Posted on 09/10/2004 5:06:02 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Sgt. Michael Terlinde of Georgetown soon will leave his wife and two young children to serve in Iraq, with a patch on his shoulder that will keep his heart close to home.
Terlinde will deploy as a member of the 36th Infantry Division, continuing the legacy of the "T-Patchers," who were among the first U.S. combat units to land in Europe in World War II. The Texas National Guard reactivated the 36th in May.
"It's an amazing thing," said Terlinde, 28, who added that the T-Patch on his left shoulder gives him and the others in the new 36th a powerful new link to the past.
"The patch brings more honor to our uniform," he said at a ceremony Thursday that commemorated the landing at Salerno, Italy, by the division's 141st Infantry Regiment on Sept. 9, 1943.
The annual ceremony was held as it normally has been, at a marble monument honoring the 141st at Alamo and Market streets. But this time, there was the added presence of Terlinde and about 20 other guardsmen among the nearly 100 in attendance.
"If not for these veterans, my grandparents might be speaking German," Terlinde said.
The bloody battles fought at Salerno, Altavilla, San Pietro, Velletri and the Rapido River helped topple Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. The regiment later fought in France, Germany and Austria.
The 141st can be traced back to an early Texas militia that waged war against Mexican dictator Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna, armed with rifles and the battle cry "Remember the Alamo."
The militia established a thread of valor that has been passed on for generations, said Lt. Col. Allen Huffines, commander of the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 36th with soldiers now training for Iraq.
"Military lineage is like family lineage," he said.
Robert E. Rosales, 83, is one of a dwindling number of survivors from the old 36th. The aging veterans have struck up a bond with some of their young successors, he said.
"As long as they follow the traditions of the old 36th, we'll be proud of them," Rosales said. "We want them to carry the same mottos, like 'Remember the Alamo,' 'Go forward,' and 'God and country.'"
About 3,000 more Texas guard members in the 56th Brigade Combat Team are training for Iraq.
It will be the largest Texas guard unit deployed.
The 36th has more than 12,000 soldiers — about two-thirds of the Texas National Guard.
Daniel Sanchez, whose father was in the old 36th, said he grew up with the T-Patch symbol, a "T" for Texas on an arrowhead, which represented Oklahoma when the division was formed with recruits from the two states in 1917. He is encouraging his children to send e-mails to the T-Patchers in Iraq.
World War II veterans from the old "Texas Division," which deactivated in 1968, often travel to Italy. They solemnly reflect on friends who never returned, and get celebrity treatment from Italians who remain grateful.
Sanchez, 49, said he hopes Iraqis will someday be as hospitable to today's T-Patchers.
"It may take a generation, though," he said.
For now, today's T-Patchers have the legacy and support of the old war vets to sustain them.
-----------------------shuddleston@express-news.net
Thank you for this post.
What great mottoes! And what a proud heritage the 36th Division has. Thank you for posting this. If you know any of the deploying soldiers and they would like support mail, please send me FReep mail.
Kathleen
Can you link to unit history - as in before WW1?
Re. your comment: "The 141st can be traced back to an early Texas militia that waged war against Mexican dictator Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna, armed with rifles and the battle cry "Remember the Alamo."
You need to ask Scott:
shuddleston@express-news.net
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