100 Years Ago In Hoboken: President Gave Emotional Speech

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken was a major port city 100 years ago, and thus it was the point from which thousands of U.S. soldiers embarked to fight in World War I in 2017. It was also a place where, years later, some returned in wood coffins for their burial.

One hundred years ago this week, President Warren Harding came to Hoboken to "view the pine coffins of 5,112 American dead brought back from the battlefields of France," according to a Tweet from New Jersey author Jon Blackwell, who runs a historical Twitter account looking at centennial anniversaries. After arriving in Hoboken, the coffins were transported to places around the country for burial.

At a ceremony in Hoboken on May 23, 2021, Harding gave a speech to praise the soldiers, sailors, marines, and nurses who perished. A transcript is here.

"With his voice choking," Blackwell wrote, "he says, 'It must not be again.' "

Gold Star Mothers Visit Hoboken Pier

Meanwhile, this past Sunday, the Gold Star Mothers and The American Legion held an event in Hoboken to mark the anniversary of the return of the war dead.

The groups congregated Sunday on Pier A, according to ABC News, to remember the fallen.

"This was our way of saying, you are not forgotten," said one Gold Star Mother. "It maybe 100 years, but you're never forgotten." Read the story here.

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