ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

More than a century after they fought in World War I, the Army’s famed “Harlem Hellfighters” will receive the Congressional Gold Medal. 

The “Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act” was signed into law Aug. 25 by President Joe Biden after the legislation was passed by the Senate and the House. The act acknowledges the soldiers’ “bravery and outstanding service during World War I,” according to Congress.gov. 

The story of Lt. Col. William “Wild Bill” Donovan, the World War I hero who went on to lead the agency that would become the CIA, is featured in the latest graphic novel in the Association of the U.S. Army’s series on Medal of Honor recipients.

Donovan, the only American to have received the nation’s four highest awards, the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal and the National Security Medal, is well known for founding the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA.

More than 100 years after 1st Lt. Thomas Beasley was killed in action in France, his family was presented with his Purple Heart and World War I campaign ribbon. 

Beasley, a member of the 5th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, was fighting in the front-line trenches when he was killed Oct. 5, 1918, in the Argonne Forrest sector. He died just before his 23rd birthday, and his widow, who was pregnant at the time, only received a telegram informing the family of his death. 

One day before opening to the public, the National World War I Memorial was inaugurated during a virtual ceremony in the nation’s capital. 

“The National World War I Memorial is a testament to the strength of the American people and honors the bravery and sacrifice our warriors have made during the Great War,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said April 16 during the First Colors event.

A flag-raising ceremony April 16 will mark the opening of the new National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The virtual First Colors event will include a historic flyover by the 94th Aero Squadron, which was established during World War I and was the unit of Medal of Honor recipient and flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, and the raising of a flag that has flown over the U.S. Capitol and nine American World War I battlefield cemeteries in Europe.

The grandson of World War I hero Sgt. Alvin York visited the Association of the U.S. Army to deliver a newly minted commemorative coin struck by the U.S. Mint for the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into the Great War.

The design of the Centennial Silver Dollar was announced in October at AUSA’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.