3rd Division Archive News

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Walter "Buck" Meeks Fort Stewart Museum director
brings Marne Division history to life
Posted: February 1, 2010
By Pamela E. Walck

Walter "Buck" Meeks III
is director of the Fort Stewart Museum.

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
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

Contact the Fort Stewart Museum Curator to schedule a personal or tour group visit!

For information on the 3rd Infantry Division contact:
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.

3rd ID arrives in Kuwait, trains for MND-N mission
Spc. Michael Adams
3rd ID Public Affairs

CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT – About 400 Dog Face Soldiers of the Division Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division arrived in Kuwait Sunday October 11th as part of the division's deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Soldiers left Fort Stewart, Oct. 10, saying farewell to their Families and the coastal Georgia community. Soldiers from the DSTB will comprise the headquarters for Task Force Marne, the command and control element for Mult-National Division-North, Iraq.

While in Kuwait, Soldiers will complete their final training requirements before moving to their locations in Iraq. Training here includes vehicle rollover training, weapons ranges, and environmental training. The time spent in Kuwait helps Soldiers to acclimatize to the desert environment and ensure all of their personal equipment is ready to go before moving forward.

The division has deployed to Iraq on three separate occasions, but this will be the first time the headquarters will be located in the north.

Other brigades from the division will follow the DSTB and deploy to other locations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team and 3rd HBCT will be located near Baghdad, Iraq, while 2nd HBCT will be in MNDN, near Mosul. The 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is anticipating an Iraq deployment by the summer 2010.

The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade is deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

DoD announces rotation schedule
Frontline Staff

It's official - The Department of Defense announced Tuesday that 3rd Infantry Division brigades will deploy again this fall through early 2010 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Colonel Thomas James, chief of staff 3rd ID, affirms that units from Fort Stewart and Fort Benning's Kelley Hill were named to be deployed.
Deploying units include the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams. "Our division headquarters, the Division Special Troops Battalion and the Aviation Brigade were covered in a previous deployment order," Col. James said. "This just solidifies what we already knew, so it's not a big surprise to our Soldiers or Family Members, we've been tracking the time lines associated with this."

Col. James said, as one of the most deployed divisions in the Army, the 3rd ID has experienced various operational situations. During this deployment, the three brigades will serve in an advisory and assistance role that reflects the changing role of U.S. Armed Forces serving in Iraq. He said the division has spent the past year preparing for working in an environment that places greater emphasis on enhancing relationships. "What we do is work through operation centers in partnership with the Iraqi army and police leadership to make sure that we are supporting them with what they need, "Col. James continued. "They lead operations now, and we stand to assist what they request from us."

Specific units receiving deployment orders include:

Headquarters units:
3rd Infantry Division Headquarters, Fort Stewart, Ga.
1st Infantry Division Headquarters, Fort Riley, Kan.
1st Armored Division Headquarters, Wiesbaden, Germany

Brigade combat teams:
1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas
1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Advisory, assistance brigades:
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Security force brigade:
53rd Brigade Combat Team, Florida Army National Guard

This announcement reflects the continued commitment of the United States to the security of the Iraqi people, and provides replacement forces required to maintain the current level of effort in Iraq. Subsequent deployment orders will be issued based on force level decisions made in the future. The deployed headquarters units will provide command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in support of security operations in the country.

Three brigade combat teams will replace formations currently on the ground in Iraq. These units will conduct full spectrum and stability operations from outside Iraqi cities in partnership with Iraqi security forces.

Four brigades will serve in an advisory and assistance role and replace formations currently on the ground in Iraq. The mission of these units will be to train and mentor Iraqi Security Forces, conduct coordinated counter-terrorism missions, and protect on-going civilian and military efforts within Iraq.

The one security force brigade will be assigned tasks that will assure freedom of movement and continuity of operations in country. Those tasks will include base defense and route security in Iraq and Kuwait. This unit was originally announced for deployment to Afghanistan, but it was re-missioned for deployment to Kuwait shortly after that announcement was made in December 2007.

