The Indianhead

Receivers Are Here!!!

2012-01-30T20:12:00.004-06:00

I picked up my new upper and lower receivers today at Carl Jarl in Omaha - sent from NoDak Spud up in Minnesota. Tim is a great guy to work with and the FFL paperwork was pretty painless. I was very impressed with the new parts - they look great!!! So the actual rifle kind of looks like a rifle now if I lay all the major components out together on the floor. My next step is to get some proper engraving done on the lower receiver and then it'll be time to get the whole thing put together. Almost there...

The M16A1 Project

2012-01-23T21:05:00.003-06:00

I started an enormous undertaking back in December to build my own semi-automatic version of a Vietnam-era M16A1. I've ordered lots of parts, received lots of parts and am patiently waiting on a few more key parts that are on back-order. Overall, it's coming together nicely and I've learned a lot in the process. So hopefully sometime this spring (if not sooner) I can post some photos of the finished rifle. I gotta say, I love this project!!!

Battle of the Bulge 2012

2012-01-18T20:30:00.030-06:00

The new year is finally here and so is an exciting new year of living history and reenacting! The men of the 2nd I.D. started out the new year with one of our favorite events down at Camp Clark with the 137th Infantry's annual Battle of the Bulge tactical. The event took place over the weekend of January 13-15 and was attended by myself, Matt, Will, Jeff, Kirk, and Logan. We started the weekend with a group visit to the National World War I Museum in Kansas City and then it was on to Camp Clark and the fireworks! Rather than expound on everything that happened over the weekend, I think I'm just going to let the pictures do the talking. I really enjoyed photographing our group throughout the weekend and feel like I captured some pretty cool moments. Enjoy!

Unit Christmas Dinner 2011

2011-12-13T21:20:00.007-06:00

The men of the 2nd I.D. reconnected at our old stomping grounds on Saturday, December 10 for some beers, dumplings and laughs at the Bohemian Cafe in Omaha. In attendance were Dave, Jeff, Eric, Will and Matt. We had a great time discussing the events of this past year and doing some pre-planning for 2012. Afterwards we took some photos of the group with most of us dressed in our Class A uniforms. It was really fun to see everyone again and I look forward to an exciting 2012 that will be Second to None!

A Veteran's Week Visit

2011-11-06T20:40:00.004-06:00

With Veteran's Day approaching this Friday I wanted to get out and make a visit to the resting place of Donald Steven Waite, the local 101st Airborne soldier who I have been following on this blog through most of 2011. I knew that he was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery here in Omaha, so with some quick hunting on the internet I got a pretty good idea of where he was located at in the cemetery. Once I entered Forest Lawn Cemetery, that became a whole different story - the place is huge and just keeps going and going. I must have driven around for 10 minutes looking for the "Garden of the Apostles" until I finally stumbled upon it. Once I found that section of land, it was easy for me to locate his grave. Wow. It felt kind of mind-numbing that I was finally here. I have been following this man's story for the better part of two years. I had dedicated my Vietnam War exhibit to him back in 2010, an event where I met his mother for the first time. I had written about him on this blog, finally tracking down a photo of him and retracing his story. I had seen his name on a traveling Vietnam Wall in Omaha and then traced his name with my fingers at the actual Vietnam Wall in Washington DC this past May. And now here I stood. Face to face with his final resting place. It felt very surreal... just envisioning his life... his training and journey to Vietnam... his time there and what he meant to his comrades... and then his death and his body coming back home to Nebraska. And then I just spent some time thinking about the 43 years of peace and solitude on this quiet little piece of land that have passed. I was thinking about all of the things that he has missed, all of the things and events that he never got to enjoy or be a part of. It was a beautiful day today - sunny with a crispness to the air. The autumn leaves blowing in the wind. It was one of those days today that I enjoy so much... and I just wish Donnie could have been around to enjoy a day like this too. God Bless you Donnie. And thank you once again for your service and your sacrifice on this Veteran's Day.

Omaha World War I Memorial

2011-09-12T20:49:00.008-05:00

This past Sunday evening, my family and I went to a free concert at Turner Park in Omaha in remembrance of 9/11. The concert was great and the music by the Omaha Symphony and the Air Force Heartland of America Band was very inspiring. While we were there I took some nice sunset photos of the World War I memorial that stands at the corner of Farnam Street and Turner Boulevard. The memorial was finished in 1937 and was financed by the Omaha chapter of the American War Mothers. It was built by the federal Works Project Administration. The three stars featured at the top of the arch are painted blue in honor of living veterans, silver for disabled veterans and gold to honor those who died in combat. The memorial underwent some recent restoration work by McGill Restoration in August 2011 and has now been restored to its former glory. My favorite little detail of this and all monuments built before World War II is how it refers to World War I as the "World's War" with no one guessing at the time that there would be yet another world war in the near future. Along these lines, I think that the most unsettling title for World War I has always been "The Great War." The juxtaposition of "great" with "war" has always seemed slightly uncomfortable to me. At any rate, this memorial remains a small but but proud Omaha monument to those brave men who fought and died in the first "World's War."

2nd Infantry Division's 90th Reunion

2011-09-01T17:09:00.031-05:00

The men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association journeyed down to St. Louis, Missouri for perhaps our most important and meaningful event to date. We were invited by the Second Indianhead Division Association to be a part of their 90th Annual Reunion to set up a display honoring the division's proud history. So Dave, Will, Jeff, Kirk, Logan and myself travelled to St. Louis on Friday, August 26 to set up our display. The event was held at the Sheraton Westport Chalet which is an incredible meeting and event location. We got in later on Friday afternoon and immediately began hauling in our gear and setting up tables. Here's a photo of the entrance to the hotel on Saturday morning with the sun rising on the Indianhead's welcome banner.

Saturday was a beautiful morning in St. Louis. Jeff and I got an early start and took some outdoor photos before breakfast. Here's a nice view of the Westport Chalet Hotel - it felt like we had stumbled into a European village or a ski resort town somewhere with all the tudor style buildings.
Here's a photo that Jeff took of me standing at ease. This is probably my favorite uniform in my entire collection. I absolutely love the Army's OG-107 uniform of the late 1950's and early 60's. The gold and black Army tape, the black and white name tape, the black belt and the black leather boots just look sharp!
Here's a shot I took of Jeff wearing his World War II OD's. There were a whole lotta Indianhead patches this weekend. That's fer sure... that's fer dang sure!!!
This is the beginning of my display. Here I am showing some Korean War uniform jackets and some helmets. Also note the blue Korean War Veterans flag on the front of this table.
Here is a close-up of the Korean War helmets. The far helmet has the Indianhead painted on the front, the middle helmet has an improvised burlap helmet cover, and the closest helmet I kept clean with just the elastic helmet band.
This is all of the gear I had on my Korean War tables. The old M1 rifle sure got a lot of attention. I can't even begin to count the number of World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam veterans who have touched or held my M1 over the years. It's made a lot of guys smile and everyone always comments on what a great weapon it was - their favorite!
Here's the beginning of my 1960's tables with some gear, the M1952 Armored Vest, some helmets and the 2nd Division flag.
This is a close-up of two helmets with the Mitchell pattern camouflage helmet cover - one with the brown side out and the other with the green side out. The baseball cap in the foreground is a 1969-dated Hot Weather Field Cap with the 23rd Infantry Regiment's DUI on the front.
Here some more 60's-era gear with a M61 Buttpack, a Poncho Liner, my awesome Jungle Boots and some web gear items.
And this is the rest of my 60's gear with some personal effects, two M26 Grenades, a M56 Shovel, a Flashlight, a Machete, a M7 Bayonet and an Aircrew Survival Knife. The boots are the early pattern Leather Combat Boots.
An overall view of my corner and Jeff's corner display right across from mine.
The next few photos are David Jameson's display as well as Will Green's uniform rack and his famous "Bunk of Junk." These guys fit all of this stuff in one minivan if you can believe that!

Here's a bunch of the vets checking out our display on Saturday morning. From about 8:00 until about 11:30 we were getting tons of veterans, their wives and families coming through our display room. It was everything I'd hoped it would be!
Here's Dave talking with Mr. Ritchey (sp?) I'll have to get the whole story on here later but this guy was a 12 year old Belgian orphan who befriended some 2nd I.D. soldiers and they smuggled him back to the United States in an army duffelbag!!! They got caught when they were on the transport ship back, but the U.S. let him stay over here instead of shipping him back. What a story! I'll have to post a photo of him as well back from 1945.

This is Mr. Gordon Fisher of Toms River, New Jersey who was a real member of I Company, 23rd Infantry Regiment during World War II. Holy Cow! This guy was in the actual company that our unit reenacts when we hit the field. His stories were very touching and amazing to hear. Meeting him was the highlight of the entire weekend for me.
Here's Will just trying to fit in with all the mannequin heads. The burlap helmet cover blends in so well with the wallpaper that you can hardly see it!
Ahhhh... me and Kirk's M-16A1. Now this is something I could get used to. It's not every day you get to hold one of these retro rifles. I've got to start building my own here pretty soon!
I colorized this one to look like it may have been taken in 1970. I'm not sure how effective this technique was but I thought I'd give it a shot.
Here's a smiling group of 2nd I.D. lads at Saturday night's dinner banquet. The guest speaker gave a presentation on all of the 2nd Division monuments and markers in Europe. A snore fest for some - but I was fascinated by all of it! Everyone thought we looked pretty sharp in our Class A service coats - which we did!
And finally one more photo of the guys. It was an incredible experience and one that I will not soon forget. I wish they were having the reunion in St. Louis or Kansas City or Omaha every year because I can hardly wait for the next one. Second To None Since World War One!!!

International Plastic Modelers' Society Convention

2011-08-07T21:16:00.011-05:00

On Saturday, August 6, Dave, Jeff, Erik and I braved the heat and put on a small display at the International Plastic Modelers' Society Convention which was held in Omaha. I had never even heard of this organization before, but it was actually a pretty cool deal. We set up Dave's small Wall Tent and a few tables with World War II weapons. Our display was pretty low-key compared to our usual standards, but there were a lot of great vehicles to see up close. We reconnected with some of our pals from other units in the area, and met a lot of great modelers from around the U.S. and several foreign countries including Taiwan and Belgium.

4th of July Parade 2011

2011-07-06T21:20:00.017-05:00

The men of the 2nd I.D. were back in action at Ralston's 51st Annual Independence Day parade on Monday, July 4th. We had 10 guys march this time around which I believe is a parade record for us. This year we decided to let each guy choose a different impression to honor all of our World War II veterans. Christopher Vodicka, a co-worker of mine, wore a 2nd I.D. camouflage uniform from the Normandy campaign. Casey Sill, formerly a member of the 2nd I.D., came as a paratrooper of the 82nd Airborne. Steve went with a 101st Airborne impression, David wore a late-war 2nd I.D. impression, Jeff represented the U.S. Navy and Will came in his pre-war denim fatigues and doughboy helmet. Also marching were Erik in his HBT uniform and Kevin and Tyler in their 2nd I.D. wools. Oh yeah, and everyone's favorite Marine showed up in my Iwo Jima impression. The weather was hot but we soldiered on through the heat. Being at the start of the parade we made it through the parade route pretty quickly. My family was there cheering us on - the second to last photo is me and my 6 month old son, Rowan Henry. What a handsome lad!!! It was a great parade and yet another great 4th of July!

