World War I (MD)

Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland has for many years commemorated the service of local men and women through a town wide event called Cumberland Goes To War. This year the event was broadened and called Western Maryland Goes to War. This meant there were tributes to soldiers from World War I to Desert Storm and the contributions and sacrifices made by the community, with music, roundtables, displays, fly-ins and more.

American soldiers of the First World War collected postcards in the US as they traveled to training camps and then later in France. The cards were of three types - photographic views of landscapes or buildings; posed views of army life; and comical drawings of life in the army. Most of the cards were not sent through the mail - they were brought back from France or elsewhere and became part of the war memories of family members. 

During World War I, among the service members in Allegany County, 63 men and 1 woman died of disease; in Garrett County, 19 died of disease, and 34 in Washington County. In Western Maryland 46 were listed as dying of broncho pneumonia, 33 of pneumonia, and 17 of lobar pneumonia. Only 3 people were listed as dying of influenza.

At the end of the World War I, several of the small Western Maryland towns wanted to honor those who fought for their country and those who died. Some towns named on the monument all who went off to war, others emphasized those who died. Garrett and Washington Counties have a countywide memorial, in Garrett located in Kitzmiller, in Washington County in Hagerstown. Each memorial is unique, telling the story of their town and the sacrifices of their sons and daughters.