3rd Infantry Division Archive
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| Contents - Society of the 3ID Website |
Rich and
Katy Lyons
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| Memorial Day, originally called
Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in
service to our nation. On this National Day of Remembrance, services
are held around the globe honoring those patriots who have fought
and died in preserving our nation’s freedoms and helping our Allies
deter tyranny. One of our most sacred and hallowed grounds for these
patriots is Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC. It is the
final resting place for over 330,000 of America’s finest men and
women. It is also the home of the Tomb of the Unknowns, where the 3d
United States Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) provides a constant
24/7 vigil, guarding the tomb with a sentry of the highest caliber.
It is considered a true honor to be able to pay your respects on
Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. On 30 May 2011, President Barack Obama took part in the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and then provided a speech to the gathered crowd of 1,000 visitors. He stated that, “across our nation we'll pause to honor all those who've given their last full measure of devotion in defense of our country. Theirs was the ultimate sacrifice, but it is one that every man and woman who wears America's uniform is prepared to make so that we can live free. The men and women of our Armed Forces are the best our nation has to offer, and they deserve nothing but the absolute best in return.” A few hours after President Obama’s speech, Richard and Katy Lyons of Lake Tahoe, Nevada were honored to be the guests of the legendary Society of the 3d Infantry Division (Rock of the Marne) at Arlington, as they participated in two distinct military ceremonies paying respect to our war fallen of past and present. Rich and Katy first served as the lone wreath bearers in a ceremony honoring the 3d Infantry Division located at their memorial inside Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony included a brief review of the divisions numerous campaign accomplishments. Captain Dave Adams read an excerpt from the book, “To Hell and Back”, recounting acts of heroism during WWII by Dog-Faced Soldiers of the 3d Infantry Division. Adams is a Vietnam Veteran who served in the 7th Cavalry Regiment and currently serves as the President of the Society of the 3d Infantry Division. During the ceremony Amazing Grace was played by famed Piper, Eric Rice-Johnston. A moment of silence was observed honoring the service and ultimate sacrifice made by Marne Soldiers. It was a truly moving tribute too many of those that have gone before us and those that serve today – it is a moment that reminds us that Freedom is NOT Free! Following the 3d Infantry Division ceremony, Rich along with his daughter Donna, grand-daughter Brittany Domnick, Captain Adams, Colonel McClelland, James Robbins of the Washington Times and Colonel Henry Bodson, a WWII veteran (92 years young) who fought alongside Lieutenant Audie Murphy (the most decorated American veteran of World War II), humbly participated in the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. “Memorial Day is a national day to remember. We remember and honor not only our war dead but also all who were in the military service. Katy and I were honored to take part in the ceremony and place the wreath in honor of the 3rd Infantry Division, the "Rock of the Marne". It was also an honor to participate with the Old Guard-- they are the custodians of Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknowns. Their military history is legendary! It truly is a day that we will always also remember.” Lyons said. Rich and Katy Lyons have family lineage throughout the military. Rich proudly served with the 354th Engineer Construction Battalion during the Korean War and Katy’s brother was a Marine. Katy’s grandfather, Harry Heffner, trained horses for Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders during the Spanish American War, and her father -- even though a civilian was a civil engineer --rebuilt airstrips during WWII on Wake Island. We have no greater duty to honor all those who sacrificed so that we can enjoy the blessings of freedom. http://www.examiner.com/military-community-in-national/a-day-of-remembrance-arlington-national-cemetery?CID=examiner_alerts_article |
| James Arness, Actor and WWII 3ID Vet, Dies |
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| A tribute to Frank L. Kane, Combat Medic, 3rd Infantry Division veteran of WW2 He made 5 amphibious landings from Sicily to Anzio Beachhead in 1944. He was treasurer of the John Cole OP# 2 for nine years. Frank celebrated his 89th birthday this month. He is legally blind but does have some sight in his right eye. Otherwise He is the same very pleasant , happy gentleman |
