The 43d Infantry Division Veterans Association will hold its 65th annual reunion on the weekend of August 12-14, 2011, in Rocky Hill. The major goal for this year’s reunion is to have a monument erected in dedication to this amazing group of soldiers who performed untold deeds of valor and heroism in the past. Descendant units are still on the front lines in combat today.
“When the subject of WWII and the Pacific theater comes up, most people have heard about Pearl Harbor, Midway and Iwo Jima. But few truly know about soldiers from here in Connecticut slugging it out in the thick jungles in the South Pacific, enduring hand-to-hand combat against the Japanese in unfamiliar places like Munda, Aitape and Luzon,” said David Thiede, National Secretary/Treasurer of the veterans association. “A monument would be a most fitting tribute to these men who never sought heroism but gave a tremendous amount of brave service to our nation.”
At present, Connecticut is the only one of the four New England states represented by the Division that has no 43d Division memorial monument. Many primary units of the 43d Infantry Division were from Connecticut, including the 43d Headquarters and Military Police from Hartford, the 169th Infantry Regiment, the 102d Infantry Regiment, the 192d Field Artillery Regiment and many others.
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The monument dedicated to the 43d will be erected at the State Veterans Cemetery on Bow Lane in Middletown. A memorial brick donation program is underway to help raise funds for a monument. With help of families of the 43d Infantry Division veterans and local veterans' organizations, $16,000 has been raised for the monument. Another $8,000 is still needed to finish the memorial brick walk. (The date for the final delivery of the monument is late September, 2011.) For more information about how to donate to this memorial monument, please visit http://www.43rd-idm.org.
About the 43d Infantry Division
The 43d Infantry Division was inducted into federal service in February, 1941, comprising National Guard units from Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont. The division participated in four campaigns: Guadalcanal, Northern Solomons, New Guinea and Luzon. It is also the only division to serve in all theaters of the Pacific campaign: South Pacific, Southwest Pacific and Philippines.
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In 1950, the Division was once again federalized during the Korean War and was deployed to Germany to join the NATO forces in Western Europe.
About the 43d Infantry Veterans Association
The 43d Infantry Veterans Association, a nonprofit organization comprising more than 1,200 members nationwide, was formed in 1945 and held its first reunion in Niantic, Connecticut, in 1947. Reunions have been held annually since then. Past reunion attendees have come from California, Washington, Virginia, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island and New York. The veteran members now range in age from 70-90+ years old.
For more information, contact David Thiede at (860) 301-6381 or Dutch2001@aol.com. You may also want to visit www.43rd-idm.org and www.43d-research.com.