Normandy in Nebraska

2011-06-26T15:01:00.010-05:00

The men of the 2nd I.D. LHA gathered together on Saturday, June 25 for a training and live-fire event. The day started at the Strategic Air & Space Museum where we held an administrative meeting inside the C-47 and also toured the inside of the B-29 currently under restoration. Present were Dave, Jeff, Matt, Eric #1, Erik #2, Will, and Steve. After our meeting we headed out to "The Pit" which is some really great land that Jeff has been able to use in the past for shooting. We took some really great photos all decked out in our U.S. Army camouflage HBTs and found that we blended in with the summer foliage quite well! The terrain really made me feel like I was somewhere in Normandy. We spent a few hours shooting M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, Thompson Sub Machine Guns, Colt M1911s, 1903 Springfields and a plethora of other weapons. It was AWESOME!!!! We had a few K-rations to fight off our mid-day hunger and then did some close order drill. So enjoy a few of the photos that I took and I will post more photos from Dave and Jeff as they become available.

The Night of Nights

2011-06-05T14:34:00.009-05:00

For years I have referred to June 5th as the "night of nights." This time it marks the 67th anniversary of the Allied invasion of western Europe. And living in the "post-Band-of-Brothers-world" that we live in, it is known by many that it was the American 101st Airborne Division (and Easy Company of the 506th) that jumped from the darkened skies that night, battled it out with the treacherous nazi occupiers, and eventually won the day for the Allies. But the Screaming Eagles of the 101st were not alone on that fateful night. They were joined by their "big brothers" from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division and the British 6th Airborne Division. And so this year, I felt that it was important to recognize those other paratroopers and glider-borne troops who fought so valiantly and captured and secured for the Allied forces their objectives on that night.

Of particular interest to me personally are the British paras known as the "Ox and Bucks" who captured Pagasus Bridge over the Orne River. A force of 181 men, led by Major John Howard, they took off from southern England in six Horsa Gliders to capture Pegasus Bridge, and also Horsa Bridge, a few hundred yards to the east. The force included elements of B and D Companies, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, a platoon of B Company, Royal Engineers, and men of the Glider Pilot Regiment. The object of this action was to prevent German armor from crossing the bridges and attacking the eastern flank of the landings at Sword Beach. Five of the Ox and Bucks' gliders landed as close as 47 yards from their objectives at 16 minutes past midnight. The attackers scrambled out of their crashed gliders, completely surprising the German defenders, and took the bridges within 10 minutes. They lost two men in the process. Lance Corporal Fred Greenhalgh drowned when his glider landed. And Lieutenant Den Brotheridge was killed crossing the bridge in the first minutes of the assault and thus became the first member of the Allied invasion forces to be killed in combat on D-Day. The Ox & Bucks were reinforced half-an-hour after the landings by the British 7th Parachute Battalion, and linked up with the beach landing forces upon the arrival of Lord Lovat's Commandos on June 6th. This photo shows the wreckage of one of the Horsa gliders and British forces marching over Pegasus Bridge.

Here is a photo of Lieutenant Herbert Denham "Den" Brotheridge. He commanded a platoon in Major Howard's 'D' Company of the Ox and Bucks and led a charge across Pegasus Bridge. He reached the opposite side of the bridge where he dropped a grenade into a machine-gun post. In the same instant he was shot through the neck. Mortally wounded, it was several hours before he died, but he was classed the first soldier to die as a result of enemy action on D-Day.

Lt. Den Brotheridge is buried in the War Cemetery in Ranville Churchyard near Caen, France. Ranville was the first village in France to be liberated. At the bottom of his marker it reads, "Out of the bitterness of war he found the perfect peace". Major Howard was informed of Lieutenant Brotheridge's injuries. He later wrote, "It really shook me, because it was Den and how much of a friend he was, and because my leading platoon was now without an officer. At the top of my mind was the fact that I knew Margaret, his wife, was expecting a baby almost any time." Denis Edwards, No.25 Platoon's sniper, wrote "every one of us was really distressed that Lieutenant Brotheridge should have been killed in that way at the very start of our mission. He was a man for whom we had the greatest respect. Like all our Airborne officers, he had never asked us to do anything that he would not do himself."

Iwo Jima Memorial & Arlington

2011-06-02T21:06:00.019-05:00

On Tuesday, May 24 I had the incredible opportunity to visit the Marine Corps War Memorial (also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial) and Arlington National Cemetery. Both of these sites are truly national treasures and should be visited by every American. Around 1:00PM I grabbed a quick cab ride over the Potomac River from Georgetown to the Iwo Jima Memorial. When I got there, I saw that a platoon or more of Marines were on the grounds drilling for an upcoming ceremony or special event. That was pretty cool to see - and they were good! The memorial itself is monumental. I can not even describe the size and imposing power and emotion that the statue conveys. It is an absolutely incredible piece of art! I photographed the monument from all angles and circled it more than a few times. There are four informational markers surrounding the statue detailing the history of the Corps, the battle for Iwo Jima, the flag raising, and making the memorial. I left there feeling very inspired and overwhelmingly proud of my great uncle Bob Lauritsen once again and his service on Iwo. Semper Fi Bob!

After my time at the Iwo Jima Memorial I wandered down a road that I felt would lead me to Arlington National Cemetery... and I was right. Over the next hill I began to see them in the distance, the white stone headstones dotting the green landscape. I went in through a side gate and was immediately in awe of the scene which lay sprawled out before me. Perfectly aligned, row after row, each stone standing proud... and silent. The mood there is very somber but there is a pride in the heart of each American that stands among those stones. A feeling that our freedom was earned for us by these men, and we are so very thankful for all that they have given for us. A few rows into my visit I stumbled upon a grave that I never expected to see. On the back of the stone was a bronze plaque depicting the Iwo Jima flag raising, and as I walked around to see whose grave it was I was astonished. There before me was the final resting place of Rene Gagnon, one of the six flag raisers of the famous second flag on Iwo Jima. WOW!!! Uncle Bob had seen that flag raised on February 23, 1945, and now here I stood at the grave of one of those men. Unbelievable! I then ventured on and saw several Medal of Honor markers, President William Howard Taft's grave, General Omar Bradley's grave, and then finally John F. Kennedy's burial site and the eternal flame. It was quite a special day for me. I didn't make it to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard, but I'll be back someday.

World War II Memorial and the Wall

2011-05-27T20:49:00.017-05:00

May 21st through the 24th I was in Washington D.C. for a work-related trip. I had the good fortune of traveling with my wonderful boss who was willing to do some sightseeing with me at a few of the military monuments and memorials. So late in the day on Sunday, May 22, our itinerary took us past the World War II Memorial and the Vietnam Wall. I wasn't sure that we would be visiting these memorials on this day so I was a little unprepared for the experience. And within a few photos of being at the WWII Memorial, the memory card on my camera said that it was full! I couldn't believe it. Talk about the worst timing EVER!!! So here are a few photos from the two memorials. I had to be very conservative in my process of taking pictures and, looking back on it now, I wish I would have tried some different angles or taken some different shots. But this is what I ended up with. The World War II Memorial is very spacious and open and the sound of the fountains calmly drowned out all the other noises of the bustling city. The Nebraska marker stands nestled among other state markers at the Pacific end of the memorial. The field of gold stars is presented behind an engraved marker stating. "Here we mark the price of Freedom." Each gold star represents 100 American service men or women who died in World War II, and believe me - it's a lot of stars!

On our walk to the Vietnam Memorial, we were harassed by a crabby Vietnam veteran of the 101st Airborne Division in a wheel chair. He was all bent out of shape about his benefits, about the VA screwing him over and the commie bullet still lodged in his back. He was also somewhat scornful of me wearing an "Airborne" t-shirt without having earned that distinctive honor. I felt bad for him but there wasn't much I could do. I thought it was quite ironic that I was getting chewed-out by a Screaming Eagle when the one person who I came to the wall to find was a 101st Screaming Eagle himself. So after flipping through one of the nearby directories, I was able to find the name of Donald Steven Waite, whom I have written about previously on this blog. I had planned to find the names of several other fallen soldiers, sailors and marines, but the daylight was running out, we were hungry and I had no more room on my camera. And so sadly for me, we pushed on and headed back to Georgetown. I left the two memorials inspired and in awe, filled with the hope that I will someday return and spend some more time at these two silent reminders of the cost of our freedom.

The Doolittle Raiders Reunion

2011-04-17T22:26:00.022-05:00

On Sunday, April 17th, our group gathered once again at the Strategic Air & Space Museum to help celebrate the Doolittle Raiders 69th Anniversary Reunion. Four of the five surviving Doolittle Raiders took part in the Sunday brunch and autograph signing session, Dick Cole, Tom Griffin, David Thatcher, and Ed Saylor. Bob Hite may have been there earlier but was unable to be a part of the autograph session. Here is a James Deitz print entitled Early Launch that I was fortunate enough to have the Raiders sign. It was an amazing honor to meet these brave men, shake their hand, and give them a heart-felt "thank you."

April 18, 2011 marks the actual 69th Anniversary of the Doolittle raid. The raid marked the first strike against the Japanese home islands, and was carried out just over four months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The raid demonstrated that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack and gave Americans everywhere a much needed boost of morale. Sixteen B-25B Mitchell medium bombers were launched from the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier USS Hornet deep in theWestern Pacific Ocean. The plan called for them to bomb military targets in Japan, and to continue westward to land in China—landing a medium bomber on the Hornet was impossible. All of the aircraft involved in the bombing were lost and 11 crewmen were either killed or captured—with three of the captured men executed by the Japanese Army in China. One of the B-25s landed in the Soviet Union, where it was confiscated and its crew interned for more than a year. Thirteen entire crews, and all but one crewman of a 14th, returned either to the United States or to American forces. This photo shows a B-25 flying off the deck of the Hornet as helmeted Navy personell cheer them on. Despite the fact that none of the B-25 pilots, including Doolittle, had ever taken off from a carrier before, all 16 aircraft launched safely between 08:20 and 09:19.
Here's the crew of Airplane #1 from the 34th Squadron posing in front of their B-25 (#40-2344) on the deck of the USS Hornet. The crew is Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle (second from left), pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner. Lt. Col. Doolittle's bomber was the first over Japan and the first to drop its bomb load. The four incendiaries fell at 12:30 p.m. (Tokyo time) to incinerate a large factory. Doolittle then flew west to reach the coast of China after dark. By 9:30 fuel was low and unable to find an airfield in the heavy fog, Doolittle ordered his crew to bail out among the mountains of China. He then followed them into the night, his B-25 crashing on a nearby mountainside. The only injury sustained by any of the crew was a sprained ankle. Local Chinese escorted the Americans to Chuchow from where they eventually returned home safely.