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 The adventure of the Memorial Days by Children of France continues… In fact, next May 23rd, 2011, at 01.30 P.M., nearly 100 school boys and girls of 4th and 5th grades living in these small villages of : - Destord, - Gugnécourt, - Frémifontaine, - Girecourt sur Durbion, - Pierrepont sur l’Arentèle, - Méménil, - Nonzeville, (District of Brouvelieures and District of Arentèle, Durbion, Padozel, Vosges Mountains) - Saulx de Vesoul (District of Saulx de Vesoul, East of France) will visit the Epinal American Cemetery… 100 graves will be honored, especially those of : - the 3rd, 36th, 45th, 63rd, 70th, 100th, 103rd Infantry Divisions, of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team… They were in the 7th US Army in 1944, - the 4 recipients of the Medal Of Honor : Gus Kefurt and Victor Kandle (3rd Inf. Div.), Ellis Weicht (36th Inf. Div.), John Kelly (79th Inf. Div.), - the US Air Force, especially those of the 441st and 555th Bomber Squadrons, of the 315th, 405th and 513th Fighter Squadrons, - Captain Alexander M. Patch (79th Inf. Div., son of General Patch who commanded the 7th US Army in 1944), - General Edmund W. Searby (80th Inf. Div.), - two brothers, Lt John Duffy (70th Inf. Div.) and Pvt Edward Duffy (45th Inf. Div.), - the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, - the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 90th Infantry Divisions, for the evocation of D Day in Normandy, - and of course those of the 4 women laying in this Cemetery… They also served… These children will lay roses on these graves and at the bottom of the wall of the Missing in Action. They’ll take part in the Ceremony of Lowering of the Glory Flag at 4.30 P.M. During this ceremony, several letters from Presidents of Associations of WWII American Veterans, American Veterans and members of families of several soldiers laying in Epinal American Cemetery will be read to the children… The trip by bus of the children and the roses are offered by : - the Township Community of the District of Brouvelieures - the Township Community of the District of l'Arentèle, Durbion, Padozel, - the General Council of Vosges (Vosges Mountains), - “Le Souvenir Francais” (French Remembrance Society) of the District of Saulx de Vesoul and of the District of Lure (East of France). Flowers will be offered too by citizens of Vesoul, Saulx de Vesoul… Several French Flag Holders, representatives of several French Patriotic Associations and historians will take part in this Ceremony with the French Children… Next May 23th will be a special day for the children of Vosges Mountains and East of France… They’ll discover some soldiers who delivered our Country, our Cities, their towns and villages in 1944… We’ll show to them the pictures of these Liberators, explain to them who were these soldiers, and what they did for our freedom… And that we have to remember that they died for us, for our Country… We’ll have a thought to all of these brave soldiers, but also to their families, to their comrades in arms… We don’t want to forget ! God bless America and France… Eric Vandroux, in charge of the organization of the Memorial Day by Children of France Jean-Marie Siret, in charge of the organisation for the District of Brouvelieures, Vosges Mountains
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LTG Rick
Lynch to Retire in November |
| Former Commanding General Rick Lynch of the 3rd Infantry Division will be retiring in November of 2011. We in the Society wish him well. |
| Outpost 60 June 11th Meeting |
| Outpost 60 held its regular meeting
Saturday June 11th in Columbus, Ga. We met at Mrs Cindy's Restaurant
and everyone enjoyed a very good hot country style cooking. The
meeting was called to order by Bob Bailey with the pledge to the
American flag in unison. Opening prayer was given by Mary Anne
Bailey. Bailey welcomed all members and guests to the meeting. He
asked for all guests to stand and let everyone know who they were.
This was followed by the OP finance report and all correspondence. Bob Poydasheff, the Society National JA gave a brief report on the monument movement. He also report to the members present of the article in the Watch on the Rhine concerning the movement of the monument. It was mentioned that if every active duty soldier and all retirees could give anywhere from $1.00 up to $5.00 each, we would have the funds to move the monument. It is possible that we could get enough funds to add another wing to honor the soldiers of the Iraq and Afghan tours. A new member Cpl Tavarse Anderson joined the Outpost Saturday also. Bob Poydasheff, Bob Bailey and Capt Harry Irving have been working hard trying to get this project completed. The door prize was a book written by a member of the Society, Frank T. De Angelo. The book called (Greetings from the President) was won by CSM Angel Ortiz of the 1/15th CAV. No further business, the meeting was adjourned to enjoy a very good and hot country style meal. There was a lot of good socializing and we got to meet a lot of new people. Bob Bailey, Secy/Treasurer |
O.F.
