The Big Red One Marches on After Vietnam: The REFORGER

Summer 2010
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S o c i e t y
The Big Red One Marches on After
Vietnam: The REFORGER Missions
In the last issue of the Bridgehead Sentinel the
Division’s last days in Vietnam were highlighted,
and the REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany)
missions were introduced. Believe it or not, it has
now been 40 years since the 1st Infantry Division
returned home from Vietnam, and redeployed (as
the 1st Infantry Division [Mechanized]) with a new
mission during the Cold War. The following is a
detailed recap of the first of such operations by
the Big Red One, Field Training Exercise: Certain
Thrust, which set the stage for future REFORGER
missions and, according to some, led to the speed
and effectiveness of the 1st Division’s infantry and
tanks during Operation Desert Storm.
Excerpts taken from documents courtesy of the Research Center
at the 1st Infantry Division Museum at Fort Riley.
Field Training Exercise Certain
Thrust, the tactical highlight of
Operation REFORGER II, began
October 19, 1970, between
the northern Bavarian towns of
Hassfurt and Bamberg. The men
of the 1st Infantry Division had
deployed to the Federal Republic of Germany the first week in
October, picking up their prepositioned equipment at five sites
along the Rhine River. In the days
prior to the 19th, the Big Red One
troopers checked out equipment and moved to their tactical
assembly areas. FTX Certain Thrust
was the outgrowth of a hypothetical situation in which Aggressorland, the totalitarian superpower
of Eastern Europe, occupied a
neighboring satellite, Orangeland.
The Aggressorland forces then
launched a propaganda campaign
that threatened the security of
Freeland. In response to her NATO
commitments, Homeland replied
by sending the 1st Infantry Division
to bolster the defenses of Freeland.
Aggressorland answered this
deployment of allied forces by
invading Freeland, thus setting
the stage for FTX Certain Thrust.
Aggressor, or Orange Forces, were
played by the 1st Brigade of the
3rd Infantry Division and the elite
German 35th Panzer Grenadier
Brigade. The 1st Infantry Division
was the keystone of the Blue forces
with other NATO units attached for
combat support.
Before entering combat,
Major General Robert R. Linville,
Commanding General of the 1st
Infantry Division, met with his
senior commanders.
“Gentleman, we are the heart
of the VII Corps attack. We will
hit hard, move fast and move
far. When we make contact with
the enemy, we will not lose it. If
stopped on one route of advance,
we will go to the right or left until
we find a weak spot and then
advance. We must hit the enemy
with everything we have: mortars,
air and artillery. We will use the
APC’s for bases of fire and employ
recon elements to the maximum.
Find the enemy and hit him
continually!”
Combat began on the morning
of October 19th, 1970. The 1st and
3rd Brigades moved from their
tactical assembly areas at 6 a.m.
to the four bridge sites along the
Main River. This river-crossing
operation had been prepared
by the U.S. Air Force by “flatten-
o f
t h e
F i r s t
I n f a n t r y
D i v i s i o n
U.S. Army Photo
GEN Jack J. Catton, Commanding General, Military Airlift Command, Scott AFB, Illinois, and BG A. L.
Hamblin Jr. (right), Assistant Division Commander, 1st Inf. Div., pause before entering the Departure
Air Field Control Group Headquarters at Forbes Air Force Base for a briefing on the airlift progress of
REFORGER II. The Military Airlift Command is flying the Big Red One troops from Kansas to Germany to
take part in Exercise REFORGER II.
ing” the surrounding area with
low-level bombing raids carried
out by F-4 Phantoms. The opposing riverbank was covered with a
smokescreen covering 24 square
kilometers. While UH-1D helicopters brought in troops, amphibious
M113A1 APCs, and amphibious
M551 “Sheridan” armored reconnaissance vehicles crossed the
river at six different locations to
create a bridgehead. After that,
the 1st Engineers used M88 Mobile
Floating Assault Bridge/Ferrie’s
(MFAB/F) to create two bridges
across the Main River.
Spearheaded by M60 main
battle tanks of the 2nd Battalion,
63rd Armor, the opposing riverbank came under fire. To ensure
a swift and unopposed rivercrossing, five approach roads were
created for each bridge. After the
Division had successfully crossed
the Main River, it expanded its
attack heading for the next objective.
D-Day Plus One
During the second day of the
exercise, October 20, it became
the mission of the 1st Infantry Division to drive the Orange Forces
N O M I S S I O N T O O D I F F I C U L T.
U.S. Army Photo
An armored personnel carrier with men of the 1st Inf. Div., Fort Riley,
Kansas, forges across the Main River during the first highlight action
of Field Training Exercise Certain Thrust. The action took place
between Dippach and Rossstadt, Germany, as part of NATO exercise
REFORGER II.
to the east from this highland,
code named Objectives Abilene
and Salina. Operations began at
4:00 a.m. with the 1st Brigade, the
guardian of the Division’s north
flank, moving toward the territory
south of Lichtenfels.
The 1st Brigade crossed the
N O S A C R I F I C E T O O G R E A T.
north fork of the Main River at
dawn. Moving swiftly, they reached
the highlands at 8:00 a.m. There
the enemy had halted his retreat
and dug in. The 1st Battalion,
28th Infantry Regiment became
embroiled with a unit of superior
Continued on page 6…
D U T Y F I R S T!
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A
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Commanding
“Danger 6”
The First 111 Days
May 23rd – a few days before
the 93rd birthday of the 1st Infantry
Division – marked our 111th day
of duty as United States DivisionSouth. The division’s deployment
to southern Iraq is more than one
third complete. How you start
something sets the tone for how
you finish, and the Big Red One
has been going strong since we
assumed authority of U.S. Forces
in Iraq’s southern nine provinces
– no doubt, we will finish strong.
I indicated in the last Bridgehead Sentinel that our number
one priority was support to Iraq’s
national elections. The elections
were an unqualified success and
an unparalleled one for the Middle
East. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen
and Marines serving under the
Big Red 1 performed admirably
in the weeks leading up to the
elections, advising and assisting
the Iraqi Security Forces in their
preparations to secure polling
sites and to prepare for a variety of
contingencies. Then, we stepped
back on March 7, ready to support
the Iraqis in any way they asked,
but at the end of the day what we
observed were millions of Iraqis
in our region voting without any
major incidents in eight of nine
provinces, secured by the forces of
their own country. What a marvelous and historic experience.
The Iraqi election process is
a complex one. As of this writing,
the shape of the next Iraqi Parliament and who will lead it is still
not certain. The political process
is moving forward slowly and
indirectly, but consistent with the
rule of constitutional law. That’s
a testament to how far this nation
has progressed in the past seven
years and a tribute to the work of
our veterans who have been steadfast in their service here.
With the elections over, our
focus now is on three primary
efforts: advising and assisting
the Iraqi Security Forces as they
continue to mature into a nationalistic, professional fighting force;
building the economic capacity of
southern Iraq, and transitioning
U.S. Forces from Iraq with success
and honor.
August 31, 2010 will mark
the official end of Operation Iraqi
Freedom and with it, the focus on
combat operations by American
troops that characterized our
service to date. The follow-on is
Operation New Dawn with a shift
of focus to increasing the emerging stability in Iraq, an operation
where we concentrate on advising and assisting Iraqi forces
and handing over some of the
economic and governmental development tasks to other parts of the
U.S. government. In large measure
we’re already doing these things
in southern Iraq. The ISF leads
virtually all security operations
in our region, and our forces are
here in a challenging support role
providing advice and assistance
daily. We remain under threats
of violence from the enemies
of Iraq’s future, but we work to
defeat them through the actions
of the Iraqi security forces, before
the enemies attack.
The Iraq Security Forces have
proven their ability to secure the
populace during the elections
and major religious pilgrimages.
We are now refining their abilities, such as training on evidence
collection, border security, and
advanced counterterrorism techniques. We assist with methods
of planning, with intelligence
that we have collected to add to
intelligence they have collected,
and with a wide-open spirit of
teamwork and cooperation. Of
New bird takes flight, CAB flies UH-60Ms for first time in Iraq
U.S. Army Photo
U.S. Army Photo
Above: Maj. Gen. Habib Husseini,
the commander of the 10th Iraqi
Army Division, addresses media
during the election March 7.
special interest to our region is the
professionalization of the Department of Border Enforcement to
help Iraq secure itself from illicit
activity entering the country by way
of its borders.
Iraq has extraordinary
economic potential with its vast
oil reserves, intellectual capital,
industrious people and arable
land. Unfortunately, decades of
violence, oppression, sanctions
and continued malign influences from Iran have left much
of this region unproductive and
in disrepair. During our first 111
days, we worked very closely with
Above: Ali Salman, a voter
in the Basra Province of
southern Iraq, shows off
his ink-stained finger
after voting March 7.
The purple ink indicates
he has voted and has
become a symbol of
Iraqi pride in voting.
the region’s Provincial Reconstruction Teams, non-governmental
agencies, and provincial leaders to
accelerate southern Iraq’s return
to prosperity. With security comes
stability – with stability comes
growth – with growth comes
more security and stability. We
are working hard to ignite this
cycle of development and it looks
promising. For the first time in a
long time, the majority of southern
Iraqis are optimistic about the
future.
Over the past seven years of
...Continued On Page 18
U.S. Army Photo
Spc. Roland Hale
CAB Public Affairs
There is something foreign
to the skies of Iraq flying above
Camp Taji. As the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division replaces the 1st Air Cavalry
Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, they
bring with them a battalion of one
of the Army’s newest helicopters,
the UH-60M Black Hawk. The CAB
is the second active duty unit to
receive the UH-60M and the first to
use the aircraft in Iraq.
This new model of Black Hawk
was first used by the 159th Combat
Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne
Division. Receiving the aircraft
Nov. 7, 2009, the unit used the
aircraft during a deployment to
Afghanistan. The CAB became
second to receive a shipment of
the aircraft April 21, 2009. On
March 30, two crews from the
CAB’s 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment made
the M-model’s pioneer flight into
Iraq, with the rest of the battalion’s
fleet close behind.
“There’s a lot of first times
for a lot of things in this war. It’s
really cool to be a part of one of
those times,” said Spc. Corey Corr,
a crew-chief from 3-1 AHB who
was aboard one of the two first
UH-60Ms to cross into Iraq. “It
was a pretty smooth flight. As we
started getting close to the berm
2
crossing into Iraq, the aircraft
pulled up side by side, so that one
wasn’t going in before the other.”
The most notable improvements introduced to the UH-60M
are not the crew seats, however.
The new “glass-cockpit” features
four multi-function displays, an
autopilot system, two electronic
flight management systems, dual
navigation systems, a digital
moving map and an integrated
vehicle health management system.
Mechanically, the M-models new
blades offer 500 lbs. more lift
than previous models, and has a
strengthened fuselage and infrared
suppression. The UH-60M is what
many 3-1 pilots call the Cadillac of
the sky.
“The M-Model made it a
smooth flight in [to Iraq],” said
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Randy
Hendrix, a pilot with 3-1. “The
moving map display is a huge
plus for us. We didn’t have to
fumble with a paper map up in
the cockpit. It really increases situational awareness; right there on
the screen you look down and see
where you’re at as well as other
aircraft and units.”
3-1’s pilots are among the first
Army pilots to work with these
systems. Operating them throughout the CAB’s year-long deploy-
ment, they will pave the way for
future pilots of the UH-60M. A tour
in Iraq will bring the challenges of
extremely hot and sandy conditions, said Chief Warrant Officer 3
Jesse Lee, who also flew one of the
first aircraft into Iraq. Communicating with their peers who used
the M-Model in Afghanistan, CAB
pilots will continue to break new
ground as they fly the new aircraft
in an inclement environment.
While CAB pilots can refer to
lessons learned by the pilots of the
159th CAB, operation in Iraq poses
major differences than operation
in Afghanistan, such as terrain,
heat and elevation.
“It gets hot in Afghanistan, but
not quite like this. We’ll really be
the ones to see how the M-models
holds up in this environment,”
said Lee.
Despite the addition of this new
aircraft, 3-1’s mission remains
unchanged. Along with the CAB’s
four other battalions, each with its
own diverse mission, the battalion’s UH-60Ms will conduct full
spectrum aviation operations from
the skies of Iraq in support of U.S.
and Iraqi ground forces.
Above: One of the M-Models used by the CAB. The UH-60M features
improved payload, new digital cockpit displays, a strengthened
fuselage, new composite spar, wide-chord blades that provide 500 lbs
more lift than the UH-60L blade, as well as more powerful engines.
U.S. Army Photo
Above: A crew chief with Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry
Division, watches his aircraft as it shuts down on Camp Taji Airfield
March 30.
Bridgehead Sentinel
1st Sustainment Brigade deploys to Kuwait
Keeping up with the 1st Division
Third deployment supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom
By Jordan Chapman
1st ID Public Affairs/Duty First! Magazine
Standing at attention and ready
for what may come, the Soldiers of
the 1st Sustainment Brigade cased
their colors during a deployment
ceremony in King Field House
March 15 before they begin their
unit’s third deployment in support
of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lead by 1st Sustainment
Brigade Commander COL Donnie
Walker Jr. and CSM Miguel Rivera,
each “Durable” Soldier will have
a part in driving their unit to
success, which is to act as the lead
brigade in Kuwait for the responsible drawdown of coalition forces
in Iraq.
Such a task has not been taken
lightly.
Sustainment Soldiers have
been in and out of the Battle
Command Training Center (BCTC)
since before the beginning of the
year to be sure every scenario is
covered and planned for, to train
each Soldier to the highest level
of competence and to train in an
environment that is identical to the
area they will be deploying to.
“I’m operating out of Kuwait
U.S. Army Photo
with transportation missions
supporting the
entire theatre,”
Walker said,
explaining that
during the training, his Soldiers
also were able to
develop personal
and working
relationships with
units they will be
supporting while
downrange, —
BG David Petersen, Deputy Commanding General
the 224th Sustain- of the 1st Inf Div­–Rear and Fort Riley, salutes
ment Brigade,
the flag during the National Anthem during the
Army National
start of the 1st Sustainment Brigade deployment
Guard, out of
ceremony held in King Field House March 15.
Riverside, Calif.,
the 103rd Sustaintant,” Walker emphasized during
ment Brigade, out of Des Moines,
the ceremony, before which he
Iowa, and a mobile support
noted that he and his Soldiers also
battalion out of New Jersey, who
will be supporting the surge into
were present during the exercise
Afghanistan and preparing for the
to understand how operations will
start of Operation New Dawn.
work when they arrive in theatre.
“It is a lot of behind the scenes
work that a lot of people don’t
read about, but it is very impor-
‘Dragon’ Brigade Soldiers Begin Their Return Home
By Stephanie Hoff, Duty First! Magazine
U.S. Army Photo
U.S. Army Photo
Headquarters (DEPLOYED) In January 2010 the Big Red
One headquarters saw its first deployment to Iraq since its 2003
deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Soldiers
from the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion were formally
sent off in December 2009 from Fort Riley, KS to Iraq. See the
“Letter from the CG” in this issue for the most current update
from Headquarters.
1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team On May 25, the 1st HBCT
bid farewell to their former commander, and welcomed a new
commanding officer, Col. Eric Welsh. Col. Welsh will lead the
Brigade as it now prepares for the new role of an advice-andassist brigade during its next deployment.
2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team Soldiers of the 1st Infantry
Division “Dagger” Brigade welcomed Col. Paul Calvert as their
new commander June 4 on Custer Hill Parade Field. Outgoing
commander, Col. Joseph Martin, commanded the Brigade during
their last deployment to Iraq from 2008-2009. The Dagger
Brigade is currently preparing for their next deployment.
3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Since its move to Fort
Knox, KY, 3rd Brigade has been training very hard, undergoing
numerous training exercises in preparation for their
next deployment.
4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (DEPLOYED) The 4th
IBCT officially deployed to Northern Iraq in September 2009 for
12 months. The “Dragon” Brigade has been tasked with advising
and assisting the Iraqi security forces by leading and helping
them carry out missions themselves. The 4th IBCT is schedule to
return to Fort Riley in August of 2010. 4th IBCT is currently in
the process of redeploying to Fort Riley, see “Dragon Brigade”
article, this issue, for details.
1st Combat Aviation Brigade The Combat Aviation Brigade
deployed to Iraq March 2, 2010, based at Camp Taji, to assist in
ushering out Operation Iraqi Freedom and be present to insure
Operation New Dawn begins and is moving forward come Sept.
1. At that time, OND will replace the previous OIF campaign.
1st Sustainment Brigade Deployed to Kuwait in March 15,
2010 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Approximately 300 Soldiers of the 2/16th Inf Reg,
4th IBCT, 1st Inf Div were welcomed home during a
Redeployment Ceremony, May 23 at Fort Riley.
Approximately 150 Soldiers
of the 4th Infantry Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, returned to Fort Riley in a
redeployment ceremony April 26.
The Soldiers were comprised of
companies from the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment,
and elements of the “Dragon”
Brigade’s advance party.
The “Dragon” brigade
deployed to Iraq in September
2009 and assumed control of the
Salah ad Din Province in early
October; a location approximately
the size of New Jersey. While
deployed, the unit’s primary
mission was the responsible
drawdown of U.S. forces out of
Iraq through partnered efforts
with the 4th Iraqi Army Division,
the U.S. State Department Provin-
Summer 2010
3rd IBCT
Soldiers Train
for Expert
Field Medical
Badge
Soldiers of Battery B, 2/32nd Field FA, 4th IBCT, 1st Inf
Div rocked the ground during a live-fire exercise
at COB Speicher, May 28. This was the second time
the “Proud Americans” battalion fired artillery in a
combat zone since Vietnam.
cial Reconstruction Team and the
provincial government.
Currently, there are 100,000
service members deployed to Iraq
and this is scheduled to decrease
to 50,000.
The brigade also has focused
efforts on anti-corruption
measures at Bayji Oil Refinery,
reconstruction efforts for the
Samarra Golden Mosque and joint
ventures with Tikrit University and
the Tikrit Women’s College.
Since October 2009, the
brigade has submitted 159 projects to improve local infrastructure and boost the local economy,
spending more than $18 million to
support the people in the Salah ad
Din Province. In many situations,
U.S. funds have been matched with
Iraqi funds. The brigade previously
deployed to Iraq in 2007. Forty
percent of the brigade’s Soldiers
are preparing to complete their
second tour with the unit.
“Unlearning skills and adjusting themselves to a post-surge,
less violent Iraq has been an
adjustment for most Soldiers,”
said Col. Henry Arnold III, brigade
commander, in a March 2010
video teleconference. “Soldiers
returning to Iraq can observe
first-hand the improvements to the
country’s economy and security
forces.” “The war has been won
and the Dragon Brigade has played
an essential part in setting the
condition for a successful transition of U.S. forces out of Iraq.”
Arnold added.
By Sgt. John Zumer
3rd BCT
U.S. Army Photo
Above: Soldiers prepared to evacuate a
casualty by litter.
Recent Expert Field Medical
Badge training on Fort Knox,
hosted by the 201st Brigade
Support Battalion, provided
Soldiers with an opportunity to
showcase their talents. If the
enthusiasm evident in the training held March 22-24 is any
indication, many Soldiers will be
prepared to shine when their time
to perform arrives.
The EFMB is an honor
bestowed on worthy Soldiers in the
medical field. Just as the Expert
Infantryman Badge tests a Soldier’s
proficiency in infantry skills, the
EFMB tests the proficiency of
medical personnel, according to
Sgt. Daniel Shirley, who served as
an instructor during the three-day
training exercise.
3
OPERATION WOLFHOUND
Bandido Charlie Association Provides
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Service
Dogs For Veterans
By Ken Kostich II
Operation Wolfhound is a
new program that provides dogs
specifically bred to be service
dogs, for Veterans with a multitude
of ailments, most importantly
PTSD. While the VA is supporting
this program, private breeders are
financing it in total. This program
is being started by a young lady
and her husband, both Veterans,
both 100% disabled, who are
doing some of the breeding and
helping with training and securing breeding commitments from
breeders around the country. The
dogs are trained for “emotional
support” and as Psychiatric
(PTSD) Service dogs.
The animals used in this
program are the Borzoi (aka
Russian Wolf Hound) and the
Belgian Sheep Dog. Both breeds
are known for their ability to
operate independently. The
breeders are only using specific
“bloodlines” of animals to insure
that they are as problem-free as
possible. The animal donations
come from ethical breeders and
are carefully screened for health,
trainability, and temperament.
This is to insure that the dog’s
bloodlines do not have a history
of cancer, hip dysplasia and the
myriad of other problems that are
common with larger dogs.
And now, the part you have
been waiting for. The dogs are
free to any qualified Veteran. A
Veteran is considered qualified as
long as his VA or VET Center PTSD
counselor thinks it would benefit
him/her and they are capable of
the dog’s care or have help caring
for the animal. The breeders do
welcome contact from the vets
if they would like to talk - especially about their dogs. The dogs
are transported, in many cases,
by Operation Roger or Pilots N
Paws without cost to the Veteran.
In many instances, arrangements
have been made with selected
veterinarians through the SPCA
who offer discounted (30%)
health care services if needed.
One of the best benefits is
that as Certified Service dogs, the
animal can remain with you at all
times the same as a “Seeing Eye”
dog can remain with its master.
That way, the dog is with you at all
times, especially when you may
need him most. As a matter of fact,
it is critically important that the
dog be with his master as much as
possible so that the Veteran and
the dog become co-dependent in
each other’s comfort and welfare. I
have seen the Borzoi in action and
4
it is an amazing animal. The Vets I
have spoken with say their Service
Dog is better than any med they
have ever taken!
If you have interest in this
program, you may contact:
Above: The pilot who helped deliver Bandit from
Omaha to Tucson with his brother Gibson in the
foreground, now with a former Marine
(PTSD/TBI ) in Colorado.
Ken Costich
[email protected]
Or program originator,
Alicia Miller
[email protected] .
Frequently Asked
Questions
The basics;
1. The dogs are free of
charge.
2. The dogs are available to any
veteran with a councilors recommendation and the ability to care
for the dog, or assistance in caring
for the dog.
3. Although the dogs have been
trained in specific service tasks,
the veteran must agree to continue
the dog’s training for a minimum
of 6 months.
4. These dogs are NOT pets;
they are dogs with a job (though
having a good emotional attachment to the animal is necessary
and they work for love and treats)
5. After the completion of a
minimum of 6 months of training with the veteran, the dog will
be registered with the IAADP. The
annual renewal of that registration
is $30 USD. Registration with the
IAADP provides the veteran with
an ID card for the animal, various
free or discounted medications/
treatments (heart worm preventative, flea meds), discounted vet
care all over the US and Canada
and other very useful benefits.
Coupons are available from IAMS
for discounts on their food products. These coupons are only for
service animals.
6. The owner must keep the
dog clean, brushed and properly
maintained.
7. The dogs should stay with
their owner 24/7. They cannot do
their job if they are left at home or
stuck in a crate.
8. The dogs are covered by the
same laws as seeing eye dogs; they
are allowed to go everywhere with
their owner and even fly in the
cabin of the plane with their owner
(though you do have to tell the
airline ahead of time).
Above: Ken Kostich with his service dog, Bandit.
Why can’t you just get dogs from
the pound?
Although we would like to
be able to take dogs in from the
pound, not just any dog can be a
psychiatric service animal. The
dog must possess the ability for
independent thought, must be
self directed, must be protective
without a hint of aggression, be
a fairly quiet animal, and of a
significant size. The animal also
must be less than 4 years old, have
a clean bill of health, not be prone
to genetically based illnesses and
be likely to live a long time.
A person, who is vulnerable
emotionally, cannot deal well with
a chronic illness or early death of
their service animal. The genetic
history of dogs in the pound is
generally unknown and unlike
most Borzois, their bloodlines
have not been screened and
selected to be free of disease.
Additionally Borzois have longer
life spans than is typical for such
large breeds.
What is so special about the
temperaments of these dogs?
Borzoi are quiet, loyal and
when well socialized (as are all
of these dogs) are very gentle
without being cowards. The most
important trait of the dogs though,
is their breed’s emotional independence and self-direction. These
dogs do not blindly obey, which
makes them a challenge to train,
but it is that very trait that makes
them such excellent psychiatric
service dogs. A German Shepherd or similar working breed
will panic if their owner panics
and will frequently respond to an
owners fear with aggression. They
end up escalating the situation
instead of soothing it.
Basically, a borzoi is just
about as likely to spontaneously
play fetch, beg or roll over on
command as a cat, but they do
make up their own mind about any
given situation and will respond as
they have been trained to do.
What does a psychiatric
service dog do, and how does
it specifically help veterans?
These dogs are very effective in treating PTSD. They help
reduce hyper-alertness because
the veteran can rely on the dog’s
superior senses to alert them to
any threats or disturbances. They
can and will wake the veteran
from nightmares, soothe and
ground the veteran experiencing a
flashback or panic attack through
deep pressure stimulation, nudges,
leaning hugs. They can check a
house for threats on command,
help discern between hallucinations and reality. They can brace
a veteran unsteady from medication or aid with walking by serving
in place of a cane. The dogs will
prevent random jostling by serving
as a barrier between the veteran
and other people. The dog can and
will ‘watch your back’ to prevent
people from coming up behind the
veteran.
The dogs can also do specialized tasks from bringing medication, to alerting a vet with hearing
loss to phone calls or door
knocks. The dogs can be trained
to open doors, lift latches, get
help, call 911, alert to seizures or
even open a window. The dogs can
even be trained to act badly on a
secret signal so that the veteran
can use the dog as an excuse to
get out of a normally inescapable social situation. They can be
trained for tasks to help with the
challenges & frustrations of traumatic brain injury as well.
Do you accept monetary
donations?
In a word—No! Although we
may grow to a size in the future
where such donations will become
necessary, at the moment we are
trying to avoid that complication
for as long as possible. Right
now members of the Borzoi Club
of America donate the dogs and
volunteers do the training and
transportation. If these donations
are no longer enough to keep up
with the demand, we will begin
accepting monetary donations.
If you would like to donate a
ride for a dog, or your expertise in
training a dog, or help by donating
goods or services, please contact
us. We need people all over the
country as we have veterans all
over the country. We currently
accept donations through the DAV
or through Bandido Charlie’s Associations support organization.
How do I get a dog if I am a
veteran?
Talk with your councilor. If
they support you getting a Psychiatric Service Dog, then either they
or you should contact us with a list
of your specific needs. That’s it.
I have a friend who is a
veteran and needs a dog; can I
get them one of yours?
No. Obtaining and training a
service dog is something they must
commit to and is a highly personal
choice that will impact their life
for years to come.
How long will it take to get a
dog?
As a rule of thumb, it takes two
to four months. We rely on donations from breeders and trainers;
rides donated by pilots and drivers
and very rarely, breed a litter for
ourselves. Because of all those
factors, it takes time to organize
everything.
What kinds of training do
the dogs have when they are
placed?
The dogs are given basic training, such as for a CGC certificate
from the AKC, socialization with
animals and people of all sorts,
orientation to basic wheelchair
manners and basic off lead training. The dogs are then trained
for a minimum of 50 additional
hours to do basic service tasks like
brace, block, hand signals, pull
up, wake and soothing stimulation.
After that, the dog will be placed
with the owner and they both will
do an additional 6 months of training for that person’s specific needs
and signals.
Bridgehead Sentinel
Rapid Fire
Letter from the President
LTG (Ret) Thomas G. Rhame
President, Society of the First Infantry Division
Fort Knox Chapter of the Society
Any member who is interested in forming a Chapter of the
Society in the Fort Knox, Kentucky area is asked to contact
the Society. A packet of start-up information is available and
the Society will provide every possible assistance. The principle reason for forming a Chapter in the Fort Knox area is to
facilitate liaison and support with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry
Division, which is stationed at Fort Knox, KY.