Here is a B-25 bomber on permanent display at the Air & Space Museum. It has been painted to resemble one of the original Doolittle Raider aircraft.
All of the Raiders came through and looked at our exhibit as soon as they arrived. We even got a few comments from them concerning our uniforms and accoutrements. Here Tom Griffin examines our display of wartime U.S. Army gear. It was probably the greatest honor I have ever had during one of our unit display. Simply unforgettable!
This is an interior shot of a second B-25 that the museum has on display. This B-25 has a metal staircase and walkway running right along the main body of the aircraft. In addition, sections of the fuselage are cut-away so visitors can look right into the bomb bay and other areas of the aircraft. And compared to the B-17 and the B-29, this feels like a very cramped little cockpit.
Here's a life-size bronze bust of Lt. Col. Doolittle with a black and white photo of him used as a backdrop. This was behind glass so there are some interesting reflections and glares in the photo.
Jeff McCue and Matt Hazard look happy to be a part of the morning's activities. Jeff put on his favorite U.S. Navy work uniform and Mr. Hazard sported the Class A Wool Service Coat with khaki shirt and early-war black tie.
Ahhhh, campaign hats. Matt and I both love to wear this stylish piece of headgear often associated with drill instructors or stateside training.
Another portrait of Matt Hazard, this time in black and white. The distinctive unit insignias are of the 23rd Infantry Regiment.
A portrait of Mr. David Jameson, our unit president. He's wearing a set of mechanics HBTs and the M41 HBT Cap. Time to go work on an airplane!
Jeff had to get just the right angle on his white Dixie-cup hat. Jeff's ever-expanding U.S. Navy display keeps getting better and better at every event.
Here's Steve Baxter all decked-out in his M42 paratrooper uniform. Looking sharp!
This is our newest member, Eric. He's only just started building his impression but it's looking pretty awesome already. Way to go, Eric!
And finally, a photo of Sergeant Krelle in my khakis and campaign hat. I have a MIVA1 bag under my left arm containing the M2A2 Service Gas Mask. The shoulder sleeve insignia is the Hawaiian Department patch. The Hawaiian Department was the Army's largest overseas department. The Hawaiian Department's two main tasks were to protect the Pacific Fleet from sabotage and defeat any invasion. In April 1941 the Army Chief of Staff assured President Roosevelt: "The Island of Oahu, due to its fortification, its garrison, and its physical characteristics, is believed to be the strongest fortress in the world." If you've ever seen the movie, From Here To Eternity, this is the patch that Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift are wearing on their sleeve.

Let's Make a T-Shirt!

2011-03-29T20:25:00.005-05:00

So at our unit meeting last Sunday we started talking about t-shirts and the fact that our group needs an official unit shirt. We decided long ago that we would come up with a design featuring a 2nd Division photo on the front and a listing of all the cities and towns that the 2nd liberated or went through during World War II on the back. Think of it as a rock group tour shirt except for the army. Then I brought up the idea that we should do something that would be authentic for the World War II soldier to wear as well, to be worn under our uniforms when training or in the field. A lot of you may have seen a famous t-shirt design that the Airborne troops wore during the war featuring an open parachute and the words "U.S. Paratroops - Ft.Benning, Ga." Well, I commented that maybe we could do something with Camp McCoy, Wisconsin seeing as how the 2nd did a lot of their training there. Will Green google searched it to see if anything would come up and "BAM" there it was! This is a photo of Ray Nosaka at Camp McCoy sometime in 1942 with the verbage and design we were looking for.

Being a graphic designer, I said I could pretty much replicate the design and we could make a batch of them for our unit. So here it is folks! I may have to tweak a few minor things, but I think the finished product should look pretty similar to this. The first photo here is the artwork that I developed and the second photo shows what the design should look like on a plain white 1940's style t-shirt. This particular shirt is sold by At The Front for $15. You can check them out here:

http://www.atthefront.com/us/uniforms/underwear.html

March 27th Unit Meeting

2011-03-28T20:02:00.004-05:00

The men of the 2nd I.D. LHA gathered at Brewsky's Bar & Grill on Sunday, March 27 to refine our plans for the next few months' events. The primary goal of the meeting was to decide what our course of action would be for the upcoming Doolittle Tokyo Raiders 69th Anniversary Reunion running from April 14-17. We will be focusing our efforts on doing a large static display at the Strategic Air & Space Museum on Saturday night and Sunday morning in conjunction with the reunion's other events. Our unit members will be dressed in authentic uniforms representing the navy, army infantry, engineers, mechanics and other 1942-themed impressions. I am really looking forward to this events and to hopefully meeting the five surviving Doolittle Raiders. As is the case with so many of the events we participate in, this will truly be a once in a lifetime experience!

March Rolls In Like A Lion

2011-03-06T20:31:00.013-06:00

On Sunday, March 6, the men of "Item" Company gathered at Ft. Atkinson State Historical Park for some outdoor field training and close order drill. The scenario for the day was to envision that we were indeed training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin in March of 1943 before the 2nd Division headed overseas. And while we were well prepared for our training, we were all quite unprepared for the extremely cold temperatures and blustery winds. I've been to some pretty cold events throughout my years as a reenactor, but this had to be one of the most miserable days I've been through. We were all dressed for slightly warmer weather and while the M1941 Field Jacket may be quite stylish, it's nowhere near sufficient as a cold weather coat. Brrrrrr!!! This first photo is Jeff, Kevin and Matt preparing for our first drill exercises. Looks like Mr. Hazard has been in the field for two weeks with all that scruff!

Here's a pretty cool photo of our six M-1 Garand rifles and our helmets. We'll have to work on stacking arms again once the weather gets a little nicer.

A very dapper Mr. Scott Rowe models the 5 Button Highneck Sweater and the Wool Knit Jeep Cap. Both items were well loved by the G.I.s back in 1944.
After an hour and a half of close order drill, we spent some time scouting out the area and practicing squad formations and movement. Here's a shot of Jeff and Dave pushing forward after getting the "all clear" sign from our scouts.
Ahhh, a close-up shot of yours truly. Note the world-famous "Indianhead" insignia of the 2nd Division painted on my steel pot. Looks like the cold has put me into a rather grouchy mood - either that our I'm just trying to play the part of the mean, old drill sergeant.
Kevin acted as our squad leader for the field training portion of the day. Here he discusses with Jeff the proper procedures for scouts to enter a wooded area. Our two scouts, Matt and Scott, had deserted us by this point and were nowhere to be seen.
Oh there they are! Turns out that Matt and Scott were working for the Germans and started blasting away at us as soon as we came upon their hiding places. Very tricky those two - the smirks say it all. We'll see if they ever get to be scouts again!
Pvt. Matt Hazard, or is it Jeremiah Johnson...??? Either way, he performed well in the field and we're glad he made it out for the day.
After a quick refresher course on unit hand signals we decided to pack it up and head back to the fort. That wind just blew right through us out in those woods.
We held a little admin meeting as we cracked open some K-ration canned meat and crackers. Hazard brought a six pack of bottled Coke so we all had one of those as well. It was fun to see everyone again and get in a little training, but it's safe to say that we're all ready for spring. And hopefully March will go out like a lamb and not like a lion.

In Memoriam

2011-02-15T21:15:00.008-06:00

Last week marked the 43rd anniversary of the night SPC 4 Donald Steven Waite was killed near Quang Tri, South Vietnam on February 9. Donald, or Donnie as his family called him, was a soldier in Alpha Company of the 502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. He was from Omaha, Nebraska and was the brother of Karen McGrane who is a longtime friend of my mother. My Armed Forces Day display in May 2010 was dedicated to Donnie.

As stated, Donnie was with A Co 1/502 which had been stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky before arrival in Vietnam in December 1967. February saw 1/502 in the middle of operation, “Jeb Stuart”. Many logistical problems occurred under the constant moving concept used by the Brigade. There was a great shortage of clothing, batteries, LSA, all types of class IV barrier material, demolitions, hand grenades, trip flares, booby traps, and claymore mines.

During the day of Feb. 8, the 1st Battalion continued search and destroy operations southeast of Quang Tri. Light contact was made during the day. Aerial observation and other sources had given 1/502 credit for 250 NVA killed for the period Feb. 4-8 1968. But during the night of Feb. 8, Alpha Company and Bravo Company were infiltrated by enemy sappers. Attacks were very heavy. During the night and into the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 9, eight 502nd men were killed with an additional 19 being wounded in action. Eleven NVA were killed. Among the dead were the following:

SSG Benard John Caron

Canada / Age 31

SP6 Charles J. Crawford, Jr.

Jersey City, New Jersey / Age 20

CPL Clyde Lawrence De Mello

El Cerrito, California / Age 18

SP4 Thomas Norton

New York, New York / Age 20

SP4 Charles Edward Novel

Dyersburg, Tennessee / Age 21

SP4 Benjamin John Terejko, Jr.

Solvay, New York / Age 20

2LT Douglas Burem Wade

Kingsport, Tennessee / Age 20

SP4 Donald Steven Waite

Omaha, Nebraska / Age 19

So this is my salute to Donnie. A kid doing what he loved, just trying to stay alive and make his way home. You are missed by many. You will always be remembered.

Unit Schedule for 2011

2011-01-31T20:17:00.003-06:00

We held a unit meeting at Brewsky's Bar & Grill on Sunday, January 30th and finalized the remainder of our 2011 schedule. We might not get to everything on this list, because it's a nice ambitious list, but we'll sure try! Some of the dates and times may change. We'll see you in the field!

