New Orleans, Louisiana August 12–16
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
First Division Museum at Cantigny Park 1s151 Winfield Rd. Non-Profit U.S. Postage Wheaton, IL 60189 P A I D Permit No. 6080 Carol Stream, IL 60188 NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT. NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT. DUTY FIRST! DUTY GREAT. TOO SACRIFICE NO DIFFICULT. TOO MISSION NO August 12–16 August New Orleans, Louisiana Orleans, New Annual BRO Reunion BRO Annual 101 st A PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY OF THE FIRST INFANTRY DIVISION INFANTRY FIRST THE OF SOCIETY THE OF PUBLICATION A Spring 2020 Spring Spring 2020, #1; ISSN 1092-4892 Copyright © 2020 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 PO Box 2307 Fort Riley, KS 66442 SOCIETY OF THE FIRST INFANTRY DIVISION Society HQ Mailing Address: Administrative Staff: Society of the Quartermaster First Infantry Division [email protected] PO Box 2307 Phone: Fort Riley, KS 66442 785.579.6761 (KS) http://www.1stID.org 785.579.6762 (Fax) President: 855.236.7076 (Toll Free) Ron Watts Executive Director: Phyllis Fitzgerald [email protected] 785-307-1472 BRIDGEHEAD SENTINEL PRODUCTION Bridgehead Mailing Address: Staff: Dave Blake Bridgehead Sentinel c/o First Division Museum at Cantigny 1s151 Winfield Road E-Mail: Wheaton, IL 60189-3353 [email protected] Phone: 630.260.8234 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 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. All stories, photos and other items sent to the Bridgehead Sentinel will be automat- ically considered for donation to the First Division Museum in Wheaton, Illinois, unless otherwise requested. In This Issue Letter from the President .................... 4 Letters Home Tribute ..................... 9 Letter from Executive Director ............ 5 Looking For ......................................... 20 BRO Reunion Info ............................... 11-18 Membership Form ............................... 14 Foundation Contributions ................... 19 FEATURES In Memoriam ...................................... 23 Quartermaster ..................................... 24-25 BRO Books .......................................... 20 SOCIETY NEWS Letter from the CG ...................................6 Keeping Up with the 1ID .........................7 ACTIVE DUTYACTIVE 2020 Updates ......................................... 26-27 A U.S. First Division Artilleryman in the doorway of his bombproof shelter utilizes a few peaceful moments in writing to the folks at MUSEUM home. March 7,1918. Spring 2020 3 Society News Letter from the President By LTG (Ret.) Ron Watts Greetings to all Society members employee. We will be unable to your friends, and enjoy a great bill is approved in the Senate, and and your families! do some previous tasks. However, Reunion. (Details in this BHS.) then by the National Park Service. we have prioritized to take care of We continue our efforts to We still estimate the need for ~ We are beginning the Society’s members, manage the Reunion, add the 631 names, and their $400,000 to make the necessary second century of service to our and support our Division. We units of BRO soldiers lost in post modifications. As of 31 December members and the 1st Infantry welcome your ideas. 9-11 operations (Afghanistan: 2019, we had $245,000 on hand. Division. As always, there are I encourage you to support 192; Iraq: 439). The US House Your continued support of dona- challenges ahead. We face a our initiative to increase the of Representatives passed a tions is appreciated. declining membership as our number of Society Chapters. See resolution, named, “First Act” The Society gave, on your Vietnam and Cold War era veter- details in an article in this BHS. authorizing revisions to the behalf, twenty $50 gift certificates ans age, and we have yet to attract Our New Orleans Reunion Monument base and addition valid at the Fort Riley Commissary in any numbers the BRO veterans Theme is “Division Return from of the names. Our “First Act” to soldiers that needed assis- who have served our Division and Vietnam – 50 Years Revisited!” It is included in a National Park tance during the Christmas 2019 Nation since 9-11. Our Execu- has been 50 years since the BRO Bill. There is no opposition to season. tive Director, Phyllis Fitzgerald shielded its colors in Vietnam, the resolution. Senator Moran is I look forward to working with has great ideas to address these and returned to Fort Riley. Our sponsoring and working to get the you as we