Society NY / Ft. Dix Branch
Greetings to all of you. I
sincerely hope that 2010 is
working out to be a good year
for you. I am pleased to report
that the National Park Service
has completed the renovation
and cleaning of our Division
Monument here in Washington,
DC. The monument is now open
for visitors. They did a good job
of improving the drainage and
cleaning of the stone and plaques
on the monument. They installed
a sidewalk that really helps the
movement of people across the
plot of ground in front of the
monument. This sidewalk has
greatly increased the attendance of
tourists at our monument. I hope
that if you visit Washington, DC,
that you will take the time to visit
our monument on 17th Street.
We had a great service on
Memorial Day at the monument.
We had about 60 folks attend the
service. We were blessed to have
three World War II veterans of the
Division attend. Our speaker this
year was BG Richard Longo who
served as the 1st Infantry Division Artillery commander during
the deployment to Operation
Iraqi Freedom II. It was a great
opportunity to gather and pay our
respects to those who have given
their lives in service to our Division, our Army, and our country.
The Division Reunion is scheduled to be held in San Antonio
during the period 25 August to 29
August. It is really shaping up to
be a great event. I hope all of you
have made your reservations to
attend. It will be a great event.
As most of you know, our
long-time Chairman of the Board
of Trustees for the 1st Infantry
Division Foundation, Stephen Row,
passed away in February of this
year. We will all miss Steve. We
will always remember his support
and dedication to the Division
and the Foundation. Mr. James R.
Stone III has graciously stepped
forward to assume the position
of Chairman of the Foundation.
Please give Jim your support as he
moves forward with the Foundation. For those of you who follow
the education of the children of
service members who died in the
line of duty after September 10,
2001, you should look closely at
the Department of Veterans Affairs
Marine Gunnery Sergeant John
David Fry Scholarship. Eligible
children attending school may
receive up to the highest public,
in state undergraduate tuition and
fees, plus a monthly living stipend
and book allowance under the
program. It is just wonderful to
see the nation step up to take care
of the children of the fallen. This
scholarship is considered to be
more comprehensive than what
we currently provide under the
DePuy Scholarship. Please read
the article about this scholarship
in this edition of the Sentinel.
I had the honor of attending
the funeral of LTG (ret) James F.
Hollingsworth on May the 20th at
Arlington National Cemetery. Gen
Hollingsworth was a great warrior
and veteran of our Division. It was
truly sad to see DANGER 79 laid to
rest. It was a great honor to represent all the veterans of the Division
and to be able to salute his casket,
bid him “Duty First,” and leave
behind a patch of our Division.
I just had the opportunity
to read another book about the
Soldiers of our Division in this
current war. This is really a good
book! They Fought for Each Other
by Kelly Kennedy is really well
written. All the Blue Spaders will
love this one; it is about the men
of C Company, 1-26 Infantry and
their remarkable story of serving
in Adhamiya, Iraq. If you have
found yourself wondering about
the stresses our Soldiers face in
combat today, you should read this
book. This is a story of brave men
at war and a factual accounting
of American Soldiers sacrifice in
Iraq. One of the men in this unit
was PFC Ross McGinnis who was
awarded the Medal of Honor while
serving with this unit.
Thanks for listening, I hope
you have a great summer.
Join the NY/Ft. Dix Branch for their upcoming Summer brunch
on 12 September 2010. Brunch will be at Sebastian’s Schnitzelhaus in Wrightstown, NJ at 10:30 am. The Ft. Dix Branch will
also be present at the Kokomo, IN Vietnam Veterans Reunion
from 17–19 September, 2010 with a locater list of 1st Div
Vietnam veterans. To join the New York/Ft. Dix Branch of the
Society or to learn more about their events, contact Antonio
Maria at 717-583-0821 or [email protected].

Vietnam veterans appreciation
weekend at fort mifflin
Historic Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia, PA is holding a Vietnam
Veterans Appreciation Weekend from July 23-25, 2010.
Vietnam-era weapons and equipment will be on display, as
well as a Bob Hope Christmas show! BRO veterans, don’t miss
the re-enactors and living history displays, including the D
Troop (Air) 1/4 Cav 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam Historical
Association.
For more information about this event visit:
http://fortmifflin.us or call 215-685-4167
For more information about the D Troop (Air) 1/4 Cav in
Vietnam Historical Association, visit:
http://vnquarterhorse.webs.com/

40th anniversary of 1st ID’s return
from vietnam at first division museum
On August 21, 2010 the First Division Museum at Cantigny in
Wheaton, IL is hosting a special commemoration of the 40th
Anniversary of the 1st Infantry Division’s return from Vietnam.
Part of the Museum’s 50th Anniversary celebration, the
Museum will have re-enactors, Vietnam-era historic vehicle
displays, a memorial service, and unveiling of the Museum’s
newly restored UH-1 “Huey” helicopter. Children’s activities
will also be available, including a wooden helicopter craft and
live jungle animals.
Visit www.FirstDivisionMuseum.org for details.

McCormick Foundation Makes a Generous
$250,000 Grant to the Society!
The McCormick Foundation
Board of Directors presented a
generous grant of $250,000 to
Society of the First Infantry Division President, Thomas Rhame,
during the Danger 6/7 conference, hosted by the First Division
Museum at Cantigny on June 6,
2010. See article on the
Museum page in this issue for
more information about the
Danger 6/7 Conference.
“WilLIE AND JOE” CARTOONIST BILL
MAULDIN HONORED WITH STAMP
On March 31, 2010 the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a new
commemorative stamp in honor of World War II cartoonist,
Bill Mauldin. Mauldin was well-known for his “Willie and Joe”
cartoons, featured in publications such as “Stars and Stripes.”

