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Two German POWs at Urfahr
by Rainer Kliemann

Three 99th Inf. Div. KIA's final resting

Louisville Reunion 2010

“We came in with a blaze of glory, and we will go out with a blaze of glory!”
- Don Behm (B41CAV), August 8, 2009

With that succinct statement, spoken sans microphone at the General Membership Meeting in Chicago, Don Behm effectively ended a long, lingering discussion about the possibility of having a shortened, scaled-back, final, Thunderbolt reunion. We will endeavor to honor Don’s sentiments to the fullest extent possible and thus achieve a fitting and enviable end to the 11th Armored Division’s reunions.

The first ingredient necessary to attain Don’s vision is to get as many Thunderbolts as possible gathered together from August 2-8, 2010. Toward that end, the Holiday Inn Hurstbourne was chosen to host our last reunion. Chief among its many amenities, the hotel offers free parking, free airport shuttle service, free hot breakfast, and handicapped rooms. Those features, along with an $85.00 room rate, combine to make it one of the best deals we’ve had in years. We hope that as many of you as possible will take advantage of it to reunite with your old buddies. However, due to our ever-thinning ranks there are a limited number of rooms blocked off for the reunion. Please make your room reservations at the Holiday Inn Hurstbourne as soon as possible. It is far easier to cancel a reservation than it is to make one at the last minute. Don’t be left out.

Reservations may be made by calling the hotel directly at 502-426-2600 or central reservations at 1-800-HOLIDAY. Ask for a room under the 11th Armored Division Block or use the three letter group code of EAD when making reservations. Rooms may also be booked on line by going to the Holiday Inn Hurstbourne web site at www.hihurstbourne.com and using the three letter group code under the group. They can do this by going to rates and reservations, type in the dates requested and preferred room type. Go to "Corporate, Group and IATA identification." Type in the three letter group code and proceed from there. Reservations must be made before July 14.

The second important ingredient is to have a plate full of relaxed and varied activities to make the reunion enjoyable for everyone’s tastes. Of course, we will have the usual events such as a Hospitality Room replete with refreshments, stories about the 11th AD, maps detailing the 11th’s exploits, and original photos of the 11th in training and in the ETO. In addition, we expect that there will be many veterans present who took the Return to Europe tour in April/May, 2010. They are sure to have many interesting stories, photos, and videos of their experience in Europe to share. There will also be three leisurely half-day tours. On Tuesday, there is a midday trip to a riverboat casino scheduled. Wednesday features a morning trip to Churchill Downs, home to the Kentucky Derby, for a Breakfast on the Backside. The ever-popular evening Dinner Cruise highlights Thursday’s action. Friday’s main event will be an all-day trip to the Patton Museum at Ft. Knox for a ceremony to retire the Division’s colors. On Saturday afternoon, Chaplain Gordon Blasius will conduct a final Memorial Service for our departed comrades. The reunion will close with the traditional Dinner-Dance Saturday evening with music provided by the 15 piece Moonlight Big Band.

The final ingredient needed to fulfill Don Behm’s bold prediction is YOU. After all, the story of the 11th Armored Division is really 15,000 or so uniquely individual stories; YOUR stories. YOU are the 11th Armored Division. It was YOU who for three years soldiered on through Louisiana, Texas, California, and Europe, all the while proudly displaying on your left shoulder the twin ones emblazoned on Armored’s tri-colored, triangle. It was YOU who made history while making unique memories and lifelong friends. The reunions are organized with YOU in mind. They are for YOU, about YOU, and are essentially meaningless events without YOU.

So there you have it. The three ingredients necessary for a reunion in which we go out with a, “Blaze of Glory!”: an affordable, convenient, accessible location, a splendid menu of events, and, most of all, YOU. Please try to be a part of this, the final official gathering of the Thunderbolt Division. Thanks to Don Behm for giving our final reunion a theme perfectly reflective of the 11th AD’s spirit.

Louisville Reunion Registration Form pdf

Tour Descriptions and Tour Registration Form pdf

Tentative Schedule of Events pdf

Sixty three years after the first post-war reunion of the 11th Armored Division Association was held at the Congress Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, veterans returned for a second visit to the windy city. It was a rewarding week of fun, fellowship, meetings, and tours. Approximately 200 veterans, family members, and friends joined in the activities. Throughout the week, a center of activity was the hospitality room, where endless camaraderie, visiting, and story telling was enjoyed.

On Wednesday, August 5th, the group participated in an all day comprehensive tour of down town Chicago. All were impressed with the beauty and cleanliness of the city. Noticeably absent was a total lack of graffiti, due mainly to strict laws banning the use of spray paint in the area. A spectacular overview of the city, Lake Michigan, and four surrounding states was obtained from the sky walk observatory atop the 100 story, 1127 foot tall John Hancock Tower. Following lunch at the historic Navy Pier on Lake Michigan, a leisurely 1½ hour boat cruise on the Chicago River provided a unique perspective of the down town area. A guide on board described the architectural features of the many beautiful and historic buildings lining the waterway.

A Wednesday evening program was hosted by famed author and historian, Dr. Anna Elisabeth Rosmus. She first presented a slide show of photographs from her soon to be published book, “Valahalla Finale.” The book, with text in both German and English, presents hundreds of archival photographs. They depict events and conditions that prevailed in Bavaria, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, and Upper Austria during the final weeks of World War II in Europe, and during the subsequent occupation by Soviet and American military units.

