Photo By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry | The 38th Infantry Division leaders, Command Sgt. Maj. James H. Martin and Maj. Gen....... read more read more
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INDIANAPOLIS – Soldiers with the 38th Infantry Division unveiled a commemorative painting Saturday as the division nears the 100th anniversary of its inception, which was Aug. 25, 1917, at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.
“We wanted a print that would depict how busy we’ve been the last 100 years, and we will be busy in the years to come,” said Maj. Gen. David Wood, the 38th Infantry Division commanding general. “It’s very important for units to remember their history and to know where they came from.”
The painting depicts a historic timeline of division soldiers in wars, deployments and campaigns from the world wars to the Vietnam War to overseas contingencies since 9/11.
The painting by Larry Selman shows different poses used during combat and connects 38th Infantry Division soldiers in the past to soldiers today.
“Now I am connected with you, which I am very proud of and very happy to be. It’s a great honor and privilege,” said Selman during the unveiling.
Indiana’s infantry division, headquartered in Indianapolis, began in response to America’s involvement in World War I. The 38th started with National Guard units from Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.
“He did a superb job,” said 38th Infantry Division’s Command Sgt. Maj. James H. Martin of Selman’s work. “This painting is a great example of what we’ve accomplished over the last 100 years.”
The division earned the special designation “Cyclone Division” after a springtime tornado damaged the unit’s training area at Camp Shelby. The division’s soldiers then deployed to France in the closing days of the “Great War” and they provided fillers for combat formations.
At the end of the war, the 38th demobilized and after a brief period of inactivity, was reconstituted and reorganized in the National Guard on March 16, 1923.
Division soldiers mobilized in World War II earning the nom de guerre as Avengers of Bataan during their action in the Pacific Theater.
Division soldiers continue to deploy recently in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Cyclone Division, one of 18 divisions in the U.S. Army, provides fully manned, equipped, trained and expertly led units prepared to deploy and conduct unified land operations for combatant commanders and to respond to any domestic crisis in support of the governor of Indiana or other civil authorities.
The 38th has three subordinate brigades within the Hoosier State with more than 8,000 citizen-soldiers. It also has Army National Guard units in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Delaware.
In addition to the painting, division soldiers kicked off 100th-year festivities with a banquet in October. In the upcoming months division soldiers will continue with several commemorative events.
Scores of division soldiers are scheduled to compete in the Bataan Memorial Death March, a 26.2-mile endurance challenge, in New Mexico that serves as a history lesson of the prisoners of war defending the Philippine Islands during World War II.
For more information about the Cyclone Division’s commemorative painting and Selman please visit cyclonecentury.com.
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| Date Taken: | 12.03.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.04.2016 17:01 |
| Story ID: | 216367 |
| Location: | INDIANAPOLIS, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 351 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Soldiers unveil 'Cyclone Century', by SFC Erin Bossen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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