According to a press release, the American Expeditionary Force in some ways marked the beginning of the United States as a superpower. It wasn’t that the United States hadn’t won wars before. It had. It wasn’t that it hadn’t beaten European powers before. It had.

But World War I was the first time the United States fought against and alongside the world’s best armies on their home turf and showed that it was unequivocally as good as anyone. It was a defining period that marked one of several high points in the American Century.

The American involvement in World War I seems complex, but it isn’t. The war started in August 1914, but it wasn’t until April 1917 that the United States joined. It took another year before the ground forces of the American Expeditionary Force saw action.

Were members of your family part of the war effort? Come to the October program and learn more about how to identify your ancestor’s efforts.

The North Central Iowa Genealogical Society meeting is at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the lower level meeting room of Clear Lake Public Library, 200 N Fourth St. in Clear Lake. The meeting is free and open to the public.