Inductees in 1918 boarding trolleys on Grand Street to begin their long journey to Camp Upton in Yaphank to be trained for entry into WWI. It appears the entire town turned out to see them off. Men from sleepy little Maspeth were headed to an unimaginable hell in a foreign land but were proud to serve. Five months later, the war would be over. Photo courtesy of Queens Borough Public Library.
Victory celebration in 1919 that welcomed the troops back home. Not all of them returned, however. At that very location now stands the Garlinge Monument to honor residents who perished in what everyone thought at the time was the “War to End All Wars.” Many of the fallen were fortunate to have survived combat, only to die from illness, such as the Spanish Flu. Photo courtesy of Maspeth Federal Savings Bank.
These Two Photos are Striking Reminders That Freedom Isn’t Free.
It’s been 108 years since the end of WWI. No one alive today lived during that time. The lessons learned from this conflict should never be forgotten and neither should those who made the ultimate sacrifice
in service to our country.
