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| A-1-8 Chapter of the 4th Infantry Division |
Active Unit News
Bob Babcock - "Deeds not Words"
President, Americans Remembered, Inc. - http://www.americansremembered.org
President, 22nd Inf Regt Society - http://www.22ndinfantry.org
Past President/Historian - Nat'l 4th Inf Div Assn - http://www.4thinfantry.org
babcock224@aol.com
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4ID Historical Highlights:
....continued from 1-7-04 update. Today's focus is on World War II:
8) Test Division, 1940 to mid 1943. Just as they later did in 1995 to 2001, the 4ID was an experimental division for the US Army. They were the 4th Motorized Division, experimenting with half-tracks and motor transportation to take on the German mobility. On two occasions they were alerted to move to North Africa but shipping was not available to move their vast complement of equipment. In mid 1943 the experiment was finished, they turned in their half tracks, demotorized, and became the 4th Infantry Division. They then moved to Camp Gordon Johnston, FL to begin amphibious training for their next big mission.
9) D-Day Invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944. At 0630, H-Hour on D-Day, the 4ID was the first seaborne unit to land in France, coming ashore on Utah Beach. Key objectives were met for the day and linkup was made with the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions who had jumped in overnight. 4ID casualties on D-Day were very light in comparison to Omaha Beach where casualties were heavy. BG Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. earned the Medal of Honor for his actions on D-Day.
10) Hedgerow fighting through Normandy, June and July 1944. After the successful D-Day landing, the 4ID began fighting through the tangled hedgerows and towns of Normandy. Field by field, town by town, the 4ID drove the Germans from the hedgerows. Casualties mounted as the 4ID moved toward the key harbor city of Cherbourg (captured on June 25) and helped to drive the Germans from the Cotentin peninsula. In the vicious hedgerow fighting, the 4ID lost 5,500 casualties just in the month of June but always accomplished the mission assigned it.
11) Breakout from the Hedgerows, July 25 to August 1, 1944. Spearheading the breakout at St. Lo was Task Force Rose, consisting of the 22nd Infantry Regiment riding on the tanks of the 66th Armor Regiment (the same team that makes up the 1st Brigade today). All 4ID units were heavily involved in the breakout which opened up the rush to cut off Germans as they retreated and the Allied drive to Paris.
12) Liberation of Paris, August 25, 1944. For the third month in a row, the 4ID celebrated the 25th of the month with a major milestone. Led by the 12th Infantry Regiment, the 4ID liberated Paris. For political reasons, the French Second Armored Division was the first to enter Paris and were given credit for the liberation. The men of the 4ID knew they held the key role in its liberation. Paris was free, and so, too, for a time was the soldier. The beauty of Paris lay at his feet; the gratitude of Paris tugged at his heart. French and American flags mingled in the cheering crowds that greeted the 4ID; all Paris opened her heart. French were everywhere, cheering, laughing, kissing the GI's, patting jeeps, thrusting handfuls of candy or half empty bottles of perfume into their hands as they rode by. By the next day, Paris was behind them as the 4ID continued their relentless pursuit of the Germans back toward their homeland.
13) First Allied Forces on German soil, September 11, 1944. Late on the night of September 11, a strong patrol from the 22nd Infantry Regiment's Scout and Raider Platoon was organized with the mission of crossing the German frontier. The patrol route extended some eight miles. The patrol was charged, in addition to obtaining enemy information, to return with a jar of German soil which was to be sent to the President of the United States. The patrol, led by LT C. M. Shugart, is believed to have been the first organized allied unit to cross onto German soil during WWII. It crossed the border near Hermmeres, Germany at 2130 hours. No casualties were sustained, and the mission was a success.
14) Penetration of the Siegfried Line, September 14, 1944. Following up on its intial penetration onto German soil on September 11, the 4ID found itself face to face with the "Impregnable West Wall" of Germany. The 4ID spent the better part of September fighting inside the Siegfried Line. Though the 4ID had not actually breached the Line, they had penetrated it to a depth of several miles. Had the necessary supplies, ammunition, and equipment been available, it is believed that the Line could have been breached and the Allied forces driven well into Germany.
.....to be continued.
Source: Research of Bob Babcock in interviews with 4ID veterans from WWII and "History of the 22nd Infantry Regiment in World War II" by Dr. Bill Boice and "History of the 12th Infantry Regiment in World War II" by COL Gerden Johnson.
Daily accounts of 4ID actions in WWII will resume on January 15.
