FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, March 21, 2017
April 6, 2017, marks the centennial of an important Franco-American moment: the U.S. declaration of war against Germany and stalemate-breaking entrance alongside France into the hostilities.
American forces bravely fought shoulder-to-shoulder with allied forces on the Western Front, a battle line of hard-fought trenches that stretched approximately 600 miles from the Vosges mountains to Northern France.
Dedicated remembrance sites throughout France recognize and commemorate those who were lost in World War I, including American memorials and cemeteries at Belleau Wood also known as Marines Wood, Bony and Fère-en-Tardenois in Picardy, Blanc Mont in Champagne-Ardennes, Thiaucourt, St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in Lorraine – the resting place of the largest number of American military servicemen in Europe.
One of the newest sites of remembrance was designed by acclaimed architect Philippe Prost in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The Ring of Remembrance is an international memorial that gives shape to brotherhood, uniting yesterday’s enemies and showcasing a union of solidarity amongst the allied forces.
Undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary examples of Franco-American relations during this time is that of Anne Morgan – the daughter of financier J.P. Morgan and the first American woman awarded the distinction of Commandeur of the French Legion of Honor in 1932. Morgan, a philanthropist, provided relief efforts and aid to France as early as 1917 from her headquarters at the Château de Blérancourt in Picardy. This site is now the Franco-American Museum, which will re-open this summer after a major expansion on June 24, 2017.