Combat aviation brigade starts new blog
while deployed to iraq
The Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division has started a
new online blog to document their current deployment to Iraq!
The Demon Brigade’s blog (a sort of online journal) is updated
by the Brigade’s PAO, and shares personal stories and daily life
of a CAB soldier while deployed to Iraq.
Check out the CAB’s blog site at:
http://demondeployment.blogspot.com/
L–R: McCormick Foundation
Board members John Madigan,
Dennis Fitzsimons, Scott Smith,
Don Wycliff, Society President
Thomas Rhame, and McCormick
Foundation CEO David Hiller.
Summer 2010
5
REFORGER II Continued from Page 1
U.S. Army Photo
U.S. Army Photo
Members of the 9th Engr. Bn., 7th Engr. Bde. secure the moorings
on the just-assembled M4T6 mobile assault bridge in the highlight
action of the field exercise “Certain Thrust” part of the NATO training
exercise REFORGER II.
Armored elements from the 1st Inf. Div., Fort Riley, Kansas, rumble
across an Army Corps of Engineers’ assault bridge in the first
highlight action of exercise “Certain Thrust,” a part of NATO exercise
REFORGER II. The major river crossing occurred on 19 October 70 on
the Main River between Rossstadt and Dippach.
size just prior to reaching their
objective. Their advance ground to
a dead halt.
But the Aggressors who had
stopped the 28th Infantry were in
for a surprise. In the midst of their
contact with the Black Lions, the
Panzers were hit from behind. The
1st Battalion, 63rd Armor swooped
down from the north, bringing fire
upon the Aggressor’s flank and
rear, the 1st Brigade’s Armor unit
continued their sweep through the
enemy’s rear, eventually overrunning an Orange artillery unit
and two battalion headquarters,
the key to the Armor’s use of the
terrain.
Rather than try to fight through
the ravines and deep woods, they
skirted the objective, using instead
a well-developed network of roads
to the north.
completed their circle of the 1st
Brigade’s rear, they uknowingly
plunged into the heart of the
Brigade’s positions.
But the Devil’s Brigade,
thinking the Panzers were still on
the attack, were waiting. As the
Aggressors moved down a road,
the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry
ambushed them from concealed
positions on both sides of the
highway. Flanked on both sides
with no room to turn around, the
Panzers continued their advance.
The 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor was
ready to meet the Panzers head on.
With enemy forces surrounding
them on three sides, the Aggressors tried to retreat back up the
road which they came. They now
found that route also closed off
by the four tanks that had earlier
infiltrated the Panzer column. The
Orange Forces, cut off from their
rear, split up into small groups;
Object Riley remained securely in
friendly hands.
In three days, the 1st Infantry
Division had pushed the enemy
forces back more than 50 miles.
They had captured two major
objectives and repulsed a fierce
counterattack. The Aggressors
were running out of room in
which to operate. Slowly but surely
they found themselves forced back
toward Orangeland, the country
from which the invasion had come.
It would take two more days and
some intense combat, but the final
objective, Junction City, was just
over the horizon.
2nd Brigade Joins the Fight
The harassment of the enemy’s
rear was anything but over. The
2nd Brigade, which had been held
in the Division’s reserve through
the first day’s operations, was now
brought forward. Led by the 1st
Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment,
the 2nd Brigade moved east along
a corridor dubbed the Santa Fe
Trail, in an attempt to pull an end
run around the Aggressor’s north
flank. The 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry
conducted an air mobile assault
deep behind enemy lines just east
of the town of Michelau. They
secured the bridge that dominated
access to the town and moved west
to link up with the advancing 18th
Infantry.
While moving through Michelau, the 2nd Infantry Regiment ran
into an Aggressor cavalry troop.
While the two units engaged one
another, the 18th Infantry moved
in from the west, sandwiching the
enemy.
With this last obstacle
removed, the 2nd Brigade continued down the Sante Fe Trail until
they too reached the ridgeline
that was the day’s target, Objec-
6
tive Abilene. There they unleashed
their 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor in
the Aggressor’s rear. This plunge
by the 2nd Brigade turned the
enemy’s flank, enabling the 1st
Brigade to clear the area, and
with the help of the 3rd Brigade
along the southern flank, drive
the Orange Forces from the high
ground. Later in the evening, the
1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry rejoined
the 1st Infantry Division from their
mission of screening for the VII
Corps. Positioned at both the north
and south boundaries of the Big
Red One’s area of operations,
they assumed the responsibility of
preventing Aggressor units from
sliding in and hitting the division
from its flanks.
With the highlands northeast of
Bamberg secured, the 1st Infantry
Division turned its eyes to the east,
upon the city of Bayreuth and
Objective Riley.
D-Day Plus Two
Advancing towards Objective
Riley, the 1st Brigade came under
attack from a column of Panzers.
During the engagement however,
the Panzers were surprised by
the 4th Battalion, 63rd Armor, part
of the Division reserve. The 4th
Battalion, 63rd Armor was moving
east on the southern flank of the
division sector when they hit the
rear of the Panzer column. Twentynine of the 31 German tanks fell to
the guns of the American tanks.
Panzers Attack
Falling back to the north, the
Panzers hit the positions of the
1st Battalion, 28th Infantry (at that
time in brigade reserve). Although
moving administratively, the enemy
column pushed on to escape
friendly positions.
They circled to the northeast
in an attempt to avoid the 1st
Brigade’s war. Unbeknownst to the
Aggressors, four tanks attached
to the 28th Infantry, unaware of
their status, had fallen into the
Panzer column. As the Aggressors
D-Day Plus Three and Four
Objective Riley seemed an
excellent jumping off point for the
final assault on Objective Junction
City, but the weather and administrative problems were to prove
otherwise. Freezing rain and snow
forced cancellation of several
crucial air mobile exercises.
The 1st Brigade, which had
borne the brunt of the fighting the
first three days of the exercise,
was placed in reserve, and the
3rd Brigade moved up to assume
Area of Operations map
indicating the pre-positioned
site where the 1st Infantry
Division began FTX
Certain Thrust.
D-Day Plus Three & Four—Weather and the Berlin-Nurnberg
Autobahn were obstacles to be overcome on the fourth day of the
exercise. Objective Junction City was the target of the day.
responsibility for the Division’s
south flank. 1st Brigade, however,
left the front lines in style. Their 1st
Battalion, 28th Infantry surprised a
full company from the 35th Panzers
eating breakfast in a gasthaus (a
small, German Inn or Tavern) in
the small town of Elbersberg.
The 2nd Brigade continued to
maintain the Division’s north flank.
They, with the 3rd Brigade, moved
through the rain and snow to the
east and Objective Junction City.
The Division’s advance was further
hindered by administrative delays
crossing the Berlin-Nurnberg
Autobahn and the railroad tracks
just beyond.
fight of the campaign.
The 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor’s
advance was stopped in its tracks.
The situation in Creussen had
reached an impasse. Both sides
moved to break the deadlock, but
the 1st Infantry Division proved
faster. They detached the 1st
Battalion, 63rd Armor from the 1st
Brigade and rushed them to the
Aggressor’s north flank. This move
forced the Aggressors to redeploy,
relieving some of the pressure on
the 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor. They
fought their way out of town, but it
took the Blue Forces until 7:00 the
next morning to do so.
The Attack, Well Along
Armor Units Bottled Up
It was mid-afternoon by the
time the 2nd Brigade’s 2nd Battalion,
63rd Armor reached the town of
Creussen. They moved into town
but found themselves suddenly
bottled up by a battalion from the
35th Panzers. Movement within
the town proved impossible, so
the two battalions slugged it out in
what proved to be the heaviest fire-
By this time, the attack on the
final target, Objective Junction
City, was well under way. The 1st
Battalion, 63rd Armor, still attached
to the 2nd Brigade, continued along
the Aggressors’ north flank. This
flanking fire forced the Orangeland Aggressors to retreat, and the
2nd Brigade occupied the upper
two-thirds of Objective Junction
Continued on next page…
Bridgehead Sentinel
…Continued from previous page
City.
The 3rd Brigade followed suit,
pushing the 3rd Infantry Division
Aggressors out of their sector of
the Objective. 1st Brigade then
refreshed after their day in the
rear, was again brought forward,
this time to secure the small and
gnarled hill, code named Objective
Little Big Horn. The 1st Battalion,
28th Infantry led the strike but was
soon slowed down by stubborn
resistance. Elements of the 2nd
Battalion, 16th Infantry bypassed
the Black Lions and did what the
Big Red One had done successfully so many times in the past five
days—outflanked the enemy from
the north and drove him from the
objective.
Aggressor Retreat
The Aggressor forces were in
total disarray. Their defenses had
crumbled sooner than expected
due to the sharp flanking thrusts
of the Big Red One armor. The
friendly Blue command decided to
go for the jugular. They called to
bring the 4th Battalion, 63rd Armor
up from Division reserve and sent
them barreling through a weak
spot in the Aggressors’ defenses.
Momentum carried them right
into the Headquarters of the 35th
Panzer Grenadier Brigade. With
so much damage done behind
their lines, the Aggressors could
not mount the expected counterattack and retreated to Orangeland.
Colonel Fritz Herger, the Panzer
Commander, conceded he had
been “severely punished and
totally enveloped by the 1st Infantry
Division.”
From west of Bamberg to east
of Bayreuth, more than 70 miles
had been taken in less than five
days. With “casualties” that were
termed light to moderate, how was
it done?
Major General Robert R. Linvill
based his tactics on the armor
theory of envelopment. Rather
than the more traditional infantry
attack in which the units attack
on line, taking every hill, holding
every objective, the Big Red One
Commanding General searched
out the weak spots in the enemy
defenses and poured everything
available into it. Enemy positions
were enveloped and taken from
the rear. Although such tactics
make control of friendly units
extremely difficult, they pay the
high return of throwing the enemy
into complete disorganization.
The key to this tactic is
surprise, and often this surprise
was made possible by the use of a
second theory: There is no terrain
over which armor and mechanized
troops cannot go. This added
another dimension to the tactics of
the 1st Infantry Division. On more
than one occasion, Aggressor
forces found themselves pinned
down because they had assumed
that the terrain made attack from a
given direction impossible.
General Linvill summed it
up. “It was a matter of initiative.
Because our troops looked hard
enough, they found passage for
their tanks and trucks. This is what
gave them the winning edge.”
After the end of FTX Certain
Thrust, a live-fire exercise was
held between October 24-28 at
the Grafenwohr training grounds.
Following the live-fire exercises,
heavy equipment was returned to
depots for cleaning and storage
and put back in the pre-positioned
areas for the next REFORGER.
First Engineer
Battalion
A Memorial and a
Reunion
On May 15, 2010, a memorial
was dedicated to LTC Joe Kiernan
and LTC Rod Smith at Milford
Lake’s Army recreation area, west
of Fort Riley.
Under cloudy skies and intermittent rain, the Rear detachment
of the First Engineer Battalion
gathered to hear COL Eric Wesley,
CO of the First Heavy Brigade
Combat Team praise the memory
of LTC Kiernan, the First Engineer
Battalion Commander, and LTC
Smith, the Battalion XO (who was
about to take command of the
battalion), were both killed in a
tragic helicopter crash on June
3, 1967, in Vietnam. COL Wesley
spoke about the legacy of leadership and achievement of both
officers, and exhorted soldiers to
honor that legacy by striving for
excellence.
LTC (Ret) Larry Blair, who
served as Charlie Company
Commander under Kiernan and
Smith, spoke of the lives and
careers of both, and related tales
LTC (Ret) Larry Blair, Kiernan’s former Company Commander, at the
dedication of the Recreation Area on May 15, 2010.
of their innovative and dynamic
leadership in Vietnam. Not only did
the “DIEHARD” engineers conduct
the usual missions of road, bridge,
airfieldz, and vertical construction, mine and boobytrap clearing, and demolitions, but the First
Engineers were the first to take
bulldozers into the jungle with
the infantry; float its own “Kiernan’s Navy”—pontoon rafts with
searchlights and quad 50-caliber
machine guns; and send engineer
teams down 100-foot ladders
under hovering CH-47 helicopters
to cut landing zones in the jungle.
Blair praised the leadership and
example of LTC Kiernan and Smith,
and recalled the stunning effect on
Winning Photos from the First Division
Museum’s 1st Division Photo Contest
See the Museum page for details on these winning photos
1st Place
Big Red One Patch Changed to Subdued
Pattern During REFORGER II
By Gordon Longbach
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret)
Bn XO, 8/6 FA in VN
Bn XO, 1/5 FA, Ft. Riley
When the Division came to
Ft. Riley in April, 1970, General
DePuy was asked if the “Red” on
the BRO patch was to stay red, or
go to black. Of course he said it
would stay red. When we arrived
in Germany, we found that the 3rd
Brigade had already subdued their
patch to black. General Westmoreland, seeing this, told the Division
CG to, “Get his Division in the
same uniform!” When we came
home to Fort Riley, the powers
that be had sewing machines, and
ladies set up in all the gyms, and
we took our uniforms in unit-byunit, to go black!
P.S. On our return to Ft. Riley
our C141 lost its beacon signal
Summer 2010
morale when they were killed.
A monument and bronze
plaque were unveiled at the
entrance to the marina area, as a
permanent tribute.
REUNION coming up!
The Veterans of the First Engineer Combat Battalion will hold its
annual reunion at the Holiday Inn
Patriot in Williamsburg, Virginia
September 19-21, 2010. Come and
meet your old buddies or make
new friends! All ranks and eras
welcome!
Make hotel reservations by
calling 1-757-565-2600. For
information, call SGM Bob Brink
at 262-639-4405, or rbrink1@
wi.rr.com.
Left: Photo by Specialist
st
Michael Griffiths of the 1
th
Battalion, 6 Field Artillery
Regiment, 3rd Infantry
Brigade Combat Team,
1st Division of a night
fire exercise at Goshta,
Afghanistan.
2nd Place
l
Right: Photo by Lieutenant Colone
ff,
Sta
of
Shawn Boland, Assistant Chief
nG1, Task Force Danger U.S. Divisio
San
m
fro
is
and
South, Basrah, Iraq. Bol
Iraq.
Antonio, Texas. Door gunner in
Current version of the subdued
1st Division patch with a black
‘1’ for use in combat.
over the Atlantic Ocean-the navigator used his sextant to “shoot the
stars” to get us in to Dover Air
Force Base. The Air Force deadlined the plane and we sat around
in a gym all day until the Air Force
found another plane to get us
home.
3rd Place
Left: Photo by
Captain Christian
Durham, Commander,
B Company, 2nd
Battalion, 16th
Infantry Regiment,
4th Infantry Brigade
Combat Team, 1st
Division. A “Brown
Out” in Iraq.
7
Invasion of Sicily
An Exerpt from One More
Hill, by Franklyn A. Johnson
See the BRO Books section
on page 14 for more
details about this book.
The night before D-Day it
would seem that the enemy
stronghold may never be captured
or even landed upon, for Sicily’s
ring of coastal forts is defended
by an even stronger force than
gun-fire, God’s stormy sea. At
midnight billowing waves flash
white with spray before a vicious
southwester; by 0245 when
advance parties begin slipping into
Gela, it has subsided only slightly
and hundreds of newly assembled
transports, amphibious landing
craft, and supporting warships
of all sizes, shapes, and cargoes
still buck dangerously at anchor.
This great panorama of naval
might, its British and American
ensigns flapping wildly before the
wind, stretches to the horizon and
beyond. Silver barrage balloons
tug violently at captive cables from
each vessel.
The nerve center of this fleet is
the famous Ancon, a five-milliondollar converted passenger
freighter, now equipped with radio
and telephone so as to concentrate
communication and command
functions. From here the ranking
admirals and generals direct their
men.
To the northward, the rising
sky of dawn reveals the level, hazy
plain of Gela, partially obscured by
smoke, dust, and flaming bursts
of shell fire, this first D-Day scene
is augmented by the beautiful yet
awesome arcs of 16-inch naval
gunfire soaring inland; some are
solid flame, some intermittent,
but all are dynamic and graceful
as they lace the sky. Each of these
fiery projectiles from the battlewagon cannon of large caliber
lands and expands into an orange
explosion, signaling the destruction of a shoreline emplacement.
This we call TOT or Time on
Target, that is, blanketing an area
target by saturation rather than
aimed fire on pinpoint objectives.
The intermittent fire, like a curved
series of dots and dashes spelling
out destruction as in Morse code,
spits from the automatic weapons,
the Oerlikon deck guns, the
50-caliber machine guns, and antiaircraft cannon, which are firing
on specific targets – probably
soldiers known to be in certain
emplacements.
Dramatically, as the remnants
of the leading wave of assault
troops in this great show swarms
in toward the shore, the radio
crackles from the Ancon the
first communiqué to the world
from Allied Force Headquarters
(AFHq) that the first assault
upon the continent of the Festung
Europa has begun. To which a GI
ironically adds, “The First Infantry
Division, supported by the Allied
Expeditionary Forces, is landing in
Sicily.” It is H-Hour on D-Day.
8
Quickly, too quickly, it is our
turn, and the APA moves in a mile
or so from our destination, Green
Beach. This sector of the shore,
from which we shall proceed
to the 18th Infantry Regiment, is
plainly marked by a large green
panel of canvas. Our group
clambers heavily down the rope
nets from the deck of the APA into
a shuttling landing craft; this is no
easy task with 90 pounds of pack
on your back, plus dispatch cases,
map cases, carbines or rifles,
ammo, musette bags, home-rigged
hunting knives, and all the other
impedimenta of invasion clinging
around your neck. I am the last
man aboard, and as I half fall, half
jump, onto the deck, a plane flies
over. Some wishful thinker among
the boys shouts, “Look, it’s a
Spitfire!” His cry dies in a groan as
the JU-88 drops its load among the
assault boats, and that soldier is
wrathfully and obscenely referred
to an oculist.
As if the bombing were a
signal, the enemy shows his hand.
The shore guns and more aircraft
take the juicy targets in the bay
under fire. While LCI’s, LCT’s,
LCVP’s, and DUKW’s (“Ducks”)
bounce in disorganized masses
toward the beach, a fleet of 14
JU-88’s and high-caliber inland
artillery begin the attempt to
destroy the bridge of ships and
waves of assault teams that will
hit southern Sicily. Beginning an
oftrepeated routine, the white-caps
swamp a few small boats, and
two or three shells land among
the craft disgorging men near
the shoreline. Paraphernalia, oil
smoke, and flesh sail high into the
air. This is Green Beach.
As we speed in toward the
shore in a succeeding wave, a
500-pound bomb crashes into
the open hold of an APA only
a hundred yards to starboard.
Several sailors are blown right
off the deck, and greasy flames
and clouds of black smoke swirl
upward. 2LT Hugh “Hank” Hudson
and I huddle on the deck, dropping behind our pachydermous
bedrolls for protection against
flying metal. The barrage balloons
float free. Our LCI plunges through
the chaos all around us and draws
to within a hundred yards of Green
Beach, which is strewn with equipment, smashed Italian emplacements, and a few bodies sprawled
among the shell-holes. A smoking
landing barge lies at the water’s
edge; skeletonized rubble, once a
fighter plane from Niscemi’s Ponte
Olivo Airdrome, perches atop a
beachside ridge. While riflemen
eagerly dig in among the sand
dunes, M.P.’s and beachmasters
hustle traffic inland. Much of this
traffic includes men who have had
to swim or wade to shore holding
rifles overhead, and the wounded
carried ashore by their fellows.
With a grating skid, our LCI
comes to rest on a sandbar. Still
seventy-five yards from solid
Italian earth, we are a sitting
target for enemy on shore to take
potshots at. We yell with gusto
to a passing Duck, our front
ramps lower, and we transfer.
The amphibious vehicle wallows
through the surf and drives up on
the sand. At last we are on European soil.
It is no time to admire the
scenery, for shells still explode and
planes still strafe on Green Beach.
My orders from the combat team
commander were to get the men
to the far shore, then proceed
inland, reporting personally to
him at the C.P. of Combat Team 18
as soon as possible. Although no
one on Green Beach knows the
whereabouts of my regiment, it is
supposed to have advanced a few
hundred yards and is preparing
for an assault by the Axis infantry.
The important thing right now is
to get away from the vital target
beach, and so, leaving the excess
baggage, our long column begins
hiking straight inland. Passing a
P.O.W. cage, I catch a glimpse of
John Hoy guarding some prisoners, but we have time only for
a quick exchange of greetings.
Hank brings up the rear of the
long column while Sergeant Young
accompanies me at the head. We
do not know quite where we are
going or what we shall find, and I
try to appear confident. But inside
I am lonely and apprehensive.
Hank and our file of soldiers
pass through a chaotic jam of
landed vehicles, unloaded supplies
and a rising tent hospital; then
cross the coastal ridge and descent
onto the Plain of Gela. This seems
to be one vast wheat field, welltended but deserted. By the time
we have traversed another series
of round-tops, our tight little
column has become an elongated
snake of two hundred weary men.
Our well-traveled path leads us
through a culvert under a single
railroad track and through more
small knolls, behind which some
bewildered-looking Division artillerymen are setting up their howitzers. Although they have not seen
the 18th, it is not hard to guess that
we are going in the right direction, for the distance, perhaps two
miles ahead, firing can be heard.
As we move off toward it, the GI’s
looks indicate what they think of
this damn fool second lieutenant.
Suddenly we top a hill and look
down upon a beautiful panorama.
Orchards and fertile green dot
the gentle slopes, across which,
our maps tell us, winds the GelaVittorio highway parallel to the
coast. Converging with it to our left
is the poplar-lined road to Niscemi
ten miles inland, while three miles
up the beach the roofs of Gela are
still being shelled by our battlewagons. On the northwest horizon
beyond the Plain of Gela, a rugged
mountain range, quite majestic–
and deadly – reflects the noontime
sunshine.
The empty countryside seems
much too peaceful as I reach the
highway and halt our column.
Perhaps four miles straight ahead
I can see several tanks coming
Above: Map of the 1st Division landing in Gela, Sicily.
U.S. Army Photo
Above: Various operations on the beach at Licata, Sicily, as American
soldiers prepare to move inland. July 1943.
this way. They look familiar, and
I express surprise that our armor
has advanced so far inland, as I
hand the glasses to Hank. Then a
delayed reflex hits me and I grab
the glasses back for another look.
Yes, they are! Those tanks are the
enemy’s and they’re coming our
way – and fast! And here we are,
with nothing larger than a rifle in
a crowd of two hundred rearechelon infantrymen.
Just as I see the Axis Tanks,
the 18th C.P., concealed in a ravine
five hundred yards ahead of us,
also excitedly spots them. Leaving
Young and the column, I crawl up
to report to CPT George R. Jones,
and get “the big picture” from the
S-2. While the tanks halt briefly,
he gives me all the late poop. As of
noon Allied forces have established beachheads all along the
south-central coast of Sicily; that of
the First Division extends eastward
from Gela about six miles. It has
smashed inland against moderate
opposition about four miles, and
the next objectives are Niscemi
and the Ponte Olivo Airdrome,
whose planes continue to harass
the landing beaches. Mainly due
to them, no heavy equipment,
either for offensive or defensive
use, has yet landed except a very
few light artillery pieces, 105-mm
howitzers. No one has seen any
elements of the Antitank Company;
but the rest of the 18th has halted
and dug in a defensive position
a few hundred yards beyond the
Gela-Vittorio road. As usual, the
enemy location and strength is
unknown, but with the tanks’
appearance, we are finding out a
little about his armor. What we see
we do not like.
I crawl back to the road, and
tell the men to scatter in the gullies
and ditches on the beach side
of the highway. At 1230 twelve
German Mark IV and Italian tanks
are approaching, firing every few
hundred feet. Gradually they veer
slightly to our left, toward Green
Beach. By 1300 there are twentytwo, only a thousand yards away;
by 1330 the number is fifty, and
we are witnessing the greatest
attack by German armor since
El Guettar. It is apparent that the
tank commander’s plan is to cut
the road to Gela, hit the beach,
and disrupt landings there, and
then turn upon us who are ashore.
The First Division can then be
chewed up in leisurely fashion
and, with only a small expenditure
by the enemy, the Allies’ largest
landing on the island will have
been smashed. From my ditch, it
looks as though things are rough
all over– but especially just east
of Gela.
Apparently they look a whole
lot worse from the C.P. of C.T. 18,
for suddenly a disorganized mob
with new regimental commander,
Colonel Smith, in the van charges
over the hill just in front of us. The
appearance is quite ludicrous for,
leaving a dug-in defensive position
in a mad rush, they are carrying
armloads of blankets, shovels,
binoculars, and weapons in what
seems like complete disorder.
And the tanks are still nearly eight
hundred fifty yards away and
clanking toward Green Beach,
not directly toward us. A speeding
communications sergeant explains
that over a hundred armored
vehicles are out front attempting to
surround and isolate the regiment.
As the Headquarters Company
crosses the road and disappears
into a grove of bamboo, a gun
speaks. It is a hidden American
105 in the rear of the 18th position across the road. This small
howitzer, unnoticed in a corner of
the olive orchard in front of me,
begins to bang away point blank at
Continued on next page…
Bridgehead Sentinel
…Continued From Previous Page
the leading tank, which is getting
close to the road seven hundred
yards away. At first the tank
evidently cannot find their leader’s
assailant, but soon shells and
machine gun slugs are spraying
the landscape all around us.
Meanwhile German and
Italian infantry are backing up the
armored attack by an assault on
our rifle companies at the front of
the olive grove. Smoke and dust
rise above the scrubby trees. It is
about this time that a staff officer
asks General “Terrible Terry”
Allen, watching on a knoll behind
us, whether he will order a retreat
to the beach. He roars back with
a history-making shout, “Retreat?
Hell no, they haven’t overrun our
artillery yet!” And Allen, pistol in
hand, prepares to lead the counterattack against men and armor.
For the Gela beachhead hangs
in the balance. Only one 105 is
ashore, the outfit’s back is to the
Mediterranean, and that leading
German tank, followed by tens of
others, is about to cut all lateral
communications and then stab
through to the sandy beach itself.
This must be the crucial battle of
all Sicily.
Just at the darkest moment,
the 105 gets lucky hits on three of
the tanks. As they flame brightly
the last round of 105 ammo is
Continued on page 18…
Five “Old Guys”
B Co 1/26 Inf
1968-69 Reunion
th
By Patrick Guy
The title of this article
expresses what most American’s
would say when viewing the
accompanying picture. However,
they would be wrong. The men
pictured are five of the platoon
sergeants from Bravo Company;
1/26, Vietnam, 1968—1969.
These men along with twentyfive of their comrades gathered
in Fort Scott, Kansas recently to
celebrate the 40th anniversary of
their tour of duty. These men along
with others, led our troops in one
of the most unpopular wars of
modern time. Yet to a man, each is
still as proud of his service to his
country today as he was 40 years
ago. This reunion also reunited the
Company Commander, Bill Hoover,
with 5 of his subordinate officers—who took the opportunity
to toast each other with a “flaming
Blue Spader” drink supplied by
Sgt. Hershley.
For the uninformed that means
drinking flaming liquor while
challenging your comrades “to do
better in the battle against evil.”
Members of the 1st MP Co who
served during 1964 – 1966 held
their annual reunion in September 2009. The 2009 reunion was
held in Junction City/Fort Riley, KS
where most of them began their
service with the Big Red One. A
tour of the post was conducted for
the members and guests and lunch
was served at the “dining facility”
at Custer Hill (no longer a mess
hall). It was an interesting experience given all the changes that
have occurred at the post since
they left in 1965. Main Post is
pretty much like it was back then.
The 2010 reunion will be held
in San Antonio, TX at the Society
of the First Infantry Division
reunion. For information contact
Ed Czubernat at (708) 301-5588
or e-mail Ed at e.czubernat@
comcast.net.
Summer 2010
Tom Danca, a private, attending
from Waltham, Massachusetts was
heard to say “leave it to a bunch
of officers to try and drink the
‘hootch’ before it is cooked.” As
the main banquet speaker MAJ
(Ret.) Hoover went on to tell the
veterans how proud he was to
have lead them in battle, achieving records in enemy killed and
captured. Fortunately, for the
“grunts” who served under West
Point graduate, Major Hoover,
affectionly nicknamed the “Pink
Panther” Major Doug “Moose”
Archibald (ret.) reminded all the
attendees it was the men that did
the heavy lifting not the leadership
of the Company.
All such comments were and
are meant in the familiarity of the
“Band of Brothers” only men who
have serve in combat share. On
a lighter note, Dr. Horst Mehner
entranced the men and their wives
with tales from his medical days;
while FO Lt. Ron Harper reminded
the men of the times when he got
the grid coordinates “just a bit
off.” The biggest surprise of the
night came from Judge Virgil Black
(Major, ret.), when he presented
the Pink Panther with a hunting
knife the Panther had lent him
40 years ago as a young company
commander. The guest of honor
of the reunion was the widow of
Capitan Russell Reinel (Mrs. Patty
McGarvey) who died in combat on
February 5, 1969.
The Friday night reunion Fish
Fry was hosted by the Thomas
Tuggle family on their farm just
north of Ft. Scott; whereas Specialist Richard “Donkey­” Daniels
said, “the coyotes run wild and
the farmers even wilder.” The Josh
(Pineapple) Chois traveled from
Hawaii; brought pineapples as
their contribution to the regional
door prize theme. Cheese was of
course brought from Wisconsin by
Dennis Rockwell. The golf tournament was won Bobby Neathery of
Baker, Louisiana with a score of 4
under par. The next Vietnam Bravo
Company reunion is scheduled for
2014 in Ft. Scott.
1st Military Police Co 1964-66 Reunion
By Ed Czubernat
Above: Members of the 1st MP Co who served between 1964 and 1966
pose for their group picture in front of the old 1st MP Co barracks at
Main Post, Fort Riley, KS
Summer 2010, #2; ISSN 1092-4892
Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved..
The Bridgehead Sentinel is published in accordance with the terms of
the 1957 agreement between the Society of the First Infantry Division
and the Cantigny First Division Foundation.
Address Changes and Dues
Please send DUES and ADDRESS CHANGES to:
Society of the First Infantry Division
1933 Morris Road
Blue Bell, PA 19422
SOCIETY OF THE FIRST INFANTRY DIVISION
Society HQ Mailing Address:
Society of the First
Infantry Division
1933 Morris Road
Blue Bell, PA 19422-1422
E-Mail:
[email protected]
Society Web Site:
http://www.1stID.org
President:
Thomas G. Rhame
Executive Director:
Edward J. Burke
Administrative Staff:
Jennifer Sanford
Nancy Freeston
Phone:
215.661.1969 (direct)
888.324.4733 (toll free)
BRIDGEHEAD SENTINEL PRODUCTION
Staff: Dave Blake
Bridgehead Mailing Address:
Paul Herbert
Bridgehead Sentinel
Steve Hawkins
c/o First Division Museum at Cantigny
1s151 Winfield Road
E-Mail:
Wheaton, IL 60189-3353
Phone:
Bridgehead@
630.260.8234
FirstDivisionMuseum.org
Fax:
630.260.9298
Editorial Policy
The purpose of the Bridgehead Sentinel is to serve the
needs of the Society and the interests of its members by:
-Disseminating information from the Society to its members;
-Publishing articles and items of interest to Society members;
-Promoting the history and heritage of the Big Red One.
The Bridgehead Sentinel will publish three issues per year
to be mailed out 1 March, 15 June, and 15 Oct. To be considered for publication in a particular issue of the Bridgehead,
articles must be received by the following dates:
-For the Spring issue, received by 15 Jan;
-For the Summer issue, received by 15 May;
-For the Fall/Winter issue, received by 1 Sept.
Submissions received after these dates will normally be
considered for publication in a subsequent issue.
The Bridgehead Sentinel encourages members to send
stories they have written about their time spent with the division.
Feature articles should not be longer than 6 pages, typed. The
Bridgehead Sentinel staff reserves the right to edit all articles
for length, grammar, and content.
The Bridgehead Sentinel does not publish material relating to political issues or campaigns, paid advertisements or
solicitations, or material that may be considered defamatory or
libelous. Because of issues involved in securing permissions for
articles and original copies of photos, the Bridgehead Sentinel
does not typically re-publish articles that appeared previously in
other newspapers, journals and magazines.
The Bridgehead Sentinel reserves the right to publish or not
publish any article or item sent for its review.
All stories, photos and other items sent to the Bridgehead
Sentinel will be automatically considered for donation to the
First Division Museum in Wheaton, Illinois, unless otherwise
requested.
Send your stories to the
Bridgehead Production address above.
9
Big Red ‘1’ still marks Czech spot for GIs-and grateful German
By Ron Jensen
Used with permission from
Stars and Stripes. ©1994,
2010 Stars and Stripes.
This article, printed in 1994 in Stars and Stripes, tells the
dedicated story of Rudolf Zeitler, who currently takes care of
the 1st Division Monument in Cheb.
CHEB, Czech Republic — A
tall, slender obelisk just outside
this city is a testament to the
combat efforts of the 1st Inf Div
during World War II.
So is Rudolf Zeitler.
The Division built the monument soon after the war’s end to
honor the men it lost while fighting
from the Normandy beaches to this
point.
Zeitler is one of the countless
who benefited from the Division’s
sacrifice.