DoD will continue to announce major unit deployments as the units are identified and alerted. For information on the supporting units for this deployment, please contact Army public affairs at (703) 614-2487 or Florida Army National Guard public affairs at (904) 823- 0168.
From The Frontline July 16, 2009

For Puerto Rican Veterans, An Honor Years In The Making
Korean War regiment to be lauded in Worcester
By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff
Boston Globe
June 20, 2009

WORCESTER - They were forgotten soldiers from the forgotten war.

The Army’s 65th Infantry Regiment, almost exclusively from Puerto Rico, took part in some of the most brutal battles in Korea. General Douglas MacArthur called them “heroic,’’ but inside the Army the soldiers faced their own battles: Some officers questioned their patriotism, derided them with ethnic slurs, or worse, sent them into battle dangerously unprepared. In all, 743 soldiers from the 65th died and 2,318 were wounded in Korea - losses that were double the national average for the conflict.

Today, officials from the federal, state, and Puerto Rican governments will honor the 65th veterans at Worcester’s Korean War Memorial, in Massachusetts’ most public acknowledgement yet of their service. For Puerto Ricans, the biggest Latino group in the state, the ceremony is a chance not only to pay tribute to those who served but also to reflect on a larger population whose history in the United States is often ignored or misunderstood.

“We lost a lot of men,’’ the Rev. Jose Perez, a veteran of World War II and Korea, and now a silver-haired, 85-year old man, said in his living room in downtown Worcester this week. “People didn’t know about it. They didn’t think we mattered.’’ Perez, along with Luis Colon, Felipe Guzman, and Evangelista Morales Cruz - all of Massachusetts - will be honored at the ceremony. They are now in their 80s, their memories sometimes foggy. Some parts of the war are easier to recall than others. But in interviews, Perez and Colon recalled a sense of pride and purpose in their service, and mostly had good relationships with the regiment’s leaders, who were white and Puerto Rican. The veterans said they spoke English, and Colon said he rarely faced discrimination, though other members did.
“I liked the Army,’’ said Colon, an 87-year-old father of five who spent 23 years in the Army before he retired to Worcester. “I learned to be a complete man.’’

The 65th traces its roots to a volunteer battalion created in Puerto Rico a year after Spain ceded the Caribbean island to the United States in 1898 in the Spanish-American War, though the unit was officially activated in 1920. Puerto Ricans, US citizens since 1917, have served and died in significant numbers in many American wars - no precise numbers are available. But they do not pay federal taxes. They can’t vote in the general election for president, though they can vote in the presidential primaries.

Perez’s draft letter arrived in English around 1943, calling him to World War II. At the time, Puerto Rico was five years away from democratically electing its first governor. Poverty engulfed the island, and many young people such as Perez never had the chance to finish high school. Born in the small town of Lares, he dropped out after seventh grade to sell appliances in San Juan. Perez, a Pentecostal minister who moved to Massachusetts after the war, said he was eager to serve and glad for the work. Until the Army, he had never left the island. “I felt, as an American citizen, I had to serve the nation,’’ Perez said.

The ship from balmy San Juan to training in New York ferried him to another world. He shivered in the frigid snow for the first time, bundled into wool pants and lined boots. Many New Yorkers treated them like “angels from heaven,’’ Perez said. But he was also repulsed by segregation at beer halls and on buses, where black people would stand while white people sat.“We didn’t understand that separation,’’ he said. “We would ask them, ‘Ma’am, why are you standing?’ ’’

But the 65th also confronted discrimination in the Army. Some senior officers doubted their patriotism and combat fitness, because they were Spanish-speaking troops from a US possession, according to historical accounts from Colonel Gilberto Villahermosa, an Army historian, and the Army Historical Foundation. Most of the time, the regiment was relegated to security and backup, even in World War II. “It seems like the 65th was always in the back,’’ Perez said. That changed in Korea. After impressing senior Army officials in major exercises in Puerto Rico, the soldiers were sent to Korea to fight. They distinguished themselves quickly. The 65th helped protect the Marines during the retreat from the Chosin Reservoir and led a 1951 bayonet charge that captured key territory and was immortalized in a painting commissioned by the National Guard Heritage Foundation, said Villahermosa, whose father served in the 65th.

