The armistice declaring the end of World War I, on the "11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918, was signed 100 years ago. Georgia contributed more than 100,000 men and women to the war effort, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia. During U.S. involvement in the war from 1917-1918, the state was also home to more training camps than any other state."On Second Thought" for Monday, Nov. 12, 2018

   Georgia Humanities president Laura McCarty stopped by "On Second Thought" to talk about Georgians' contributions to the war effort and highlight some lesser known stories, including those of Moina Michael and Eugene Bullard. Michael, a former University of Georgia administrator, is credited with popularizing the poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those lost in the war. Bullard, from Columbus, Georgia, was the first African-American fighter pilot. Serving in the French military, Bullard predated the Tuskegee Airmen by more than 20 years. 

World War I transformed life in the United States. The "war to end all wars" also introduced a new chapter in African-Americans' fight for equal rights. About one million African-Americans registered for the draft and nearly 370,000 African-Americans enlisted in the U.S. military during World War I. Along with the activist W.E.B. Du Bois, many of those who served hoped that a war fought in the name of democracy would, at its end, make American society truly democratic as well. David Davis, a professor of English at Mercer University, spoke with us about the atmosphere African-Americans met overseas in the war and the environment to which they returned after the armistice. 

We also learned from Davis about the 369th Infantry Regiment, an infantry regiment of the New York Army National Guard during World War I. Popularly known as the "Harlem Hell Fighters," it was the first African-American regiment to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces in the war, and after the war was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for valor in the war.

An organization called Songwriting with Soldiers is trying to help vetreans deal with the emotional cost of war. It pairs veterans with professional songwriters to tell combat stories through music. Mary Gauthier has released an entire album of these songs called "Rifles and Rosary Beads." Veteran Jamie Trent worked on the track "Bullet Holes in the Sky." He discussed the story behind it for a forthcoming podcast from GPB and The Bitter Southerner.
We also revisited our conversation with Cindy Murphy Kelley, executive director of Chatham Savannah Authority for Homeless. She's building tiny houses for homeless veterans in Savannah. We also spoke with Chris Stout, the co-founder and CEO of the Veterans Community Project in Kansas City. His tiny home project has been up and running for two years, with veterans in the homes as of January 2018. He told us about the struggles and positive stories he has seen develop since creating this non-profit.