Arkansas roles in World War I focus of centennial committee

LITTLE ROCK-The roles people from Arkansas played in World War I will be highlighted over the next two years by the newly formed Arkansas World War I Centennial Commemoration Committee.
Historically, World War II and the Civil War have received much more attention in Arkansas than the "Great War" has. U.S. involvement in World War I started in April 1917 and ended Nov. 11, 1918.
"It's a forgotten war," said Mike Polston, staff historian for the "Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture" at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. "There are not any of those soldiers left. Those who had a living, physical connection with that war are all gone. There are a few monuments around the state at county courthouses. I think most people don't even know those are there."
The committee's goal is to make sure the contributions of those from Arkansas are remembered. It is coordinating events and memorials to mark the war's 100th anniversary in 2017-18, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported .
Even though the fighting was in Europe, the war touched Arkansas' economy and manpower, according to the Arkansas history encyclopedia. Camp Pike, now Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, was constructed for infantry training, and Eberts Field was created in Lonoke County as one of the first pilot schools nationally, Polston said. Soldiers and pilots came from throughout the country to train in Arkansas, with government dollars flowing in, too, he said.
Arkansas cotton was needed for uniforms and bandages, increasing the crop's price, according to the encyclopedia. The mining of lead and zinc "increased dramatically" in the state, and a Phillips County factory made rifle stocks from local hardwoods.
The enlistment of 71,862 soldiers from Arkansas created a labor shortage, and colleges struggled with the loss of students. There were 2,183 deaths of people from Arkansas during the war, with about 500 of those killed in action. The rest died from illness, Polston said.
"Most of the Arkansas boys had never seen a body of water bigger than the Arkansas River or a pond nearby," Polston said. "Now they were going over the Atlantic Ocean. A lot of it (illness) came from being overseas."