My Grandfather's War

There's a curious pattern on my father's side of the family in which a long line of men became fathers at the age of 45. And that's how it happened that my grandfather--my father's father--enlisted in, not World War II, but World War I.

My grandfather's parents had immigrated to Minnesota from northern Germany and never fully grasped the English language. His mother had died when he was five, and his memories of his father were of a man who longed for the country of his youth. But, that Germany had been changed by Prussian influence and would never be what it had been. America became his refuge, his land of opportunity. But, he could not stop telling his son about the beauty of the Rhine, about the beautiful, deep forests near his small hometown of Hamoor. My grandfather grew up dreaming of one day visiting the half-magical land of his father.

The reality of his arrival in Germany couldn't have been more divorced from his dream. He enlisted with the U.S. Army in April of 1917. He was young and ready to fight for his country, in battle against what he been his father's cherished nation. And he fought well and bravely. Among his medals and honors was the Distinguished Service Cross, as cited:

William H. Siemering
Distinguished Service Cross
Awarded for actions during the World War I

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Private First Class William H. Siemering (ASN: 1106054), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company G, 142d Infantry Regiment, 36th Division, A.E.F., near St. Etienne, France, 8 October 1918. Although one of his hands was disabled, Private Siemering left a sheltered position against the advice of his companions, and went through heavy shell and machine-gun fire to the aid of a wounded comrade, bringing the latter to a place of safety.

General Orders: War Department, General Orders 66 (May 21, 1919)

Action Date: 8-Oct-18

Service: Army

Rank: Private First Class

Company: Company G

Regiment: 142d Infantry Regiment

Division: 36th Division, American Expeditionary Forces

Like most heroes, my grandfather never spoke about his time in the War, made no mention about his valor in battle. The only reminder of his time at war was that he asked that no family member wear red in his presence. He'd seen enough of the color on the battlefield. And that request was honored for the rest of his life.

My grandfather went on to devote his life to veterans. Living in Madison, Wisconsin as an adult, he'd always go to the cemetery and place small flags on the graves of veterans. There was an area of the cemetery where Confederate Civil War soldiers had been buried and he noticed those graves were never touched. He began placing flags at their graves as well. My grandfather was criticized for his actions, being told that the Confederates had been on the opposing side. My grandfather's simple response was that every American soldier deserves to be honored and remembered. And so, on Memorial Day, I can't help but think of my grandfather, his wisdom, and all those who have bravely served their country.

All Things Considered, Dad, and Me

This is a big day for NPR's first signature show, All Things Considered, celebrating its 40th anniversary today. While so many are rightly praising the show, I'm also thinking back 40 years to when my Dad, Bill Siemering, created it.

We'd recently moved to Washington, D.C. I know I was very excited that we had a uniformed doorman in our apartment building, while Dad was very excited about something else--a new kind of radio show he was developing. It would be an in-depth, intelligent presentation of the day's news for evening drive-time. In 1971, such a program didn't exist.

If you ask most people what they recall about their parent's work while they were in grade school, the answer is something like, "He went to the office and did stuff." There was that, but Dad was so full of enthusiasm and energy about the "new" program for NPR (for which, by the way, he wrote the Mission Statement and served as their first Director of Programming) that it made an impression. It showed me that it's important to do work you believe in, that you should be passionate about your goals. He provided an example I've tried to follow.

Since 1971, All Things Considered has won some of the highest honors in broadcasting: the Peabody, Dupont, and Overseas Press Club awards. It was the first radio program to be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. It became the model for many shows that followed at NPR.

And since 1971, my father has accomplished amazing things. He has spent decades helping to establish community radio in developing countries around the world, always listening for ways to help those often considered the least among us. More publicly, he was awarded the McArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's highest honor, the Edward R. Murrow Award. His current work is as President of Developing Radio Partners, created to help broadcasters build healthy stations that strengthen communities. Through it, successful projects have been completed in Mongolia, Sierra Leone, and Russia. Current projects are underway in Malawi, Kenya, and Zambia.

Someone asked me how I would describe my father in one sentence. I answered, "He's spent most of his life trying to make a better world for as many people as possible." And I stand by that statement. I couldn't be more proud of what he's accomplished, the work he's currently doing, and the work he's yet to do.