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Exhibition Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I

Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I

Souvenir of War

German helmet, probably acquired by soldier Walker Harrison Jordon, ca. 1918. Jordan Family Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (193.00.00)
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German helmet, probably acquired by soldier Walker Harrison Jordon, ca. 1918. Jordan Family Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (193.00.00)
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Souvenir of War

Individual veterans often returned with souvenirs that marked their wartime experiences. From Virginia and the son of a former slave, Walker Harrison Jordan served with the 351st Field Artillery Regiment in France. During the war, Walker wrote about the regiment's war service, which he later published as the book “Old Eph” in the Army: A Simple Treatise on the Human Side of a Colored Soldier. Jordan likely brought this Bavarian spiked helmet back to the United States as a war souvenir. The motto on the helmet “In treue fest” translates as "steadfast in loyalty."