Sunday, February 13
Unit admin meeting 3:00PM

Brewsky's Bar & Grill

Saturday, February 26 - CANCELLED
Outdoor Option - Winter training event at Little Sioux, Iowa
Indoor Option - Air & Space Museum / Admin & drill training

Sunday, March 6
Outdoor Field Training Event & Drill
Fort Atkinson, Nebraska

Sunday, March 27
Indoor or Outdoor Field Training Event
Date and location to be determined

April 16 & 17

2011 Doolittle Tokyo Raiders 69th Anniversary Reunion

Air & Space Museum

Saturday, April 30
Outdoor Field Training Event - Campaign Hats & Wools
Fort Atkinson, Nebraska

Saturday, May 21 (TENTATIVE)
Armed Forces Day Exhibit - Air & Space Museum

Saturday, June 4
Military Timeline Event - possible overnight bivouac
Ft. Atkinson, Nebraska

June 24, 25, 26
Tactical battle hosted by 508th PIR - Little Sioux, Iowa

Monday, July 4
Annual 4th of July Parade - Ralston, Nebraska

July 9 & 10 (TENTATIVE)
25th Annual John C. Fremont Days - Unit display & recruiting event
Fremont, Nebraska

August 26, 27, 28
90th Annual 2nd Infantry Division Assn. National Reunion
Sheraton Westport Hotel, St, Louis, MO 63146

Saturday, September 3
Drill Training Event - Ft. Atkinson, Nebraska

October
2nd I.D. Sponsored Tactical Event - Possibly at Grand Island, Nebraska urban combat site
Date to be determined

November 2011
Veteran's Day Parade or Exhibit - Location to be determined

Ed Mauser Passes - Omaha's Easy Company Veteran

2011-01-24T20:15:00.005-06:00

Ed Mauser, Omaha's very own "Band of Brothers" veteran, died at his home on Friday, January 21 at the age of 94. Ed was the oldest surviving member of the 101st Airborne Division's famed "Easy Company" of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He parachuted into France during the early morning hours of D-Day and fought his way across Europe through Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge and finally ended up capturing Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. Mauser was a Private First Class and rifleman in Easy's 2nd Platoon. In addition to earning two Bronze Stars, he also earned two Purple Hearts for shrapnel wounds suffered in Belgium.

Mauser was a native of Peru, Illinois. He was working in the wristwatch department at the Westclox clock factory in LaSalle, Illinois, when the United States entered World War II after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was drafted into the Army about six weeks later at age 25. His first Army outpost was with the horse cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas, which soon transformed into a mechanized cavalry unit. Mauser was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia and volunteered for paratrooper training. After the war he went back to work for Westclox and married Irene Furlan. Both were children of Slovakian immigrants. They were married 58 years. Mauser moved the family to Omaha from Illinois in 1960. He repaired watches and learned the jewelry business at the Time Center shop. He was a member of the American Legion in Millard.

Edward “Babe” Heffron, a fellow Easy Company veteran, was saddened by Mauser's death. “It's a shame,” Heffron said. “Ed was a good soldier. He went through his share of hell.” Lynn “Buck” Compton was Mauser's platoon leader. They parachuted from the same C-47 on D-Day. “We had a lot of esprit de corps in our outfit,” Compton said. “We were pretty close, and we were proud of our unit.” Mauser enjoyed all of the Band of Brothers glory, but he rejected any attempts to paint him as a hero. “No. I was no hero," Mauser said. "I was one of the guys. That's all.” With the passing of Ed Mauser, there are now 35 known living veterans of Easy Company.

Medal of Honor Event

2011-01-16T13:45:00.007-06:00

On Saturday, January 15, five recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor gathered for a public speaking engagement and autograph session at the Strategic Air & Space Museum near Ashland, Nebraska. The five in attendance pictured left to right, Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, who was awarded the medal for his actions during a 2007 battle in Afghanistan, Captain Thomas Hudner, who crash landed his Corsair to try to save another pilot during the Korean War, Colonel Donald Ballard, a Vietnam War hero and U.S. Navy Corpsman, Chief Warrant Officer Hershel "Woody" Williams, who won the medal for his actions on Iwo Jima, and Sergeant Peter Lemon who was a 1st Air Cavalry recipient from the Vietnam War. They are shown here with Shane Sedlak, a local 12 year old who drew portraits of each of the Medal of Honor guests.
SSgt Giunta and Col. Ballard stand together before the speaking portion of the day. I was very inspired to be so close to these men, standing in the presence of these true heroes.
I was pretty impressed with SSgt. Giunta's dress uniform. The highly polished black leather jump boots looked amazing with the blue dress trousers bloused in them. The black jump boots definitely harkened back to the Airborne uniform of the early 1960's.
Here CWO "Woody" Williams poses with some fellow veterans who were there in support of the Medal of Honor guests and all other veterans. These guys are motorcycle enthusiasts who do a lot to support the local veteran community.

I took a stroll through the rest of the museum after the Medal of Honor event just to take it all in. I had to stop by my favorite airplane in the museum's collection, the B-17G Flying Fortress. Every time I stand before this amazing old "Queen of the Skies" my mind is filled with awe and wonder at how it must have felt to be a part of the Eighth Air Force's daylight bombing runs. You have to have a lot of respect for those brave souls who flew around in these bombers day in and day out.

Women on the Home Front Event

2010-09-23T21:26:00.011-05:00

Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive!

2010-08-18T20:51:00.013-05:00

On Saturday, August 14th the retirement community of Pacific Springs Village held an event to celebrate and commemorate the 65th Anniversary of the end of World War II. So by invitation, Dave, Jeff and I went to represent the 2nd I.D. and put on a display to honor our World War II veterans and their service. Over 400 people were in attendance at the event, many of them residents of Pacific Springs Village and their families. The Avi8ors musical group performed a "USO style" show featuring popular songs from the 1930's and '40's. There was also a lot of great food from the 40's era which the fellas and I devoured over a quick break in the action. Dave represented the U.S. Army, Jeff took care of the Navy, and I proudly donned the Eagle, Globe and Anchor once again to honor the U.S. Marines. It was a really fun and family friendly event and one that I was extremely glad to be a part of.

Indianheads in the Hedgerows

2010-08-08T21:55:00.006-05:00

I uncovered three really unique photos online this week capturing the 2nd Infantry Division in the hedgerows of Normandy. Great photos! I am assuming that they are still frames from some 2nd Division combat footage shot during the Normandy campaign. It's just neat to see the patch and the uniforms as they were really worn in combat. Enjoy!!!

Khaki Uniforms!!!

2010-06-24T19:58:00.005-05:00

Our Authenticity Committee has just decided that this year we will be wearing the cotton khaki uniform for the first time at the Ralston Independence Day Parade. I for one am pretty excited about this news. We have always worn our standard OD wool uniforms for this parade so the lighter weight khakis should feel pretty nice and look really sharp as well. The look we will be going for is an early or pre-war stateside impression with M1 helmets, haversacks, T-handle shovels, cartridge belts, canteens, first aid pouches, gas mask bags, leggings, Type II service shoes, bayonets and M1 rifles. Here is one of my favorite photos of a large formation of G.I.'s marching in New York City wearing this uniform. Wow, they look good!

And here's one more photo of a G.I. wearing the khaki uniform. He looks a little sloppy in his dress and demeanor, but this is the uniform we will be trying to replicate. I'll be posting photos after the 4th to show you how well we achieved the look. God bless America!!!

66th Anniversary of D-Day

2010-06-10T20:44:00.017-05:00

The men of the 2nd Division Living History Association joined forces with HQ Company, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment for a tactical battle on Saturday, June 5th just north of Mondamin, Iowa. The weather and foliage was perfect for an early June Normandy-themed event. The overall turnout for the battle was kind of small, but it was a great experience nevertheless. The 2nd I.D. saw Steve, Gus, Sean, Kevin, Tyler, Dave, myself and Matt Hazard returning to battle the Germans. It was Steve's first event fighting with us as a G.I. and it was Hazard's first event back since his early retirement. We also got a chance to catch up with Rick Tupper and Casey Sill, both formerly of our unit as well as Mike and Chris Dankert who we have known for quite some time as well. The photos have been changed over to black and white with a grainy filter added. The authenticity level was so good for this event that you might think you're seeing photos from the Normandy bocage country sixty-six years ago. Enjoy!!!

The 2nd Division in Normandy

2010-06-03T21:47:00.014-05:00

As we approach the 66th anniversary of "Operation Overlord" and the D-Day invasion of northern France, I thought I would post an inspiring little collection of photos showing the 2nd Infantry Division during their first few days after the invasion. Be sure to click on each individual photo to see the full sized version. Some of these are amazing in the little details they reveal. The first photo shows a line of 2nd Division soldiers advancing towards Omaha Beach probably sometime on D+1. Note the Indianhead patch on the first and third soldiers from the left.

Here we see a mixed group of both Army and Navy Beach Battalion personnel on Omaha Beach. Look for the Indianhead patches on several of the soldiers' left sleeves.
This is probably the most famous photo of the 2nd Division in World War II as they climb up the bluff overlooking Omaha Beach. Just look at all those men!
This photo show a group of 2nd Division soldiers marching through a town shortly after D-Day. Most of the men are wearing HBTs and still have their gas detection brassards on their right sleeve.
Pfc. Rocco Festa of the 2nd Division Headquarters and Military Police Company works on his French as he waits for a landing craft on June 15th.
A 2nd Division Engineer marks a clearing through a French town in ruins.
A group of 2nd Division medics hook an injured soldier up for a blood transfusion. Notice the small Indianhead insignias on the front of their helmets.
A group photo of the G-3 section somewhere in the hedgerows of Normandy.
A 2nd Division soldier examines a knocked-out tank along the side of the road.

"The Pacific" Veterans Reunion

2010-05-26T16:53:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, May 22, the Strategic Air & Space Museum hosted the largest gathering of World War II Marines who served with Eugene Sledge, Robert Leckie and John Basilone who inspired the HBO miniseries "The Pacific." The series is based on the books "With the Old Breed" by E.B. Sledge and "Helmet for My Pillow" by Bob Leckie. In attendance at the reunion were 18 combat veterans from all over the country whose battle experiences include such campaigns as Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Also in attendance at the event was author and historian Hugh Ambrose, son of Stephen Ambrose. Hugh Ambrose is the author of the best-selling book "The Pacific." I had a chance to meet Hugh that morning and had him sign my copy of "The Pacific." But the real highlight of the day for me was meeting all of the old veteran Marines. Each man still had that swagger and passion in his eyes that I have seen with so many Marine veterans. And quite a few of these guys still have a hand shake like a vice grip. I had the tremendous honor of having 17 of them sign the same Marine Corps poster that I had the Iwo Jima veterans sign back in March. So my poster now proudly bears the mark of 23 heroes of the Pacific theater. It was a very touching and unforgettable day for me as a relative of an Iwo Jima survivor. Here is a listing of those who have signed the poster:

James Anderson - New Britain, Peleliu, Okinawa

Harry Bender - K/3/5 Okinawa

Jack Brosnan - B/1/27 Iwo Jima

Norman Casteel - Iwo Jima

John Dillon - K/3/5 Okinawa

Melvin Duncan - Iwo Jima

Robert Galloway - E/2/28 Iwo Jima

Richard Greer - D/1/7 Guadalcanal

Ralph Griffiths - Iwo Jima

Wayburn Hall - H/2/1 Peleliu, Okinawa

James Kerin - B/1/27 Iwo Jima

Sterling Mace - K/3/5 Peleliu, Ngesebus, Okinawa

James Martin - B/1/27 Iwo Jima

Sam Menzelos - K/3/5 Okinawa

Fred Miller - K/3/5 Cape Gloucester, Peleliu

Frank Pomroy - H/2/1 Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu

Clarence Rea - C/1/27 Iwo Jima

John Scheperle - Iwo Jima

Leo Schmittgens - H/2/1 Okinawa

Dave Severance - E/2/28 Iwo Jima

James Young - H/2/1 Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester

Charles "Red" Womack - M/3/5 Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, Okinawa

Armed Forces Day 2010

2010-05-23T20:59:00.011-05:00

On Saturday, May 15th, the men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association gathered for our annual Armed Forces Day display at the Strategic Air & Space Museum. This year I spent several months putting together the beginnings of a really solid Vietnam War collection. I created an 11 foot long "Vietnam Wall" dedicated to the 395 brave Nebraskans who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. My version of the wall listed each man's rank, his hometown and branch of service, as well as his birthday and the day he was killed. It was very well received by a lot of veterans and their families. It was just my little way to say thank you to all of them for their many sacrifices made on our behalf. My display included some uniform and equipment pieces from the Advisory era, some basic U.S. Army gear, a number of personal and paperwork items, and then a nice grouping of U.S. Marine Corps uniform and equipment items. I was really excited to have an M-16 and an M-14 which I was able to borrow for the day from a really nice restoration volunteer at the museum. My special guests for the day were my mom's friend Karen McGrane and her mother. Their son/brother was SP4 Donald Steven Waite. He was a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division and was killed in South Vietnam on February 9, 1968. For me, this exhibit and the countless hours put into creating my Nebraska "Wall" were all dedicated to Donnie... a soldier who I will never meet, but to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude.

