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RDVF ESTABLISHES MEMORIALS FOR 42^ND IRAQ VETERANS

As you know, one of our stated goals as a Foundation is to maintain existing memorials and establish new memorials in order to preserve the Legacy of our Division and its Soldiers.  In the near future we will have posted to our website the entire list and location of all 42^nd Division memorials/monuments, they are numerous!  Two such memorials exist in Garden City LI, NY the other at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma.  These two memorials commemorate the mobilization and deployment of the 42^nd for WWI and WWII and stand in recognition of the sacrifices of those soldiers and families.  Now we are pleased to establish new memorials at Fort Drum and Fort Dix, the site of the mobilization and deployment of the 42^nd for the Iraq war.  This is the ten year anniversary of the mobilization of the 42^nd for the Iraq war.  The RDVF unanimously approved the expenditure of funds to support the establishment of these memorials calling them totally in keeping with our Foundations mission. 

The mobilization and deployment of the 42^nd for the Iraq war was the first call up of a National Guard Division for combat since the Korean War.  The 42^nd was the first or only two NG Division called to duty for the Iraq or Afghanistan Wars.  It was truly historic and added greatly to the Legacy of our beloved Division.  The 42^nd occupied a large portion of North Central Iraq (the size of West Virginia!)  which was home to some 6.5 million Iraqi citizens.  The 42^nd was the third US Division Hq’s to occupy the palace complex in Sadaam Hussein’s home town of Tikrit and was The US Hq’s that turned it back to the Iraqi people.  The 42^nd Division was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation for its outstanding performance. 

The memorial ceremony at Fort Drum is scheduled for Jun 28^th.  The Fort Dix ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Sep 13^th.  You can stay up to date on all the details by going to the RDVF website and clicking on events.  We will post ceremony details there.  There is a short article in the April Reveille regarding the general agenda for the June 28^th event.

We are anticipating the Memorials (depicted in the picture below) to cost in the range of $10,000 each.  The Foundation will be responsible to pay not only for the plaque and granite mounting stone, but also for the concrete pad and walkway.  We are asking our members to donate to the Iraq memorial fund to help defray expenses. 

While the Foundation can and will pay for all costs, donations will help keep our memorial funds available for the sustainment of existing memorials for the upcoming WWI anniversaries!  2014-18 marks the 100 year anniversary of WWI.  Preparations in France are well underway and the 42^nd has been asked to play a role in the festivities at a time and date to be determined.  Obviously we have many WWI memorial and monuments across France and we want to make sure they are all in good shape and representative of our Divisions legacy and its soldiers. 

Please click here to donate to the Iraq Deployment Memorial Campaign.