Chapter 18: Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ World War I Experiences

By: Michael Scholz

She worked for the Miami Herald

She fell for Kenneth Rotharmel, a reporter with the Miami Metropolis

Enlisted in 1917, looking for an adventure

Joined the Red Cross

She left for France…

Marjory was in Paris on the morning of November 11,1918

In “Athens to Marseilles,” she wrote, “It is a queer time, just after a war. It is not war certainly. But it is not peace…

“The rubble of war and the dislocation afflicted on civilian men, women, and children left her with lasting images.”

Quake in Mugello Valley, south of Florence killed more than 100 and left 1,000’s homeless

Both cities reminded Marjory of what was missing back home in Miami

She considered the great city the world’s cultural and social epicenter.

Belgium was destroyed, but the Balkan States were even more devastated

Afterwards, Marjory enjoyed a stay in a village below Mount Olympus