Lest We Forget: The Great War

As the United States commemorates the centennial of World War I, one of the nation’s premier military history institutions pays tribute to the Americans who served and the allies they fought beside to defeat a resourceful enemy with a lavishly illustrated book published in partnership with the Unites States World War One Centennial Commission.

The story of WWI is told through the memorable art it spawned—including posters from nations involved in the conflict—and a taut narrative account of the war’s signal events, its major personalities and its tragic consequences; and the timely period photographs that illustrate the awful realities of this revolutionary conflict. Most importantly, this book is a tribute to those who served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and what would become the Air Force.

It serves as a lasting reminder that our world ignores the history of World War I (and the ensuing WWII) at its peril—lest we forget.

Proceeds from the sale of this book help build the WWI Memorial in Washington D.C.

Colonel Robert J. Dalessandro, U.S. Army (Retired), serves as the Acting Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission, was the first Chair of the World War One Centennial Commission from 2013 to 2017, and is an American historian and author who has written extensively on the American Expeditionary Forces’ contributions to the First World War. Dalessandro is the former Director of the United States Army Center of Military History at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. He frequently leads battlefield tours to sites in the United States, France, and Italy. Dalessandro is widely published on the lifeways and material culture of the American soldier in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. He is co-author of Organization and Insignia of the American Expeditionary Forces, 1917-1923, which received the Army Historical Foundation’s award for excellence in writing.

Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired) is the Founder and Chair of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, which she created in 2003; President and Founder of the Pritzker Military Foundation and the TAWANI Foundation; and President and CEO of TAWANI Enterprises, Inc. She is Founder and Executive Editor of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s publications. In 1974, Pritzker enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving until 1977 with the 82nd Airborne Division where she rose to the rank of sergeant. She was commissioned in 1979 and served on active duty until 1985 with the 101st Airborne Division and VII Corps Germany. From 1985 to 2001, she served in the U.S. Army Reserves and the Illinois National Guard. She retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel and subsequently received an honorary promotion to full colonel in the Illinois National Guard. Pritzker holds an honorary doctorate from Norwich University and in 2016 received the U.S. Department of Defense Spirit of Hope Award from the U.S. Army.

Michael W. Robbins is a historian and award-winning writer and editor of magazines and books. Recently retired as editor of MHQ: Military History Quarterly, he was also editor of Military History magazine and previously served as editor of Audubon. Robbins has a Ph.D. in American history from George Washington University. He is a partner in the book-packaging firm of Palitz + Robbins, and resides in Kinderhook, New York.

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library, founding sponsor of the World War One Centennial Commission, is a living memorial to those who serve. Its world-class collection, including tens of thousands of books and veterans resources on military history and affairs, is available to the public onsite and through interlibrary loan. It uses artifacts, many donated by service members or their families, to create physical and online exhibits that tell the stories of service. It broadcasts the experiences and insights of authors, military leaders, scholars, and veterans through podcasts, television shows, and video to millions. Explore the PMML’s WWI collections at pritzkermilitary.org/wwi

Kenneth Clarke served as President and CEO of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library and is Executive Editor and Creative Director of the Museum & Library’s publications, including On War: The Best Military Histories (2013), The History and Heritage of U.S. Navy Seals (2014), Dignity of Duty: The Journals of Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath, 1861-1898 (2015), and The General: William Levine, Citizen Soldier and Liberator (2016). While Executive Director of the Poetry Center of Chicago at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2000-2005), Clarke published a series of broadsides featuring art and poetry by award-winning and emerging artists that are now in the collections of the University of Chicago, Yale University, and Brown University.