“We, Germans were not liberated. That is wrong,” said the man
who was a 13-year old high school
student when the Division swept
through near his home in eastern
Bavaria in the spring of 1945. “But
we were relieved that the war was
finished.”
In an attempt to reimburse
the Division for helping to rid
Germany of the Nazis and ending
the war, Zeitler volunteers his time
and efforts in caring for the granite
monument, located just two miles
from town on the road to Karlovy
Vary.
“We were enemies. Then we
were friends,” said Zeitler, who
owns a sign making business in
Tnierstein, less than five miles
from the Czech-German border.
He said the Americans provided
meals at his school following
the war. The American-funded
Marshall Plan allowed his country
to rebuild from the devastation
wrought by Adolf Hitler.
That’s why he crosses the
border from time to time to clean
the area and clear the trash and
weeds. That’s why he bought and
scattered small, white gravel at the
monument’s base in the summer
of 1991.
His effort won him words of
praise from BG William J. Mullen
III, the commander of the 1st Inf
Div (Fwd) when it inactivated
three years ago. “Your unselfish
hard work is heartwarming to all
of us who wear the 1st Infantry
Division patch,” the general wrote
in a letter to Zeitler before the unit
returned to the United States.
Another honor came at this
year’s D-Day anniversary, which
Zeitler attended. He had the
opportunity to meet General
Gordon R. Sullivan, the Army
chief of staff. When Zeitler told
the general of his work at the
monument, Sullivan beamed and
told him that he was the Division’s
European commander a few years
ago. Zeitler was given a gold Army
coin and an autograph.
The monument, about 30 feet
tall, was built in late 1945 by the
Division with money donated by
its soldiers. The structure was one
of five ultimately constructed in
Europe. As befits a unit known as
the Big Red One, its main feature
is a big red one.
Chiseled in the stone are the
names of soldiers who died along
the Division’s combat trail, “fighting for the liberty of the world.”
Separated by rank, the names are
too numerous for an accurate
count.
Zeitler only learned of the
monument after the Cold War
ended. A collector of American
World War II-era vehicles, he met
a fellow collector in Cheb, who
told him of the monument.
“It was dirty, in one word,” he
recalled.
Before its inactivation, the Division’s forward-deployed unit twice
held memorial ceremonies at the
monument in 1990 and 1991. It
was after the second ceremony
that Zeitler spread the gravel.
After the Normandy ceremonies in June, several veterans
of the Big Red One traced their
advance across Europe. In doing
so, they met Zeitler, who escorted
them to the monument. There,
Zeitler said, the old men cried as
they recalled lost comrades.
Zeitler has made it his hobby to
learn about the American Army’s
advance across Europe, specifically through Bavaria. He has
several English-language history
books on the subject. On visits to
the United States, he has searched
the massive collection of the
National Archives for information.
He is proud that his business
buys material from American
companies. When the Americans
held large maneuvers across the
Bavarian landscape before the
drawdown, Zeitler often welcomed
soldiers to his home, showing
off his collection of more than a
dozen World War II-era vehicles
and providing food and comfort.
1st Infantry Division Attends Ceremony in Cheb, Czech Republic
U.S. Army Photo
Left:
Soldier of the
Year, SGT Clancey
Henderson
(Center), of the
4th Maneuver
Enhancement
Brigade, 1st
Infantry Division
poses with other
Big Red One
soldiers at the 1st
Division Monument
in Cheb, Czech
Republic.
On April 24, 2010, Liberation
Day ceremonies were held by
the mayor of Cheb, in the Czech
Republic, to celebrate the 65th
Anniversary of the liberation of
Cheb from Nazi occupation in
1945. The 1st Infantry Division
participated in commemoration
ceremonies around Czechoslo-
10
vakia, including Cheb, to honor
American Soldiers and all who
died in liberating Czechoslovakia
65 years ago.
During the final weeks of
World War II, the 1st Infantry Division, along with other Divisions
of the Third Army, were tasked
with freeing the western portion
o
U.S. Army Phot
65 Years Ago...
Colors are held at attention
during a V-E Day ceremony of
the 1st Infantry Division at Eger
(Now Cheb), Czechoslovakia.
Holding the American Flag is
Staff Sergeant Theodore Dobol.
May 9, 1945.
of Czechoslovakia. The 1st Division
Monument in Cheb honors those
BRO soldiers who were lost during
those battles.
Above: This memorial commemorates the 775 soldiers of the 1st
Infantry Division who fell between 8 February and 6 May 1945.
Stars and Stripes Photo.
Left: Rudolf
Zeitler says his
maintenance of
the 1st Infantry
Division’s
monument near
Cheb in the Czech
Republic is his way
of paying back
America for ridding
Germany of the
Nazis.
“I owe something to the Americans, so I help them when I can,”
he said.
As Zeitler stood beneath
the names —Hooper, Gioppo,
McDonald, Zamostny, Czlkowsky
and many, many more — he
uttered a quiet explanation for his
efforts.
“They should not be forgotten,” he said. “They should not be
forgotten.”
World War II Personnel Accounting:
1st Infantry Division
See next page for
list of names
The Defense Prisoner of War/
Missing Personnel Office (DPMO)
is responsible for oversight of
policies on the rescue of live
Americans and the recovery and
identification of the remains of
those who never returned from
foreign battlefields. DPMO is
joined in that mission by many
other Department of Defense
(DoD) Agencies, and the scientific
community. We encourage the
next-of-kin of missing servicemembers to provide family DNA
samples, as well as full-face photographs of their missing family
members to their Service Casualty
Office. Analysts from DPMO attend
Veterans Reunions where they
interview veterans concerning the
fates of the missing men from their
units. These interviews are leading
to remains recovery missions
and aiding in the identification of
previously unknown remains.
Concerning WWII specifically:
At the end of the war, approximately 79,000 Servicemen were
not recovered. This number
includes those buried with honors
as unknowns, those lost at sea,
and those missing in action. That
number also includes the 1,100
sailors entombed in the USS
Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.
Today, approximately 78,000
Americans remain unaccountedfor, and approximately 28,000 may
be recoverable.
According to our records, the
st
1 Infantry Division has 149 men
unaccounted-for from WWII, and
they are listed on the next page.
If anyone has information
concerning any of these missing
men, please contact Lieutenant
Colonel Matt Kristoff at DPMO at:
241 18th Street S., Crystal Square 4,
Suite 100B, Arlington, VA 22202,
or call (703) 699-1240.
Bridgehead Sentinel
World War II 1 Infantry Division
Casualties Still Unaccounted
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Summer 2010
Name
ANDERSON HARRY R
BAILEY JACK R
BALE CLIFFORD L
BAROK JOHN J JR
BARRAVECHIA JAMES M
BAYERL HENRY T
BUZZARD HAMPTON
CASEY DAVID G
CERCE PASQUALE A
CLOWERS HENRY T
CONWAY JOSEPH E
DE VLIEGER ADOLPH V
DIXON PERCY H
FULLOWN ROBERT J
GLADHILL HABARD T
GODFRAY LEONARD C
GULLEDGE THOMAS E
HARRIS ROBERT R
HELMS RALPH E
HICKEY JAMES R
JENSEN HAROLD J
JONES CURTIS L
KENNEDY JOHN
KING JOHN R
LAWALT GORDON
LAWYER ALLAN B
LEONARD RAYMOND R
MANAK JOSEPH S
MC COLLUM WILLIAM D
O BRIEN WILLIAM J
ONORATO MICHAEL A
PAINTER LESLIE W
PEARCE DALE W
RIGGSBY BILLY D
SAMMONS LAWRENCE H
SCUTARO VINCENT T
SHIELDS KENNEDY J
SHINGLETON DONALD J
SMITH ALVEY H
SPECHLER NORMAN
THOMAS THADDEUS J
VASO GEORGE E
WRIGHT HUGH E
BARTH KENNETH G
BLEVINS HARLESS L
BOYLIN HENRY C JR
BROWN HARRY C
CAMPBELL NOEL
CARTER WILLIAM M
COLAVITO LEE A
CRAWFORD CARL H
CURRAN JOSEPH J
DAVIS GEORGE L
GIBSON ROBERT I
GILL EDWARD A
GREEN JAMES C
HUFFER EMMETT J
HUSKEY CLELL
HYDOCK PAUL
JAMES JOHN
JOHNSON WALTER K
KIBBEE FORREST H
KIERNAN KENNETH S
KNIGHT WALTER B
LAFEVER JOHN M
MARTIN CHRISTOPHER J
MAZZEO FERDINAND
MC GUINESS VINCENT P
MESSER WILLIAM H
MICKLE LLOYD H
MILLER ROBERT P
MOSS ALBERT
NEVARDOUSKY BERNARD
PHILLIPS STANLEY
Rank
PVT
PFC
PFC
PFC
PVT
PFC
PVT
PVT
PFC
PVT
PVT
PVT
PVT
CPL
SSG
MAJ
PVT
PVT
PVT
PFC
PVT
PVT
PVT
PVT
PVT
PFC
PVT
PVT
SGT
PVT
PVT
CPL
2LT
PFC
PFC
PFC
PVT
PVT
PFC
PVT
CPL
PFC
PVT
SGT
PFC
SSG
1LT
SGT
PVT
PFC
T/5
T/SGT
2LT
PFC
CPL
PFC
PVT
PVT
PFC
PVT
PVT
SSG
PFC
PFC
PVT
PVT
PVT
SGT
1LT
PVT
PVT
CPL
SGT
PVT
Service No.
13120553
35115901
12009758
35263827
32343082
32552030
38147715
36225381
31208394
34191387
12023106
36519004
13014736
12007741
6848366
O-020344
34196883
34256706
36696184
37398133
32301968
42114650
35640062
35456705
33604833
6978228
13145831
6690882
6954771
6905803
32410894
34334638
O-486780
35638774
33137859
12025617
33707106
35754377
33130967
12026085
13022189
35057511
14155439
12017336
33091886
12017529
O1304010
12012157
17043719
12016758
33146089
12009163
O-447027
12016198
33146993
36545571
33442871
34363654
33137464
7022080
16015466
6143557
12018974
34191432
34365405
12009632
12019059
6719896
O-422329
12017315
12017231
12015641
12020206
6562520
Date of Death
30-Apr-43
29-Jan-43
31-Jan-43
1-Apr-43
31-Jan-43
7-Jun-45
18-Nov-45
1-Apr-44
7-Jun-45
1-May-44
31-Jan-43
26-Jul-43
31-Jan-43
31-Jan-43
31-Jan-43
6-Jun-44
1-Apr-44
31-Jan-43
7-Jun-45
6-Jun-44
31-Jan-43
12-Jul-44
10-Jul-43
7-Jun-45
6-Jun-44
6-Jun-44
28-Jan-43
14-Feb-44
6-Jun-44
31-Jan-43
16-Feb-46
31-Jan-43
18-Nov-44
18-Jul-43
2-Apr-43
18-Nov-45
7-Jun-45
31-Jan-43
6-Jun-44
31-Jan-43
1-Apr-45
21-Apr-46
25-Mar-43
24-Apr-44
10-Oct-45
24-Jun-44
15-Apr-44
23-Apr-43
24-Dec-43
13-Jul-43
1-Mar-46
6-Feb-44
23-Apr-43
1-Aug-44
7-Jun-45
7-Jun-45
7-May-44
19-Oct-45
11-Oct-45
25-Mar-44
31-Jan-45
24-Dec-42
22-Apr-43
23-Apr-43
23-Dec-43
16-Jan-43
23-Dec-43
6-Jun-44
24-Dec-43
1-Nov-44
6-Feb-44
25-Mar-44
25-Mar-43
Unit
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
18 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
26 INF 1 DIV
32 FA BN 1 DIV
32 FA BN 1 DIV
32 FA BN 1 DIV
32 FA BN 1 DIV
33 FA BN 1 DIV
33 FA BN 1 DIV
33 FA BN 1 DIV
5 FA BN 1 DIV
5 FA BN 1 DIV
5 FA BN 1 DIV
5 FA BN 1 DIV
7 FA BN 1 DIV
If you have any information
on any of the soldiers listed
here, please see article on
previous page for details
Name
RAINES CHARLES N
ROSSON MELVIN V
ROTARIUS JOSEPH A
RUSSELL ROBERT O
SCHEAR ROBERT L
SPEARS BERNARD Q
SPINOSE RALPH J
STOUTNER WILLIAM V
SZELUGOSKI WALTER
TAFT INGWALD P
TRELLA WILLIAM R
TROTTER ANDREW S
VICTOR EDWARD J
WALKER JOHN H
WERNER JOSEPH F JR
WESTCOTT JOHN B JR
WITCHER SHIRLEY
ACKERMAN LESLIE I
ALLEN WILLIAM W
AMOROSO FRANK A
BAILEY GROVER C
BOOS WILLIAM H
CAPOZZA EDWARD J
COBB GEORGE F
COLLIER ULYSSES G
CROWL RICHARD H
DALY WILLIAM J
DE LECCI TONY JR
DEPTULA VINCENT J
EKBERG ERNEST A
FLOUM EDWARD
FOUNTAIN CHARLES H
GRAHAM JOSEPH R
GUNN EDWARD B
HELISEK PETER P JR
HOLLINGSHEAD LLOYD G
JANKOWSKI LUCIAN J
KANE WILLIAM G JR
KLANDUCH GEORGE
LOBEL MORRIS
MAUCK JAMES M
MILLS ROSCOE F
MUNDZIAK WALTER R
MYERS WILLIAM J
NORWOOD EDWARD L
O CONNELL DANIEL W
PARK JAMES K
PENN BILLY W
PETER HOWARD L
POWERS FRANK E JR
REYES VIVIAN G
SARGENT KERMIT E
SPINARELLI JOHN J
STOTT DONALD I
TRAVELPIECE GORDON L
VAN ART LAWRENCE H
VERONA STANLEY JR
VICKOWANICH MIKE
WALKO JOHN A
WILHOIT ERNEST
YOWELL MITCHELL T
ZIEMER GEORGE J
DANLEY JAMES P
HOLLO FRANK
LANDA ALBIN
SULLIVAN DANIEL J
ALDREDGE CHARLES R
BRULEY HOLLAND J
RAYANNIC STEPHEN G
STOUT WARREN C
SMITH HAROLD W
STAFFELBACH GEORGE T
WASSMER HARRY
SCHMALTZ FRED E
Rank
PFC
PFC
PFC
PVT
PFC
PVT
PVT
PFC
CPL
2LT
SGT
PVT
SGT
PFC
SGT
2LT
PFC
PVT
SSG
PVT
SGT
CPL
PVT
PVT
CPL
PFC
PFC
PFC
PFC
PVT
T/5
PFC
SGT
2LT
CPL
SGT
PFC
PFC
PVT
PFC
1LT
PVT
PVT
PVT
PFC
1LT
SGT
PFC
CPT
PVT
PFC
PVT
PVT
PFC
PFC
PFC
PFC
PFC
PFC
PFC
SGT
PFC
PVT
PVT
CPL
CPL
PFC
PFC
PVT
LTC
PFC
CPT
PFC
PFC
Service No.
33131237
33229573
36855291
32294437
37666136
15115643
33587727
12005202
11010304
O-432922
6880670
35284217
19000526
37692327
6975273
O1286216
8006955
12004734
13184989
33146254
7082227
13008828
32287595
33727066
13014507
6956932
32309120
33105812
31009162
31002162
33121387
12001033
6975851
O-514002
33146672
16171775
7074275
11024033
33146567
32105274
1309290
35506296
33146700
37442653
12023137
O1287983
38418145
33644889
O-023239
31069525
38216427
33527043
32589777
33137597
33137290
13053316
33144942
36572842
33763575
35812899
15305528
37170983
34057973
6136365
6133895
31006089
34156004
11000003
32191383
O-015260
12009111
O-394767
12008699
37274507
Date of Death
23-Apr-43
9-Oct-44
19-Oct-45
24-Dec-43
30-Nov-45
24-Apr-44
9-Jun-44
23-Dec-43
24-Mar-43
23-Dec-42
23-Apr-43
16-Jan-43
3-Jan-45
25-Nov-45
25-Mar-44
4-Jan-43
6-Apr-44
1-Feb-44
21-Dec-44
1-Feb-44
30-Apr-43
1-Feb-44
10-Jul-43
3-Nov-44
10-Jul-43
25-Apr-43
1-Oct-45
16-Jul-43
28-Jan-43
28-Jan-43
10-Jul-43
10-Jul-43
28-Jan-43
17-Jun-45
11-Jul-44
8-Mar-46
4-Feb-44
28-Jan-43
28-Jan-43
20-Feb-44
17-Nov-44
25-Apr-43
25-Apr-43
10-Jul-43
1-Mar-45
28-Apr-43
24-Nov-45
24-Feb-46
28-Jan-43
1-Nov-45
4-Aug-44
30-Nov-45
10-Aug-45
10-Jul-43
10-Jul-43
5-Mar-45
1-Feb-44
2-Jul-45
20-Oct-44
24-Nov-45
22-Dec-45
11-May-46
23-Mar-43
7-May-43
23-Mar-43
23-Mar-43
10-Jul-43
10-Jul-43
10-Jul-43
29-Nov-42
29-Nov-42
29-Nov-42
1-Dec-42
10-Jul-43
11
2008 ANNUAL REUNION, Colorado Springs, Colo
Distinguished Service Cross Recipients,
1st Infantry Division Vietnam Addresses Unknown
The First Division Museum is commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the 1st Infantry Division’s
return from Vietnam in 1970. As part of that event, we would like to establish contact with 1st Infantry Division Distinguished Service Cross recipients of the Vietnam War. The attached list is of those
DSC recipients for whom we have no contact information.
We would like to ask for your assistance in locating these veterans. If you happen to know of any
of the persons listed, please ask them if they would be interested in being contacted by us. If they
agree, please provide us with their contact information.
Please contact Eric Gillespie: [email protected] or (630) 260-8186.
Name
Rank
Unit
Date of Action
Gen.Order# Date of G.O.
Blanford, Raymond
Burnett, William D. Charles, Paul D. Christian, David A. Crabtree, Ormand B.
Dobbins, Raymond
Farrelly, Hubert
Garcia, Candelario
Henry, Jeffery J. Johnston, John R. Kendall, Joe A. Manley, Glen R. Monnick, Edward W. Murray, Michael J.
Myers, Richard J. Parrish, Andrew W. Porter, Alfred L.
Ramirez, Ramiro
Rankin, Howard F. Rodriquez, Enrique
Sykes, Larry W. Wall, Lee O.
Webb, Francis R.
Whitted, Jack G.
Worbington, John H. CPT
SP4
SP4
1LT
SGT
CPT PFC
SGT
PFC 1LT
2LT
SP5
SP4
SP4
PFC
SP4
SP4
1SGT
SSGT
CPT
PFC
SGT
SSGT
LTC
SP4
A/2/28
A/1/4 CAV
HHC/1/2
CS/1/26
I/75
D/1/26
C/1/4 CAV
B/1/2
B/1/4 CAV
C/1/4 CAV
A/1/28
C/2/18
B/1/2
C/1/26
A/2/16
B/1/16
A/1/4 CAV
C/1/18
C/2/2
C/1/26
A/8/6 FA
B/2/2
C/1/26
HHC/1/28
B/1/16
06/11/66 WIA
11/12/65
10/04/67
10/29/68 WIA
05/11/12/69
11/07/06 WIA
07/09/66 WIA
12/08/68
02/24/66
08/25-26/66
11/04/67 WIA
11/01/66
05/11/68
02/01/69
08/13/68 WIA
12/02/66 WIA
08/12/69 WIA
10/10/68 WIA
12/19/68 WIA
02/01/69
05/12/69 WIA
10/13/68 WIA
02/01/69
11/08/66 WIA
02/28/67
GO 6969
GO 21
GO 6564
GO 1192
GO 4343
GO 6703
GO 5895
GO1166
GO 181
GO 1587
GO 726
GO 2378
GO 4330
GO 2249
GO 1750
GO 4323
GO 4496
GO 706
GO 2073
GO 2211
GO 3416
GO 897
GO 2213
GO 7018
GO 5071
12/20/66
06/01/66
11/22/67
04/07/69
1969
12/30/67
10/03/66
04/04/69
08/02/66
04/08/67
02/16/68
05/25/67
09/11/68
06/25/69
05/15/69
08/25/67
12/22/69
02/27/69
06/12/69
06/24/69
09/07/69
03/01/69
06/24/69
1966
10/04/67
B Company, 1st Battalion,
2nd Infantry Regiment,“Dracula”
in the Summer of 1968
From April to mid-June, 1968,
Dracula (B/1/2) carried out extensive recon-in-force operations in
the Quan Loi, An Loc, and Song Be
areas. Mini-TET brought in the 1st
Battalion, 2nd Infantry back to the
Saigon area for mopping up and
pacification operations. From June
20th until the end of October, the
Black Scarves worked extensively
around Lai Thieu control of the
2nd Brigade. However, Division
sent the battalion north on several
occasions between July and
September to counter NVA threats
against Loc Ninh.
The major Communist offensive against Loc Ninh began with
an attack on district headquarters
and the Special Forces camp on
August 18th, 1968. Five days of
relative calm followed. Then, while
CSM Clarence Sprouse and Jungle Training in Vietnam
U.S. Army Photo
In March 1966, MG
(then BG) William E.
DePuy assumed command
of the 1st Infantry Division
from MG Seaman, who
left to take command of
II Field Force, Vietnam.
MG DePuy had been the
Operations Officer for
the Military Assistance
Command, Vietnam in
Saigon. Two innovations that General DePuy
brought with him to the
Division were to prove
extremely valuable as
they were tested in battle.
DePuy taught a “cloverleaf” method of saturation
patrolling, where units
move out from a central
area and “loop” back
toward the main advance unit’s
direction starting point. This technique would enable the infantry
to search a large area without
massing of its troops in any one
spot. When contact was made and
the infantry had determined the
size, strength, and location of the
enemy, massive artillery shellings
and air strikes would be called to
destroy the enemy.
General DePuy selected CSM
Clarence R. Sprouse to command
a highly trained team of handpicked NCO’s and officers to teach
combat units his programs on
operations of jungle warefare,
including the clover-leaf patrolling method, which is still taught
today in the Infantry School at Fort
Benning, Georgia.
Pictured: CSM Sprouse with the 1st Div in Vietnam, 1966.
Sprouse entered the Army in 1942 at the age of 17. He served
in World War II, and in Korea as a Parachute Infantryman.
Sprouse also served as the chief trainer that trained the
Cubans for the Bay of Pigs. Sprouse was one of the Danger
7’s who attended the Danger 6/7 Conference held at the First
Division Museum at Cantigny (see the Museum page for
information about this event).
12
U.S. Army Photo
moving east out of town towards
Hill 178 on August 23rd, Dracula
ran into an intense barrage of
mortars, RPGs and small arms.
Pushing steadily forward against
determined opposition, the
battalion overran a mortar position and sent the NVA defenders
into headlong retreat. Dracula
continued the drive against Hill
178 for two days against massive
NVA counterattacks, which threatened to envelop the battalion on
several occasions. In a final three
hour battle on August 24th, Dracula
repulsed a desperate charge by an
entire NVA battalion and temporarily ended the major threat against
Loc Ninh. On August 31st, the 1st
Battalion, 2nd Infantry extracted
to Lai Khe and became the Ready
Reaction Force for the Division.
Bridge
Reconnaissance
December 1967
A reconnaissance
sergeant from the 1st
Bn, 2nd Inf watches
as PSGT Louis Brown
of Mount Holly, NJ
(Left) and LT Manfred
Schmitt of Jacksonville,
FL, perform engineer
reconnaissance
on a small wooden
bridge along Route
14A running into Du
Bop. Led by LT John A.
Raymer of Long View,
TX, the Recon Platoon
from the 1st Bn, 2nd Inf
provided security for
the 1st Engineer Bn.
Just a trim please
May 26, 1967
At the 1st Battalion,
2nd Infantry
Reigment “Ramrods”
Command Post
(CP), soldiers get a
close haircut that
will make it cooler
during the blazing
summer afternoons
in Vietnam. The 1st
Infantry Division
unit was operating
in an area north of
Saigon.
U.S. Army Photo
orado
Still Serving: 1st Division
Vietnam Veteran Back in
Service with the BRO
By James G. Perlmutter
Colonel, GS
Army Review Boards Agency
COL Jim Perlmutter, 65,
currently on active duty recall
status with the Army Review
Boards Agency, in Arlington, VA
served with the Big Red One from
AUG 67-AUG 68 with C/2-2 (Mech)
”Daring-Charlie.”
He was a platoon medic and
later senior company medic. After
Vietnam, he completed college,
received a direct commission as
a Medical Service Officer, and
served seven active years at Walter
Reed, Madigan, and Fitzsimons
Army Medical Centers. The next
twenty-seven years he was with
the USAR and eventually became a
Hospital and Group Commander.
BRO Soldier
Remembers
Coming Home
By Donald W. Weigand
HHB, Div Arty
May 1969–April 1970
I was a member of the Color
Guard that returned the Division’s
Colors from Vietnam to Fort Riley
as a representative of the enlisted
men of Division Arty.
We practiced for the ceremonies in Di An after moving down
from Lai Khe and Phu Loi. What
a motley crew learning how to
march again to the consternation
of many a NCO and officer.
In only the Army’s infinite
wisdom, our first ceremony on
American soil was in Alaska in
jungle fatigues! We were transported back on Air Force jets. I’ll
never forget the canvas-like seats,
facing backwards, three to a row.
It was made most tolerable after a
refueling stop and the purchase of
a bottle of scotch that we managed
to bring aboard.
We were housed in the old
hospital at Riley, seemed like
heaven. One of the funny moments
at Riley was when we were stopped
by an MP who insisted that we tuck
our shirts into our pants. Guess he
never saw jungle fatigues before,
and was only saved when his CO
came to his rescue. I’m sure that
the bowling alley has since gotten
over our calling in fire missions at
the bowling pins, the rounds were
most effective.
It was the best of times/the
worst of times, and yet a memory
that will live within me forever.
Summer 2010
In addition he graduated from
resident Army War College and
deployed to Bosnia. He retired in
2000. In 2005 he was offered a
one-year recall to active duty that
has turned to five years. Thanks to
the internet, he has become reacquainted with his former Charlie
Company Commander, “Charlie
6,” Ed Roby, as well as the Bravo
Company Commander, “Bandit 6,”
Sonny Gratzer.
“Being back on Active Duty
and proudly wearing the Big Red
One patch is an honor, and I am
thankful for having the opportunity
to still serve.”
Above: Photo of Jim Perlmutter serving
with the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam,
in front of an APC “Somewhere in the Iron
Triangle.”
Above: Photo taken of Jim Perlmutter last
June 2009, next to the APC on display at
the First Division Museum at Cantigny in
Wheaton, Illinois while on TDY in Chicago.
Then and Now: Farm Boys, Soldiers, and Friends
SGT Ralph Metivier, CSM Robert Delia, and SGT David McAllister
By David McAllister
They all grew up and worked
on farms in Minnesota and Massachusetts and all three belonged to
the illustrious unit, 2nd Battalion,
28th Infantry Regiment, of the Big
Red One.
Delia hailed from Minnesota
and was serving in Japan when
the Korean War started, and spent
three tours there. He served over
30 years in the regular Army,
assignments included Battalion
Command Sergeant Major 196970.
Ralph Metivier and David
McAllister both grew up in Massachusetts and hold the distinction
of being the only two, from their
small town, to be drafted for the
Vietnam War.
Metivier and McAllister both
completed basic training at Fort
Gordon and ended up in AIT at
Fort Polk. They traveled over to
Vietnam on the same airplane
and both ended up assigned to
the same 1st Infantry Division
battalion, company, platoon, and
squad. Ralph, after paying his
dues “humping” ammo, became
a 60 machine gunner, and David
soon became the platoon leader’s
RTO. Both young men were soon
promoted to sergeant in their
capacity.
Fast forward
40 years, CSM
Delia retired
after serving as
Post Command
Sergeant Major
at Fort Devens, in
Massachusetts,
1973-78. He
remained in the
area after retirement, working
Above: Left to Right—SGT Ralph Metivier, CSM Robert Delia, and SGT David
in the advertising
McAllister. 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, Vietnam 1969-1970
business.
Ralph Metivier
spent over 35 years
in the custom sheet
metal and welding
business, and David
McAllister hung up
his automotive repair
shop tools.
Forty years later,
they now enjoy many
lunches together
without having to use
C-4, bug dope, or
P-38’s. And as you
can see by the current
picture, they have
hardly changed at all!
Above: Left to Right—SGT Ralph Metivier, CSM Robert Delia, and SGT David
McAllister. Meeting up in 2005, at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley, MA.
13
Unit News
Unit News is a section is for smaller units of the
BRO who do not have their own newsletter.
745
News
th
He’s given up driving, but he’s
only 5 minutes from his daughter
Margaret. I’m betting she will
bring him to lunch on 6/17.
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES:
By Bud Spencer
Obituaries:
No Obituaries to report (that I
know of) and that is good!
Sick Call:
Clayton “Bud” Buck had a
stroke and is now in a Nursing
Home (Need address).
Bill Moreland fell, was hospitalized, and is now staying in a
Nursing Home.
Address:
Cordia Senior Residence
865 North Cass Avenue,
Westmont, Il 60559
Phone: 630-734-9900.
BRO Books
The books in this section
are not published by the
Society of the First Infantry Division, but they are
BRO-related and may be of
interest to members of the
Society.
If you have written a
book about 1st Division,
and would like it in the
BRO Books section, mail a
copy of the book to:
1st Tuesday of the month:
9:30 a.m., breakfast at Loves
Park, Illinois (Sheri’s Place Family
Eatery, 5859 Forrest Hills Road).
3rd Thursday of the month:
11:30 (lunch or late breakfast) at
Bob Evans Restaurant. It is located
on the west side of Joliet, IL, just
off of I-80 at mile post 130. Exit
North on Larkin, at 1st traffic light
turn right, then right into their
parking lot. It is diagonally across
the street from Sam’s and only two
or three miles from the Empress
gambling boat.
4th Thursday in October:
Lunch at Starved Rock, the
facilities there are beautiful, rustic,
modernized, even an indoor
pool. You might want to consider
a “mini” vacation by arriving
early or staying overnight. You
can contact the Lodge at (815)
667-4211, or www.starvedrock-
One More Hill
By Franklyn A. Johnson
Part of the Cantigny
Military History Series
ISBN# 1-890093-25-4
First Division Museum at Cantigny
ATTN: BRO BOOKS
1s151 Winfield Rd
Wheaton, IL 60189
Warrior to
Spiritual Warrior
By Jess E. Weiss
BookSurge Publishing
ISBN# 1-4392-3800-6
A multi-decorated combat
veteran of WWII, Jess Weiss tells
his compelling and poignant
personal story of war, life, death,
and Post Traumatic Stress (a debilitating condition unrecognized and
untreated in WWII) that led him to
a most profound and transcendent
spiritual journey.
Weiss recounts his actions on
Omaha Beach with E Company,
16th Infantry Regiment during the
D-Day invasion of Normandy and
how he coped with Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder afterwards.
Available on: www.Amazon.com
14
statepark.org.
For the lunches at Starved
Rock, they need to know how
many to expect so please let me
know at 1107 31st St., Apt 223,
Peru, IL 61354, or call me at
815/220-1558, or send E-Mail to:
[email protected].
4th Thursday in August:
Luncheon at Cantigny Park. Look
for a special mailing for details.
The hospitality shown by Paul
Herbert and his dedicated staff
cannot be duplicated or beaten,
they’re terrific, and what’s more–
they like the 745th! We are very
appreciative of that! I have no
idea what it will be this year. “C”
rations in the woods?
A couple of new acquaintances
here went on separate Honor
Flights out of Moline, IL in recent
weeks. They are still walking on
air. If you haven’t gone you should
make every effort to go.
Visit http://honorflight.org/
programs/index.cfm for details.
Don’t worry or be embarrassed if
you need a wheel chair, they’ve got
lots of them, and the people are
there to help. It costs you nothing.
Franklyn Johnson was a
replacement officer and then
platoon leader of an anti-tank
platoon with the 18th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division in
World War II. His story illustrates
those of many soldiers of that
and every war: the training, the
camaraderie, the apprehension,
the fighting, the boredom, and
then more fighting. He initially saw
action firsthand with the Big Red
One in Tunisia in North Africa.
He made two amphibious assault
landings: one at Gela, Sicily, in
1943, the other on Omaha Beach
at Normandy in 1944.
This is a reprint of the original
1949 edition with updated text,
photos, and maps.
To order, visit:
www.FirstDivisionMuseum.org
Above: Eddie Ireland, and Bud Spencer, at the April 2010 luncheon at
Starved Rock.
Above: The day of the Starved Rock luncheon was also Bill Moreland’s
Birthday!
Diary of a Combat
Infantryman
By Jim Sharp
Published by Ag Press
Manhattan, KS
ISBN# 0-9843585-1-X
The personal accounts of Jim
Sharp, Company B, 18th Infantry
Regiment, 1st Infantry Division,
in World War II. Jim follows his
battles as a replacement during
the Battle of the Bulge, Rhineland, Central Europe, and being
wounded in Uslar, Germany.
Jim earned three battle stars
during the Battle of the Bulge, and
a Bronze Star for heroism at the
Rhine River crossing.
Following the war, he was
selected for special guard duty at
the Nuremburg Trials for Nazi war
crimes. He was assigned as Sgt. of
the Guard in both the courtroom
and the prisoner cell blocks.
Available on: www.Amazon.com
Swanage in
World War II
By Stewart Borrett
Published by
Amberwood Graphics
ISBN# 978-0-9522281-1-0
Stewart Borrett takes sixteen
contributers from GIs, evacuees,
schoolchildren, and others who
helped keep the town of Swanage,
England functioning during the
war.
Personal accounts from
William Lee and Wes Mullen, from
the 26th Infantry Regiment, give
examples of how the Big Red One
helped the town prior to the D-Day
Invasion of Normandy.
To order contact:
Stewart Borrett
34 North Street
Wareham, BH20 4AQ
United Kingdom
01929 554 482
or: [email protected]
Bridgehead Sentinel
We thank all who have responded to our requests for support of our
Scholarship FundS. Your generosity will enable us to fulfill our obligation to
the children of all Big Red One soldiers who have lost their lives in combat—
over 180 children to date—and to the children and grandchildren of our
1st Infantry Division veterans.
Following is a list of contributors to the 1st Infantry Division Foundation
Scholarship Fund from 1 February – 21 May 2010. Duplicate names indicate
additional contributions.
The Zimmermann scholarships have
been discontinued because the original grant of $100,000 from Miss Sarah
Zimmerman has now been depleted.
Twenty-five students have received
Zimmerman scholarships from the time
of its inception in 1999.
1st Infantry Division Foundation
Scholarship Funds
LTC Daniel L. Turner
CPT Kimberly Brabson, Jr.
SGM Albert N. Pike
MAJ Joseph M. Batistoni, Ret.
LTG Ronald L. Watts, Ret.
LTC Richard M. Livingston
SGM Albert N. Pike
MAJ Joseph N. Batistoni, Ret.
LTC Gilbert N. Conforti
The UPS Store, Fort Riley, KS
BG John R. Gallagher, Jr.
Paul Grupp
SGM Albert N. Pike
James E. Lalley
Richard L. Ort
Richard J. Keogh
John W. Long
LTC Daniel Weaver
MAJ Joseph M. Batistoni, Ret.
MAJ Neal F. Siebert
Wally E. Chapla
CPT Wilmer K. Benson
Dean McConnell
SGM Albert N. Pike
Lion Virginia Nordstrom
In Memory of
Verlin Deutscher
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Bozzi
In Memory of
Stuart Quigg
Society for International
Affairs in the name
of Thomas Donovan,
Government Speaker of
the Year for 2009
In Memory of
Stephen E. Row
Ronald J. Betts
Mr. & Mrs. Alan I. Cooper
COL Robert W. Siegert, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph P. Wirs
Mr. & Mrs. Keith Sanford
Mr. & Mrs. Brian Burke
Cantigny First Division
Foundation
Hughes & Smith, Inc.
Heidenberger Construction,
Inc.
Antonio Maria
Bobrick Washroom
Equipment, Inc.
Hadrian Manufacturing, Inc.
Alexander & Doris Chung
Gabriella Maguire
Cheryl Yoffee
James H. Gormley, III
Architectural Resources, Inc.
Gary Arthur Noubarian
Romana Governatori Fay
R. Keith & Carol Green
Richard L. Biehl
LTC Edmund K. Daley, Jr.
William K. Thelemann
In Memory of
2LT Clinton Anderson,
1/16 KIA, VN, 1966
In Memory of
Antoinette Rapkiewicz
New York/Fort Dix Branch
MAJ Rolland L. Schmucker
P.O. Box 350025, 1 Carr Ct.
Palm Coast, FL 32135
In Honor
Jay Earl Naumann
In Memory of Mrs.
Juliette Huebner Buck
Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Hopler
COL George Juskalian
Robert R. McCormick
Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Chan Kim Nhan
In Memory of
Mary Stewart
New York/Fort Dix Branch
In Memory of
LTC Stigall &
MAJ Hollider
In Memory of BG
Randolph Paulsen
COL Richard C. Rosendahl,
Ret.
New York/Fort Dix Branch
Veterans Administration Announces New Scholarship!
The Veterans
Administration has
recently begun accepting applications for
a program called the
“Gunnery Sergeant John
David Fry Scholarship.”
This scholarship entitles
the children of service
members who die in the
line of duty after Sept.
10, 2001 and attending
college to receive up
to the highest public,
in-state undergraduate
tuition and fees, plus a
monthly living stipend
and a book allowance.
Since this program
is considerably more
generous and advantageous than our DePuy
Scholarship, the Trustees
of our 1st Infantry
Division Foundation
are studying just how
we can best assist our
eligible children with
their education. We will
not be extending any
new DePuy scholarships
until this study has been
completed.
Letters have been
sent to the 125 dependent children of our
OIF/OEF killed that we
have contact with to
advise them of this new
scholarship. This letter,
however, emphasizes our
unshakeable commitment to these children
should they elect a
DePuy scholarship.
Since it will be many
years before most of
these children are in
a position to make an
election about which
scholarship to accept,
our Foundation will
maintain a reserve fund
sufficient to accommodate requirements for
DePuy scholarships.
The Foundation trust-
Who Died During Operation Iraqi Freedom
and Operation Enduring Freedom
1 Feb 2010 – 31 May 2010
412th Aviation Support Battalion, 12th Combat
Aviation Brigade, Katterbach, Germany
PFC Scott G. Barnett, 24,
of Concord, California
28 January 2010
Military Training Teams, Afghanistan, 1st Brigade,
1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas
SFC Glen J. Whetten, 31,
of Mesa, Arizona
12 March 2010
people … your children
and grandchildren…
who show so much
promise and potential.
Applications for these
scholarships were due
on 1 June 2010 and will
be announced in the fall
issue of this paper.
Member’s comments,
ideas and suggestions on
the subjects of scholarships are welcome.
Send them to:
I wanted to send you my sincere thanks yet
again for the First Infantry Division Scholarship.
The fall semester was especially full this year
– not only was I enrolled in five classes, I was
also deep in the process of applying to my spring
semester study abroad program. I took Statistics, Global Christianity, Organizational Behavior,
Digital Photography and Graphic Design. This
made for an interesting course-load as I not
only participated in some broad classes to fulfill
general requirements, but also was able to delve
deeper into one of my areas of concentration
(art). I particularly enjoyed Graphic Design class
as it taught me many new and interesting concepts
about the design world.
This coming semester will find me overseas –
I will be studying at Regent’s American College in
London, England! While I am there I will be taking
several classes that are sure to be fascinating.
How could I resist a course in Shakespeare when
I will be on his home soil? I am looking forward
to all of these classes as well as the opportunity
I will have to travel in and about the U.K. and
Europe. This opportunity is in a great part possible because of the aid this scholarship provides.
I am so very grateful to be the recipient of this
scholarship – it is a great help to me in furthering
my education and knowledge of the world.
Thank you again.
Best Regards,
1 Infantry Division
Foundation
1933 Morris Rd.
Blue Bell PA 19422.
st
Chelsey Fenn

