"The Spirit of the American Doughboy "

"The Spirit of the American Doughboy ". E. M. Viquesney. (Right panel) , World War I was largly fought in trenches six feet deep along the Western Front which extended nearly four hundred miles, from Northern France to the French-Swiss border. Enemy trenches were close by and seperated from allied positions by barbed wire and open fields., By Armistance Day, November 11, 1918, the American forces commanded eighty-three miles of the Western Front, more than the Belgian, British, and British Commonwealth forces. , Dedicated November 11, 2002 , (Sponsor names). , (Center Panel) , "Lafayette, we are here!" , The first American troops in World War I arrived in France in June, 1917. Under the command of General John J. Pershing, they were officially called the American Expeditionary Force, but they were nicknamed and known evermore as the Doughboys of The Great War. , "The American soldiers were superb. That is a fact which is acknowledged, not only by their friends and British commander, but by their enemies as well. There were no braver or more fearless men in any army..." , David Lloyd George , British Prime Minister , (Backside panel) , “The Spirit of the American Doughboy” Original Sculpture by E. M. Viquesney Reproduced by Frank Colson, The creation of E. M. Viquesney of Spencer, Indiana (1876-1946), this sculpture is a representation of and tribute to the veterans of the American Expeditionary Force who served in World War I. , This statue was reproduced from molds of the original work and erected on November 11, 2002 on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina in memory of the 64,739 South Carolinians who served and the 2,085 who were killed in action or died of disease or other causes during the Great War. , “Soldier rest! Thy warfare o’er , Sleep the sleep that knows no breaking. , Dream of battle fields no more, , Days of danger, nights of waking.” , - Sir Walter Scott , (Left panel) , The Yanks Are Coming , Over there, over there, , Send the word, send the word over there- , That the Yanks are coming, , The Yanks are coming..., So prepare, say a pray'r , Send the word sent the word to beware, , We'll be over, we're coming over, , And we won't come back till it's over , Over there. , , "Over There" , George M. Cohan , 1917 . , American composer and producer George M. Cohan's song "Over There" inspired Americans at home and abroad in The Great War. For his musical contribution to the war effort, Cohan was awarded the † Congressional Medal of Honor.