Museum Takes Shape
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Fall 2007 OFFICIAL PUBLICATI O N O F T H E N ATI O N A L I N F A N T R Y A SS O CIATI O N NEW NATIONAL InFANTRY MUSEUM TAKES SHAPE HAPPY 100TH AnnIVERSARY USA INFANTRY SCHOOL INFANTRY WARFIGHTING CONFERENCE ISSUE NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Lebanon Junction, KY PERMIT NO. 240 www.infantryassn.com NATIONAL INFANTRY ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President CO N TE N TS MG (Ret) Jerry A. White Secretary/Treasurer LTC (Ret) Mac Plummer ★ Feature ★ Vice Presidents MG (Ret) William B. Steele New National Infantry Museum Ramping Up: Visible Progress ........... 8 COL (Ret) Jose Feliciano COL (Ret) Ray Kauffman CSM (Ret) David Libersat ★ Articles ★ CSM (Ret) Eddie Roberts CSM (Ret) Willie Wells Infantry Force Modernization ............................................................ 12 Directors Infantry School Celebrates 100 Years ............................................... 20 COL (Ret) Timothy D. Ringgold Infantry Deploys Compact Voice-to-Voice Device .............................. 24 COL (Ret) Robert B. Simpson CSM (Ret) Michael A. Kelso CSM (Ret) George R. Monk Mr. Jim Irvin ★ Departments ★ Mr. Paul Voorhees Mr. Ben Williams Messages from the President, Executive Director Ex-Officio and the Chief of the Infantry ............................................................. 6 MG Walter Wojdakowski PEO Soldier CSM William Ulibarri Staff Judge Advocate Land Warrior Draws Praise from Soldiers in the Field ..................... 18 COL (Ret) Bob Poydasheff News and Awards ............................................................................. 28 Chapter Updates ................................................................................ 29 NIA STAFF Executive Director COL (Ret) Richard Nurnberg Programs and Awards Director Kelly Tolman Editor Doraine Bennett Non-Discrimination Statement Everything advertised in this publication must be made available for purchase, use, or patronage, without Infantry Book regard to the race, creed, color, sex, age, or national origin of the purchaser, user or patron. Cover: Aerial photo of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center under construction (center right), World War II Street (upper left) and parade ground (center left). Photo courtesy of Camera One, Written by an outstanding team including Columbus, Ga. historians and distinguished retired Army Copyright Notice: All materials submitted to the Infantry officers, “U.S. Army Infantry” has more Bugler become the property of the Infantry Bugler. The author/photographer assigns all rights, including than 350 pages of riveting and informative subsidiary rights, for the material. This includes rights to make or authorize reprints, to reprint the material text and stories of the Infantry experience. in other National Infantry Association publications, and to grant the materials to others without charge for Essays on the Infantry’s history and today’s republication, all with appropriate credit to the submitter. Soldiers focus not only on the weapons, The Infantry Bugler, in return, grants the submitter the right of republication after original publication in the Infantry but especially on the people—the Infantry Bugler, subject only to his giving proper credit to the Infantry Bugler. Soldier—that make it all work. The The Infantry Bugler is a quarterly publication produced thoughtful incorporation of full-color and by the National Infantry Association. Managing Editor: COL (Ret) Richard A. Nurnberg; vintage photography, portraits, recruiting Editor: Doraine Bennett. posters and historically inspired paintings Publisher is SouthComm Publishing Co., Inc., complements the text while adding the 2600 Abbey Court, Alpharetta, GA 30004; [email protected], excitement that only spectacular telephone (678) 624-1075 or (800) 364-2034. illustrations can bring to a book. Available For further information regarding the contents of this publication, please contact Stephanie Seffernick at the at a reduced pre-general publication price National Infantry Association, Infantry Bugler, PO Box 2823, Columbus, GA 31902; email info@infantryassn. at www.infantryassn.com. com; telephone (706) 323-2560 or (888) 224-7419. For advertising information, contact Sarah Weikert, [email protected], or by phone at (678) 297-3978. From the From the President Executive Director MESSAGES The National Infantry Every year, we time the Museum and Soldier Center, publication of this issue to under construction on a coincide with the 200-acre site adjoining Ft. scheduling of the Infantry Benning and Columbus, Warfighting Conference at Ga., is the lead article in Fort Benning, and this this edition of the Infantry year is no exception. The Bugler magazine. When conference is always an completed in 2008, this exciting event, at which facility will stand in tribute we see many old to the Infantry Soldiers and acquaintances and many MG (Ret) Jerry A. White their families who have COL (Ret) Richard Nurnberg