1st Infantry Division Soldiers
ees have also approved
a plan to increase the
level of scholarship
support to the children
and grandchildren of
1st Infantry Division
veterans. Formerly, the
Foundation awarded 3
scholarships of $4,000
each. Effective with
the 2010-2011 school
year, the Foundation will
award up to 5 scholarships of $10,000 each
to these children. Your
continued support for
this program will enable
us to reward the efforts
of these talented young
Below, is a letter from Chelsey Fenn,
who was awarded one of our Zimmerman Scholarships in 2007. Chelsey is
the granddaughter of Thomas Fenn, who
served in Company G, 26th Infantry, in
World War II.
Scholarship Fund
Yes . . . Here is my TAX DEDUCTIBLE contribution to the Scholarship Fund!
$15
$30
$60
$100
$150
Other$
Name
Address
City
Phone(
)
State
Zip
E-Mail
Please make your check payable to: 1st Infantry Division Foundation.
Mark it “Scholarship Fund” and mail it to:
1st Infantry Division Foundation, 1933 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422.
Your contribution is 100% deductible for income tax purposes.
NOW Contribute online! Visit www.1stID.org and click
on “Foundation” then “Contributions.”
Summer 2010
15

In the Spring 2010 issue of
the Bridgehead Sentinel, there was
an article written by CSM (Ret)
Tom McRoberts, entitled “Our last
shot in Vietnam.”
He describes the crest of the
field artillery battery in which he
was the section chief as follows:
“When we were in base camp,
we wore the unit crest patch on
our left pocket. The patch had
the Ramparts of Chapultepec,
two cannon tubes designating the
first split battery operations, and
a broken arrow to symbolize the
annihilation of Charlie Battery.
Unfortunately, the crest has been
lost to history as I have been
unable to find one.”
My daughter works as a historical researcher at the National
Museum of the U.S. Army (Project
Office) at Ft. Belvoir. Recently,
she cataloged & preserved one
of the largest collections of U.S.
Army unit crests in existence. After
reading CSM McRoberts article,
she did a bit of research & came
up with the info (see photo).
He apparently was assigned to
B Battery, 1st Battalion/5th Field
Artillery, which supported the 1st
Brigade of the Big Red One in
Vietnam from 1965-1970.
The 1/5 FA includes the oldest
continuously active unit in the U.S.
Army (D Battery), which is the
only unit that can trace an unbroken lineage back to the Revolutionary War. D Battery began as
Alexander Hamilton’s Provincial
New York Artillery Company,
raised by the then 19-year old
Hamilton on 1 March 1776. It
fought during the Revolutionary
War and was the only unit in the
Army not deactivated at the end
of that war. For a period of time,
it was the ONLY unit in the Army,
protecting the stores at West
Point. The 1/5 FA fought in the
War of 1812, Mexican War, Indian
Wars, Civil War, Spanish-American
War, and Philippine Insurrection.
During WWI, it was assigned to
the newly formed 1st (Infantry)
Division, and served with the Big
Red One during WWI, WWII, and
Vietnam (from 1965-1970). The
unit continues to be part of the 1st
ID’s 1st Brigade Combat Team and
has served in Iraq.
The battalion is the only artillery unit in the U.S. Army with
batteries designated A, B, and D
(instead of C)—in honor of the
lineage of D Battery 5th Artillery
going back to the Revolution.
The official description of the
unit crest is nearly identical to
that described by CSM McRoberts
(though the symbolism is somewhat different).
Eric Hammersen
COL, FA, U.S. Army (Ret)
(formerly a battery commander
in 2/33d FA, 1st Inf Div (FWD) in
Germany from 1978-1981)
Left: The old
design of the
D Battery
patch, used in
Vietnam by the
1st Battalion, 5th
Field Artillery.