Four soldiers earned the Distinguished Service Cross, one of the highest military decorations, and 124 won Silver Stars for bravery. “We were never afraid of death,’’ said Perez, straightening his back and raising his chin, a sign of the old soldier. But by 1952, the 65th was in trouble. Many of its leaders, including Puerto Rican and white officers, were being transferred to fill shortages in other units, leaving them with insufficient numbers of trained Puerto Rican sergeants to lead troops in battle, Villahermosa said.

The 65th lost hundreds of soldiers at the key battles of Outpost Kelly and Jackson Heights, and some of them were later accused of disobeying orders or deserting. Within a year, 95 Puerto Ricans had faced courts-martial, but the secretary of the Army quickly overturned those decisions and attributed them to language barriers.

The Army integrated the regiment in 1953, in Korea, and the regiment fought and won its final battles. When the regiment returned to Puerto Rico, it was deactivated in 1956 and three years later became part of the Puerto Rico National Guard, which exists today. In recent years, the regiment has garnered more attention as the veterans aged. An award-winning documentary was released in 2007. In Boston, a monument to the 65th was erected in the South End.

Worcester decided to incorporate the 65th into the larger Korean War memorial after officials realized that many members of the regiment had moved to Massachusetts. “I’m from Puerto Rico, and I didn’t even know anything about the 65th,’’ said one of the ceremony’s organizers, Gladys Rodriguez-Parker, an aide to US Representative James P. McGovern of Worcester. “I started digging and I found a whole community that was out there.’’

In all, 61,000 Puerto Ricans served in Korea, most with the 65th. “They deserve their recognition,’’ said Frank Carroll, a Navy veteran of the Korean War and chairman of today’s event. “After all, they’re Americans. . . . They’re proud to serve.’’

The 65th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in the Korean War.

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.
By witnessing the incredible obstacles our troops had to overcome first-hand, I instinctively understood that these men had gone through much more than the history books have reported. My husband, Morris Rosen, usually chose to talk about only a few incidents that were, at times, hilariously funny, but I wanted to delve deeper. I talked to the veterans and chronicled their stories. I especially wanted to know more about the almost-unbelievable events that still caused my husband and the rest of the men to grow teary-eyed so many years later.
As I learned the unadulterated story of the war from a private’s perspective, I also came to understand the heartbreak of a mere boy who’d run away from a wretched home life to go off to war at 17.
War is never an easy topic to grasp, but A KID FROM PITTSBURGH is sensitive yet out-spoken. Rowdy, yet gentle. Brutal circumstances are made comprehensible. War is interpreted by a kid who grew up without even realizing it.

Comments about A KID FROM PITTSBURGH:

“Marion Rosen’s biography on husband, WWII hero Morris Rosen in her A KID FROM PITTSBURGH is a story that no Hollywood screenwriter could create. This is a must read for everyone.”
Roger Corman, Award winning filmmaker

“While Audie Murphy is perhaps the most renowned WWII hero it would be hard not to include Morris Rosen as someone high up on this list. Corporal Rosen was an amazing young man who performed miracles during WWII in putting his life on the line in the most dangerous situations imaginable.”
Edward Janke, Retired U.S. Army Colonel

"THE KID FROM PITTSBURGH is a book I just couldn’t put down. Marion Rosen’s biography on her husband is a slam dunk."
Bob Cousy, Hall of Fame basketball legend
www.marionrosen.com

Korean War
National Museum

July 29, 2009 -

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.
"There are lots of monuments. Monuments are wonderful, but this is the only museum dedicated exclusively to the Korean War," said museum executive director Larry Sassorossi.
A temporary smaller facility containing Korean War exhibits opened last month in a former Osco store on Springfield's Old State Capitol Plaza. Called the Denis J. Healy Freedom Center, the facility moved to Springfield from its previous home in Rantoul.
While the actual museum will be bigger and have more "bells and whistles," Sassorossi said, it's important in the meantime to have a tribute up and running because "we're losing 1,100 Korean War veterans every day."