"Buzz" Garrett Receives the Legion of Honor O. F. "Buzz" Garrett
(Outpost 22 Member) received the LEGION OF HONOR at a Ceremony
on May 8th in Beverly Hills, CA at the French Consulates Residence
for service in World War II. Buzz served with "I" Co. 30th Infantry
Regiment , 3rd Division from the landing at Anzio to Salzburg .
BILL
MAULDIN STAMP The United States
Postal Service deserves a standing ovation for something that's
going to happen in March: Bill Mauldin is getting his own
postage stamp. The stamp should be going on sale on March 31st. It's an honor that most generals and admirals
never receive. Mauldin, and his work, meant so much to the
millions of Americans who fought in World War II, and to those
who had waited for them to come home. He was a kid cartoonist
for Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper; Mauldin's
drawings of his muddy, exhausted, whisker-stubbled infantrymen
Willie and Joe were the voice of truth about what it was like on
the front lines. Mauldin was an enlisted man just like the
soldiers he drew for; his gripes were their gripes, his laughs
were their laughs, his heartaches were their heartaches. He was
one of them. They loved him. He never held back. Sometimes, when
his cartoons cut too close for comfort, his superior officers
tried to tone him down. In one memorable incident, he enraged
Gen. George S. Patton, and Patton informed Mauldin he wanted the
pointed cartoons -- celebrating the fighting men, lampooning the
high-ranking officers -- to stop. Now! Mauldin's drawings of his
exhausted infantrymen Willie and Joe were the voice of truth...
The news passed from soldier to soldier. How was Sgt. Bill
Mauldin going to stand up to Gen. Patton? It seemed impossible.
Not quite. Mauldin, it turned out, had an ardent fan: Five-star
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied
forces in Europe. Ike put out the word: Mauldin draws what
Mauldin wants. Mauldin won. Patton lost.
While in
the 45th Infantry Division, Mauldin volunteered to work for the
unit's newspaper, drawing cartoons about regular soldiers or
"dogfaces". Eventually he created two cartoon infantrymen,
Willie (who was modeled after his comrade and friend Irving
Richtel) and Joe, who became synonymous with the average
American GI. His cartoon work continued as he fought in the July
1943 invasion of Sicily and the Italian campaign. Mauldin began
working for Stars and Stripes, the American soldiers' newspaper;
by March 1944, he was given his own jeep, in which he roved the
front, collecting material and producing six cartoons a week.
His cartoons were viewed by soldiers all over Europe during
World War II, and also published in the United States. In 1945
at the age of 23 he won a Pulitzer Prize “for distinguished
service as a cartoonist” and the Allied high command awarded him
its Legion of Merit. His illustrated memoir, Up Front, was a
bestseller. That same year, his “dogface” Willie appeared on the
cover of Time. He won a second Pulitzer Prize, and he should
have won a third, for what may be the single greatest editorial
cartoon in the history of the craft: his deadline rendering, on
the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, of the
statue at the Lincoln Memorial slumped in grief, its head
cradled in its hands. But he never acted as if he was better
than the people he met. He was still Mauldin the enlisted man.
Mauldin died at age 81 in the early days of 2003 and was buried
in Arlington National Cemetery. The end of his life had been
rugged. He had been scalded in a bathtub, which led to terrible
injuries and infections; Alzheimer's disease was inflicting its
cruelties. Unable to care for himself after the scalding, he
became a resident of a California nursing home, his health and
spirits in rapid decline. He was not forgotten, though.