I share Colonel Toner’s
interest in finding out whom,
when, and why the alchemists
amongst us changed the Iron
Brigade into “Dukes.” I look
forward to seeing what the
explanation is, and hope it will be
published in the Bridgehead.
The Iron Brigade has an illustrious heritage including its heroic
stand as a part of the 1st Division,
First Corps, Army of the Potomac,
when it stopped the on-rushing
Confederates at the Battle of
Gettysburg, giving the remainder
of the Army of the Potomac time to
concentrate on the high ground.
One could easily argue that the
Iron Brigade saved the Union by
their action that day. One Confederate, upon seeing the Hardee hat
of the Iron Brigade is reported to
have said, “That ain’t militia, that
is the damn Iron Brigade of the
Army of the Potomac.”
I doubt he would say the
same about the “Dukes.” Dukes
sounds like a motorcycle gang
from Los Angeles or fugitives from
the West Side Story. I think any of
our adversaries would know and
understand what the Iron Brigade
meant in the field of battle.
We do a lot of good things in
the Army in preserving our history
and lineage, and for good reasons.
How can we let such a historical
unit go unnamed and unrecognized? The decision was a real
clunker.
Donald W. Hansen
Brigadier General,
U.S. Army (Retired)
Honorary Member of the Iron
Brigade
I am searching for relatives
of a 1st Division soldier, Joseph
J. Czernia (service number
36954742). He served in World
War II with the 18th Infantry
Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.
Mr. Czernia died on November
22, 1944 and is buried at HenriChapelle American Cemetery in
Belgium, where I have adopted his
grave.
To honor fallen soldiers,
organizations for the cemetery give
interested people the opportunity
to adopt a grave. These people go
to the cemetery on important days
(Memorial Day, Christmas etc.),
and pay their respects to these
men. Many times these people
are in contact with the family of
the soldier to let them know that
someone in Europe is taking care
of their grave. Those who adopt
these graves often want to find
out more about the soldier whose
grave they have adopted. This gives
the soldiers an identity so they
will not be forgotten. For more
information about these programs,
visit: www.adoptiegraven.nl
This is why I adopted Joseph
Czernia’s grave, because I wanted
to look after someone who did so
much for the people of Europe,
who are still very thankful of what
they did for us.
All I know now is that Mr.
Czernia was born in Cook County,
Illinois. I would like to know
where his hometown was, what
battles he had been in, where he
was killed in action, or any other
details about his life.
Simon Schuurman
Alholm 79
2133 DB Hoofddorp
The Netherlands