Admission is free, but a $3 donation is requested. Info: (888) 295-7212; www.theforgottenvictory.org.

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.
Sincerely,
Dave Wright
Korean War National Museum

Brigades Represent New Iraq Mission, Commander Says
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2009 – The new advisory and assistance brigades to flow into Iraq in the coming months will bring important new capability as they focus on building the Iraqi security forces, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq said yesterday. Army Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby Jr. called the so-called AABs – reconfigured brigade combat teams that focus on advising, assisting and developing Iraqi security forces – “a concept we believe in” for moving forward in Iraq.

“We think it’s the right way to go as we move from counterinsurgency and full-spectrum ops to our strategy of being done with combat operations for U.S. forces in August 2010,” he told Pentagon reporters via videoconference from Camp Victory, Iraq.

The Pentagon announced the new brigades in July.

The first four brigade combat teams to be assigned the mission are the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams based at Fort Stewart, Ga., and its 3rd BCT at Fort Benning, Ga.; and the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd BCT at Fort Carson, Colo. They will deploy beginning this fall, and be dispersed throughout Iraq in areas where they can best support provincial reconstruction teams and the training of Iraqi forces, Jacoby said. “We’ve done a fair amount of work studying where we think the advisory assistance brigades can best serve that mission,” he said.

The AABs represent a mindset as well as a mission, Jacoby said, as they operate within the stability operations realm to improve the Iraqi security forces’ ability to conduct combat operations and take the lead in other security operations. For now, traditional brigade combat teams deployed to Iraq are passing back lessons learned and observations being made to help prepare the AABs for their new mission. Jacoby lauded the “great exchange of information between the theater and back home in the training base.”

AABs will be about the size of a standard brigade combat team, but will include more field-grade officers serving as advisors, and more engineering, military police, civil affairs, transportation and other capabilities to support the training and mentoring mission, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman explained when announcing the new teams in July.

Their pre-deployment training is expected to differ considerably from that of standard brigades, Whitman said. In addition to standard combat training, they will undergo scenario-based training and mission-readiness exercises designed to prepare them for the complex challenges they will encounter in Iraq.

Outpost 60, Society of the 3rd ID, meets at the National Infantry Museum. Posted on Thursday, August 20, 2009 Photos by Pfc. Erik Anderson, 3rd HBCT Public Affairs -
Sgt. Major Gregory Proft (left), 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, presents Robert Bailey (center), Outpost 60 secretary/treasurer, with a commemorative sledgehammer as Lt. Col. Thomas Woodie, 3rd HBCT rear detachment commander watches August 15 at the National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Ga. Bailey received the sledgehammer in honor of his tenure with Outpost 60, Society of the 3rd Infantry Division, a group comprised of former and current 3rd ID Soldiers.	John Morris Galbraith, Outpost 60’s youngest member, is held by mother, Christie Galbraith following the Outpost’s meeting August 15 at the National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Ga. The Galbraith family attended the meeting with father/grandfather Fred Morris, a 3rd Infantry Division veteran.
Paul Gridler, incoming Outpost 60 president, speaks to the Outpost’s members as Lt. Col. Thomas Woodie, rear detachment commander, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, watches August 15 at the National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Ga. Outpost 60’s next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 12 at Ryan’s Steakhouse, Columbus, Ga., current and former 3rd ID Soldiers are invited to attend.	William Schlitz, a former 3rd Infantry Division Soldier, listens during Outpost 60’s meeting August 15 at the National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Ga. Schlitz was recognized as a survivor of 3rd ID’s World War II offensive Operation Dragoon in the South of France 65 years ago. Ben Walker (left), a 3rd Infantry Division veteran, talks to fellow Outpost 60 members as his son Ben McCard looks on August 15 at the National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Ga. Walker served with the 3rd ID from 1952-53 with the 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Division.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Paul Dayton, Assistant Executive Officer, Office of the Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command, buys a raffle ticket from Outpost 60 secretary/treasurer Bob Bailey August 15 at the National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, Ga. Outpost 60’s next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 12 at Ryan’s Steakhouse, Columbus, Ga., current and former 3rd ID Soldiers are invited to attend.