My Uncle Bob

2010-05-06T20:11:00.010-05:00

As promised, here is the story of my Great Uncle Bob Lauritsen, or as everyone in our family always called him, "Uncle Bob." Bob is my Grandma Marion Krelle's youngest brother by eight years. I only spent time with him once as an adult sometime back in the year 2000 when he came back through Omaha. I showed him some of my World War II gear and he got a real kick out of it. One thing about hanging out with Bob was that you practically had to yell at him. Bob had a very authoritative booming voice, but he was pretty much deaf from all of his time in the artillery. I wish now that I had asked him more questions then, but I didn't. But years later we had a lengthy letter correspondence back and forth in 2006 and 2007 where I really got to know Bob and the role he played as a Marine through two wars. I started it all just by writing to him and asking him a simple question, "What did you do during World War II?" Boy, was I in for a surprise! He was so open and willing to share his story, his humor, and the few mementos he had left from the war. He got a real kick out of that fact that I was so interested in the war and learning about what he did. One thing is for sure, he was truly one-of-a-kind!!

Robert Wayne “Bob” Lauritsen was born on August 29, 1926 to Milton and Edith Lauritsen in Omaha, Nebraska. He was educated in the Omaha Public School system graduating from Central High School in 1943 where he was an outstanding athlete, especially in football. Bob was all of 17 years of age when World War II was at its height and he badgered his parents for permission to enlist in the US Marine Corps. On December 8, 1943 he left home for eight weeks of boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at San Diego. After basic training Bob was consigned to Camp Pendleton and entered artillery training with the then forming new 5th Marine Division. Fourteen months later he made the D-Day landing on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. Bob’s best friend in the Marine Corps was Cpl. Cliff Ryan of northern California who drove a radio jeep. Cpl. Ryan landed on Iwo Jima three days after the initial assault - a detail that Bob had kidded him about. On his first day on Iwo, Cpl. Ryan received an order to drive a forward observer as close to the front as possible. During the drive up to the line he was shot right between the eyes and died instantly. Bob was devastated. On Feb. 23, when the “famous” second flag raising took place on the top of Mt. Surabachi, someone in Bob’s gun pit saw it happen and yelled out to the gun crew. By the time Bob looked up to see it the big flag was already waving. Bob recalled that it was no big deal at the time - but it meant that the Marines were winning. About seven days into the battle, the Japanese hit one of the battalion’s ammo dumps and all hell broke loose. Bob recalled that it was the best fireworks show he ever saw. Their 105 Howitzers were close to the ammo dump so their gun crew was showered with all kinds of schrapnel and debris. Bob said it suddenly felt like someone kicked him in the hip and when he reached down his right leg was all wet. There was no blood. So he took off his pistol belt to find that a piece of schrapnel had tore through his canteen. A corpsman patched up his hip and Bob was back in the fight. Wounds were so common during the battle that you had to be evacuated off the island to qualify for a Purple Heart. Another horrific incident occurred when a Japanese soldier snuck his way into Bob’s gun pit. Unable to reach his carbine, Bob immediately grabbed has entrenching tool and swung it so hard that it decapitated the Japanese soldier. Bob ended up miraculously making it through the entire Iwo Jima campaign. Of the 164 men in his unit, he was one of only four who wasn’t killed, wounded or missing in action. Shortly after the Iwo Jima campaign his regiment landed at Sasebo on the southern tip of Kyushu. Bob stayed there for ten months in the occupation of Nagasaki, Japan with the 2nd Marine Division.

After the war, Bob was sent home for discharge and immediately returned to the young girl he always described to his family as the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He fell in love with Anita while training at Camp Pendleton in 1944 and they were married on September 22, 1946 in Pasadena, CA. Bob had to have his mother’s signature on the marriage license because he was still a minor. After the war, Bob and Anita had two sons, Robert and Jack. Bob was called back to the Marines in 1951 and served with the 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division as part of a Special Weapons Company. Bob enjoyed an eventful life after Korea. He was a 50 year life member of the Masonic Order with long and rewarding activities with the Shriners and the Royal Order of Jesters. He was an accomplished commercial pilot, and became involved with his two sons in outboard hydroplane racing. After powerboat racing the family got into sailing. They owned a Catalina and spent several years in the Pacific off the Southern California coast. Anita and Bob became empty nesters after Robert joined the Air Force and Jack was in the planning stages of getting married. Convinced that they had had it with the fast lane of Southern California they bought a rundown 125 acre apple ranch in western Colorado. After 2 1⁄2 years of steady crop failure they threw in the towel and moved back to Southern California and Bob rejoined his old company as sales manager. Bob spent the remaining years of his working life in marketing eventually rising to president and general manager of his company and retiring in August 1988. With all those wonderful retirement years he got his fill of playing golf. He and Anita spent many happy days touring the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. He had a great life. Bob passed away at his home in the company of his dear wife, Anita, on October 22, 2009 after prolonged and extensive health problems.

This photo is of Bob back home in Omaha after the war. He's looking pretty sharp with that tall hat cocked to the side.
This photo has a hand-written inscription, possibly done by my Grandma Krelle. It read: P.F.C. Bob Lauritsen - Camp Pendleton - Oceanside, Calif. - Feb. 13-44. This photo was taken almost one year to the week before Bob would land on Iwo Jima.
Here is a photo of Bob, on the right, and his best friend Cpl. Clifford Ryan of California. Bob and Cliff were best of pals during their time in the Corps.
This photo is of Bob and his band on some island in the Pacific. I wish I knew which island it was. It could be Hawaii, Eniwetok or Japan - probably not Iwo Jima. Bob is standing in the middle of the back row holding the saxaphone. I guess this photo earned Bob the nickname of "The Look." I wish I knew more about that mysterious title...
And finally a photo of Bob and his beloved wife Anita. As he described her to his family, she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

Spring Training... Army Style!!!

2010-04-15T20:23:00.003-05:00

The men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association met for an April spring training event on Saturday, April 10th. The site of this month's training day was just northwest of Modale, Iowa on some state land near the Missouri River. In attendance were me, Big Dave, Jeff, Cody, Kevin and his son Tyler, and Darrell Canfield who is a new member. We began our training in a wooded area, but after only a few minutes we spotted several nasty little ticks on our uniforms, so we conducted the rest of the training on a gravel road and grass embankment. We drilled for hours going over both the school of the soldier without arms and the manual of arms for the rifle. We spent some time on unit hand signals as well as a quick course on field stripping the M-1 rifle. I was the acting drill instructor for the day and I thought all of the guys did really well, especially our new "replacement" Pvt. Canfield. We had fun throwing in a few "Jody calls" as we marched in cadence up and down that ole' country road. It was a beautiful day and another great training event. Our next unit event will be a 2nd Infantry Division veterans reunion in Newton, Iowa on Saturday, May 1. Looking forward to it!!! Oh and incidentally, the photo is actually from World War II and not us... I only wish we had that many guys!!!

A Tribute To Rosie!

2010-04-08T21:06:00.005-05:00

Dawn Wade, a friend and coworker of mine, dressed up as "Rosie the Riveter" for a recent fun day we had a work called "Time Traveler Day." Everyone was supposed to show up to work that day dressed in costumes and attire from different time periods. Naturally, I showed up in a full World War II combat uniform with all the fixins'. Dawn decided to do a 1940's look as well and boy was it awesome! She found a blue work suit and her grandmother's original red bandana from the World War II era. The bright red lipstick and the rolled up hairdo were right on target as well. She printed out a "We Can Do It!" sign and spray mounted it on a piece of foam board to use as a backdrop. As you can see, the results were pretty impressive. A fitting tribute to one of World War II's most iconic women! Nice job, Dawn!

Iwo Jima Veterans Reunion

2010-04-01T21:00:00.003-05:00

Six U.S. Marines who served in the 28th Marine Infantry Regiment with the men who raised the U.S. flags on Iwo Jima were in Nebraska at the Strategic Air & Space Museum on March 26th and 27th. Pictured below are the six men who signed autographs and spoke at the event. The veterans are from top left, Dave Severance of La Jolla, California; Robert Galloway of Gadsden, Alabama; Melvin Duncan of San Angelo, Texas; William Wayne of Yorba Linda, California; John Scheperle of Mission, Texas; and Ralph Griffiths of Girard, Ohio.
These brave veterans served side-by-side with flag raisers Harlon Block, Ira Hayes, Michael Strank, Rene Gagnon, Franklin Sousley and John Bradley. Their stories are recorded in the James Bradley best-seller, "Flags of Our Fathers." Dave Severance who was Captain Severance at the time, was in command of Easy Company whose marines raised the flag. And Ralph Griffiths was wounded by the same shell that killed Mike Strank and Harlon Block. I had the opportunity to meet all of these men, get their autographs and shake their hands. It was an amazing experience for someone like me who will never forget the price that men like these paid for our freedoms.
Here is a posterboard that I designed for the Iwo Jima event to commemorate the life and World War II exploits of my great uncle, Bob Lauritsen. I compiled Bob's story based on several letters that we exchanged back in 2006 and 2007. I was also given access to a few photos of Bob in his Marine Corps uniform that my parents had hidden away. I will post his complete story on this blog in the next few weeks.
This is Melvin Duncan, a tough-as-nails Marine who served as a BAR man on Iwo Jima. He stopped by our unit's display after the event to get his hands on Big Dave's BAR. His eyes lit up when he felt the weight of that big gun back in his hands again. It was a real hoot to see an old Marine get reconnected with his favorite rifle of the war.
Cody Williams is a strong member of our 2nd I.D. Living History Association who also shares a real interest in the Marine Corps during WWII. One of Cody's relatives fought with the 5th Marine Division on Iwo Jima, so we both share that in common. This was Cody's first event decked out in his new USMC utility uniform.
Here's Cody and I manning our Marine Corps display tables. Not a bad looking bunch of gyrenes if I do say so myself! We're both wearing the sage green utility uniform and the helmet cover with brown side out.
And finally, a look at some of my Marine Corps display that I pulled out for the event. The mannequin head is sporting my latest purchase, a HBT Daisy Mae utility hat. At the lower left of the photo is my complete set of 5th Marine Division "Spearhead" magazines that were given to me by Uncle Bob. It was a great event and I had a great time honoring the Marines of World War II. Coming up May 21-22 is another incredible Marine Corps event at the Strategic Air & Space Museum. The May event will mark the largest reunion of veterans of K/3/5 in conjunction with their portrayal in the HBO miniseries "The Pacific." Hugh Ambrose, author of the best-selling book, "The Pacific," is also confirmed to attend. This will be a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience that I don't want to miss. Come on out and see us!

