Both postings remind us that for most of our history wars were fought by
men who lived together before and after the war. Regiments were from
counties and cities and even divisions were from states. Such shared
combat made wars more real to the people at home as well as to the
politicians who sent men off to battle. Thus, wars had to have a
purpose and political support at home. Since WWII this has not been the
case; soldiers are in a professional army, disconnected from the home
front and from regular Americans; the military is a place for the poor
and unfortunate who see it as "a way out" of where they are, but the
soldiers are not part of units that come from where they do. THe mixing
in the military was probably a plus in and after WWII -- people from all
parts of the country met and learned about each other -- even if they
were in "home town units" like the 116th. In our modern professional
army people also meet others from all over, but there is no going home
after the war because the army is their home. In the long run this is
probably not good for our Republic; it underscores the Founders fear of
a standing army. We cannot always "learn from history" but I think the
larger memory of the 116th (and thousands of other units like it) is a
lesson we should learn.
Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
and Public Policy
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, New York 12208-3494
518-445-3386
[log in to unmask]
>>> Randy Cabell <[log in to unmask]> 06/06/07 1:46 PM >>>
Yes, we would do well to remember our heritage of the 116th Infantry.
It
has its roots in the 2nd VA Infantry, CSA which became known as "The
Stonewall Brigade." The 116th (in its earlier unit designation I think)
went to Mexico with Pershing just before the US entered WWI, and went to
France in 1918. There is a classic photo somewhere of Will Ruebush
leading
the Band of the 116th Infantry down Broad Street in Richmond when they
returned. Back about 1988, I walked the beaches of Normandy, saw the
monument to the 29th Division, marveled that anybody could scale the
rocks
at Point-du-hoc, and got a lump in my throat when walking among the
crosses
at Coville-sur-mer which Richard Dixon calls out.
Units of the 116th, including companies from Winchester have served in
Afghanistan, the local unit losing two men to a roadside IED. I learned
in
the paper that the local unit has been mobilized once again, this time
for
service in Iraq, leaving at the end of this month. Whether you agree
with
out current policy in Iraq or not, you gotta applaud those men who are
willing to up-root themselves, turn their lives upside down, and serve
their
country when called upon.
I am guessing that for the past several years, more than 50% of the
Virginia
National Guard has been in Federal service at any given time, but I have
no
stats to back it up. It would be interesting to see what it is, and see
how
many units have been called up more than one time.
Randy Cabell
----- Original Message -----
From: "Heritage Society" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2007 12:32 PM
Subject: [VA-HIST] June 6, 1944
> The crosses stand in perfect formation beneath the Normandie sky. It
is
> the graveyard at Colleville-sur-mer overlooking Omaha Beach where 9000
> young Americans came to France on June 6, 1944 and now stay, forever
> brave. On that morning, the first to reach the beach were men of
Company A
> of the 116th Regiment, 29th Infantry Division from Bedford County,
> Virginia. Of its 36 men who went to war, 23 died in France, 19 on
D-Day,
> the highest percentage lost of any community in the United States.
Today,
> in Bedford, there is a memorial to the D-Day landings. To reach it you
> will probably travel on a highway that bisects Virginia, known
generally
> as Route 29, but it's full name is the 29th Infantry Division Memorial
> Highway, a daily reminder of the men who were heroes at Omaha.
> Richard E. Dixon
>
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