Florida Fallen Heroes

Allow me to introduce myself, I am the father of Pfc. Timothy J. Seamans, US Army, 3ID 69AR 1st BAT, CHARLIE CO out of Ft. Stewart, GA who was KIA on August 18, 2005 in Samarra, Iraq. I am the founder and President of the Timothy J. Seamans Memorial Foundation, Inc. dba Florida Fallen Heroes www.floridafallenheroes.org and our purpose and mission is to create, establish and help maintain the Fallen Soldier Monument at each home-town high school of a Florida graduate who have lost their lives defending the United States of America in our war against terrorism. In addition the foundation will honor all past alumni of these high schools who have also made the ultimate sacrifice in the defending the freedoms and liberties of this great nation we call America. These monuments cost $9700.00 each. We have been successful in raising enough money to place one monument in Jacksonville, FL.

On Friday, September 28, 2007, 7 PM our 1st Florida Fallen Heroes Monument was dedicated and commemorated at Terry Parker High School, Jacksonville, FL. In attendance were over 200 guest and visitors, among those in attendance were the American Legion Riders from Post 283 and 316; Beaches Honor Guard who rendered honors with 21 gun salute and taps; our Master of Ceremonies Mr. Dan McCarty, Director of Veterans Services, City of Jacksonville; and five fallen families from the Jacksonville area. The monument is approximately 5 1/2 feet tall with a red brick (symbolizing the bloodshed) walkway containing the names of fifteen (15) fallen heroes, 13 Vietnam Veterans and two Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans, along with three upgraded red bricks honoring those still serving and as a reminder more names could be added. The service was approximately 1 hour with refreshments provided the Navy Wives Club Dixie 300. At the conclusion we were interviewed by Channel 4 and Ms. Jennifer Robinson of the University of Florida newspaper who has been interviewing fallen families throughout Florida for her senior theses.

Dave Seamans seascoutds@comcast.net
President
Florida Fallen Heroes www.floridafallenheroes.org

TO ALL,
Below is a message I have received from Dave Seamans of Outpost 2, Florida, stating that his efforts to get the Florida House and Senate to approve his Gold Star License Plate program that he has been working on for many months, has been approved. Dave had a son who served with the 3ID and was KIA in Iraq.
As you can see I responded to his email and congratulated him for his accomplishment.
Rock of the Marne

Dear Jim:

Just a quick note.... the Gold Star License proposal has been approved by the House and Senate now waiting on the Governor to sign. I was informed by Gina Evans, Legislative Assistant to Rep Larry Cretul that she spoke with the Governor's Office and he will have a special ceremonial signing. When that will happen I don't know, but I will be informed so I can attend the ceremony. I believe we will become the 16th State to honor the fallen with a Gold Star License Plate.

All my best, and thanks for the support and prayers.
Best regards,
Dave Seamans

Congratulations on your success on having your Gold Star License Plate program approved by the Florida House and Senate. You are to be commended for your efforts and time that you have give to this project. Your deserve a big HOOAH for your accomplishment.

Respectfully,
Jim Tiezzi

Special Attention to Florida Veterans
Proposal for Gold Star License Plate for the State of Florida

Allow me to introduce myself, I am the father of PFC Timothy J. Seamans, U.S. Army killed in action on August 18, 2005 in Samarra, Iraq. I have designed a specialty Gold Star License Plate for the State of Florida (see below). I am trying to gain support for this proposal and I am asking all Florida Veterans and their families to contact their legislators and urge them to support this proposal.
(Dave Seamans is a member of Outpost 2 in Florida)
Any questions please do not hesitate in contacting me.
Best regards,
Dave Seamans
7130 Oakwood Dr
Jacksonville, FL 32211-7652
seascoutds@aol.com

Proposal

Pursuant to the requirements of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, this letter serves to formally notify you of my intent to submit a proposal to create a Gold Star specialty license plate. The purpose of this license plate is to honor the families of those killed in service during peacetime, act of war or conflict. The surviving spouse of Florida residents who have been awarded the Gold Star, or the surviving parents (if there is no spouse) and sibling, may apply for a Gold Star License Plate. The money will be used to support the efforts of the Lest They Be Forgotten Foundation (non-profit) with the first one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) to be set aside.