continue to support challenges. speakers will offer insights on resolution passed in the Senate. Society objectives. Also, looking The Society staff reorganiza- events that occurred as the Divi- We are not optimistic that this forward to visiting with you at our tion is complete. We now operate sion returned to Fort Riley. A visit Bill will pass the Senate before New Orleans Reunion this August! with an Executive Director, Secre- to the WW II Museum, alone is fall elections. We cannot do any tary – Treasurer, and a part-time worth the trip. Please come, bring work on the monument until the Commissary Gift Cards During the 2019 Holiday Season Executive Director Phyllis Fitz- members to the Big Red One gerald presented Chaplain (LTC) (BRO) support fund. We thank David Meyer (Chief, Religious each of you for your continued Support Operations, Fort Riley, support of the Society and for our Kansas Religious Support Office) active-duty soldiers, their families with 20 commissary gift cards for and Veterans. 1ID soldiers and their families to help them purchase a holiday meal. This presentation of gift cards was made possible thanks to the generous donations of our 4 Bridgehead Sentinel Letter from the Executive Director By Phyllis Fitzgerald Greetings and Happy 2020! www.1stid.org neighbors, Veteran’s, Soldiers or edition, the Bridgehead Sentinel Time sure flies when you are With the forming of local businesses. We welcome every- magazine will be sent electron- working hard or having fun. I am chapters, we hope to build one. Please support our sponsors; ically. This change is more cost excited to be your new Executive membership. The Society has you can find a list on our website effective and timely. If you do not Director. As a Retired Soldier always been a place where our and in the Bridgehead Sentinel.) have email and prefer a hard copy and a Big Red One Desert Storm members can connect with one You will also note when let us know and a copy will be Combat Veteran I am extremely another and stay in contact with viewing our website, we have mailed to you. proud to have served in the most the 1st Infantry Division. We all been updating it with informing This year the annual reunion storied Army Division, the 1st have a responsibility to ensure information for our members and will be in New Orleans. We have Infantry Division. that the generations that follow us the public. events planned for the WWII We have been working hard continue the legacy of this great Another project we have Museum, city tours and steam- at Society Headquarters on Fort division and being a member is been working on is updating our boat tours, plus you will have Riley, Kansas for our members. I one way. membership database and we can the opportunity to venture out would like to share some of the We have also been engaging use your assistance. If you move, on your own. (See details in this projects we have been working the local community businesses change phone numbers or email BHS). Reunions are a great time on. and sharing the story of the address, please notify us so that to visit with old friends, make The first project I would Society and the Big Red One and we can update your profile. This some new friends and share Big like to discuss is the building its importance to our Soldiers, helps to ensure that you receive Red One stories with each other. I of memberships. We have over Veterans and their families. We correspondence from us. look forward to seeing you in the 10,000 members with over encourage them to consider Beginning with Spring 2020 Big Easy. 75% being lifetime members. joining the Society as To increase our membership, a business partner or we have started setting up local corporate sponsor. chapters. Emails have been sent Since the Society is a out to individuals in multiple 501(c)3 non-profit states to see if there is interest in organization we need the areas where members reside. members, business We have heard back from many partners and corporate members in quite a few states that sponsors. The need are interested in a local chapter. for new membership The biggest issue though is getting and partners is vital someone in the area to take the to carrying on the lead. We have been successful in legacy and honoring setting up three local chapters in our fallen of the 1st Ohio, Indiana and in Junction City. Infantry Division. All the details about these chap- New members can ters can be found on our website be friends, family, Spring 2020 5 Active Duty U.S. Army Photo Army U.S. Letter From the CG Major General John S.