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Call Me SPEARHEAD The Official Publication of the Association of 3d Armored Division Veterans
April
23, 2001
Volume 01, Issue 2
History
of the 48th
Infantry Regiment (Dragoons) by
Carl Erickson, 2/48th 1962-1964
World
War II: In March of 1942
the Regiment was activated as the 48th Armored
Infantry Regiment, and assigned to the 7th Armored Division (Lucky Seventh) at
Camp Polk, Louisiana. Under army doctrine for armored divisions, the
Regiment's battalions were given separate designations of the 23rd, 38th, and
48th Armored Infantry Battalions. Under those designations each had very
distinguished careers in Europe starting in August 1944 when they landed at the
Normandy Beaches in France. From
Normandy they fought their way through France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany all
the way to the Baltic Sea in March, 1945. World
War II campaigns credited were Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and
Central Europe. Particularly
distinguished was their fighting at the vital road junction town of St. Vith
during the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest for which it was awarded
the Presidential Unit Citation. The unit was also awarded the Belgian Fourragere, 1940; and
cited in the Orders of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes
and St. Vith. War service
completed, they returned home and were inactivated at Camp Shanks, New York
in October 1945. Korean War: Still designated as Armored Infantry Battalions, they were activated in November 1950 at Camp Roberts, California with the 7th Armored Division. As Korea predominantly engaged Infantry Divisions, the battalions assumed a mission of conducting basic and combat training for new soldiers until inactivated in November 1953 at the end of the war. Cold War: Actions of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe led to a build up the defensive capability of Western Europe and NATO. In 1957 the 48th, 38th and 23rd Armored Infantry Battalions, reverted to their designations of battalions of the 48th Infantry, were designated as Armored Rifle Battalions (ARB), and relieved from assignment to the 7th Armored Division. The 1st ARB was assigned to the 1st Armored Division and activated at Ft. Polk, Louisiana, and the 2nd ARB was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division (Spearhead) in Gelnhausen, West Germany to defend the vital Fulda Gap, an historic invasion route from the East. In 1958 the 1st ARB was posted to Worms, West Germany to defend the Rhine river crossing as part of the US 7th Army. In 1963 both battalions were redesignated Battalions (Mechanized) of the 48th Infantry, and the 1st Battalion joined the 2nd as part of the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Armored Division at Gelnhausen. After 32 years of defending free Europe against potential aggression, both battalions' colors were inactivated and personnel re-flagged on 16 June 1989. Under new colors, many Dragoon veterans participated in Operation Desert Storm.
The 21st Century:
In April 1996, the 1st
Battalion was activated at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri as part of the US Army
Training and Doctrine Command. Drawing on its heritage spanning the 20th
Century, it trains soldiers for the demands of the 21st.
LTC Casey P. Haskins,
Bn Commander extends an open invitation to all Dragoon veterans to visit the
unit today at Ft. Wood. Carl did,
and was royally treated like a long lost son. For more information on the 48th
Infantry, including a link to the active duty battalion at Ft. Wood, see Carl's
3AD Unit Web Site at http://www.3ad.org/48in/ Loyalty Under Fire By Bob Wilson The movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, is about the movies hero
being given an opportunity, by an angel, to see the results of the lives he has
touched. How different things would be if he hadn’t lived. I’m certainly no
angel, but I too was given a great opportunity. To bring closure to a hero’s
life, and show him, his family, and the world, the difference he has made in
this lifetime.