Fees (suggested)
First Time Fee: $25.00 annual fee plus $2 processing fee (plus registration fees)
Special Fee: $10.00
Distribution of Special Fee: Lest They Be Forgotten Foundation

Availability
Gold Star license plates are permanent and may be displayed on passenger vehicles, trucks and vans weighing 8,000(suggested) or less and Sport Utility Vehicles.

To Apply

One must provide a Gold Star affirmation statement (Click Here for pdf printable statement) attesting to receipt of the Gold Star, including the service member’s name and relationship to the applicant. The request can only be processed in Tallahassee or any local Tax Collectors office. Apply in person or mail when processing through Tallahassee with the proper documentation to:

Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Neil Kirkman Bldg.
2900 Apalachee Parkway
Tallahassee, Florida 32399

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:

1. Submit documentary proof of qualifying military wartime service (90 days wartime service, unless the war or operation lasted less than 90 days); (i.e. DD Form 214 or other documentation if DD Form 214 is unavailable)

2. Submit proof of an honorable discharge from military service (or discharge due to injuries received in the line of duty) for the qualifying wartime service.

3. Submit proof that you currently are a resident of the State of Connecticut or that you were a resident at the time of your qualifying wartime service. (e.g., photocopy of State of Connecticut driver's license).

4. Submit a completed and signed application form (CTMD VM-1) available online at
http://www.ct.gov/ctva/cwp/view.asp?a=1992&q=313194 or

Click Here for PDF printable Application

Awards will not be made posthumously.
Send applications & supporting documentation to:
Department of Veterans' Affairs,
ATTN: Wartime Medal and Registry,
287 West Street, Rocky Hill, CT 06067
or Fax: (860) 721-5919. [Source: Military.com 1 Oct article ++]

Thanks to Martin Markley for this information.

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.

For more information or to have your story preserved as a Purple Heart recipient, contact:
Michael J. Clark,
Project Coordinator, National Purple Heart Hall of Honor
New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site
P.O. Box 207 (374 Temple Hill Road)
Vails Gate, NY 12584-0207
telephone 845-561-1765, or e-mail michael.clark@oprhp.state.ny.us

$59.99
Authentic Football Jerseys
The Battlefield Collection "Authentic Football Jersey" features 100% polyester double thick shoulders, professional quality 100% polyester tricot mesh body, spandex side inserts, custom unit patch below the collar, Battlefield Collection jock tag and "STAY ARMY" tag applied to lower left front of jersey, unit number(s) and nameplate sewn on with high quality tackle-twill appliqué fabric, unit logo embroidered on sleeves, custom-dyed fabric decorated in unit colors
Mention 3ID Society when ordering

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.

For the first time ever you can now purchase individual Authentic Football Jerseys, Gridiron Caps and Fairway Caps. Check out the newest designs in Authentic Military Sportswear and please feel free to share your thoughts on our new website.
It is an honor to serve the soldiers of the United States Army.

Webmaster Rich Heller models football jersey at the 3ID Society Reunion at Ft. Benning, GA

http://www.battlefieldcollection.com/

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).

Please take a look at our web site, www.trea.org, scroll down the left side and click on Reunions/Buddies, and this will bring up the reunion page. As reunions are completed, they are transferred to the Completed Listing at the end of the month. There, they will remain as a reference point for someone looking for a unit contact. My intention is that each calendar year reunions will be individually listed.

