Director of the Army National Guard, together cut a ceremonial cake and ribbon. The event commemorates the adoption of the command dining room at the Army National Guard Readiness center as the "Infantry Room".
The ceremony is indicative of the chapter's commitment in the keeping of Esprit d' Corps in the infantry. On display in the "Infantry Room", besides the Founding Member's Plaque, will be two Army National Guard heritage paintings.
On the south wall will be the "Indiana Rangers" depicting the Army Guard in Vietnam. During Vietnam, 20 units from 17 states mobilized for service, of which eight of these units deployed with over 7,000 Army Guard soldiers to the war zone. Depicted in the painting is Company D (Rangers). Company D conducted missions ranging from raids, ambushes, and surveillance operations, accruing an impressive 510 medals of valor and service.
On the north wall will be the 28th Infantry Division defending during the German Army's Champagne-Marne Offensive. The painting is entitled "Men of Iron" and depicts members of Companies L and M from the 109th Infantry Regiment as they make their stand. Of the 500 men assigned to both companies, only 150 remained after the attack. The 28th's defense held against the offensive for three days, eventually grinding the German attack to a halt. German after action reports described the battle as their "most severe defeat of the war", earning the 28th the auspicious title of the "Iron Division".
BG Squier's address outlined the importance the Army National Guard has as a member partner in the infantry. Of the 153 infantry battalions currently active in the Army, 83 are Army Guard.
In addition to the member plaque will be an even more prestigious plaque, one that lists the names of those chapter inductees of the Order of St. Maurice. The recipients plaque will go on the south wall, forever commemorating the memory of the men and women that played a part of so rich a history. |
