County of memorial: Arlington County
Location of memorial: Memorial Avenue, Arlington Cemetery, Arlington
Artist: Bernhard Zuckermann, 1912-1980, sculptor
Architect: Harold J. Schaller
Dedicated: May 29, 1977
Monument Text:
(Base Front):
101st AIRBORNE DIVISION
THE SCREAMING EAGLES
"THE 101ST... HAS NO HISTORY
BUT IT HAS A RENDEZVOUS
WITH DESTINY" MAJOR GENERAL
WILLIAM C. LEE
AUGUST 19, 1942
(Base Proper Right Side):
101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION WORLD WAR II
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
JUNE 6, 1944 - MAY 9, 1945
BATTLE CASUALTIES
9328
BATTLE CAMPAIGNS
NORMANDY
RHINELAND
ARDENNES-ALSACE CENTRAL EUROPE
(Base Proper Left Side):
101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION (AIR MOBILE)
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
1965-1972
BATTLE CASUALTIES
20,392
CAMPAIGNS/DEFENSE
COUNTEROFFENSIVE
COUNTEROFFENSIVE PHASE III
TET COUNTEROFFENSIVE
COUNTEROFFENSIVE PHASE IV
COUNTEROFFENSIVE PHASE V
COUNTER OFFENSIVE PHASE VI
TET 69 COUNTEROFFENSIVE
SUMMER-FALL 1969
WINTER-SPRING 1970
SANCTUARY COUNTEROFFENSIVE
COUNTEROFFENSIVE PHASE VII
CONSOLIDATION I
CONSOLIDATION II
(Base - Rear):
101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION (AIR ASSAULT)
PERSIAN GULF 1990-1991
BATTLE CASUALTIES/17
CAMPAIGNS
DEFENSE OF SAUDI ARABIA
LIBERATION AND DEFENSE OF KUWAIT
Proper Description:
A bronze eagle with its wings spread sits atop a granite base which rests on top of two circular platforms. The sculpture is surrounded by a granite wall inscribed with the names of campaigns, arenas of action, and emblems." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum
General Lee's Speech:
The 101st Airborne Division, which was
activated on August 16,1942, at Camp
Claiborne, Louisiana, has no history, but it
has a rendezvous with destiny.
"Like the early American pioneers
whose invincible courage was the foundation
stone of this nation, we have broken with
the past and its traditions to establish our
claim to the future.
~ Airborne Press
Major General Lee:
"Major General William C. Lee, Dunn, North Carolina’s famous airborne hero, was a North Carolina State University ROTC graduate who stayed in the Army after World War I, and was assigned as a peace-time observer in Germany. In this position Lee took note of Hitler’s development of his airborne troops.
"Lee returned to Washington as a Major in the Office of the Chief of Infantry. He was still infatuated by what he had seen the German Army doing with its airborne forces.
"Major Lee talked about it constantly. Finally the infantry Colonel who shared the office got tired of hearing about it. He told Lee angrily, “Major, I am sick and tired of hearing your nonsense about airborne warfare. No American soldier is ever going to have little enough sense to jump out of an airplane even in a parachute, and I don’t want to hear the word airborne spoken in this office again. This is a direct order.” The only thing Major Lee could say was, “Yes, sir.”
"A few weeks later, Major Lee, as the junior officer in the office, answered the telephone. “What are you folks doing toward developing airborne warfare?’ the caller wanted to know. Under direct orders not to even use the word, Major Lee replied, “Just a minute and I will let you speak to my superior,” and he handed the phone to the Colonel. “Who the h___ wants to know?” asked the Colonel. “The President of the United States wants to know and I am calling on his behalf” was the reply. The Colonel handed the phone back to Lee and ordered, “Tell this man anything he wants to know.”
"The gentleman on the phone was President Franklin Roosevelt’s military aide. He told Lee the President had been reading about Hitler’s airborne activities and wanted to know more about it. Major Lee was invited to the White House to brief President Roosevelt on what he had seen in Germany. The President was so impressed that he ordered airborne planning and training to begin immediately.
"The first airborne command was organized with Major Lee as the commander. The Dunn man became the “Father of the American Airborne.” ~ Airborne Museum