Featured Document Display: Write to Mom. That’s an order!

Friday, April 30, 2021 - Thursday, May 13, 2021
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Mother’s Day; May 12 1918 Cartoonist Clifford Berryman captures the spirit of Mother's Day. Here, amidst the chaos of battle, a soldier writes a letter to his mother, her image clearly in his mind.

This World War I–era telegram relays the Secretary of War’s desire that all commanding  officers and soldiers write a letter home for Mother’s Day. By the date of this communication, May 6, 1919, those moms had been waiting almost six months for their children to come home. Although the Armistice was announced in November 1918, it took over a year to transport the millions of American troops stationed overseas back to the United States.

Mother's Day Telegram; May 6, 1919
Mother's Day Telegram, May 6, 1919
National Archives, Records of the Army Air Forces

 

Mother of four soldiers at a parade in Boston, Massachusetts, January 21, 1919.
Mother of four soldiers at a parade in Boston, Massachusetts, January 21, 1919. The two blue stars on her service flag represent family members serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. The two gold stars represent family members who died during military operations.
National Archives, Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs
 
Clifford Berryman illustration, Mother’s Day, May 12, 1918
Mother’s Day,  May 12, 1918
Cartoonist Clifford Berryman captures the spirit of Mother's Day. Here, amidst the chaos of battle, a soldier writes a letter to his mother, her image clearly in his mind. 
National Archives, Records of the U.S. Senate

 

Featured Image
Mother’s Day; May 12 1918 Cartoonist Clifford Berryman captures the spirit of Mother's Day. Here, amidst the chaos of battle, a soldier writes a letter to his mother, her image clearly in his mind.