the colors behind the corps monument outside of Moulins-St. Hubert, France. |
MOULINS-ST. HUBERT, France — While the United States and its allies waged a war on
terrorism in Afghanistan, U.S. soldiers and their French friends gathered here Sunday to
rededicate a monument honoring those who fought in World War I.
The monument had been built by soldiers from the headquarters of V Corps right after
the armistice ending the war was formalized on Nov. 11, 1918. It was destroyed during
World War II, but recently was rebuilt by two current V Corps soldiers.
"Common soldiers before us built it, so it only seemed right that we should
rebuild it," said Sgt. Matthew Bonner, who along with Sgt. 1st Class Jade Mohrlant
reconstructed the monument during three weekends of work earlier this year.
According to Charles E. Kirkpatrick, the V Corps historian, the WWI soldiers assembled
the monument out of local stones cemented together with pieces of military equipment from
the battlefield.
"Some soldiers just came out and built it," Kirkpatrick said. "Soldier
labor — it was a simple thing really. Then we left."
The people of Moulins-St. Hubert took care of the monument, until the German army
destroyed it while salvaging for metal during World War II.
Now thanks to Mohrlant and Bonner, the monument, which sits atop and includes portions
of the original one, stands again.
The project began when the American Battle Monuments Commission checked out the area
and gave V Corps the options of rebuilding the monument, moving it or having it
dismantled, Mohrlant said. Moving the monument would have further damaged it, so the only
choice was to rebuild, he said.
"Plus this place has historical significance — it’s important for it to
stay right here so veterans can come see it," he said.
The monument is the only one in Europe dedicated to V Corps. It marks the farthest
point of advance by the corps during the trench-warfare of World War I.
Army Sgt 1st Class Jade
Mohrlant, left, and Sgt. Matthew Bonner rebuilt the V Corps World War I monument near
Moulin-St. Hubert, France. |
By taking the task on their own shoulders, Mohrlant and Bonner demonstrated the best
qualities and values Army soldiers can have, Brig. Gen. Kenneth J. Quinlan, the
corps’ chief of staff, said Sunday.
"No one ordered those soldiers to do it," he said.
The two soldiers worked on the site over three weekends beginning in June. They camped
in a little park nearby and used materials given to them by the town to work on the
monument.
Donations were also made by the V Corps Association, 78th Infantry Division Veterans
Association, V Corps Sergeant Major’s Association, Warrant Officer Association and
the Heidelberg Chapter of the Society of American Military Engineers.
Bonner, a counter-mine non-commissioned officer, said working on the monument gave him
a chance to do some engineering and learn about building things instead of destroying
them. He said he learned a lot about masonry from Mohrlant, an engineers section
construction inspector.
Rebuilding the monument was the right thing to do, said Dominic Didot, who oversees
nearby Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.
"There are about 90 private sites in the area. Together, all the monuments are an
important part of the history of the area," he said.
The Meuse-Argonne area was the site of heavy fighting for the corps in the fall of
1918. The corps began its attack on Ger-many’s four lines of entrenched defenses on
Sept. 26. Although the Americans outnumbered the Germans 6-to-1, the Germans were fighting
from carefully prepared positions and had 15 divisions in reserve to throw back any
breakthroughs.
After getting bogged down in the trench warfare during several attacks, the corps
finally broke through to the third German line around Cunel, France, on Oct. 21.
The fourth German line still remained. On the night of Nov. 6, the corps fought to take
the heights above Sedan, France. When morning came, the Americans held the high ground and
cleared the way for the French army to take the city.
The corps then crossed the Meuse River and advanced to locations near the monument as
the war ended.
The monument stands at the roadside of French route D-964, a quarter-mile north of
Moulins-St. Hubert and four miles south of Mouzon, France.
People from the local community and the French government came out to take part in
Sunday’s ceremony. The temperature dropped significantly as the sun went down, but
elderly French veterans stood holding their flags at attention.
"We stand here today in respect and homage to the American soldiers who fought and
died for us," said Jean-Pierre Deneuve, sub-prefect of the Verdun province, during
the ceremony. "We know that we owe you."
As the American and French communities stood together, numerous references were made by
the speakers to the Sept. 11 bombings and how the two countries have long been allies.
Quinlan summed up the significance of these ties to the future.
"Therefore, the rededication of this monument today is far more for us than a
proper remembrance of the valor and sacrifice of soldiers in a distant war," he said.
"A signpost to our shared past, it is also one of the foundations of our common
future."
Like those relationships with France, the new monument should stand the test of time,
Mohrlant said.
"I hope it lasts another 83 years," he said. "I’m going to come
back and see it."
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