“I’d
rather know my buddy was safe than receive any medal, here or hereafter,”
wrote T/5 Thomas L. Edmondson (Eddie), a tank gunner, to his mother, the day he
received a Silver Star for, “ gallantry in action”. His buddy was T/5
Herbert C. Wilson (Willie), from Sparta, Tennessee. Since March of 1942, at Camp
Polk, they were among the first that would be called, “Spearhead”, and
learned to become not just part of a team, but closer then any brothers could
ever be. The magnitude of their friendship speaks through time with pictures,
words, and in deed. They would stand side by side in the HQ Co. 1st
Bn, 33rd Armored Regiment picture, and when in July of 1943 Eddie
writes in Willies autograph book, “ My very worried friend, Just a line to
say I’ve enjoyed your friendship a great deal these past sixteen months. Hope
we are still together when the smoke finally clears and in one piece. (Ha)
Always remember my pal that the doors are never locked at my home. Good Luck
Always, T.L. Edmondson Jr. On
the night of 11 July 1944 they were in Normandy, fighting for Hill 91, also
known as Haut Vents. They had just parked their light tank, Octopus, for the
night. The crew chief, Maddox, and the loader, Bill Wright, had just climbed out
when a German anti tank shell hit the front of the tank. Willie was in the
driver’s seat, and Eddie was in the assistant driver’s seat talking about
the day’s span of events. When Willie tried to escape up the turret ladder he
only then realized that both his arms were broken from shrapnal, and he could
not lift them. His left leg, chest, and back also received major shrapnel
wounds. The tank was burning. There was so much heat that dog tags melted. With
his wounds, Willie could have been brushed aside by Eddie, but instead, he
placed his head between Willie’s legs and pushed him up and out. Adrenaline
must had taken over. The
men outside the tank said Willie never touched the side of the tank as he fell
to the ground, and was taken to safety, to be worked on by the medics. Eddie
came out of the tank covered with Willie’s blood. The medics started working
on him also, but Eddie kept insisting that he was all right, and that they must
help his buddy. They were both sent to a M.A.S.H. unit, but after that night
they never saw, or heard of, each other again. That is until June 2000. I
know this story because my name is Bob Wilson. My father was Herbert C. Wilson,
and I’m proud to say that, just recently, with the help of Mr. Ray Reeder, and
Mr. Walter Stitt, of the 3AD Association, and armed with my father’s autograph
book, I have become a friend of Thomas L. Edmondson. The man that saved my
father’s life. My
father was in and out of consciousness that night. Mostly out. On July 29th
he was back in England were he dictated a letter to his future bride. He
writes, “ I wanted to write before but this war keeps me from doing so. And
another thing I got hurt. And this is the main reason.” At the end of this
letter is a P.S. “Please excuse the writing. I am writing this for Herbert.
A friend Johnny.” He arrived back to the states, on a hospital ship,
October 16th and then stationed at Wakeman General Hospital, until
December 11, 1945. Here he was honorable discharged from the army. While in the
hospital my father went through a lot of operations, and he felt he needed a
good luck charm. On it is a four leaf clover, a picture of my mother, his melted
dog tags, and a picture of the man that saved his life. When I see this charm, I
see a lot of love, and admiration. He resided in Reading, Pennsylvania and
became a sought after cabinetmaker till is death February 9, 1985. Eddie
spent a week at the M.A.S.H. unit, were he was treated for burns. He rejoined
the unit, and went on to participate in every major campaign to just outside
Berlin, with tank # 13. Here he, “made a U turn west and went home,”
stopping in German and French towns until they boarded a ship, October 1945, for
the States. Back home he worked 38 years for Mobil Oil until his retirement.
Today he lives with his wife, Winoma, and even gets an occasional hole in one in
his almost daily golf games. This
bit of history you will not find in books. These events of heroism, are of the
highest, but between participants, they are no less the true measuring of
friendship. When loyalty overtook the need of survival. I’m sure this, or
similar actions, have taken place countless times. But for myself, and for
generations in my family to come, it will be the definitive reason why we live. By
Bob Wilson Membership
Report Members
Joined
331 Lifetime
Memberships
136 Annual
Memberships
185 Associate
Memberships
8 Memberships
expired
<58> Members
who have passed away
<2> Active
Members
271
Association
Financial Report Assets
Cash
2,445.80
Web Server Maint Fund
128.00
Scholarship Fund
180.00
Web Store Inventory
2,129.00
Accounts Receivable
79.05
IT Equipment (Net Accum of Depr)
800.00
Deposits
500.00
Total Assets
$6,262.41 Liabilities
Suspense – Reunion
924.60
Loans from Corporate Officers
468.28
Net
Assets
Unrestricted
3,448.61
Change in net assets
1,420.92
Total Liabilities and Net Assets
$6,262.41 Association
News Our
First Reunion The
Association polled the membership as to reunion plans for our first reunion.
80% of the people desired to come to a reunion this summer in
Pennsylvania while there was a core group who wanted to attend the 3rd
Armored Division Association reunion in Peoria in September.
