Thirty-Sixth Division -- Veteran's Memorial Park, Fort Worth TX
N 32° 44.642 W 097° 22.804
14S E 651771 N 3624071
The memorial to the 36th Division soldiers of WWI, who trained nearby at Camp Bowie in Fort Worth, and gained fame in the Meuse-Argonne campaign in France
Waymark Code: WMPT0Z
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/15/2015
Views: 5
The 36th Infantry Division was made up of soldiers from the National Guards of Texas and Oklahoma. Once federalized for service in WWI, the unit gained its designation as the 36th Division, but kept its "Arrowhead-T" patch, symbolizing its Texas and Oklahoma roots.
The text of the memorial reads as follows:
“THIRTY-SIXTH DIVISION
1917 CAMP BOWIE 1919
To those gallant men who comprised the original Thirty-Sixth Division of World War I who trained here fore departing for service overseas, where many of whom made the supreme sactifice, this marker is reverently dedicated.”
From Wikipedia, a short sketch of the unit in WWI: (
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"World War I
The 36th Infantry Division was activated as the 15th Division, an Army National Guard Division from Texas and Oklahoma. The new unit also received a new commander, Major General Edwin St. John Greble. The designation was changed to the 36th Division in July 1917.
The final composition of the 36th Division consisted of the 71st and 72nd Infantry Brigades, the 141st and 142nd Infantry Regiments belonging to the 71st. The 143rd and 144th Infantry Regiments were attached to the 72nd Brigade. Also belonging to the 71st was the 132nd Machine Gun Battalion. Similarly, the 72nd received the 133rd Machine Gun Battalion. The 61st Field Artillery Brigade, 131st, 132nd, and 133rd Field Artillery Regiments, 111th Regiment Engineers, 111th Signal Battalion and the 111th Supply Train comprised the rest of the 36th Division. The unit trained at Camp Bowie, Texas, then in Tarrant County, the site of the present-day city of Fort Worth.
The unit was sent to Europe in July 1918 and conducted major operations in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. On 9–10 October, the unit participated in heavy combat near the village of St. Etienne. Following this victory, which included the capture of several hundred German men and officers, as well as artillery, the unit launched an assault near an area known as "Forest Farm." During World War I, the division suffered 2,584 casualties, 466 killed in action and 2,118 wounded in action. The unit was inactivated in June 1919."
The book "STORY OF THE 36th : The Experiences of the 36th Division in the World War," By Capt. Ben H. Chastaine 142d Infantry, U. S. Army," is an INCREDIBLY detailed, well written, and evocative account. Published in 1920 and 200 pages long, it is well worth a read:
(
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