I’m currently working on dissecting some family history regarding my great-grandfather. My great-uncle wrote a document that says this about my great-grandfather:

“He was a frustrated Army Cavalry Officer. He served in WWI but through no fault of his own, did not go overseas and had a very undistinguished career. Consequently, he tried to make up for it by becoming Lt. Colonel and the Executive Officer of Squadron C, US National Guard Cavalry unit out on Empire Blvd in Brooklyn. He had his own horse and went down and played soldier every week he could.”

Admittedly, I don’t know a ton of WWI history, so I thought this group may be able to help. I have two questions:

1. What would be some reasons that he wouldn’t have gone overseas?

2. How would I go about trying to get his actual military record? Are those available?

Thanks for any help!

In Flanders Fields By John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

The museum has uploaded several videos of historians talking about the war. Many of them are excellent.
https://www.youtube.com/@NationalWWIMuseum/videos

EDIT: Sorry, I left out the photo of the whole thing.

This pair of stars attached to black armbands, were given to my grandmother after the death of my uncle in WWI. He served in the Navy and died from pneumonia in 1918. They are about the size of a nickel. At first they look like they are solid metal, but they are actually made of extremely fine wire that is woven into the shape of a star. They are not pins- they are woven into the cloth of the armbands.

https://preview.redd.it/yq27lqudpxzd1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa9de5076a0b1c860545d19e9019514777c240c2

I would like to know what organization issued these stars to the mothers of men who died in WWI.

The star is made from very fine twisted wire

Hi, I'm looking for sheet music to the song 'The Girls All Dote on a Military Man' by Bennett Scott and A.J. Mills. The only place I can find it is on the Australian National Library. As an American, I can't access it. If there are any Australians that can help me, I'd be very appreciative, or if anyone else could find the song somewhere else.

Thank you!