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What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) I got an e-mail from son in Bayji, Iraq 1-22 infantry B-Co 1st Plt. out of Ft. Hood...... He said everything was going pretty smooth and he couldn't wait to get home. It has been very cold at night for them, but pretty nice during the day. And he also asked a lot about home. He is doing good and feeling good also. And all the guys were doing okay. Can't wait till April. ..... GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS AND ALL COME HOME SAFE
2) Had a great phone call from my son. He was just promoted to captain on 1 January. He is with 1-8 Infantry, 3BCT: "The Fighting Eagles" He talked about how sad he and his unit are about the loss of CPT Paliwoda. They continue to be under attack nightly by rounds of mortar fire. Otherwise, things seem to be going okay.
3) Today was a sad day. My husband (1-10 Cav) came home at the end of November after being at Walter Reed for a month and a half and left today to go back to Iraq. It was hard to let him go again but I know he has to do his duty like the other soldiers...... I will be happy to have him home for good. It was hard to let him go, not because of the time apart, which does bother me, but for the fear I live with every day he is gone. I just pray God will bring him and the others home safe for good. I will be looking for the news on his unit that you talked about. Although I know he won't be in it I would still like to see about his unit. They have moved quite a bit since he has been home and I am curious to see what they are doing now.
4) My husband is in C 1/10 CAV. Last weekend I was in Galveston with some friends, including my "battle buddy" and her husband who has recently returned from Iraq for a PCS. We were having a last hurrah before we have to go through that part of military life that I will never get used to - saying goodbye to dear friends. We went to eat dinner at Joe's Crab Shack on the Seawall and had an experience that gave us all that warm, fuzzy feeling, so I thought I would share it in the hopes that the feeling would be contagious! My friend's husband was wearing an "Operation Iraqi Freedom" t-shirt, and after we had been there for a little while, our server approached and told him that another patron wanted to buy him the drink of his choice as a thank you for his service. He went to thank the person, and found out his benefactor was a soldier himself, recently out of flight school, and PCSing to Fort Hood to be a part of 1CAV. Shortly after that, our server asked them both to stand up and announced to the restaurant that there were two special patrons she wanted to recognize - one who had recently returned from Iraq and one who would be going over soon. Both were cheered and applauded by the other diners in the crowded restaurant - you could tell they were somewhat embarrassed, but also gratified that their efforts were appreciated. When everything settled down and the time came for us to pay our bill, our server brought it over and told us that one of their regular patrons, who wished to remain anonymous, had left $100 to put toward our bill! It was truly a moving experience as we realized that complete strangers were so appreciative of what our soldiers do for our country. Several people came over to our table to thank my friend's husband, and we all received hugs and thanks from another man who was teary-eyed as he recalled his father's service in WWII. It was one of those moments that we will always remember - and I hope others feel comfort and pride when they realize how much the efforts of our family members and friends mean to those for whom they are fighting. (Hooah! Thanks for sharing this).
5) I heard from my son in law (B Co 2/8) the other night. He called to talk to the baby who is now 4 months old. The baby mostly listens and looks around trying to figure out where his daddy is. He definately knows the voice but can't figure out where the voice is coming from. My son in law sounded tired. He said they have been really busy with a lot of missions. He is hoping to get to see his wife, (my daughter A Co, 21st CSH, I get emails from her almost daily) in the next couple weeks when the unit has to do another supply run. Both he and my daughter are excited about coming home. They both miss the little one. We are so proud of both of them and all the others who have left behind loved ones to serve this country. God Bless them all!
(Editor's Note: And God Bless you for taking care of your grandson while both his parents are in Iraq).
6) We finally received the precious small USB-drive that our son (555 14 EN BN, Fort Lewis) sent while on R & R in Qatar. It's full of images that match his stories from last summer and will be cherished forever. Along with all the paper clippings and your updates, these will be a great addition to his scrapbook. The faces of Iraqi's young and old were special, just humans who want freedom and badly need the help we're givng them. We quickly sent the drive back along with an additional drive so he can download more pictures. The digital camera was a wise choice because he's never been able to email, write or call much from his location! I also sent him an address book along with a page of self adhesive labels with his address info to give out to fellow soldiers, after reading your suggestion to collect full names (he had said recently that he doesn't know anyone's first names, only rank and last name) and addresses. ..... It was a good day watching the 101 Airborne soldiers come home this morning on CNN and sharing my son's photos at work. Your update of 1/7 had me crying and laughing, the "You might be an Military wife if" was very amusing to a non-military Mom, and the update from the Mom who had to drive in the center of the road and almost lost her son in a parking lot made me laugh and cry. Thank you for making my day. .....Side note: I'm working on a special stained glass project designed with my son's ranks surrounding the 4th ID Ivy's symbol and am so excited to present it to him, will send you a picture when it's done. There are so many things we can do for them and they deserve everything!
