Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
That's entertainment! The U.S. Army got into showbiz – so to speak – for the first time in WWI, in a concerted effort to keep morale up among the troops. Dr. Richard Faulkner explores the varied ways that the army and civilian partners sought to create a wholesome environment to ease draftees' transitions into the military, to keep "idle hands out of the devil's workshop" and of course, to build morale. But out on the front, even unprecedented efforts fell short in bolstering the doughboys' spirits where it mattered most – in combat.
Hosted in partnership with the U.S. Command and General Staff College in conjunction with the exhibition Entertaining the Troops.
For more information about the National WWI Museum and Memorial visit theworldwar.org
That's entertainment! The U.S. Army got into showbiz – so to speak – for the first time in WWI, in a concerted effort to keep morale up among the troops. Dr. Richard Faulkner explores the varied ways that the army and civilian partners sought to create a wholesome environment to ease draftees' transitions into the military, to keep "idle hands out of the devil's workshop" and of course, to build morale. But out on the front, even unprecedented efforts fell short in bolstering the doughboys' spirits where it mattered most – in combat.
Hosted in partnership with the U.S. Command and General Staff College in conjunction with the exhibition Entertaining the Troops.
For more information about the National WWI Museum and Memorial visit theworldwar.org









![American Troops Arrive in France, 1917
- Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Inferieure, France, June 26, 1917 - The U.S.S. Hancock with the 5th Regt. Marines aboard, arrives safely in France. Going through the locks.
- Troops on decks of transports coming into port.
- The first fighting men of America landing in France, 1st Division. (June 26, 1917)
- Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Inferieure, France, March 9, 1918 - American troops arriving in France.
- 16th Infantry, 1st Division, marching to rest camp. (June 1917)
Footage from the Signal Corps Film ‘Base Section No. 1 (St. Nazaire), Arrival and Unloading of Troops [1917]’
For more information about the National WWI Museum and Memorial visit http://theworldwar.org American Troops Arrive in France, 1917](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qLXpyx45jsE/mqdefault.jpg)