of our members, especially sacrificed so much for the during the NIA Golf freedoms all of us have Scramble and at our enjoyed over the past 232 years. conference exhibit in Infantry Hall. If any of you get the Our efforts to honor Infantry Soldiers for their chance, please stop by and say hello to me, Kelly or Doraine, commitment and sacrifice are long overdue. These great all of whom will be there. American Soldiers have proven in every conflict since the This year is especially exciting for several reasons. The Revolutionary War that freedom is not free. Infantry Soldiers new National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Patriot have sustained more than 80 percent of all casualties suffered Park is well on its way to becoming reality. We encourage you by this nation in every war. This statistic is staggering and to drive by and see how the building is going up. Secondly, it fully justifies the effort and expense of this world-class facility. is the 100th anniversary of the Infantry School, and there will The National Infantry Foundation has been truly honored be appropriate recognition of that during the conference. But to carry the torch for this very special effort. To accomplish perhaps most exciting for the NIA will be the publication of this $86 million project we have assembled an extraordinary “The U.S. Army Infantry” by Rizzoli International, formerly team of architectural designers, project managers and Hugh Lauter Levin Associates who published the books titled contractors. Every member of the team is personally “The U.S. Army,” “The Marines,” “Naval Aviation” and “Special committed to the value of his or her work in honor of Soldiers. Operations Forces” among others. Ricky Eskridge, foreman on the World War II site remodeling, The NIA is sponsoring this book, and it has been in the says it best: “Every time I drive a nail in one of these World works for more than four years. If all goes as planned, it will War II buildings, I think of a young Soldier who gave his life be available by the time of the conference and will be an for the freedom I enjoy today!” excellent way to pay tribute to the Infantrymen and their This Museum and Soldier Center will be home to all supporters of the past 233 years. A lot of hard work by many Infantrymen past, present and future; and in a few years, to our authors and editors has gone into this project. I believe you all Armor brethren. I would encourage all of you to make plans to will be proud, and hopefully you will want to own a copy and visit Columbus and Fort Benning in late 2008 and beyond. I give others as gifts. know you will be very impressed with this world-class tribute The publisher has given the NIA the opportunity to offer to the American Soldier and that you will enjoy all of the the book at a greatly reduced pre-general publication price activities that will be available in this state-of-the-art facility. (the full retail is projected to be $75.00). Please check out our website, through which you will be able to buy the book during the pre-publication phase for $55.00 plus shipping HOOAH! and handling. I am proud to have been a small part of the project, and I think you will be proud too. For those of you who are our chapter leaders, please keep up your fine membership efforts. Those of you who have good ideas or stories for the Infantry Bugler, send them in. To the rest of you, thanks very much for all you do for our Association and our country. www.infantryassn.com MESSAGES From the Chief of the Infantry A Century of Benning on 19 October 1918, less than a month before the Training end of World War I. By now, after-action reports flooded the War Department from Europe, and after close scrutiny, our Applying the training further evolved. Lessons Learned Camp Benning escaped the closure of military posts during the post-war demobilization when COL Paul B. Malone — himself a decorated WWI brigade commander In April 1907, 100 years ago, and staff officer — presented the case for preserving the the Army established the camp before Congress. He stressed the urgent need for a School of Musketry at the single Infantry school where the Army’s Soldiers and leaders MG Walter Wojdakowski Presidio of Monterey, Calif. could learn their profession, and on 20 February 1920, This was the beginning of the Congress voted to resume the construction and growth at Infantry School. In this Commandant’s note, I want to discuss Camp Benning. how the Infantry applied lessons learned in combat to improve As war clouds again spread over Europe in World War II, the training of our Soldiers even as the Infantry School itself Fort Benning trained more than 600,000 Soldiers and evolved over the course of a century. commissioned 52,000 lieutenants by the end of 1945. The Friedrich von Steuben began the U.S. Infantry’s first Infantry Board received and applied the lessons learned systematic training when he drilled George Washington’s during World War II for the next generation of Soldiers. Continental Army at Valley Forge in 1778.