My cousin Mike Gregoreski
served proudly in Vietnam from
November ‘66 to March ‘67 with
C Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd
Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry
Division. He was seriously injured
in March ‘67. I don’t have the
exact date, but I am looking for
anyone who may have served
with him that has pictures from
that time. Mike passed in 1999
due to complications from his
injuries. He was honored in April
in Washington, D.C. at the Vietnam
War Memorial. I would appreciate
if anyone has any information
about Mike, and possibly even the
date of his injury, to contact me at
[email protected].
Thank you and God Bless!
Pam Allessi

I am looking for someone
who may have known or
remembered this veteran of WWII:
Carroll E. Powell, Headquarters
Company, 26th Infantry Regiment,
1st Infantry Division.
He served 38 months in North
Africa, Sicily, D-Day invasion and
all throughout Europe during the
war. He passed away in 1997 but
I, his wife, am hoping to locate
some of the men he may have
known. We were lucky enough to
make a few contacts in the earlier
reunions, but I have lost contact
with them.
Alma Powell
6051 Camden Street
Indianapolis, In 46227
Phone: 317-786-8889
Cell: 317-627-1610
[email protected]
Origins of the 3rd Brigade “Dukes”

Check out the display Donald R.
Nuttall has put in his front yard,
honoring the Big Red One!
“This is located on my front
lawn, facing the main road.”
The Division’s motto, emblem,
as well as the POW/MIA flag are
seen by all who pass by.
16

There are two stories that
describe the origins of the call sign
“Dukes.” The first story comes
from the Brigade S3 from 199698, David Sage who explains,
“I’m the guy who came up
with Duke. I was “Duke 3” from
1997-98 but, I was “Dancer 3”
from 1996-97.”
The call sign “Dancer” was
not very popular so the discussion
came up, “Sir, Dancer stinks.”
“Got a better idea?”
“How about Dukes?”
Dancer 3 had a framed picture
of John Wayne from the Horse
Soldiers on his office wall, and
decided “Duke” was a better call
sign than “Dancer” and COL Que
Winfield, the Brigade Commander
at that time, had it officially
changed.
The second explanation, from
Clinton T. Anderson, the Brigade
Commander from 1998-2000, is
similar but also includes another
representation of the heraldry.
“All Big Red One call signs
begin with the letter ‘D.’ Hence
“Danger” “Devil” “Dagger” etc.
The Third Brigade was call sign
“Dancer.” Since the 1st and 2nd
Brigades were both infantryheavy, and the 3rd Brigade was the
tank-heavy brigade and given the
rather lame call sign of “Dancer,”
the commander preceding me,
COL Que Winfield, was given
permission to change the call
sign to “Duke,” which was short
for “The Iron Duke.” The logo
used on brigade presentations
was that of an armored knight.
During my tour of duty the old
armored knight logo was retired
and replaced with the historically
correct and current triangular
shield with Iron Cross that was
used by the Brigade during its time
in Vietnam.”
Bridgehead Sentinel
Hollingsworth, James of San
Antonio, TX on 3 March 2010
(VN, 1ADM)
Lauten, John of Simi Valley, CA on
22 March 2010 (WWII, HHC/16)
Fischetti, Michael of Cogan Station,
PA on 21 October 2008 (WWII,
A/16)
Betancourt, Arthur of Lakeland, FL
on May 9, 2010 (16, WWII)
Garrett, George of Muskogee.
OK on 3 April 2010 (Cold War,
L/3/26)
Benton, Steven of Pittsfield, MA on
11 February 2010
Bianco, Jr., of Bayville, NJ on 22
February 2010
Bullard, Carroll of Blackshear, GA
on 12 April 2010 (VN, B/2/18)
Eveland, William of St. Petersburg,
FL on 8 April 2010 (WWII,
F/1/26)
Gaysek, Frank of Fort Myers, FL on
28 January 2010 (WWII, AT/18)
Haig, Jr., Alexander of McLean, VA
(VN,1/26)
Harpin, Ray of Morrison, CO on 4
August 2009 (Cold War, C/32FA)
Hess, Charles of Ridgewood, NJ on
5 May 2010 (WWII,I/16)
Fenstemaker, Robert of Levittown,
PA (VN)
CHANGES TO OUR
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
At its April meeting, the Board of Directors approved the idea of
eliminating the Annual Meeting that is held in conjunction with our
Annual Reunion. This notice is the next step in that process. A final
vote on the matter will be held at the Annual Meeting in San Antonio.
In 2007 the Society Constitution and By-laws was amended to
increase the term of office of all Society officers from one year to
three years and to change the make-up of the Board of Directors
from members elected by the general membership at the Annual
Meeting, to unit representatives selected by their unit or groups of
units. The latter change was intended to give units, the heart and
soul of the Society, a stronger voice in the governance of the Society.
At the same time it provides individuals an avenue to the Board of
Directors through their unit meetings and unit representative on the
Board.
These changes have now been in place long enough to judge that
they are working as intended, but they also call into question the
purpose of the Annual Meeting, currently required by our Constitution to be held at each Annual Reunion. There is huge redundancy
between the Board of Directors meeting at the Annual Reunion, and
the Annual Meeting at the Annual Meeting. Many of our members
also see no purpose or have no interest in the Annual Meeting.
The major impact of elimination of the Annual Meeting is on
Article V of our Constitution, VOTING. If the Annual Meeting is eliminated, instead of an election held at the Annual Meeting, voting for
Society Officers will be done by a ballot printed in the Bridgehead
Sentinel with responses by mail, fax or e-mail.
Presentations, such as those often given by the 1st Infantry
Division Commanding General, will either be done in a separately
scheduled seminar or at the reunion banquet.
Articles VII, Order of Business and IX Annual Meeting Committees of our By-laws which deal with the organization of the Annual
Meeting would be eliminated.
A complete list of changes to our Constitution and By-laws will be
given to all attendees at this year’s Annual Reunion in San Antonio.
Lieber, Albet of Avenue, MD on 29
August 2009 (VN, 2/18)
Lonzi, Albert of Getzville, NY
BRO SUPPORT FUND
Argenzio, Joseph of Locust Grove,
VA on 17 April 2010 (WWII,
HHC/3/16)
Levitz, Herbert of Blackstone, VA
on 12 March 2010 (VN, C/2/28)
Nedin, Richard of Poughkeepsie,
NY died on March 5, 2010 (3/26,
WWII)
Thompson, Ron Middletown, OH
(VN, C/1/2)
Watson, Gerald of Perry, NY (VN,
B/1/16)
Rohrbacker, Jr., John of Aurora,
IL (WWII, E/2/16)
Scanlon, George of Westwood, MA
on 4 April 2010 (WWII)
Talbot, Jacques of Glasgow, VA
on 3 September 2009 (WWII,
Zumbrunnen, James (VN,
HHC/1/28)
Associate Members
Huebner-Buck, Juliette of McLean,
VA on 24 March 2010
The Bro Support Fund
The Big Red One Support Fund is the Society’s own fund that provides
assistance to serving 1st Infantry Division soldiers and their families in nonemergency situations—our 1st Infantry Division Foundation handles the
emergencies. As the Global War on Terror has progressed, the number of
needs and assistance programs have multiplied dramatically, yet there are
often needs that fall between the cracks. These situations are the reason the
BRO Support Fund exists.
If you would like to donate to the BRO Support Fund, please use the
coupon below or the membership renewal application on page 18 to do so.
With your generosity, help and support, the Big Red One continues to take
care of its own!
CENTURY CLUB
Welcome to the new members of the Century Club! These are members
who have donated $100 or more toward the Big Red One Support Fund.
Thank you for partnering with us to support our division!
John and Kathleen Abizaid
James Anderson
Gordon Aycock
Thomas Barnes
Calvert Benedict
Wilmer Benson
Thomas Bollen
Joseph Bonaparte
William Bruce
Howard Bushman
David Confer
Walter Crowder, Jr.
Stephen Delacy
Terence Doddy
Arne Eliasson
John Fourham
Robert Fuller
William Gates
Gerald Grasso
Raymond Hahn
Robert Haley
Oscar Hall
Jonel C. Hill
Richard Hime
James Hixon
Ronald Jebavy
James Jensen
Skip Kriz
Robert Lesher
John Long
Dean McConnell
Edward Molnar
Aric Schumacher
Willie Shy, Jr.
Frank Solimine
Joseph Spiak
Rich and Kaye Tocci
Jim Tucker
Larry Van Lancker
Charles Ziegenfuss
BRO Support Fund
Yes . . . I want to help our Society help the Soldiers of the BIG RED ONE!
Here is my TAX DEDUCTIBLE contribution to the BRO Support Fund!
The following businesses in the Ft. Riley
community area are supporting your Society.
Encourage a business you know to join the Society!
$15
$30
$60
$100
$150
Other$
Name

