WEST HAVEN -- Matt Schmidt says he could talk all day about what he describes as a war that was "far more important than World War II."
April 6 is the 100th anniversary of the United States' entering World War I, which most believe happened because of Germany's sinking of the British ocean liner, Lusitania, which had over 100 Americans aboard. But, according to University of New Haven political science professor Matt Schmidt, President Woodrow Wilson actually signed off because the British and French begged for our assistance because they were running out of soldiers.
"50,000 men killed in a single day, in a single battle," said Schmidt.
The 3rd Infantry Division, which still exists today, is called the Rock of the Marne, as they won one of the wars final battles.
"They stood their ground and kept the Germans from crossing over the Marne River on their last attempt to take to Paris," said Schmidt, who adds that, what came out of World War I was much of the technology that defines warfare today, including tanks, weapons, machine gun, digging in trenches and living in trenches, chemical weapons and biological weapons.
The first submarines were also deployed there. And, the end of the war also shaped the Middle East.
"It created ... would become the State of Israel and it created Syria and Lebanon," said Schmidt.
Of course, Veterans Day was born out of World War I, which ended on the 11th day of the 11th month in the 11th hour in 1918.