7) I am an Army Nurse midwife stationed at Fort Hood. This place amazes me with the amount of babies born to our soldiers and their families. I will say, however, that we have hit a low in the numbers now that it has been more than 9 nonths since the 4th left. We in the "Baby Business" are calling this the calm before the storm! I love my patients and strive to bring them the best birth experience they can get. I know it is difficult to go through labor and birth without your spouse. Birth is a beautiful experience and if I could have one wish it would be that all my moms have their loved ones present but that is not something within my control. I would, however like to commend all the women who have been so brave and endured labor (and my bad jokes :) during this last year of deployment. Also, to the fathers coming home to see their children for the first time, remember that it does not make you a Daddy just because you were there for the delivery....you are a Daddy when you are there for everything that comes after that. Enjoy your babies, guys!
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Families Sharing R&R Moments:
1) My husband is with 1-4 AVN based in Tikrit. He has been on R&R for the last two-weeks and leaves this weekend to return for the last few weeks of his year long deployment. We were truly blessed to have him here for Christmas Day. I had contracted food poisoning so I couldn't pick him up from the airport. A very nice family of another traveling soldier brought him to the Ft. Hood area. Then the father-in-law of the other traveling soldier, (a retired soldier), brought my husband to the house. We've had a wonderful time together! We will be gratefully and expectantly looking forward to the day our soldier returns on a permanent basis.
2) We were one of the forunate to have our grandson ( HHB 3-29 - outside of Samarra) home with us for 2 weeks just before Christmas - what an awesome time for us as a family. We watched him sleep, laugh with his high school buddies (one buddy took a whole week off from work and stayed here with our grandson), let him eat whatever he wanted (mostly pizza and pepsi), and do whatever he wanted. He mostly played on the computer and watched TV. He took time to speak to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th grade classes. It was so touching to see how these children responded to him and the wonderful questions they asked. He said one of the hardest things being back home was to have people come and want to shake his hand and thank him for serving our country. Just the thought makes me cry. With people like that in our great country I'm sure it gives our soldiers a positive feeling while being back in Iraq. Was very hard to see our grandson head back over there but he said he was fine with going back to complete his job. We have heard from him a couple of times by e-mail and he did say that things are pretty calm right now. We keep all of them in our prayers, especially those families that lost loved one during this time.
3) I just returned from Ft. Hood yesterday afternoon. My brother is home on R&R. He is with the BRT 2nd Brigade. He looks fantastic and he kept me laughing the whole time I was there. First, I want to thank my wonderful sister-law for sharing him with us for a few days in the middle of his R&R. It meant the world to my mom and I to see him. It is sure to help these next few months go by a little faster....Bob, it is the coolest thing I have ever experienced as a sister. As I would sit and listen to him share stories and talk about his soldiers, I could not help but be consumed by his energy. His passion for doing his job and doing it well is overwhelming. It is obvious he is a great leader. I have the letters from many of his soldiers confirming that.
It was such a privilege to be in his presense for those few day. I know he is "just" my brother, but for the first time in my life I actually saw him as the great hero he really is. No one could possibly understand what these great men and women are going through unless you hear it first hand. I never heard him complain. I only heard him talk about his work and how well his soldiers performed. I only wish his guys could have heard their Sgt. saying such great things about them. He is as proud of them as we are of him.
4) It's taking me days to catch up on all the news since my soldier came home (B2/20 FA) for R&R. Its been a whirlwind vacation for us...we traveled from DFW to our home then to San Antonio for Xmas then went through Louisiana up to Alabama and back home (near Ft Hood) all in a weeks time...The last week was spent visiting family and friends(he hates to sit still even after all this time in Iraq) Since the day he got home I have not watched or read any news...I just kept staring at the poor guy saying is this really you if it's not I am in BIG trouble...and he just smiles! What an amazing smile! All the support that we have received has been wonderful. My family adores him and missed him just as much as I did. His parents came with me to pick him up and stayed with the boys so we could have some time to ourselves. Taking him back yesterday was heart wretching but I know it's almost time for him and the rest of 4ID to be returning!!
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