During the
late summer of 2002, as Mauldin lay in that California nursing
home, some of the old World War II infantry guys caught wind of
it. They didn't want Mauldin to go out that way. They thought he
should know that he was still their hero. Gordon Dillow, a
columnist for the Orange County Register, put out the call in
Southern California for people in the area to send their best
wishes to Mauldin. Soon more than 10,000 letters and cards had
arrived at Mauldin's bedside. Even better than that, the old
soldiers began to show up just to sit with Mauldin, to let him
know that they were there for him, as he, long ago, had been
there for them. So many volunteered to visit Bill that there was
a waiting list. Here is how Todd DePastino, in the first
paragraph of his biography of Mauldin, described it: "Almost
every day in the summer and fall of 2002 they came to Park
Superior nursing home in Newport Beach, California, to honor
Army Sergeant, Technician Third Grade, Bill Mauldin. They came
bearing relics of their youth: medals, insignia, photographs,
and carefully folded newspaper clippings. Some wore old garrison
caps. Others arrived resplendent in uniforms over a half century
old. Almost all of them wept as they filed down the corridor
like pilgrims fulfilling some long-neglected obligation." One of
the veterans explained to me why it was so important: "You would
have to be part of a combat infantry unit to appreciate what
moments of relief Bill gave us. You had to be reading a soaking
wet Stars and Stripes in a water-filled foxhole and then see one
of his cartoons."
In all probability Mauldin would have approved of his stamp. On
it two guys, “Willie and Joe" are keeping him company. To the
side, drawing them and smiling that shy, quietly observant
smile, is Mauldin himself. With his buddies, right where he
belongs. [Source: Various Mar 2010 ++]
Walter "Buck" Meeks III
Walter "Buck" Meeks III stands next
to an Iraqi kettle on display in the Fort Stewart Museum that honors
Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith, a 3rd ID soldier who died during the
battle for Baghdad in March 2003. Meeks went to Iraq a few months
later to archive and collect items from the battle. Smith went on to
posthumously recieve the Congressional Medal of Honor a year later
and became the 51st Marne soldier to garner such an honor.
Walter "Buck" Meeks III, director of
the Fort Stewart Museum, discusses items from one of the largest
collections presented to the facility by a former 3rd Infantry
Division soldier who fought in World War II.
An item, donated by a 3rd Infantry
Division soldier from World War II, explains how the ring of a
German soldier got in his possession. It is one of thousands of
items that help tell the story of the 3rd ID's military history. Fort Stewart Museum Contact the Fort Stewart
Museum Curator to schedule a personal or tour group visit!
For information on the 3rd Infantry Division
contact:
Please meet:
Walter "Buck" Meeks
Fort Stewart Museum director
brings Marne Division history to life
Posted: February 1,
2010
By Pamela E. Walck
is director of the Fort Stewart Museum.
Bldg T904, 2022 Frank Cochran Drive
Fort Stewart, GA 31314
Museum Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 .m, Tuesday - Saturday
Closed Sundays, Mondays and Federal Holidays
Walter W. Meeks, III
Curator, Fort Stewart Museum
1-912-767-7885
walter.meeks@us.army.mil
FORT STEWART - At first glance, the tattered kettle appears old and
well used. But when Walter "Buck" Meeks III looks at the same
artifact on prominent display in what he calls the "front parlor" of
the Fort Stewart Museum, he sees a fierce battle. He can almost hear
the extreme violence that took place April 4, 2003. He points to the
spray of holes, forged by bullets and shrapnel. Meeks closes his
eyes and sees the dusty patch of ground, just a stone's throw from
Baghdad International Airport.
That's where Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith bravely defended the 3rd
Infantry Division's position as it marched its tanks and Bradleys
into Iraq's capitol. Smith took out an estimated 50 enemy combatants
with a .50-caliber machine gun to protect 100 of his men before
being mortally wounded. "I had the great honor of traveling to Iraq
to collect items for our archives," Meeks said, his eyes tearing up
at the memory.
He recalled how he spent five weeks in May and June of 2003 talking
to eyewitnesses downrange, documenting the battle space and
ultimately preserving the memory of Smith, who would go on to become
America's first Congressional Medal of Honor recipient of Operation
Iraqi Freedom. A year later, Smith posthumously became the
Division's 51st soldier to be presented the country's highest
military honor - no other Army division has that many honorees.
"Nobody knew we had a Medal of Honor nominee at the time," said
Meeks, director of the Fort Stewart Museum. "The whole experience
was enlightening to me. I got to see soldiers at their very best,
doing what they are trained to do. And let me assure you, there is
no force like it. It was just an awesome experience."
