The story is not unlike those of many young men and women throughout history.
A desire to see the world, to break away from everything familiar and find out what’s on the other side of the fence has been a common thread in many narratives, both those well-known and those that are slightly more obscure.
Of course, there’s usually some sort of catalyst that sparks one to actually act on those impulses.
The outbreak of World War I was just that for Ned Henschel, a Missouri native and munitions transport driver during the Great War. Hungry for adventure and bored with the day-to-day monotony that came with living in the Midwest during the early 20th century, Henschel enlisted in the Missouri National Guard in 1916 and soon after volunteered as an ambulance driver in France. Upon arrival, he found out he was instead needed to haul munitions across the country, and the rest is history.
His story is similar to many Americans who volunteered before and during the United States’ involvement in World War I. Henschel’s efforts, along with those of individual Americans and organizations across the United States, are highlighted through the special exhibition The Volunteers: Americans Join World War I, 1914-1919 now open at the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
The exhibition details the humanitarian and relief efforts of Americans that stemmed from a desire to not only travel the world and find excitement, but also from an inherent moral duty to help their fellow man.
Henschel’s endeavors, in the grand scheme of World War I, can be easily overlooked. They are, after all, just a footnote in history. However, a story is not whole without the entire sum of its parts, and the call to action that led to Henschel becoming part of a museum exhibition a century later is something to admire to this day. Helping those in need will always be a noble cause, and one worth learning about.
–Matthew Maxon
