Len's Summary: The new one-volume biography of General John J. Pershing Until the Last Trumpet Sounds by Gene Smith (John Wiley & Sons) was panned by The New York Times, but got a better review from historian Rod Paschall writing for MHQ. Black Jack’s best biographies are multi-volume — Frank Vandiver’s and Donald Smythe’s come to mind — so this one is a handy, quick reference that captures the fundamentals of Pershing’s life.
Covid-19 has made life very interesting in 2020. The WW1HA normally participates in the National WW1 Museum and Memorial’s annual symposium in late October / early November, but it appears that event is not taking place in-person or on-line this year. Therefore, the Association pivoted by hosting its first ever Meet and Greet event via Zoom on 27 Sept. We had almost 40 participants share their interest in WW1.
The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter has started to host their monthly meetings via Zoom, and the WW1 Historical Association—Eastern Chapter has also been hosting various Zoom events.
At the time of this writing World War One Illustrated #13 has just gone to the printers and members should be receiving their copies shortly.
My first two-year term as President is almost at an end. We have been successful in getting our publications back on track and in improving the regularity of our social media posts on Facebook. We still have work to do updating our website. Patience please.
Our membership year runs from 11 November to 10 November. Please renew your membership now, if you are a current member. Please join us, if you are not yet a member. We remain fascinated with the study of WW1 because of its enormous impact on the 20th and 21st centuries, and because it has impacted many of our families.
Until the Last Trumpet Sounds: The Life of General of the Armies John J. Pershing by Gene Smith 
