Put on your boots, boots, boots
And parachute-chute-chutes
We’re going up, up, up
And coming down, down, down
We’re All American and proud to be
For we’re the soldiers of liberty
Some ride their gliders to the enemy
Others are sky paratroopers
We’re All American and fight we will
‘Til all the guns of the foe are still
Airborne from skies of blue
We’re coming through, let’s go
Put on your boots, your parachutes
Get all those gliders ready to attack today
For we’ll be gone into the dawn
To fight them all the 82nd way
AMERICA’S GUARD OF HONOR
Where is the prince who can afford to cover his country with troops for its defense as that ten thousand men descending from the clouds, might not, in many places, do an infinite deal of mischief before a force could be brought to repel them ?
Benjamin Franklin, 1784
Members of the 2nd Infantry Division has been the wearers of the famed Indian Head Patch in five different wars around the planet. This insignia had its origin during World War One as the identifying insignia on the vehicles of the Division Supply Trains. The Commanding Officer of the trains held a contest in March, 1918, to select a distinctive identifying symbol for use upon the vehicles after he had seen the vehicles of adjacent French units decorated in this manner. Through his adjutant he sent out a memorandum authorizing prizes for the best designs submitted, with a first prize of forty francs. The winning insignia, which obtained the final approval of Division Headquarters for use upon supply train vehicles in April, 1918, was the striking red and blue Indian head, super imposed upon a white star. The head covered the reentrant angles of the star and exposed only the points. Maj Gen Omar Bundy, the Division Commander, and his Chief of Staff, Col Preston Brown, later Maj Gen Preston Brown, were riding in a command car one day in April when Gen Bundy’s eye was caught by the insignia emblazoned on a truck. According to a letter from Maj Gen Brown written some time later, Gen Bundy stopped the driver, asked the meaning of the device, and was told by the driver that it enabled him to find his vehicle in the dark. The letter does not bring out that the insignia had been authorized and was probably coming into use on all the vehicles of the trains but at that time and at any rate, the Gen and his Chief of Staff promptly sent their cars to the area to have the insignia painted upon them. In this manner the Indian Head became associated with the 2nd Infantry Division as its identifying insignia some time before it became the standard shoulder patch so proudly worn by men of the Division.
The US 10th Armored Division was activated on July 15 1942 at Fort Benning Georgia and moved on June 24 1943 to the Second Army #2 Tennessee Maneuvres.
The 6th Infantry Division was activated on Oct 10 1939 at Ft Lewis Washington as 6th Division and moved to Fort Jackson South Carolina Nov 9 1939. It was then relocated to Fort Benning Georgia on Apr 12 1940 and in Alexandria Louisiana on May 8 1940. A little later, the 6th Inf Div was relocated to Fort Snelling Minnesota – Jun 1 1940 and sent to Lincoln Minnesota on Jul 17 1940 before it returned to Fort Snelling Minnesota Aug 19 1940; participated in Arkansas Maneuvers of Aug 1941 and Louisiana Maneuvers of Sep 1941. On Oct 10 1941, the 6-ID moved to Fort Leonard Wood 10 where it was re-designated 6th Motorized Division on Apr 9 1942 and moved to the I Corps Tennessee Maneuvers on Sep 11 1942. Sent back to Fort Leonard Wood on Nov 10 1942 the division moved to Camp Young California on Nov 29 1942 where it participated in the Desert Training Center #1 IV Armored Corps Maneuvers until Feb 22 1943. On Mar 28 1943, the 6-ID arrived at Camp San Luis Obispo, California, where it was re-designated 6th Infantry Division on Mar 21 1943 and departed the San Francisco POE on Jul 21 1943 and arrived in Hawaii on Jul 29. The 6-ID left Hawaii on Jan 26 1944 and arrived in the Milne Bay New Guinea on Jan 31 1944, assaulted Sansapor New Guinea on Jul 30 1944, assaulted Lingayen Gulf Philippines on Jan 9 1945 and arrived in Korea on Oct 18 1945 where it remained active thru 1946.
The 2nd Armored Division was activated on July 15th 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia. It participated in the VII Corps Tennessee Maneuvers from June 2nd to June 28th 1941 and moved to Ragley, Louisiana, on August 12th 1941 to participate in the 2nd/3rd Army Louisiana Maneuvers. The Division returned to Fort Benning Georgia on September 29th 1941 and participated (November 2nd 1941), in the 1st Army Carolina Maneuvers then returned to Fort Benning on December 2 1941. Relocated to Monroe, North Carolina on July 10th 1942 for the II Armored Corps Carolina Maneuvers the 2-AD was transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina on August 15 1942; staged at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on November 3rd 1942 until departed tje New York Port of Embarkation December 11th 1942; arrived North Africa December 25th 1942 (less elements which invaded November 8th 1942).
