35th Division Association
"For All 35th Division - Past, Present and Future |
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For Immediate Release Sept. 15, 2009 No. 09-01 35TH DIVISION ASSOCIATION REUNION IN TOPEKA More than 250 members and family members of the 35th Infantry Division Association are expected in Topeka for their 92nd Reunion at the Ramada Inn on Sept. 24-26. “Many participants in our conference will be coming from Kansas, the surrounding states, and across our nation,” said retired Maj. Gen. Jack Strukel, 92nd Conference chairman and president of the association. “Coming even farther are the six participants we expect from two of the 35th Division Friendship Groups in France.” “Some come to visit old friends and make new ones. Others come to remember, honor and pay tribute for the sacrifices of members, family and friends,” Strukel continued. “They will be renewing ties with the ones they knew in combat, listen to the experiences of the men in war and families on the home front and hear how combat has changed from those who are participating in the War on Terrorism.” “Each year, there are fewer and fewer of the World War II members of the Division that are able to attend. This conference includes the first-ever induction of members into the 35th Division Hall of Fame and the start of construction of the 35th Division addition to the Museum of the Kansas National Guard. Both of these are especially important to many of our attendees,” said retired Brig. Gen. Ed Gerhardt, 35th Division Association vice-president and president of the Museum of the Kansas National Guard, located at Forbes Field. “There will be a groundbreaking ceremony specifically for those veterans who have waited so long for a 35th Division Museum.” The association currently has more than 1,350 members, a small percentage of the greater than 500,000 soldiers that have been members of the 35th Infantry Division since its formation in 1917. Many well-known people have been members of the 35th during its history. One certainly well known division member was World War I’s Capt. Harry S Truman, who later became President of the United States. Truman, three Medal of Honor recipients--Capt. Alexander R. Skinker (World War I), Staff Sgt. Junior James Spurrier (World War II) and Private Nels T. Wold (World War I)—along with Maj. Gen. Paul W. Baade, Col. Bernard Albert Byrne, Col. Paul A. Fall, Staff Sgt. Carl J. Frantz, Jr., Maj. William Graham Gillis, Jr., Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Kennedy, Maj. Gen. Butler B. Miltonburger, Sgt. Richard J. O’Brien and the “Unnamed Soldier,” representing all those who gave their lives or will never be selected by name, will be honored by being inducted into the newly formed 35th Division Hall of Fame with the first induction ceremony held during this Association Reunion. Other highlights of the reunion include the President’s Reception on Sept. 24 where six International Visitors of 35th Division Friendship Groups from France will be recognized and several special awards, including the French Legion of Honor and St. Maurice Medallions, will be presented to several honorees. Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten will present a proclamation at this reception that honors the 35th Division and the Division Association. There will also be a Memorial Ceremony to honor 35th Division soldiers that have passed on. The ceremony will be at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, with support provided by the 35th Division Band at the Downtown Ramada Inn. The Banquet and Ball for Saturday, Sept. 26, will be a combined event with attendees from the 35th Division Association and from active members of the current 35th Division. Four members of the Division will be honored with outstanding soldier awards to be presented. Speaker for the Banquet and Ball will be retired Col. James A. Huston, who served as an intelligence officer and training officer in the 3rd Battalion of the 134th Infantry Regiment of the 35th Division in World War II. He is a noted author and consultant on military topics. Kansas City area re-enactors representing Company G, 137th Infantry Regiment, a previously subordinate unit of the 35th Infantry Division, will provide the Color Guard for the Memorial Service and for the Banquet and Ball. Historical Background of the 35th Infantry Division The 35th Infantry Division was initially activated in 1917 at Fort Sill, Okla. The Division was committed to combat in Europe during World War I, participating in the Meuse-Argonne, Alsace and Lorraine Campaigns. It was during World War I that future President Captain Harry S Truman served as an artillery officer in the 35th Division. The Division suffered a total of 1,018 killed in action and 6,278 wounded in action during its World War I service. The 35th was released from active duty status following World War I and later became an infantry division in the Kansas Army National Guard. In 1940, the 35th Division was again activated at Camp Robinson, Ark., for its World War II service and landed at Omaha Beach with its first major combat at St. Lo in the Normandy area. The 35th Division participated in five campaigns during World War II (Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe) serving with distinction as part General George Patton’s 3rd U.S. Army. The Division, comprised mainly during combat of the 134th Infantry Regiment, 137th Infantry Regiment, and 320th Infantry Regiment, again paid a heavy price in personnel with a total of 2,947 killed in action and 12,935 wounded. Following World War II, the Division was again deactivated only to be reactivated again in 1946 as a National Guard Division. Upon another deactivation, the 69th Infantry Brigade was formed in Kansas to carry on the division’s strong combat arms tradition of excellence. In August 1984, the 35th Division was again reactivated as a division in the Kansas Army National Guard as part of the Total United States Army and still exists today. The 35th Infantry Division continues to be an active unit of the Army National Guard with its headquarters at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. The division, which is nicknamed the “Santa Fe Division,” has since its first activation been a Midwestern division with a strong Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri relationship. Subordinate units of the 35th Division, including elements of the division headquarters, have continued to serve in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan as well as numerous peacekeeping missions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.-30- |
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