ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation annual reunion holds a special ceremony to announce the education agreement providing new benefits to association members with Excelsior College.
WHAT: Announcement and signing ceremony of education agreement between Excelsior College and Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation
WHO: Retired Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto, chairman of the Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation, Dr. John F. Ebersole, president of Excelsior College and members of the famed 42nd Infantry (Rainbow) Division & veterans assembled for the 92nd reunion of the division
WHEN: Saturday, July 14 at 5:45 pm. The ceremony precedes the reunion banquet at 6 pm.
WHERE: Hotel Albany, B Level Ballroom, 89 State Street, Albany, N.Y. 12207 (Formerly the Crowne Plaza Hotel)
Media Opportunity:
Imagery of the formal signing agreement between Excelsior College President Dr. John F. Ebersole and Foundation Chairman retired Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, along with soldiers of the 42nd Infantry Division. Interviews with capital region veterans of the 42nd Infantry Division in their full dress uniforms as they gather for the formal reunion banquet.
Background:
The Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation and Excelsior College have entered into an agreement that benefits all association members, spouses and domestic partners. All will be eligible for reduced tuition and fees when pursuing undergraduate degrees offered by the college. These lower costs, combined with Excelsior's transfer credit policies, will bring the achievement of a college degree closer to many.
The 2012 annual reunion of the Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation concludes Saturday evening the Champagne Hour, commemorating the first battle of the 42nd Division in World War I, when July 14, 1918 the division, acting as part of the 4th French Army, assisted in containing the final German offensive at the Battle of Champagne.
The July anniversary also commemorates the reactivation of the division for service in World War II, when thousands of soldiers reformed the division at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma for service in Europe.
The Rainbow Division Veterans Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the modern-day successor to the Rainbow Division Veterans Association that was formed following the end of WWI. The Foundation builds upon the legacy of the gallant men and women who have served by recognizing their valor, heroism and patriotism, and the sacrifices made by them and their families.
In the capital region, the 42nd Infantry Division is headquartered in North Greenbush from which members deployed to and returned from Iraq. More than 500 citizen-soldiers across the Capital Region serve with the 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters or subordinate units.
This year's veterans' reunion also expands the support available to veterans, association members and their spouses with tonight's signing of an agreement with Excelsior College.
The chairman of the foundation, retired Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, is the former adjutant general of the New York National Guard and past commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, including the division's combat deployment to Iraq in 2005.
Today, the 42nd Infantry Division serves as part of the New York Army National Guard, based in Troy, N.Y. The division headquarters overseas the training and preparations for combat or disaster response of some 14,000 soldiers across five states, including New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.