The 4th of July 1918 for the AEF

The Fourth of July holiday is an occasion for the United States of America to celebrate and commemorate the birth of the nation. It is interesting to recall how this holiday was celebrated during the years America participated in World War One. The entry of the United States into the war provided a massive boost to the Allied powers and marked a significant moment in the conflict. In 1917, the earliest arriving new Doughboys paraded upon their arrival, most famously in Paris on 4 July, when the U.S. 16th Infantry provided men for the ceremonial event. 

By the 4th of 1918, however, with America massively committed on the battlefields, excitement about the Yanks was heightened. In London, American soldiers and sailors played a baseball game with the King in attendance and participated in parades around the British Isles. But in Paris, parade like the 1917 event was planned, but this time it would involve "blooded" American veterans of the recent fighting in France. Jointly marching with French poilu units, American soldiers who had fought at Cantigny, Marine veterans of Belleau Wood, and a detachment of Red Cross nurses made up the U.S. contingent. They were led by an Army band, playing tunes like "Over There". Notably, as part of the proceedings, a ceremony was held to mark the renaming of Avenue du President Wilson.

The New York Times reported on July 4, 1918 that:

Paris turned out today as almost never in its history to celebrate the Fourth of July. The French capital not only extended a royal welcome to the Americans here, but made a thorough holiday of the day on its own account. . . The walls of the Louvre, which has looked very gray and grim with locked doors and hidden treasure since the beginning of the war, are now ablaze with the colors of the two Republics, and the black mourning which has draped the statue of the city of Strasbourg in the Place de la Concorde … is relieved by the red, white and blue of America. . . The American troops marching through the city were welcomed by crowds of people that jammed every available inch of space and every window in the buildings along the line of march, on roofs, and even in trees, cheered themselves hoarse’. 

On the same day, while the parade was underwar, American troops of the 33rd Division were fighting alongside Aussies to liberate the village of Hamel north of Paris. 

Sources:  Troy University Archives, WWI Centennial Commission; NY Times Archives.