We are happy to announce that both options are going to be available to
people. You will find an
application for our reunion at the end of this newsletter. We have been informed
that we are also welcome to attend the Peoria reunion.
Specific details of both reunions will be available at the reunions
sections of our website. There are
also downloadable forms for the reunion. If you are not able to access the
website and would like information, please contact Steve Depuy at 717-336-0185.
Please consider supporting these events.
Your support will have much to do with the success of our organization in
the future. Membership
Renewals For
many members, the end of your first year of membership is rapidly coming to an
end. In the coming weeks, we will
be mailing out your membership renewals notices.
We hope that all of our annual members will continue to support the
Association by renewing their membership. We
would also like to encourage all veterans to find other 3AD veterans and bring
them into the association. Store
News The
Association Store has managed to obtain many of the unit crests from 3AD units
that our members served in. Please
check with the stores to see if your unit crest is available. We also have a
limited supply of new and old books relating to the 3d Armored Division.
We are also able now take credit card orders for items for sale in the
store. We are also going to be placing an order for embroidered products in
June. If you are interested in a coat or any other special item with the
Association Logo embroidered on it, contact the store. Elections The
Association will be holding its annual elections of board members at the
reunion. If you are not going to be able to attend the reunion, there will be
absentee ballots available in the next newsletter. If you are interested in
having your name on the ballot, please contact one of the board of directors.
Three board positions will be elected each year at the annual reunion.
Reunion Raffles The
Association has raffles we are going to be holding for different things at the
Reunion this summer. There is a rumor that some Lischer Beer may be one of the
items if we can get it here on time. We understand that not all of you will be
able to attend the reunion but might be interested in items we are raffling off.
The items will be listed in the reunion section of the website and you may
purchase tickets by writing to the Association Store. Other
Reunions
New
Members The
following new members have joined since our last newsletter: NAME
Unit
NAME
Unit Paul
G. Vaughn
D 2-222AV
Jack B. Painter
CSC 1-33AR William
T. Blessey 32d
Tank Bn Jon
K. Pennington
HHC 2-67AR John
K. Green
3-32 AR
Ronald L. Carroll
B 13AIB Walter
J. Roberts
C 2-32AR
Christopher Ginther
3-12 Cav Charles
T. Doyle
A 1-32AR
Carey M. Jones
HHC 4-32AR Anthony
Ninos
32AR Band
William J. Jarosz
391st FA Bn Paul
J. Siddens
32d Tank Bn
Kenneth M. Lonky
D 2-48 Inf Gary
B. Holzhauser B
2-82 FA
Richard L. Rychener
143d Signal Bn Martin
W. Wisor
HHC 1-36 Inf New
Editor Hello
I
am Kevin Colson, the newest member of the Association of 3rd Armored
Division Veterans Board of Directors. I
proudly served in the 3rd Armored Division from November 1985 to July
of 1989. I served in the 3rd Battalion 32 Armor, 2nd
Battalion 67th Armor “Iron
Dukes” and in the 3rd “Thunder” Brigade. I served under three very fine Battalion Commanders.
They were LTC Doug Craft, LTC Steven Wilson and LTC (now MG) Charles
“Hondo” Campbell. I served as the Battalion S-4 for a period of 18 months.
LTC Steven Wilson then selected me to serve as the Commander of the
“Bushwhackers” Bravo Company 2-67 Armor. I had the privilege of serving with
many outstanding soldiers, NCO’s and Officers. There is not a day that goes by
that I don’t fondly remember my time in Germany. I look forward to recording
the history of the Spearhead Division through my work with the Association.
I have taken over the duty of publishing the quarterly Newsletter for the
A3ADV. I also manage the Websites for the 67th Armor, 36th
Infantry and handle the Association Website Guestbook. Last
Round Look
for the next edition of “Call Me Spearhead” to be published in July.
Anyone wishing to submit material for the newsletter may do so by
emailing Kevin Colson at kcolson@3ad.org. Anyone who would be interested in working on a staff to
create and publish the newsletter should please contact Kevin as well.
All material published here is the intellectual property of the
Association of 3d Armored Division Veterans or the individual author as noted. Email: couline@ptd.net
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