100 years on, Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial still shines for veterans

The eyes of the world were focused on Kansas City on Nov. 1, 1921. Some of the biggest names of the Great War — Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing of the United States, Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, Adm. Sir David Beatty of Great Britain among others, along with 60,000 members of the American Legion – were on hand for the groundbreaking of the Liberty Memorial, one of the first major monuments honoring the sacrifices made by millions during the First World War. A local veteran was also there for the ceremony. An artillery captain who had seen action in France, the 37-year-old co-owner of a haberdashery in Kansas City had worked tirelessly and at great personal expense to decorate the community for the big occasion. Now he was in charge of presenting the colors to the Allied commanders. That man — Harry S. Truman — would attend other ceremonies at the monument, now part of the National World War I Museum and Memorial, including when it opened 100 years ago on Nov. 11, 1926.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.