'Everything in my world was old'
Meeks has served at the Fort Stewart Museum for the past 22 years,
but his love of history goes back to his youth. "I had an unusual
childhood," he said. "My parents didn't take me to Disney World, but
by the time I was 10, I had seen every historic site on the Eastern
Coast. "My parents instilled a deep love of history in me at an
early age. They didn't bet on a mouse, but on American heritage that
would be enriching for me and my brother." He saw the field in
Gettysburg, Pa., where a great-great-uncle died fighting in the
Civil War. He climbed all over the battleship U.S.S. Alabama. And
the Richmond Hill native took his first job at nearby Fort
McAllister.
"Everything in my world was old," he said. "I've never even had a
paved driveway." He still lives on the family homestead, a former
rice plantation. But it is the love of preserving and retelling the
story of military heritage that drives Meeks.
Scott Daubert, curator of collections at the installation museum,
said it was Meeks' passion that drew him to leave his position at
West Point for Fort Stewart in 2008. "You couldn't ask for a better
boss," Daubert said. "He has a passion you don't always find."
Telling the soldier's story
The museum is one of the first places soldiers transferred to Fort
Stewart are required to visit. With thousands of objects and images
archived, Daubert said they only display about 3 percent at any
given time. "The process of collecting is different than
exhibition," Meeks said. "We try to be aware of objects available to
us, but we don't take everything that's offered."
The current exhibit, installed in 2004, includes a walk-through
timeline of world events, explaining the 3rd ID's role beginning in
1917 as well as telling the story through the voices and words of
soldiers who have made up the Division. Meeks oozes information as
he makes his way through the space loaded with everything from
images of Marne soldiers in scratchy wool field uniforms of World
War I and World War II to the giant T-72 tank that consumes the rear
of the building dedicated to the Cold War.
Last year, about 25,000 visitors went through the museum, which is
free and open to the public but requires civilian visitors to obtain
a pass before getting on post. At its peak after the first Gulf War,
Meeks said as many as 84,000 people passed through the museum,
originally located outside the installation's main gates and in
recent years moved to its current location on Frank Cochran Drive.
"This is not a war museum. Although, yes, we do have guns and
tanks," Meeks said. "This is a soldier's museum. Here, you will see
the tools, shelter and clothes that soldiers have used over the
years."
He likes to tell the young men and women in uniform who pass through
the space that they have joined a team, a legacy of soldiers who
trod the road before them. "I feel like I've not done my job if a
soldier comes through here and is not changed by it," Meeks said.
"... This is real. What we have here is better than anything
Hollywood every came up with."
If you go
The Fort Stewart Museum is located in Building T904, 2022 Frank
Cochran Drive, Fort Stewart.
For more information, call 1-912-767-7885
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m, Tuesdays-Saturdays (Closed Sundays, Mondays
and federal holidays)
www.Savannahnow.com,
Savannah Morning News ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights
Reserved.
| A Kid from
Pittsburgh by Marion Rosen With Morris Rosen
I first
conceived the idea for a biography about my
husband’s early years from age 13 to20 while touring
Europe in 1994 for the 50th anniversary of D-Day.
For this journey, World War II veterans from the
U.S. Army’s Third Division traveled over the
same paths they’d covered 50 years earlier in 1944
while struggling to take back territory seized by
Hitler. |
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Korean
War
Construction crews in Springfield are due to break ground on the
country's first Korean War museum next June, on the 60th anniversary
of the day the three-year battle started. The 50,000-square-foot
Korean War National Museum will be at Fifth and Madison streets,
near the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
Please contact me with any further questions. My office # is (888)
295-7212. It will be a great honor for us to have your group visit
the museum. |
July 29, 2009 -
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CONNECTICUT VETERANS WARTIME SERVICE MEDAL All Connecticut veterans with qualifying wartime military service are eligible to receive the Connecticut Veterans Wartime Service Medal. Since last fall, the Connecticut State Department of Veteran's Affairs has hosted invitation-only ceremonies during which veterans of all wars receive the Medal. It is the first of its kind that the state has minted since the end of World War I. The 270,000 veterans who will receive it are Connecticut natives or current residents who served in a war and received honorable discharges. All living war veterans from World War II to the current war in Iraq are entitled to the medal. The medal can also be mailed to the veteran's home. In order to receive the
medal, the veteran must meet all of the following requirements: 4. Submit a completed and
signed application form (CTMD VM-1) available online at
Click Here
for PDF printable Application Thanks to Martin Markley for this information. |
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You can retire your tattered, worn out and frayed
American flags without cost to you. Send your flags to the
Kitchen Table Gang Trust, 42922 Avenue 12, Madera, CA 93638-8866
and we will dispose of your flags in a proper and dignified manner
with full honors and dignity pursuant to the United States Flag
Code Section 8K. We have been doing this for he past seven
years. Our flag retirement ceremonies are held on Flag Day,
June 14th each year and are conducted by an all volunteer U.S.
