Local News

As a Doughboy

Warren man attends presidential inauguration to raise awareness for WWI national memorial

For Mark Nickerson, the Presidential Inauguration was a chance to see history.

But also a chance to be history.

The long-time reenactor, and owner of Nickerson Military & Sporting Collectibles in North Warren, was going to go to the inauguration after procuring a trip from Congressman Glenn Thompson.

But when the opportunity presented itself for Nickerson to work with the US World War I Centennial Commission, a 'Doughboy' he became.

As a member of the Great War Association, a World War I re-enacting group, Nickerson said he received an email from the Commission back in November that the Commission was "going to be taking part in the inauguration, handing out poppy seed packets."

The packets include information about the Commission's main effort to raise funds for a national World War I memorial.

Nickerson said World War I is the only war that doesn't have a national memorial in the capital. There is a World War I memorial on the National Mall but it's tucked away in the woods and is dedicated only to the men from DC who died in World War I.

So inauguration day found Nickerson and his wife, Sara, at Union Station handing out seed packets.

According to a statement from the Commission, poppy flowers "are a traditional symbol of veteran remembrance. The custom began 100 years ago, during World War I, with the worldwide popularity of the poem In Flanders Field."

"It was an interesting crowd," Nickerson said. "If you want to see how many different types of people are fellow Americans, go to a presidential inauguration."

"The most touching moment I had during all of that, a gentleman, probably in his 50s or 60s, a husband and wife, asked if he could have a picture with me," Nickerson said.

Nickerson agreed and learned that the couple had four sons - all served in the military. One died in Iraq, another was wounded in Afghanistan and two remain in the service.

"That really made up for the protesters that were anti-government, anti-establishment," he said. "It was very much a counterpoint."

Most people at Union Station were "busy trying to get to the security checkpoints" so there "wasn't really an opportunity to have lengthy conversations with people. (We) had a few people very interested. The fact that I was dressed in World War I uniform… that didn't hurt to get the word out."

With a hotel 40 miles away, Nickerson didn't have time to change before he and his wife went down to the National Mall for the inauguration, so as a Doughboy he went.

While on the subway heading to the security checkpoints, Nickerson struck up a conservation with a big-wig in the New York State Republican Committee.

It resulted in an inauguration seat upgrade that "put us about 120 yards out."

Once in their seats, his uniform continued to draw attention.

"Being decked out like Sgt. York, most people just gave me strange looks," he said. "People around me in the inauguration couldn't believe there was no national memorial."

Nickerson said that raising awareness - and funds - for the effort is harder than the World War II memorial effort for several reasons.

First, there was a push to complete the World War II model while many of the veterans were still living. In contrast, the last US World War I veteran, Frank Buckles, died in 2011 and the last World War I veteran world-wide was a British woman who died in 2012.

Also, Nickerson explained, most people that come into his shop have a family connection to World War II.

The national response to the veterans from the two wars also shapes the effort.

"Veterans of World War II had the GI Bill, the nation was grateful," he said. "(There were) benefits attached to having served your country in World War II. Whereas, World War I, when those guys came home, they got the big Broadway parade in New York City" and welcome home parades in their hometowns, but "after that it was pretty much forgotten."

Bonuses were also promised that could be collected in 1945 and "the money wasn't there. The government support wasn't there. There was no GI Bill for the Doughboys. A lot of those guys were bitter about the way things happened."

All of that factors into making the Commission's work more challenging but still valuable.

"The plan is to have a groundbreaking for the memorial on Veterans Day of 2018," he said, indicating that about $9 million of a proposed $45 million has been raised.

"It's in the public eye now more," he said.

He brought back to Warren many of the seed packets that he did not hand out and anyone interested can stop and pick some up at his shop free of charge. Nickerson said he is also willing to speak on the efforts of the Centennial Commission to any school or civic groups that might be interested.