The War to End All Wars - World War I
On this Veteran's Day, I remember my paternal grandfather who enlisted in American army in WWI. He was trained as a part of the experimental Balloon Corps to become the "Eyes of the Army" observing the Kaiser's troops in France. The balloons were filled with inflammable gas and were tethered in stationary positions, essentially sitting ducks for German pilots who engaged in balloon busting. When attacked, the defenseless observers had no choice but to parachute from their burning fireballs into the front lines of the fighting. This was the early days of parachute technology and parachutes were stored in canvass tubes hung over the side of the wicker baskets. From his journal, Grandpa reports being forced to bail some one dozen times. Each time his parachute worked. Others were not so lucky. Balloon observers had among the highest fatality rates of any group in WWI. At the same time I admire my grandfather's bravery, WWI to my mind was the most senseless of wars...