Battle of the Bulge 2010

2010-01-19T22:23:00.001-06:00

The men of Item Company braved the elements and headed down to Camp Clark, Missouri for our annual winter battle on Friday, January 15th. The further south we drove the snow seemed to melt away, but the fog grew more and more ominous. We awoke Saturday morning to a thick blanket of fog covering the barracks and the grounds at the old National Guard base. At 0700 we downed some coffee and donuts and then geared up for a long day of battling the Germans. This first photo is Gus, Sean and Dave gazing out over the bleak and foggy fields. Wow, what a great day for a Battle of the Bulge reenactment!
This next scene is a great shot that I captured as a platoon of the 84th Division "The Railsplitters" marched past. Seeing a full platoon of young men dressed up in authentic World War II uniforms and gear marching past you can really give you goosebumps.
At 0830 we fell in for authenticity checks, weapons inspection and instructions for the day. In attendance at the event were roughly 150 Allied soldiers and 120 Germans. The Allied and German groups were both broken down into three platoons each for the day's battle scenarios. It was pretty impressive to see that many dedicated reenactors all out on that field together.
This photo was taken during our platoon's first scenario of the day. The day began with a long brisk march uphill and then into the field to patrol for contact with the Germans. Staff Sergeant McCue took charge and moved us out to track down the hidden hun.
He's a great photo of our little squad early in the day. We had just gotten done sweeping a hill of Germans with some soldiers from the 36th Division. As you can see there was still some snow on the ground. From the left are David Jameson, Sean Cheek, Kirk Gustafson, Jeff McCue, me and Casey Sill.
Here's a cool photo of a jeep and trailer that was attached to our platoon throughout the day. Be sure to note the name "MARIE" painted just below the windshield. We saw plenty of jeeps, a German motorcycle and a Kubelwagen zipping through the roads and fields of the battle.
We broke for a quick lunch in the field around 1130. We hunkered down just outside of the village of Malmedy where the Germans had gunned down a bunch of G.I.s about a month earlier. Here's a picture of me washing down my K-Ration with a swig of water from my favorite canteen.
Here's a really neat photo of a bunch of soldiers and airborne from different units showing off a captured Nazi flag. Check out the .30 caliber light machine gun laying in front of the flag. The tall G.I. standing in the center of the flag was a guy named Jordan from K.C. This was his first World War II reenactment and he seemed to enjoy it a lot!
This photo was taken from a little hole where we fought off the Germans just south of the bridge. Gus stands resolutely watching the line for any oncoming enemy.
Here's our squad after the battle for "Heartbreak Bridge". Sean is looking over some of our hand grenades which came in handy more than once throughout the day. Our new grenades are really awesome because we just have to pull the ring and they instantly begin to shoot smoke.
Here's a rather serious looking photo of me at "Heartbreak Bridge". I'm wearing my M43 Field Jacket which I loved wearing in the field. You can pretty much load the pockets up with so much gear and ammo that you don't need a pack. Our squad fought the battle with light gear and no haversacks so that we could be more maneuverable.
And finally, a charming photo of our beloved "Wilhelm von Yukon", otherwise known as Cody Williams. Cody went to the battle dressed as a German and he fought with the regular German Heer platoon. We met up with him at the bridge and had a few chuckles about the day's events. It was an awesome battle and we had a lot of fun. I have to tip my cap to the 137th Infantry Regiment who puts on this event every year. They do a great job and are extremely well organized and friendly hosts.

Dinner at The Bohemian Cafe

2010-01-11T20:04:00.000-06:00

Several members of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association gathered together on the night of Saturday, December 9 at one of Omaha's favorite restaurants, the Bohemian Cafe. A local legend and 13th Street landmark, the "Bohunk Cafe" has been serving up some of the areas finest European and Czech favorites since the 1920's. Our group has made several memorable visits to the Bohemian Cafe throughout our six years of existence. We once dined with the late great Bob Fowler of Nebraska's own 134th Infantry Regiment at this restaurant. On Saturday, the members in attendance were David Jameson, Kirk Gustafson and his son Logan, Jeff McCue, Scott Rowe, Cody Williams and myself. David and Jeff's wives were also in attendance. Decked out in our Class A uniforms, everyone looked pretty sharp... even "Tech Sergeant Butter Knife"! We had some great (and very filling) food and a round of tasty Pilsner Urquell beers served up in frosty porcelain mugs. I had the liver dumpling soup with Polish sausage, dumplings and sauerkraut. Mmmmm!!! We then spent the end of the meeting talking over our group's upcoming schedule of events for 2010. It was another great night with the guys and another wonderful time at the Bohemian Cafe

Band of Brothers visit Omaha

2009-12-17T21:01:00.000-06:00

Hillside Patrol

2009-09-30T20:44:00.000-05:00

Our small band of brothers gathered together for our August training event on Saturday, September 26th up at our Little Sioux training site near Mondamin, Iowa. In attendance were Big Dave, Gus, Scott, Jeff, Sean and myself. We spent some time reviewing our hand signals and discussed possibly changing some of them. I got picked to be squad leader for the day so that made things a bit more challenging for me. We worked on patrolling through clearings and up hillsides. Our lead scout, Scott, had some fun with his duties and informed us that he heard some Chinese soldiers hiding up ahead in a grouping of trees... So I went with the flow and from then on we immersed ourselves in a Korean War patrol scenario. We hunted imaginary little red commies up and down those hills. It was so much fun!!! We even fixed bayonets for a planned bayonet change that never happened. The hoards of Red Chinese and North Koreans may not have really been there that day - BUT THE MOSQUITOS SURE WERE!!! We spent far more time swatting at those pesky little bloodsuckers than anything else. We all gained a much deeper appreciation for the life that our Pacific warriors endured on all of those bug-infested island hopping campaigns. We wrapped up our training early because of the bugs and headed to the local watering hole to hold a little admin meeting. Big Dave was feeling generous and bought us all a few rounds. We tossed around ideas for future events, ways to increase our unit's visibility, and talked about doing more tactical events in the coming year. It was a great day and really got me to thinking more about the Korean War and our 2nd I.D. veterans who fought there. I'll end with a photo of a REAL 2nd Division hillside patrol somewhere in Korea... Through all the horrors of that war, I would imagine that quite a few soldiers did admire the spectacular vistas which lay sprawled out before them.

Back To The Basics

2009-08-23T20:45:00.000-05:00

The men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association gathered for our August training event on Saturday, August 22nd out at Ft. Atkinson State Historical Park. The weather was absolutely amazing for mid-August in Nebraska with a cool morning and an afternoon high around 80 degrees. We had sunny skies all day long!!! All of our core members were able to make it out for the day including Dave, Gus, Kevin, Sean, Scott, Jeff and Casey. I had the privilege and honor of being able to lead the training session for this event. For this training day we decided to go back to the basics of being a soldier in World War II. We started the day by going over the school of the soldier without arms. This included having the squad fall in, learning about intervals, the position of attention, saluting, facings and some basic marching. The squad then decided to stop for a water break and a quick lunch of K-Rations. We then moved on to practice the manual of arms for the rifle which included handling the rifle, saluting with the rifle, presenting arms, and the 15 count manual of arms. We did a lot of marching around the Council House on the fort grounds. After we felt pretty comfortable with manual of arms we trained on how to properly pitch our shelter half tents. This is something that our unit has rarely done because we have typically used Dave's GP Medium tent at most of our local events. Our three two man teams were able to successfully set up three shelter halves doing it all by the book. I then did a quick demonstration of a display of equipment for field inspection. Here is a diagram of what that looks like.
We wrapped up the day with a quick administrative meeting and we were heading home before 4:00. A lot of the guys commented that it was our unit's best training event to date. It was sure a lot of fun and we really brushed up on some valuable soldiering skills.

Independence Day 2009

2009-07-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

The men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association assembled once again for our annual Independence Day parade on Saturday, July 4th in Ralston, Nebraska. Making it out for this year's parade were Sean, Jeff, Cody, Kevin and his son Tyler, Paul and his son Nick, and our favorite ole' Sarge, Will Green, who was back on a visit from Colorado where he is stationed at Shriver Air Force Base. This year we marched as a color guard and were the third entry from the front of the parade. The skies were overcast and there was a little rain spitting off and on, but the crowd seemed to be bigger than ever! On the first block of the parade route I was actually overwhelmed by the sheer number of spectators. After our group finished the parade I walked back down the parade route and met up with Tracy and the kids who were hanging out with the Bruce family. I got to watch quite a bit of the parade which was still rolling on by. It was a great event once again and really made me proud to be doing what I do with this hobby.

Some of the photographs used in this post are courtesy of Robert Bruce, a very talented co-worker and friend of mine.

Armed Forces Day Display 2009

2009-06-19T23:53:00.001-05:00

I just finished up a great blog post about my 2009 Armed Forced Day exhibit on my USS Oriskany blog. There are tons of great photos and a lot of information about my Vietnam air war collection that has been growing over the past year. You can read all about it by clicking the link on the lower right or just going to the address listed below. Enjoy!!!

http://mightyoriskany.blogspot.com/

D-Day at Fort Atkinson

2009-06-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, June 6th, our 2nd I.D. reenactment unit spent the day out at historic Fort Atkinson, a short and scenic drive just north of Omaha. Fort Atkinson was the westernmost military fort of the United States during its existence from 1819-1827. Quite a bit of the fort has been reconstructed on its original site and there is an amazing volunteer living history program that puts on monthly reenactments of what life would have been like at the fort. In remembrance of the 65th anniversary of the Allies invasion of Normandy, our group set up a small but impressive display focused on all of the weapons, uniforms and equipment that the G.I.'s would have used on D-Day. We had a great turnout from our membership and all of the guys looked really sharp in our HBT uniforms. The living historians and the state park workers out at Fort Atkinson were really great and the public seemed to really enjoy our display. It was a great day and a fitting celebration to honor all of the D-Day veterans.