The 1st Infantry Division also nicknamed The Fighting First, is the oldest division in the United States Army, and has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917. The 1st Division started preparing for World War II by moving to Fort Benning on November 19th 1939 and ran its personnel through the Infantry School. It then moved to the Sabine Parish, Louisiana area on May 11th 1940 to participate in the Louisiana Maneuvers, returned to Fort Hamilton on June 5th 1940 then to Fort Devens, Ma., on February 4th 1941. The Division was sent to both Carolina Maneuvres of October and November 1941, moved to Samarcand, North Carolina on October 16th 1941 and on December 6th 1941, returned to Fort Devens, Ma. It was then transfered to Camp Blanding, Florida (February 21st 1942) where it was re-designated 1st Infantry Division on May 15th 1942. The 1st Infantry Division moved then back Fort Benning, on May 22nd 1942, to Indian Town Gap Mil Reservation, on June 21st 1942 and, finally, Division departed New York Port of Embarkation on August 1st 1942. The 1st ID arrived in England on August 7th 1942 and assaulted in North Africa on November 2nd 1942 (Operation Torch).
The 5th Infantry Division was activated on October 16 1939 at Fort McClellan, Alabama, as the 5th Division. It moved then to Fort Benning, Georgia, on April 9 1940 then to Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, on May 11 1940. It moved then to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, on May 31 1940 and to Shamrock, Wisconsin, on August 3 1940. It returned to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, on September 4 1940 and moved to Fort Custer, Michigan, on December 13 1940. The 5th Infantry was then sent to Camp Forrest, Tennessee, May 29 1941, for the VII Corps Tennessee Maneuvers, returned then to Fort Custer, Michigan, on July 1 1941 and was transfered to Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Arkansas, on August 25 1941 for the VII Corps Arkansas Maneuvers and the Louisiana Maneuvers of September 1941. The 5th Infantry Division returned to Fort Custer, Michigan, on October 3 1941, arrived New York Port of Embarkation on April 22 1942, departed on April 30 1942, and finally arrived in Iceland May 11 1942 where it was officially re-designated 5th Infantry Division on May 25 1943. The division departed Iceland on August 5 1943 and arrived in Northern Ireland on August 9 1943. The 5th Infantry Division landed in France on July 11 1944, entered Germany on February 8 1945 and Czechoslovakia on May 1 1945. The 5th Infantry Division arrived Boston POE on July 19 1945, arrived at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, July 22 1945 and was inactivated September 20 1946.
The 7th Armored Division was activated on Mar 1 1942 at Camp Polk, Louisiana and moved Sep 15 1942 to the IV Corps Louisiana Maneuvers. It returned to Camp Polk on Nov 9 1942, arrived then Mar 11 1943 at the Desert Training Center for the #2 California Maneuvers, was transferred Aug 12 1943 to Fort Benning, Georgia and arrived at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on Apr 22 1944.
Dear Gunter, the press request 99th got had me find this which will be of interest to you and your website. You will get detailed explanation with my letters home of going into Army and joining the 99th Infantry Battalion Separate, the 99th Formation and Training. Followed by full write up the Belgian Ardenne or Battle of the Bulge done with nearly hundreds of quotes from 99ers. What follows is from my November 2007 99th Informations and Newsletter. Below are quotes from many of my Dad’s letters written during the War many and perhaps even most of your readers know of 99er letters written during the War.
Activated on Jun 1 1940 as the 4th Division at Fort Benning, Georgia the Division was reorganized as 4th Division (Motorized) on Aug 1 1940 then as 4th Motorized Division in Jul 11 1941. It moved then to Dry Prong Louisiana, on Aug 1 1941 for IV Corps Louisiana Maneuvers and returned to Fort Benning Aug 27 1941. It moved then to Fort Jackson South Carolina Oct 30 1941 for the First Army Carolina Maneuvers and arrived back to Fort Benning on Dec 3 1941. On Dec 29, the 4th Division arrived at Camp Gordon, Georgia and, finally, went to Carolina Maneuver Area on Jul 7 1942. The 4th Division returned to Camp Gordon on Aug 31 1942 and moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey on Apr 12 1943 where it was re-designated to 4th Infantry Division on Aug 4 1943. Sent, then, to Camp Gordon Johnston, Florida on Sept 19 1943 for the III Corps Carrabelle Maneuvers the 4th was sent to Fort Jackson South Carolina on Dec 1 1943 and staged at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey on Jan 4 1944 until departed New York POE on Jan 18 1944. The Division landed in England on Jan 26 1944 and was ready to start fighting
