Dog Face Soldiers mark 70th anniversary

Photo By Lt. Col. Randy Ready | U.S. Army Col. Robert Ashe, the commander for 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, addresses the crowd at a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Obersalzburg, Germany, May 5. Ashe said the opportunity for Soldiers to meet with the division’s World War II veterans helps expose the new Soldiers to 3ID’s rich history.  

OBERSALZBURG, GERMANY

05.05.2015

Story by Capt. Randy Ready 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

OBERSALZBURG, Germany – Current and former “Dog Face” Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division commemorated the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the towns of Obersalzburg and Berchtesgaden, Germany, during a celebration May 5.

The Society of the 3rd Infantry Division’s Outpost International hosted the ceremony and laid a wreath in honor of the 3ID veterans who liberated the towns in 1945.

World War II veterans Robert Dutill from Williams, California, and John Miller of Linwood, Michigan, raised the American flag during the ceremony. Both men were with division when they liberated the town 70 years ago.

For Spc. Patrick Hoffman, an imagery analyst with the 10th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, the highlight of the ceremony was being able to escort the Veterans.

“It’s an honor to be in the ceremony with two of the men that were here, that fought their way through France and Germany,” said Hoffman, a native of Mason, Michigan. “I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

Soldiers from 1st ABCT, 3ID are serving as the Regionally Aligned Force for Europe and are participating in Operation Atlantic Resolve.

Col. Robert Ashe, the commander for 1ABCT, 3ID, said the current mission gives the brigade’s Soldiers the ability to learn more about the sacrifices of the division’s previous generations.

“One of the greatest benefits of being back in Europe is that we get the opportunity to engage in activities such as this that allow us to expose members of the team to the rich history of the 3rd Infantry Division,” said Ashe.

Retired U.S. Army Capt. Monika Stoy, the president of Outpost International, said one of their objectives is to honor the division’s achievements in Europe and Korea while preserving the division’s history.

“Outpost International’s objective is not just to remember the past,” said Stoy, “but to use the past to educate our youth, our leaders, our children.”

For Stoy, history is significantly more than just learning what happened in the past.

“History is not just books, monuments and ceremonies,” added Stoy. “History is constantly with us. The more we learn from the past, the better we can understand why our present is the way it is and what we can do to shape our future.”

Stoy believes these ceremonies and the dedication of memorial plaques in communities liberated by the 3rd Infantry Division help to strengthen the friendships between the citizens in those areas and the United States.

Ashe added these relationships are getting stronger through the multinational exercises the brigade’s Soldiers are conducting as a part of Atlantic Resolve.

“Atlantic Resolve allows the various members of NATO the opportunity to train together and to better understand how we best complement each other,” Ashe stated. “Our presence and commitment to Atlantic Resolve provides assurance to our allies that we are committed to their security.”

• Date Taken: 05.05.2015
• Date Posted: 05.12.2015 05:36
• Story ID: 162991
• Location: OBERSALZBURG, DE
• Hometown: CULLMAN, AL, US
• Hometown: LINWOOD, MI, US
• Hometown: MASON, MI, US
• Hometown: WILLIAMS, CA, US