John H. Moore, SMSgt, USAF Retired (1961–87)
Reunion Manager (volunteer)
The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA)
Home: 657 E. Adams Street, Marengo, IA 52301
Home: (319) 741-5734
Cell: (319) 936-2154
E-mail: TREAreunionsite@mac.com
Web: www.trea.org

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

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.

Air Force Cross; Air Medal; Airmen's Medal; Bronze Star Medal; Coast Guard Medal; Defense Distinguished Service Medal; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Defense Superior Service Medal; Distinguished Flying Cross; Distinguished Service Cross; Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Medal of Honor; Meritorious Service Medal; Navy and Marine Corps Medal; Navy Cross; Purple Heart; Silver Star; Soldier's Medal

For general info: http://www.veterans.state.ny.us/csc.htm
For application form info:
http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/dmna/awards/dmnaform.html
The application form: http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/dmna/awards/106a-ft.html
The criteria: http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/dmna/awards/106a-ft.html
Contact Person for this Posting:
Roger Simpson, PIO (http://www.13105320634.com)

The American War Library (http://www.amervets.com)
Building Two, 16907 Brighton Avenue
Gardena CA 90247-5420
1-310-532-0634

Military and Veteran Resource Guides
http://members.aol.com/veterans/warlib6.htm

World's Largest Online Personnel Registry
http://members.aol.com/veterans/warlib46.htm
To Unsubscribe send a blank email to:
artillerymen-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Veterans of WWII are now dying at a rate of about 2,000 per day.

PLEASE, take the time to read the article below and listen to
www.beforeyougo.us

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
Thanks to Ed Smith and Bill Strong for contributing this article

Ft Stewart Museum Update
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. Walter W. Meeks III Ft. Stewart Museum Curator (3rd Infantry Division) 2022 Frank Cochran Drive, Building T-904 Ft. Stewart, GA 31314 (912) 767-7885
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
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.
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.
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.
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. Contact Walter W. Meeks walter.meeks@us.army.mil	3ID Museum Ft. Stewart, GA
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: Walter W. Meeks, III Curator, Fort Stewart Museum 912-767-7885 Walter.Meeks@stewart.army.mil
Society of the Third Infantry Division, My name is CPT Robin Johnson and I am a company commander, in 3ID, currently deployed to Iraq. I am writing to you today and attaching my website www.womenofthemarne.com for my book, “Women of the Marne”. The website gives more details about the book, but bottom line is that I want to capture and celebrate the magnificent achievements made by the women of the 3ID during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Granted, there are more men in the division by far, but I feel that the stories of these incredible women need to be told as we see amazing progress of sisters in arms. I am sending this to you because I read your objectives and I feel that this book easily meets your objectives, especially number two and three. This book will be dedicated to the honor the women who paid the final sacrifice and will perpetuate the memory of other former comrades who shared a background of honorable military service with the Third Infantry Division. This book is not a controversial book or anything of that nature, just a photo illustrated documentation of the contributions made by these mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, and wives. I am collecting great stories of women who are Arabic linguists, going on patrols, apache pilots, and the like. It would be of great help, if I had your support behind this book. I am committed to giving a very large percentage of the profits to the Third Infantry Division Museum and the Women’s Army Museum. Please send photos and Stories to robin.angela.johnson@us.army.mil Thank you for your time. ROCK OF THE MARNE! ROCK SOLID SUPPORT! ROBIN A. JOHNSON CPT, QM Commanding

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.

My point is that the Dept. of the Army has authorized the wearing of an Army Overseas Service Ribbon to military personnel who served in overseas capacity from August 1, 1981 to the present. Does anyone know who can be contacted so that this type of service ribbon can be made retroactive to include the soldiers who served in the same theater in the time frame that I did? I believe and I and others should be entitled to this type of award.

Any thoughts or suggestions on this matter would be appreciated.

Robert A. Devito
2035 Jacobs Lane
Southold, NY 11971
Phone 631-765-6320
rodevito@suffolk.lib.ny.us

Brigades Represent New Iraq Mission, Commander Says By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service

First Flight: Veterans Airlift Command

Brigades Represent New Iraq Mission, Commander Says
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service