A Nebraska 2nd I.D. Veteran

2009-04-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

Here is an article from the Omaha World Herald's Monday, April 13th edition. It is a biography from their ongoing "Greatest Generation" series which tells the stories of different World War II participants from around the Midlands. This one caught my eye right away when I read of Mr. Johnson's service in the 2nd Division. Here is the article...

L.L. (Swede) Johnson
Age: 84
Town: Bloomfield, Neb.
Service: U.S. Army
In the war: He was drafted into the Army shortly after graduating from high school and was sworn in at Fort Crook, the predecessor of Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue. He was sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and then Camp Walters in Texas, where he spent 16 weeks training. After a few more stops, he left New York City on the Queen Mary, heading for Scotland. He later arrived at South Hampton, England. He was assigned as a replacement to the Second Infantry Division, First Army. He was sent by landing craft to Omaha Beach. During the drive through France, he was injured by an artillery shell, which caused the loss of his right leg above the knee. For his combat wounds he received a Purple Heart; he earned many other medals during his time in France. Sixty years later, he received a letter from the French government thanking him for defending that country.

In his words: Before we left South Hampton, the Germans sent buzz bombers to this harbor and destroyed many buildings. This was very scary, but it did not hit where we were. At about the middle of the English Channel, we were then loaded on landing craft and were taken to Normandy, Omaha Beach. By the time we got there, which was several days, our troops were a few miles inland. It was tough going as they could not get through the hedgerows until such time someone put knives on the front of the big Sherman tanks. They then could bust through those hedgerows of trees, rock and dirt. I believe all units moved much faster then until they got to Saint Lo, France. The Air Force was called in to bomb Saint Lo on July 26, 1944. They almost leveled Saint Lo. The Second Division was on one flank there. From this point I remember that we moved into Vire, France. This was a small manufacturing town, and the Germans wanted to keep it as they pushed our forces out of it two or three times. Outside of Vire we were pushing forward when an artillery shell burst above me, striking my right leg, which in time caused the loss of the right leg above the knee. This happened in the forenoon and medics did not get to me until 11 p.m. We were in the hills and vehicles could not get to us. Other fellows were wounded, too, so they carried us out to Jeeps. We stopped at Company Aid and from there to Battalion Aid. From there to the shores of France, to U.S. 28th Evacuation Hospital (a big tent with many wounded soldiers). The time spent at these places is unknown by me because I had lots of pain pills. I was put on an airplane as well as other wounded soldiers and was flown to 101st General Hospital in England. I had several operations in this hospital. The doctors there tried to save as much of my leg as they could, but it did not work. In November 1944, I and many of the wounded soldiers were put on the Queen Elizabeth ship and taken back to the USA. We landed on Staten Island, N.Y. When we arrived, the Red Cross came on the ship with ice cream and milk, which was a real treat. I am proud to have served my country of USA, and if I had to I would do it again.

This article is by DeDra Robb

Battle of the Bulge at Camp Clark, Missouri

2009-02-05T21:15:00.000-06:00

Kirk Gustafson, Casey Sill, Sean Cheek and I headed down to Camp Clark near Nevada, Missouri on Friday, January 16th. We set up our bunks in a new National Guard barracks building once we checked-in. We spent Friday night playing poker with French francs at the USO club that our host unit, the 137th Infantry, had set up. It was a pretty fun time playing poker and listening to some great 40s music. The first photo is of Gus pointing out some possible tactics using coins to represent squad members on Friday night.This photo was taken of our small group on Saturday morning just before we fell-in with the rest of the troops. There were about 35 Germans at this event and an estimated 95 Allied troops including some Brits, some Russians, the 2nd Division, 29th Division, 35th Division, 84th Division, 4th Armored, 101st Airborne, 1st Special Service Forces, and some Rangers. One really cool twist that we threw into this event was that our small unit of four operated as German soldiers dressed as G.I.'s. We lured a total of 9 other G.I.'s into our little trap and also captured a Weapons Carrier from the 84th Division. It was priceless to see the reactions on the American soldiers' faces when we told them to drop their weapons and come with us.
The next two photos are of us moving out in the morning. We marched up to the first battle site with the 35th and 4th Armored guys. There were some icy patches here and there, but the weather was great and the sun was brilliant!

The next two photos were taken while we stopped to eat some K-Rations. When you're out working your way through some tough terrain to reach your objectives, there's nothing better than some canned meat and crackers to keep you going!

The next two photos are from the end of the day after all of our battle scenarios had ended. I really like the photo of Sean and Gus that I took on our ride back to the barracks. We were lucky to hitch a ride back on a halftrack. The ride was exhilarating!

And finally, a photo I took just after sunset on Saturday night. It was really beautiful out there that night and I spent quite a while just taking in the wonderful colors that God painted before me. The whole event was top notch and I really hope to return again next year! Our hosts served up and excellent Sauerbraten and noodles dinner and we spent an hour or so playing poker again. The 137th guys put on an excellent demonstration to a local Boy Scout troop on the different uniforms, equipment and arms of several nations' armies during World War II. I actually learned quite a bit from the presentation. We headed home early Sunday morning and were back in Omaha by 12:30 in the afternoon. It was a great weekend and one that I will always treasure among my reenactment memories.

2nd I.D. Unit Christmas Party

2009-02-05T21:05:00.000-06:00

The boys from the 2nd got together on Saturday, December 6th for our annual unit Christmas party. Scott and Erica Rowe opened up their beautiful home to us for the night to enjoy some good food and drinks and great company. We even toasted in the new year with our unit's traditional round of Calvados, a rather potent apple brandy from the Normandy area of France. We held our unit elections for 2009 and welcomed in David Jameson as our new President, Kirk Gustafson as our new VP, Scott Rowe as our Treasurer, Casey Sill as our new unit Clerk, and Jeff McCue as our Quartermaster. Congrats guys!!!! I look forward to 2009 and a great year with our merry band of brothers!!!

Modale, Iowa Parade

2008-08-03T20:22:00.001-05:00

A small group of Indianheads made the trek north to Modale, Iowa on Saturday, August 2nd for the town's annual parade. With a population near 300, Modale is about 30 minutes north of Omaha along I-29. David Jameson, Jeff McCue and myself pulled into town around 8:30 a.m. and met up with Sean Cheek and his family. We wore our khaki uniforms for this parade, a change from the wools that we wore to the Ralston 4th of July Parade. There was a lot of time spent hanging out after we registered. Luckily, the weather was extremely pleasant for an August morning, with cooler temperatures and a nice breeze. The parade kicked off just after 10:00 as we wound through the streets of the town. There weren't a lot of cheering spectators, but we figured it was because half the town was in the parade!!! After finishing the parade we chatted some more with a few American Legion members. We made our way back to the cars via a short-cut over the railroad tracks. It was fun for us to imagine that we were somewhere in Normandy setting booby traps to blow the tracks for the Germans!!! It was a quick little event but fun as always to wear the uniform and hang out with the guys. The close-up group photos didn't survive the event, but here are a couple of photos that did make it.

Captain Keith Van Neste

2008-07-06T14:24:00.000-05:00

On a visit to the Museum of Nebraska History in Lincoln last Tuesday, I was introduced to the story of Captain Keith G. Van Neste of Anselmo, Nebraska. He was awarded a Bronze Star and posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions against German forces in April 1945. But as I closely examined some photos and documents relating to Captain van Neste, I discovered that he was a member of the 2nd Infantry Division throughout World War II. Whoah!!! For me this was an important discovery, the story of a 2nd Division hero from right here in the heart of Nebraska.

Captain Van Neste was born in Brewster, Nebraska. He was a Class of '38 member of Acacia Fraternity at the University of Nebraska. He joined the 23rd Infantry Regiment in July 1941 and was greatly admired by the officers and enlisted men with whom he served. At the time of his death, Captain Van Neste was serving with the Headquarters Company of the 23rd Regiment. He was killed in a mortar attack while trying to repair a wire line in Schkopau, Germany on April 13, 1945.

Here is a photo of Captain Van Neste in the Hurtgen Forest. Photo is from the collection of the Nebraska State Historical Society.

Listed below is a synopsis of his Distinguished Service Cross citation:
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Keith G. Van Neste (0-405360), Captain (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with the 23d Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces on 13 April 1945. Captain Van Neste's outstanding leadership, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty at the cost of his life, exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 2d Infantry Division, and the United States Army.

Here is the condolence letter to Mrs. Margaret Van Neste from Col. Jay Lovless, commander of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. This letter is from the collection of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
Here is the dreaded Western Union telegram sent to Mrs. Van Neste informing her of her husband's death. This telegram is from the collection of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
I am extremely honored and excited to be able to share the story of Captain Keith Van Neste with others as I continue to present the proud history of the 2nd Infantry Division with the public. This discovery has really re-energized me in my mission to ensure that future generations know what men like these did for our country to protect our freedoms for posterity.

Ralston's Fourth of July Parade

2008-07-06T14:02:00.000-05:00

On Friday, July 4th, the men of the 2nd Infantry Division hit the streets of Ralston for Nebraska's largest annual parade. Representing the 2nd I.D. were five of our unit members (Kevin, David, Sean, Eric, and Casey), two of our younger associates (Cody and Derek), as well as Casey's mom, and Sean's wife Becky and his two daughters. The gals all helped out by tossing candy out to the ravenous crowds and our two younger associates led the way by carrying the American flag and our regimental guidon. The weather was warm but tolerable and the cheering crowds were awesome! Patriotism was alive and well as seen in the sea of red, white, and blue revelers.

Armed Forces Day 2008

2008-05-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

"Beyond St. Lo" Tactical Battle

2008-05-24T14:48:00.000-05:00

The 2nd I.D. was back in action on May 10th for our spring tactical battle. A number of our guys headed out to the event site just north of Mondamin, Iowa on Friday morning. We spent our time scouting the area and digging fire pits. Casey, Sean and I headed in to Mondamin to fill water cannisters and grab a bite to eat at the local bar & grill. In the early evening, a group of us geared-up and went on a patrol to the top of the site's highest point. The view was pretty impressive as the sun set over the western horizon! Upon returning to camp we ate some fried spam and popped open a few K-rations. Mmmmmm!!! Our group sat around the fire telling stories and enjoying our time together until close to midnight. The skies clouded-up and the temperature dropped quite a bit during the night. I was glad that I brought two blankets and had access to one of Big Dave's cots. Right around 5:00 a.m. we heard the rain begin to gently fall on the big GP Medium tent. As the guys began to wake-up, it looked like the weather might bring about a premature end to our plans. But reenactors love a good battle and they began to show up around 7:00 a.m. We had Germans and Allies show up from Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota. After a hot breakfast of eggs, sausage, sinkers, and coffee, the commanders prepared all of the combatants for the day's first scenario. We headed out under a steady rain to find a hidden fuel dump, secure it, and hold off any German attempts to take it. The fighting was pretty intense and very wet - I was thoroughly soaked from the waist down. My roughout boots each felt like they had a full sponge inside them! We broke for lunch around noon and headed back to camp where Rick and Dave had hot beef stew, peaches, and rolls waiting for us. After a satisfying break we headed back out for another scenario. I was on Sgt. Rowe's maneuver team for this one along with Pvt. Casey Sill. We quickly but quietly maneuvered up a hill and around through the tree line to flank the German position. We passed down through one of our old fighting positions known as "Turkey Shoot Ridge" and then out on to an island of trees and brush. In our final assault we were all valiantly mowed-down by the alerted Germans and fell before reaching our objective. Spirits were high among all of the men as the day drew to a close. We struck camp and all headed home for a hot shower and a good night's rest. I was pretty banged-up and exhausted from the day's activities and in need of some TLC from my wife and daughter. It's when I head home from one of these day-long battles that I really begin to appreciate what soldiers like our grandfathers have suffered through for our nation. That one day of misery that I experienced was played out by them over and over again for months on end. And through it all they were losing friends and comrades all around them. In closing, as silly as our reenactments may be, they definitely give me a greater appreciation for the tremendous sacrifices of our nation's veterans.