Marine Corps Honor Guard led by GySgt. Dan Kelley USMC (Ret.).
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New Museum Seeks Purple Heart Recipients The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is currently under construction in New York's Hudson River Valley at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site. Its mission is to collect and preserve the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of the service and across the generations in an attempt to ensure that all recipients are represented. Their stories will be preserved and shared through exhibits, live and videotaped interviews with the veterans themselves, and the Roll of Honor, an interactive computer program preserving the stories of each individual. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor the
first in the nation to recognize the more than 800,000 Americans wounded or
killed in action while serving in the United States Military. |
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We are excited to
introduce the all new www.battlefieldcollection.com with a brand
new design! Now featuring Official Licensed Products of the
United States Army and full shopping cart capabilities with
secure online checkout.
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First Flight: Veterans Airlift Command
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Wounded
veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have many
challenges ahead, but finding transportation shouldn't
be one of them. That's the view of a new nonprofit
group,
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The Retired Enlisted
Association (TREA) is providing the Military Reunion Listings as a FREE
service to the veteran community. I search the internet looking for
reunions and then send requests for the information to the listed POC. I
sent 2,108 reunion organizations e-mails requesting information on their
2006 reunions, and unfortunately 25 % failed to respond. We have 1,398
listings on the calendar year 2006 listing. With the next listing
update, we will have over 600 reunion listings for calendar years 2007,
2008, and 2009. (The Society's 88th Annual Reunion in Colorado
Springs will be listed in TREA's next update on March 5th).
John H.
Moore, SMSgt, USAF Retired (1961–87) |
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The Army Historical Foundation in
conjunction with the Nation Museum of the United States Army is seeking
to create a registry of those who have served and are currently serving
in the U.S. Army. Basic registration is free and can be done online by
going to
http://www.armyhistory.org.
If you or a loved one has or
is serving I highly recommend that you contact the Registry so that what
is here today will still be here tomorrow.
Respectfully,
Michael Wells
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New York Conspicuous Service Cross Any NEW YORK resident (living or deceased) who is a recipient of at least
one of the 19 the medals listed below may apply for the New York State
Conspicuous Service Cross. |
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Veterans of WWII are now dying at a rate of
about 2,000 per day. The elderly parking lot attendant wasn't in a good mood. Neither was Sam Bierstock. It was around 1 a.m., and Bierstock, a Delray Beach, Fla. , eye doctor, business consultant, corporate speaker and musician, was bone tired after appearing at an event. He pulled up in his car, and the parking attendant began to speak. "I took two bullets for this country and look what I'm doing," he said bitterly. At first, Bierstock didn't know what to say to the World War II veteran. But he rolled down his window and told the man, "Really, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you." Then the old soldier began to cry. "That really got to me," Bierstock says. Cut to today. Bierstock, 58, and John Melnick, 54, of Pompano Beach - a member of Bierstock's band, Dr. Sam and the Managed Care Band - have written a song inspired by that old soldier in the airport parking lot. The mournful "Before You Go" does more than salute those who fought in WWII. It encourages people to go out of their way to thank the aging warriors before they die. "If we had lost that particular war, our whole way of life would have been shot," says Bierstock, who plays harmonica. "Every ethnic minority would be dead. And the soldiers are now dying at the rate of about 2,000 every day. I thought we needed to thank them." The song is striking a chord. Within four days of Bierstock placing it on the Web www.beforeyougo.us , the song and accompanying photo essay have bounced around nine countries, producing tears and heartfelt thanks from veterans, their sons and daughters and grandchildren. It made me cry," wrote one veteran's son. Another sent an e-mail saying that only after his father consumed several glasses of wine would he discuss "the unspeakable horrors" he and other soldiers had witnessed in places such as Anzio, Iwo Jima, Bataan and Omaha Beach. "I can never thank them enough," the son wrote. "Thank you for thinking about them." Bierstock and Melnick thought about shipping it off to a professional singer maybe a Lee Greenwood type, but because time was running out for so many veterans, they decided it was best to release it quickly, for free, on the Web. They've sent the song to Sen. John McCain and others in Washington. Already they have been invited to perform it in Houston for a Veterans Day tribute - this after just a few days on the Web. They hope every veteran in America gets a chance to hear it.