Summer 2010
HHC/1/26)
If you would like to donate to the BRO Support Fund,
please use the coupon below or the membership renewal
application on page 18 to do so.
Business Memberships
v Briggs Auto
v Century 21 Gold Team Realtor
v First National Bank & trust Co
v Flint Hills Veterinary Hospital
aka Casey Thomas, DVM
v Hi-Tech Interiors, Inc
v Holm Automotive Center
v Junction City Transportation Co
v Picerne Military Housing
v Sheila Burdett Agency
(WWII, E/18)
Address
City
Phone(
)
State
Zip
E-Mail
Please make your check payable to: Society of the First Infantry Division.
Mark it “BRO Support Fund” and mail it to:
Society of the First Infantry Division, 1933 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422.
Your contribution is 100% deductible for income tax purposes.
17
…Continued From Page 2
R
Letter from the CG
…Continued From Page 9
Sicily
slammed into the breech and the
gunner desperately aims at the
leader’s tank, now starting to cross
the road. He sets the ambitious
monster afire, and we breathe
again, for this action is quickly
followed by two others; other
tanks, apparently not knowing
how near victory they are, take
fright and turn clumsily about,
then scuttle back up the plain to
their mountain hideout. And five of
our medium tanks, hastily brought
ashore in this hour of danger,
clank up in time to destroy several
of the fleeing tanks of the hated
Hermann Goering Panzer Division.
The beachhead, at least momentarily, is safe, thanks to an old
burned-out 105 and its battered
crew. That smoking weapon
should be in a museum and its
crew decorated with heroes’
medals.
18
U
N
Who:
When:
Where:
Contact:
1st Engineer Combat Battalion
19–22 Sept 2010
Holiday Inn Patriot
Williamsburg, VA
Bob Brink
7642 Botting Rd
Racine, WI. 53402
1-262-639-4405
[email protected]
Who:
When:
Where:
Contact:
All Veterans
17–19 Sept 2010
Kokomo, IN
TURKEY aka Robert Youngberg
17822 Chicago Ave.
Lansing, IL. 60438
(708) 474-3416 or 5327
[email protected]
(subject: BRO KOKOMO)
or call (708) 474-3416
Who:
When:
Where:
Contact:
I
1st MP Company ‘64–’66
25-29 August 2010
Crowne Plaza Riverwalk
San Antonio, TX
Who:
When:
Where:
Contact:
O
N
S
Who:
When:
Where:
Contact: D, 2/16th Infantry, ‘67–’68
29-31 July 2010
Mooresville, NC
Don Dignan
16485 Pollyanna
Livonia, MI 48154-2741
(734) 525-0157
[email protected]
1st Division Band
Sept 23-26, 2010
Embassy Suites Hotel
Bloomington, MN
Keith R. Erickson
P.O. Box 43
Crystal Bay, MN 55323-0043
952-473-7051
[email protected]
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION / RENEWAL Effective For 2010
line!
n
o
n
i
Jo
g
tID.or
s
1
.
w
ww
Society of the First Infantry Division
1933 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422-1422
DATE:______________
TITLE: _______ NAME: __________________________ _________ _______________________ _________
(Rank or
Mr/Mrs/Ms)
(First)
(Initial)
(Last)
(Suffix–
MD, RET, etc.)
l If you do not want your contact information (name, address, email, era, unit)
LAST 4 DIGITS OF SSN: ___ ___ ___ ___
listed in the Members Only online directory on our website, please check here.
(Required)
Complete this section to apply for membership or to update our records
Mailing Address (All Members)
_____________________________________________________________________
(Street or Unit/CMR)
_________________________________________________
__________________________
(Suite #, Apartment # or Box #)
__________________
(City or APO)
__ __ __ __ __ - __ __ __ __
(State or AE)
(Zip Code + 4)
Permanent/BILLING Address (Active Duty Soldiers Only)
________________________________________ _________________________ ________ _______________
(Street, Apt #)
(City)
(State)
(Zip Code + 4)
Your phone # will not be released for any reason including the website..
Phone (__ __ __) __ __ __ - __ __ __ __
EMail: _________________________________________________________
Your service with the big Red One (assigned, attached or in support–eligible; please check all that apply)
l WWII
l Vietnam
l Cold War
l Peacetime
l Gulf War
l Balkans
l Iraq
l Afghanistan
UNIT: Company:_______ Battalion:________ Regiment:________BCT_________ Years of Service: __________ to__________
Have you served in combat with another unit? l Yes
l No
Select a Membership Type (please check only one)

combat in Iraq, the U.S. has built
up a massive infrastructure to
support our forces. Now it is time
to responsibly draw down that
force. We’ve already made huge
strides. Since our arrival, we have
closed or turned over control
of 13 bases in our division area
(the size of Washington State).
Thousands of pieces of rolling
stock (trucks, trailers, generators) and shipping containers have
been turned in by USD-S in the
past 111 days. Imagine packing
up a small city and everything and
everyone within it and shipping all
somewhere else within a matter
of days – that’s what your Big Red
1 troops are doing. “No mission
too difficult” fits this idea pretty
well.
Of course, our headquarters
is not the only representative of
the BRO patch. 4th Brigade of the
1st Division is finishing its tour of
duty having served with distinction
under 25th Infantry Division and
3rd Infantry Division headquarters in northern Iraq. 1st Combat
Aviation Brigade and 1st Sustainment Brigade both deployed here
recently and are just beginning
their tours of duty under the direct
control of our higher headquarters: US Forces – Iraq. 1st Brigade
and 2d Brigade are training at Fort
Riley for fall and winter deployment to Iraq. 3d Brigade is training at Fort Knox for winter deployment to Afghanistan. Finally, the
remaining “transition teams” of
combat advisors trained by our
1st Brigade at Fort Riley continue
to serve here and in Afghanistan
and they too wear our proud patch
with honor.
We will have, as a Division and
all of our patch-bearing units,
much to do over the next 111
days. I have great confidence in
what we will accomplish and that
we will be honored to add to the
luster of this historic Division. No
mission too difficult, no sacrifice
too great. DUTY FIRST!
E
All Membership types include a subscription to the Bridgehead Sentinel and the Annual Calendar
ANNUAL Membership
Active Duty
VeteranS
l Regular ($30 per year)
l Executive ($60 per year)
Currently serving with the BRO
Associates
Family and Friends of the Big Red One
l Regular ($30 per year)
l Executive ($60 per year)
l Business ($100 per year)
Life Membership veterans
l E-8 & above, 01 & above ($30 per year)
l E-5 to E-7
($25 per year)
l E-4 & under
($20 per year)
PCS: Mo_____ Day_____ Year_____
RANK (Required): _________________
l Widow(er)s of BRO Vets (FREE)
l Under 39 ($400)
l 40 - 49 ($350)
l 50 - 59 ($300)
l 60 - 69 ($250)
l 70 - 79 ($200)
l over 80 ($100)
Life - Active Duty
l Currently serving w/ BRO ($100)
Contributions
l I would like to make a tax deductible contribution of $_____________, beyond my regular dues to be used for the:
Society’s General Fund ________ or the BRO Support Fund _________ that supports active duty soldiers and their families.
(Note: Donations of $100 or more will be recognized as CENTURY CLUB members in the Bridgehead Sentinel.)
Payment (for “Membership Type” and “Contributions”)
l Enclosed is my check payable to the SOCIETY OF THE FIRST INFANTRY DIVISION in the amount of $___________
l Please charge my (circle one): Visa / Mastercard / American Express / Discover
Card #: ___________________________________________
EXP DATE: _____/_____
(month / year)
Credit Card
orders must
be $25.00 or
more**
CVC: ___________
(code on back of card)
Signature: ___________________________________________ CVC# and signature are required.
Return this form and your check, if applicable, to the address at the top of the form. If paying by credit card, you may fax this form to 215-661-1934.
For your convenience, you may also join online on our website at www.1stID.org by clicking on the “Membership” link.
OLD SUPPLY SARGE
Or order online at www.1stID.org
Drawing by
Alban B. Butler
© Cantigny
First Division
Foundation
5-Billed Cap
(White, Khaki,
Desert Camo)
30-Shoulder Patch
38-Window Decal
36-Visor
6Blazer
Patch
9-Coffee Mug
4-Baseball Cap
(White, Black)
28-Shopping bag Reusable - Green
26-SandwichBilled Hat
(black)
31-Teddy Bear
37-Window Cling - Clear
(Blank, VN or Member)
16-Dbl. Rocks
Glasses (Set of 4)
2- Auto
Licence
Plate
Holder
8-Can Holder
19-Navy Golf
Shirt w/out pocket
34-Tee Shirt
Long Sleeve
3-Auto Tag
13-Doo-Rag
29-Shotglass
10-Coin
17-Knit Golf
Shirt w/pocket,
(White or Black)
27-Shaving
Kit (Navy)
32-Tee Shirt
w/pocket
(White or Black)
33-CIB Tee
Shirt, no
pocket
23-Mini Badge
CIB, CIB 2nd,
1-“1” Charm,
Sterling Silver
New!
21-Ladies New!
Charm
7-Bumper
Stickers
24-Pillbox, 7 Day
3½” Diameter
35Tie
Tac or
Lapel Pin
39-Wind
Shirt,
18-Knit Golf Shirt
(Navy)
no pocket (Tan only)
New!
23-Mini
Badge
CMB,
CAB
15Garden
Flag/
Pennant
22-Lapel Pin
King Size or Regular
40-Woven Throw
14-Nylon Flag
20-Jacket
(3 Season)
12-Denim Shirt, Long
Sleeve (Blue only)
Order Form
11-Denim Shirt
Short Sleeved
(Blue only)
25-Pocket
Knife
Mail to: Supply Sarge, Society of the 1st Inf Division, 1933 Morris Rd, Blue Bell, PA 19422-1422
Name
Address
City
Zip
No. Item
Cost
1 “1” Charm, Sterling Silver
$11.00
2 Auto Licence Holder
9.00
3 Auto Tag - Society 9.00
4 Baseball Cap
20.00
5 Billed Cap
20.00
6 Blazer Patch
13.00
7 Bumper Sticker
5.00
Bumper Sticker
5.00
8 Can Holder - Coolie
6.00
9 Coffee Mug
18.00
10 Coin, Commemorative
11.00
11 Denim Shirt, Short Sleeve
39.00
12 Denim Shirt, Long Sleeve
41.00
13 Doo-Rag (head cover)
13.00
14 Flag / banner (nylon) 85.00
15 Garden Flag / Pennant
26.00
16 Glasses, Dbl. Rocks (4)
30.00
17 Golf Shirt w/ Pocket
41.00
18 Golf Shirt w/out pocket
41.00
19 Golf Shirt w/out pocket
56.00
20 Jacket, 3 Season
110.00
21 Ladies Charm
10.00
22 Lapel Pin
13.00
23 Miniature Badge
10.00
Miniature Badge
10.00
24 Pill Box
6.00
25 Pocket Knife
10.00
26 Sandwich Cap
20.00
27 Shave/Toiletry Kit
20.00
28 Shopping Bags (2)
15.00
29 Shot Glass, BRO
10.00
State
Qty
Circle
Circle
Size/type
Color
Blk/Wht
Wht/Khaki
DesertCamo
Blank/WWII/VN
DS/Iraq/Afghanistan
Red only
M L XL XXL
M L XL XXL
M L XL XXL
M L XL XXL
M L XL XXL
L XL
Blue only
Blue / Khaki
Black only
Black / White
Tan only
Navy only
Black only
Kingsize / Reg
CIB/CIB 2nd
CAB/CMB
Phone
Total
E-mail
No. Item
Cost
30 Shoulder Patch
4.00
31 Teddy Bear, BRO
15.00
32 Tee Shirt w/pocket
23.00
33 Tee Shirt, CIB no pocket
25.00
34 Tee Shirt, Long Sleeve
28.00
35 Tie-tac/Lapel Pin
10.00
36 Visor
20.00
37 Window Cling (LG-Inside)
6.00
38 Window Decal
2.00
39 Wind Shirt, Navy
46.00
40 Woven Throw
62.00
Qty
Size/type
Color
M L XL XXL
M L XL XXL
M L XL XXL
Black / White
Lt. Blue only
Black only
Total
Stone only
Blank, VN,
or Member
Inside/Outside
M L XL XXL
Navy only
This order form is valid through 2010 only!
SHIRTS & JACKETS – nonstock sizes are available on special order for the following premiums:
Small and Medium +$5 each
XXL +$10
XXXL +$12 each
(Please indicate the size required at the item line) Nonstock note: 4-6 weeks for delivery.
SUB-TOTAL
*All prices
include shipping
and handling.
Shirt/Jacket Special Order Premium
PA Residents ADD 6% for state sales tax +(x .06)
Overseas Orders ADD 10% +(x .10)
TOTAL
Make Checks payable to: Society of the First Infantry Division
Payment method (circle one): Cash, Check, Visa, MC, Amex, Discover
Large/Reusable
Black only
Navy only
Green
**Credit Card orders must be $25.00 or more**
Card Number
   
Expiration Date: Month________ Year________ (e.g. 08 10)
Security Code ____ ____ ____
(Back of card)
Signature__________________________________________________
19
1s151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, IL 60189-3353  Phone: 630.260.8185  Fax: 630.260.9298  E-mail: [email protected]  www.FirstDivisionMuseum.org
Part of the McCormick Foundation
F I R ST D I V I S I O N M U S E U M AT c A N t I G N Y
McCormick Research Center
Former Big Red One Commanders Attend the
4th Annual Danger 6/7 Conference at the Museum
Above: Visitors to the
Museum get a soldier’s
view of deployments to
Iraq and Afghanistan
at the opening of the
“Snapshots from the 1st
Division” photo exhibit.
Right: The opening of the
photo exhibit coincided
with a Date With History
event, about 2nd Brigade’s
deployment to Iraq.
L–R: LTC Richardson,
Exhibits Manager, Teri
Bianchi, and Spc. Griffiths
at the Exhibit opening.
“Snapshots from the 1st Division”
Photo Exhibit Opens, Winners Announced
Front L­–R: David Hiller, Clarence Sprouse, Phillip Kaplan, Thomas Rhame, Neal Creighton,
Gordon Duquemin, Calvert Benedict. Back L–R: Lou Marsico, Ronald Watts, Fred Davenport, BG
David Petersen, CSM Darrell Wallace, Leaonard Wishart, Keith Gill.
The fourth annual
Danger 6/7 Conference
was held at the First Division Museum June 6-8,
it included discussion of
the 1st Infantry Division
from 1970-2010 and a
video teleconference with
the current Danger 6,
Major General Vincent
Brooks, and his Danger
7, Command Sergeant
Major Jim Champagne,
from Basra, Iraq about
the current state of the
Big Red One. This year
participants included
MG Gordon Duquemin (Danger
6 1973-74), MG Calvert Benedict
(Danger 6 1976-78), MG Phillip
Kaplan (Danger 6 1978-80), MG
Neal Creighton (Danger 6 198384), LTG Ronald Watts (Danger 6
1984-86), LTG Leonard Wishart
(Danger 6 1986-88), LTG Thomas
Rhame (Danger 6 1989-91), CSM
Clarence Sprouse (Danger 7 in
Vietnam) and CSM Fred Davenport (Danger 7 in Desert Storm).
Also in attendance were Brigadier
General David C. Petersen, Deputy
Commanding General-Rear, 1st
Infantry Division, Ft. Riley, Kansas
and Command Sergeant Major
Darrell Wallace, CSM-Rear, 1st
Infantry Division, Ft. Riley, Kansas.
Attendees also met with the CEO of
the McCormick Foundation, David
Hiller, Senior Vice President of
Operations, Lou Marsico, as well
as several board members of the
Robert McCormick Foundation.
Along with discussions on the
history and state of the Division,
the Danger 6 and 7’s also received
a tour of the museum and its
facilities and took part in a public
ceremony honoring the 93rd birthday of the Big Red One.
The First Division Museum at
Cantigny is pleased to announce
the winners of its 1st Division
Photography Contest. The top prize
goes to Specialist Michael Griffiths
of the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Division. His
photo of a night fire exercise
at Goshta, Afghanistan, will be
included in the museum’s summer
exhibit, “Snapshots from the 1st
Division,” which opened June 2
and runs through Labor Day.
“Our goal was to show the
public, from a soldier’s viewpoint,
the full range of roles that 1st Division soldiers are playing in Iraq
and Afghanistan,” according to
Teri Bianchi, exhibits manager for
the museum.
The Second Place winner is
Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Boland,
Assistant Chief of Staff, G1, Task
Force Danger U.S. Division-South,
Basrah, Iraq. Boland is from San
Antonio, Texas.
Third Place belongs to Captain
Christian Durham, Commander,
B Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th
Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry
Brigade Combat Team, 1st Division.
Durham’s hometown is Hephzibah,
Georgia.
Griffiths, from McKeesport,
Pennsylvania, will receive prizes
valued at $1,000 for his first-place
image. Boland and Durham will
be awarded prizes worth $750
and $500, respectively, and their
photos will also be included
among the 83 to be displayed.
All three soldiers will be invited
to the First Division Museum this
summer for a first-hand look at
the exhibit.
The Museum’s UH-1 “Huey” Helicopter Will Present the Markings and Story of 3rd Platoon, A Company, 1st Aviation Battalion, “Rebels”
The UH-1C/M helicopter on
loan from the US Army is being
prepared for painting, which is
the last major part of its restoration that is taking place in Copley,
Ohio. This Huey will be unveiled in
August as part of the First Division Museum’s 50th Anniversary
on August 21st. The staff is very
excited to have the opportunity
to honor the service of America’s
Vietnam veterans through this
iconic artifact. The exhibit will
also include an audio clip that will
allow visitors to hear to the “whop
whop whop” sound of the blades!
The helicopter will be re-interpreted and marked as a gunship
of the 3rd platoon of A Company of
the 1st Aviation Battalion “Rebels,”
which was a gunship platoon that
served in the 1st Division from
1965-1970. The “Rebels” had a
unique camouflage pattern that
will be replicaged. The Museum
has had great input from “Rebel”
veterans.
The gunship allows us to talk
about a wider helicopter story of
air mobile operations, which were
a critical component of the 1st
Division’s experience and central
to the war in Vietnam. Dust-offs,
troop movement, and LRRP insertions will also be covered.
If you have stories, photos or
artifacts that relate to your 1st Aviation experience in Vietnam, please
contact Terri Navratil, Curator of
Collections at tnavratil@firstdivi-
sionmuseum.org, 630-260-8220.
We are specifically searching for
donations of both crew and pilot
body armor that were used during
that period as well as photos of the
Huey “in action” from any unit in
the Big Red One.
The helicopter will be stored
at the Illinois Aviation Museum
(IAM) in Bolingbrook, Illinois,
prior to the anniversary event at
Cantigny, and it will return there
around August 23rd. The museum
is looking forward to working
with IAM and its visitors in sharing
the 1st Division’s experience in
Vietnam.
A Company “Bulldogs” of the 1st Aviation Battalion, 1st Infantry
Division in Vietnam, 1967. Third Platoon was known as the “Rebels”
and painted a rebel flag on the sides of their Gunship Model, UH-1
helicopters.
From L–R: Sp4 Danny Breckenridge, WO Galen Lichty, WO James
Lungwitz, Crew Chief Bell, CPT Henry Fitzgerald.