Mementos from Private Bassler

2008-04-17T20:39:00.000-05:00

A while back I obtained a small grouping of personal paperwork items that belonged to a Private John H. Bassler of Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. Pvt. Bassler was in Company G, 23rd Infantry Regiment. I felt that these little treasures from his time spent in Europe during the war would be great to share with any other 2nd Infantry Division enthusiasts out there. So here there are for you to examine and enjoy.

First off is a photo which one can only assume is either Pvt. Bassler or one of his wartime buddies. There were no captions on the back of the photo so the exact date and location of the photo are currently unknown. He is wearing a M-41 Field Jacket and his 2nd I.D. patch is just visible on his left sleeve. He is either wearing a pair of double buckle boots or a pair of cutdown leggings with roughouts in the photo.
Next are a few paperwork items including an Immunization Register and a War Department address card.

Here is the top portion of a newspaper clipping from the Milwaukee Sentinel dated Sunday, January 24, 1943. Pvt. Bassler has circled the 2nd Infantry's "Indianhead" insignia and scribbled some comments above it. It reads: "This is our shoulder insignia - the star for Texas an Indian for Okla. This is what will be on my arm. I will try and send you one home to wear." This must have been the popular story that circulated around the division as to their insignia's origins.
This is a postcard from Pvt. Bassler addressed to his wife back in Martinsburg. The postmark date is Feb. 7, 1944. The card reads: "Darling Wife, Just a line to let you know I am O.K. was at town yesterday got you some souvenirs. I will put some cards in with your letter today. Love, John"

And the last piece of this little collection is a decal from the Carlton Elite Hotel in Zurich, Switzerland. The 2nd Division was never stationed in Zurich during the war, but Pvt. Bassler may have made a trip to Zurich or obtained this decal from a friend.

Paratrooper Sketch

2008-04-10T21:39:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, I spent a couple of hours doing a sketchbook page for the 100 Artists Project. I decided to use the August 14, 1944 LIFE magazine cover as my subject for this one page sketch. I had always wanted to do an illustration of this "now famous" photo. The paratrooper is Lt. Kelso C. Horne on the road to St. Sauveur, Normandy in late June 1944. I thought I did a pretty good job rendering Lt. Horne, his uniform, his equipment and the M-1. I should probably spend more time doing drawings like these because I really did enjoy working on this project although I found the helmet to be particularly challenging!

You can check out what the project is all about by visiting their site at www.100artistsproject.com.

Operation Dragoon

2008-03-17T16:46:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, March 15th, six members of “Item” Company, 23rd Infantry headed down to Kansas for Operation Dragoon. The weather held out for our boys this time and they were able to make it down and back without Mother Nature adding any extra excitement. In attendance were Sean Cheek, David Jameson, Brian Jameson, Will Green, Kirk Gustafson and Casey Sill. I really wish I could have made it down there with them, but I went to a wedding in Omaha with my wife and represented our 2nd I.D. boys on the dance floor instead. We danced to a few Glenn Miller songs which was pretty fun for Tracy and I. So here are some photos from Sean and David from the event. I adjusted the color and grain on these to give them more of an antique feel - and by desaturating the color it makes the landscape look pretty bleak. Enjoy!!!

Our First Movie Night

2008-02-26T21:51:00.000-06:00

We held our first official unit "Movie Night" on Friday, February 22 at Will Green's house. In attendance were Will, David Jameson, Scott Rowe and myself. We started the night out by watching two WWII-era training films. The first film centered on being inducted into the U.S. Army. The second film covered the ins and outs of military courtesy - basically when to salute and when NOT to salute. Needless to say, I love the old wartime films, the subtle nuance of phrase, the authoritative narration and the really cheesy actors. Then we threw in "The Story of G.I. Joe" starrring Robert Mitchum and Burgess Meredith. This has become one of my favorite World War II action dramas over the years. Released in 1945, it features 150 actual veterans of the war and I think it shows in their movements, language, and mannerisms. After the movie we headed down to Will's basement to bask in the glory of his awesome Civil War and World War II collection. We did a little rifle drilling as well - I know, we're total nerds!!! It was a fun night and hopefully the first of many more unit Movie Nights to come.

Drill Training at the Museum

2008-02-26T21:07:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, February 16th, our unit held an indoor training drill at the Strategic Air & Space Museum near Ashland, NE. The day started out with an in-depth study of U.S. Army uniforms led by Will Green. We were given a really solid refresher course on all of the uniform items that a G.I. would have been issued prior to Pearl Harbor all the way through the end of the war. Items covered included hats, helmets, boots, dress uniforms, utility uniforms, and cold and wet weather gear as well. It was a really great presentation. Way to go Will!!! Next we broke for a brief lunch followed by some instruction from our president Sean Cheek on maneuver tactics in the field. The primary focus here was on the advantages and disadvantages of various formations used by squads in the field, for example a skirmish line, wedge, column, or diamond formation. We then spent some time going over basic rifle drill exercises. We covered such basics as "falling in", practicing rifle inspection, shouldering our weapons, and practicing turns. It was great to be in a line of guys all going through the manual of arms together! Next up, I gave a class on the use of our unit hand signals in the field. A majority of the hand signals we use are directly taken from the actual WWII signals that G.I.'s used, however, we have adapted a few signals to work better within the realm of reenacting and the needs of our unit structure. The day ended with quite a few of the guys touring the cockpit of the B-29 "Superfortress" and the entire inside of the B-17 "Flying Fortress". Wow!!! These airplanes are truly a treasure! I think that I have always taken it for granted that I have access to a restored B-17 and B-29 in my hometown. A big salute goes to David Jameson, an awesome member of our unit and a volunteer at the museum, for giving us the chance to spend some time in these incredible old warbirds. It was a great day and a lot of fun to see all the guys again.

2008 Schedule of Events

2008-01-19T22:51:00.000-06:00

Tonight we had our event planning meeting for 2008, so here is our unit’s new living history schedule for the upcoming year. There will be a few other impromptu events sprinkled in throughout the year but these are the official events that were voted on by the unit membership. Come check us out at an event near you!

2/16/08 - Indoor Drill Event - Strategic Air & Space Museum
3/15/08 – Operation Dragoon Tactical Battle - Great Bend, KS
4/12/08 - Field Training Event - Mondamin, IA
5/10/08 - 2nd I.D. Sponsored Tactical Battle - Mondamin, IA
5/17/08 – Armed Forces Day Display - Strategic Air & Space Museum
6/7/08 – D-Day Display - Strategic Air & Space Museum
6/21/08 – All American Salute to the Troops - Sioux Falls, SD
7/26/08 – Trip to the National World War One Museum - Kansas City, MO
8/5/08 – Unit Field Trip to the Offutt Air Show - Bellevue, NE
9/7/08 – Army Cars USA Fall Party – Spooner, WI
9/13/08 – Fall Training Event and Bivouac - Mondamin, IA
10/12/08 – Tactical Battle - Kinkaid, KS
11/8/08 – Veteran’s Day Timeline Display - Strategic Air & Space Museum
12/6/08 – Unit Christmas Party and Elections - Omaha, NE

The 2nd Division on D-Day

2008-01-19T13:24:00.000-06:00

I love discovering new information about different units during World War II and researching some of the lesser known actions that various units participated in. You could say it is one of my favorite aspects of being an amateur historian. This past week I was able to uncover some pretty incredible history on the very unit that my reenacting group portrays, the 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Division. This information was found in my all-time favorite D-Day book, Spearheading D-Day by Jonathan Gawne. What follows is the passage that got me so excited:

"The Special Engineer Task Force was still short of manpower so roughly 150 engineers from the 2nd "Indianhead" Infantry Division were added to the 900 men of the Gap Assault Teams to bring them up to full strength. Along with the 2nd Division engineers were a few infantrymen from the 23rd and 9th Infantry Regiments. Two to five of these 2nd Division men - whose patch they continued to wear on the field jacket - were added to each gap team that landed in the first waves on D-Day. Their contribution and presence in the initial assault has rarely been recognized."

Pretty crazy to think that there were 150+ engineers and as many as 125 infantrymen (there were roughly 27 Gap Assault and Gap Support Teams) who landed at H+3 minutes wearing the Indianhead patch. This new found information has made me even more humble to represent the unit that has always been "Second to None" since World War One!

Neat 2nd Division Cartoon

2008-01-11T21:06:00.000-06:00

Here is a swell cartoon drawing from a little post-war publication on the 23rd Infantry Regiment and it's history. I really like the raw inked style of the drawing and it's rather simplistic details. This image is courtesy of www.lonesentry.com.

2nd Infantry Rangers

2008-01-11T20:57:00.000-06:00

I learned something pretty exciting last week regarding the 2nd Infantry Division during World War II. I came across this rather simple skull patch on eBay. This is a World War II, wool on wool, hand made 2nd Infantry Division Rangers lower sleeve SKULL patch. It measures 2 inches in diameter with no backing. Needless to say, these patches are EXTREMELY rare! The 2nd Infantry Div. selected personnel from their three Infantry Regiments, Artillery, and Division Engineer units to take the Ranger Battle Training Course at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin from April 12, 1943 to June 5, 1943 to complete intensive Ranger training. For those that successfully completed the course they were presented with a certificate and a striking sleeve emblem of a white skull on a black circular background. The insignias had been made by hand by the wives and other women associated with the Division. Wow!!! Something that is personally very neat for me is that I have twice been to what is now called "Fort McCoy" in Wisconsin for World War II reenactments, the last one in October 2005. We stayed in the barracks there and spent a day fighting on the same ground that these 2nd I.D. Rangers actually trained on. It kind of gives me goosebumps just to think about it!