www.beforeyougo.us |
| Ft Stewart Museum Update | |
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We have received the M113 that is a great part of the SFC
Paul Smith story and it is our latest large artifact for the museum here at
Ft. Stewart. It will take some work to display it properly and is now in the
hands of our competent Ft. Stewart vehicle restoration personnel who are
taking care of it with the honor and dignity that such an historic piece
deserves. Thank you for sharing and allowing me to share this with you. |
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 This photo of Birgit Smith and Walter (Buck) Meeks is in front of the exhibit dedicated to SFC Smith. |
 LTC Tim Thomas and Birgit Smith and Kim Webster |
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They are holding the Medal of Honor that Birgit brought in for us to see in keeping with her open policy of sharing Paul's story and keeping his heroic spirit alive. We were pleasantly surprised she brought the medal with her on a visit to the museum. |
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 Walter (Buck) Meeks (museum curator) is on top the vehicle describing the elements of the April 4 2003 story to all of us who welcomed Birgit Smith to Ft. Stewart to view the vehicle. Now that she has seen it we feel confident that it is appropriate for the American public to view the artifact and it will find a home soon in the museum so that all can see it and conceive of one man's valor that it represents. |
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 This photo of Nathan is the proud truck driver who delivered the vehicle to us unknowing exactly what he was carrying and only told it was important. Big tough truck driver notwithstanding he almost cried when he learned he had hauled this for the 3rd Infantry Division and to help us to tell the story of SFC Paul Smith. |
 Capt. Levine who is a chaplain here at Ft. Stewart translates into German for Birgit Smith's visiting family. |
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3d Division Museum
Currently the Museum has gone
through a complete overhaul and is now welcoming visitors to the 3d
Division Museum. There have been several locations in the past that the
Division has been based and it is the Museum Curators intent as well as
the 3d Division Commanders intent to make the Museum a 3rd ID Show piece. |
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 Our Medal of Honor Wall in the Ft. Stewart Museum honoring the 51 3rd Infantry Division Medal of Honor recipients. When the wall was built it would hold exactly 51 framed photos and since we know it is a matter of time until another 3rd ID (Marne Soldier) is awarded the nation's highest honor, we need two things: 1) For that soldier and all others to come home safely and 2) for us to build a new museum with walls large enough to accommodate our exhibits based on their valor and sacrifices....
For information on the 3rd Infantry Division contact: |
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Society of the Third Infantry Division, |
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To the Leaders and Representatives of Veterans Organizations who are in
support of a Cold War Service Medal: |
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Army Overseas Service Ribbon My name is Robert A. Devito and I am a member of OP#5. I served with the 3ID from May 1972 to Nov. 1973 in a city called BAD Hissingen, Germany in the 2nd and 41st F.A. I was about 20-25 miles from what was called the one kilometer (1-K) zone, much like the DMZ Zone in Korea today. As it stands, myself and thousands of soldiers
who served in that theater of the world are not entitled to any
medals, ribbons, decorations, etc. We served in what many of us refer
to as a Dangerous Zone. If the Warsaw Pact Nations would have
attacked, we would have been one of the first units hit. There is no
Cold War medal or ribbon issued to Cold War veterans, only a Cold War
Certificate that was given to them. |
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Cold Injuries/ Frostbite in Korea This message is for any
veteran who fought in the Korean War, especially in 1950-51, but not
limited to those years. |
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Here's a website
for Veterans, including thousands |
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Gift Ideas
Click Here to go to the
Website Store |
| Contents - Society of the 3ID Website |
Last Update
January 12, 2013
