I am sucker for action films and, luckily, my husband is also. The motorcycle "cat and mouse" in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade between Indie and the Nazi cyclist was a favorite scene. World War II was not the first time motorcycles were used in war efforts.

The United States first employed motorcycles in hunting down Panco Villa and his troops in the Mexican Revolution. Then in the Great War motorcycles went to Europe with the doughboys.  

Here are the "War Warriors" of the American and British motorcycle corps.  

The U.S. introduced the Harley-Davidson Model 17F/J in 1917. It was quick and responsive, agile and versatile, for the times. It could be outfitted with stretchers, sidecars, shields and machine guns.

Leading the U.S. into the war in 1916 was the Indian Powerplus Big Twin, which, imho, was one attractive machine. Indian supplied 50,000 which were faster and more maneuverable than the Harleys. Sadly the company never fully restored its civilian sales after the war. But is it not gorgeous?

The U. K. started using the Triumph Model H in 1915 specifically for scurrying messages between their forces on the front line due to other means being less dependable. It only drove 4 MPH so it became dubbed "Trusty" as it dependability trumped its speed. Over 30,000 came to battle and were equipped with the same gear as the American motorcycles.

I  had to share this up-to-date information about this ceremony, held in France, on September 23rd.

The Meuse-Argonne ceremonies take place at the ABMC’s Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery on Sunday, September 23rd. Specific information can be found here. 
https://www.abmc.gov/news-events/events/world-war-i-centennial-luminary-meuse-argonne-american-cemetery#.W5IUT7puLZs

From that page:
September 23, 2018, at (All day)
Come to Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery on September 23, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. to participate in a luminary event that will help mark the 100th anniversary of the World War I Meuse-Argonne Offensive. As dusk falls at the cemetery, thousands of headstones will be lit with candles, creating a powerful image of light overpowering the darkness. Attendance is free and open to the public.

 iLink to the Facebook Video on the U.S. Army Center of Military History

This link is pesky.  Perhaps you will want to go directly to their Facebook page and scroll to the video posting on August 5, 2018.  Isn't it amazing how the "easiest" postings often cause problems?

Once you get to the video, I hope that you enjoy it.  It is about 25 minutes long, and some of the sections could be scanned through as it includes some "meeting and greeting."

I have added this post as the 100th anniversary of the beginning of this battle is this Wednesday, September 12th. In an August 26th post, if you look back, you will find a short video about the Battle of St. Mihiel.

The U.S. Army Center of Military History is running a great series of writings on World War I. Any of us can download PFDs of each of the series for FREE. This week is about the Battle of St Mihiel, considered the first modern battle for our doughboys. Below is the Center's Facebook post and link to the free PDF.  Enjoy!  My uncle was in this battle. Perhaps one of your relative were also.  Comment below if you have discovered his or her service at St Mihiel. After this battle the 347th Machine Gun Battalion pushed on to Gesnes, France where Josh's lieutenant, H.W. Price, was injured while attacking the village.

"ST. MIHIEL, 12-16 SEPTEMBER 1918
Called by some historians it “America’s first truly great modern battle”. The St. Mihiel Offensive, 12-16 September 1918 demonstrated that the Americans were capable of operating as an independent command. This pamphlet is the seventh installment of the U.S. Army Campaigns of World War I series, 
For your copy: https://history.army.mil/catalog/pubs/77/77-7.html "

Here is a nibble, the first paragraph:
"Early in the morning of 12 September 1918, nearly half a million American soldiers crouched in forward trench lines along a sixty- five-kilometer section of the Western Front, waiting for the signal to advance. The target of the American-planned and American- executed operation was a massive salient that had bedeviled the Allies since late 1914. Until this point in the World War, members of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) had not fought in a formation larger than a corps, and then only under French or British leadership. Now, as part of the newly formed American First Army under the command of General John J. Pershing, they prepared to launch an operation that was, according to one historian, “America’s first truly great modern battle.” The four-day offensive would not only serve as a baptism of fire for the First Army but also demonstrate to the Allies and the Germans alike that the Americans were capable of operating as an independent command. The action showed how far the U.S. Army had progressed in its evolution from a frontier constabulary to a modern combined arms maneuver force, and it helped set the stage for the grand Allied offensive that would seize the initiative all along the Western Front and blaze a path toward ultimate victory in the war."

 Known until 1947 simply as the "Victory Medal", the World War I Victory Medal was awarded to any member of the U.S. military who had served in the armed forces between the following dates in the following locations:

• 6 April 1917 to 11 November 1918 for any military service.
• 12 November 1918 to 5 August 1919 for service in European Russia
• 23 November 1918 to 1 April 1920 for service with the American Expeditionary Force Siberia

The front of the bronze medal features a winged Victory holding a shield and sword on the front. The back of the bronze medal features "The Great War For Civilization" in all capital letters curved along the top of the medal. Curved along the bottom of the back of the medal are six stars, three on either side of the center column of seven staffs wrapped in a cord. The top of the staff has a round ball on top and is winged on the side. The staff is on top of a shield that says "U" on the left side of the staff and "S" on the right side of the staff. On left side of the staff it lists one World War I Allied country per line: France, Italy, Serbia, Japan, Montenegro, Russia, and Greece. On the right side of the staff the Allied country names read: Great Britain, Belgium, Brazil, Portugal, Rumania (spelled with a U instead of an O as it is spelled now), and China.

To denote battle participation and campaign credit, the World War I Victory Medal was authorized with a large variety of devices to denote specific accomplishments. In order of seniority, the devices authorized to the World War I Victory Medal were as follows:

The Citation Star to the World War I Victory Medal was authorized by the United States Congress on 4 February 1919.[4] A ​3⁄16 inch silver star was authorized to be worn on the ribbon of the Victory Medal for any member of the U.S. Army who had been cited for gallantry in action between 1917 and 1920. In 1932, the Citation Star ("Silver Star") was redesigned and renamed the Silver Star Medal and, upon application to the United States War Department, any holder of the Silver Star Citation could have it converted to a Silver Star medal.

The following battle clasps, inscribed with a battle's name, were worn on the medal to denote participation in major ground conflicts.[1]
Army Battle Clasps
Major Ground Conflict: Start Date. End Date
Aisne 27 May 1918 5 June 1918
Aisne-Marne 18 July 1918 6 August 1918
Cambrai 12 May 1917 4 December 1917
Champagne-Marne 15 July 1918 18 July 1918
Lys 9 April 1918 27 April 1918
Meuse-Argonne 26 September 191811 November 1918
Montdidier-Noyon 9 June 191813 June 1918
Oise-Aisne 18 August 1918 11 November 1918
St. Mihiel 12 September 191816 September 1918
Somme-Defensive 21 March 1918 6 April 1918
Somme-Offensive 8 August 19181 1 November 1918
Vittorio-Veneto 24 October 1918 4 November 1918
Ypres-Lys 19 August 1918 11 November 1918

​For general defense service, not involving a specific battle, the "Defensive Sector" Battle Clasp was authorized. The clasp was also awarded for any battle which was not already recognized by its own battle clasp. [My uncle received the three clasps which are in bold face print].
​
The World War I Victory Medal bears the clasps of the battles the U.S. Army participated in across the ribbon. Not all battles are shown on the bar clasps. Only the battles designated as battles that would have bars issued were shown on the medal. The famous Battle of Chateau Thierry to hold the Chateau and the bridge as a joint effort between the US Army and the US Marines against the German machine gunners did not get awarded clasps.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_Victory_Medal_(United_States)