Dr. Rosmus next related the incredible story of the life saving rescue of a tiny baby during the liberation of Mauthausen Concentration Camp in May, 1945. There, 11th Armored Division medic, LeRoy Petersohn found a three weeks old infant whose body was covered with massive life threatening infections. LeRoy and medical officer, Major Harold Stacy operated on the baby, lancing the infections and treating them with penicillin, thus saving her life. The baby, now Dr. Hana Berger Moran, a well known research scientist, participated in the presentation, along with her rescuer, LeRoy Petersohn, and Mrs. Jean Gore, daughter of the late Major Harold Stacy. Rabbi Paul Silton of Temple Israel in Albany, New York, also spoke. He honored LeRoy Petersohn and the 11th Armored Division for their medical and humanitarian service to the Jewish people during and after the liberation of Mauthausen and Gusen Concentration Camps in Austria. The ceremony was enhanced by a beautiful cello rendition of the Israeli anthem Ha Tikvah, played by Association member Greg Urda.

The final presentation of the evening was made by Mrs. Helen Patton Pluszyck, granddaughter of 11th Armored Division Combat Command A Commander, General Willard Ames Holbrook, and of Third Army Commander, General George Smith Patton, Jr. She introduced a DVD made at the direction of her brother, Public Broadcasting System producer Benjamin Patton. It documented the Association’s 2008 visit to the Patton family Green Meadows Farm at South Hamilton, MA. The DVD revived memories of a delightful visit, hosted by their mother, Mrs. Joanne Holbrook Patton.

On Thursday, August 6 , Committee and Board of Governors meetings took  place during the day. In the evening, the group enjoyed a five hour cruise on Lake Michigan, aboard a luxurious ship, the “Mystic Blue.” Along with a scrumptious buffet dinner, spectacular ever changing views of the Chicago waterfront and skyline were enjoyed, from before sunset until after dark.

On Friday, August 7th, a tour group spent the day at Cantigny, the estate of Colonel Robert R. McCormack, Editor and Publisher of the Chicago Tribune. Since Colonel McCormick’s death in 1955, the estate has been maintained and managed by a charitable trust, and is open to the public. The group enjoyed a guided tour of the McCormick mansion, and a visit to the Robert R. McCormick First Division Museum. Displays there relate the story of the First Infantry Division of the United States Army, from the period of the Revolutionary War to Desert Storm. Galleries, dioramas, and interactive exhibits display the weapons, equipment, and conditions that troops encountered in battle during each historical period. Colonel McCormick, a former artillery officer, named his estate “Cantigny,” in memory of the village in France where his First Infantry Division won its first battle during World War I.

A planned afternoon visit to the 29 acre Cantigny gardens was cut short by a heavy rain shower. In the evening, meetings of the Army Specialized Training group, the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion, and Second Generation Thunderbolts were held.

On Saturday, August 8th, the General Membership meeting was held. There, a decision was made to hold the last and final reunion of the Association in 2010 at Louisville, KY. Following that event, the Planning and Dissolution Committee will manage dissolution of the 11th Armored Division Association, handling any remaining business, and winding down the affairs of the Association. At the General Membership meeting, it was decided to retain current officers and board members, during this final active year of the Association. A decision was also made to retain the 11th Armored Division Association monument at Fort Knox, Kentucky, rather than have it moved to a new Cavalry and Armor Center, being constructed at Fort Benning, Georgia.

The 2009 Annual Reunion of the Association was concluded on Saturday evening, with a solemn and impressive memorial service, under the direction of Chaplain Gordon Blasius, with more beautiful cello music by Greg Urda. A President’s reception followed, along with a nostalgic dinnerdance. A 15 piece orchestra entertained with familiar music and the “big band sounds” that were popular in the 1930's and 1940's, helping veterans and loved ones relive memories of days gone by.

As the music ended, the time had come to say farewell for another year.

List of  Attendees (final)

11th Armored Division Association
63rd Annual Reunion Report

11th Armored Division Association
Reunion and Dissolution Decisions

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

by Daniel W. O’Brien
Company A, 56th Armored Engineer Battalion

I am honored to serve as the 61st President of the 11th Armored Division Association. I will serve to the best of my ability. As a veteran of the 11th Armored Division, I am proud of my service to our country, and of the part our Division played in freeing Europe from Nazi tyranny. I am mindful of the supreme sacrifice of our fallen comrades. It is our duty to continue to honor them; to ensure that their sacrifices will never be forgotten. Many of our fallen still rest in the hallowed soil of France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Their sacrifices, as well as our own service, contributed to the freedoms and liberty that citizens of many countries, including our own, now enjoy.

During WWII, as strangers, we were brought together by random assignment to US Army units. Through training, and through combat, we became a band of brothers, with bonds that have lasted a lifetime. Many have already left this earthly life. For the rest of us, our time comes ever closer. We have kept our bonds of friendship alive by taking an active part in the affairs of the 11th Armored Division Association. Nevertheless, as the vagaries of advancing age take its toll, it is apparent that the 11th Armored Division Association, as we know it, may be nearing an end. 

We are grateful to those second and third generation Thunderbolts who have stepped forward with active support, and generous sharing of their expertise. I thank you younger Thunderbolts for your part in keeping our Association vibrantly alive. We senior citizens are now increasingly dependent upon you, and there is still much work to be done. We must ensure that the honor, the history, and the accomplishments of the 11th Armored Division are never forgotten.

Since its inception, I have been active, along with Webmaster Dale Zanardelli, in developing and maintaining our interactive web site. I serve as the Web Site Editor. The web site archives contain thousands of pages of 11th Armored Division historical documents. Even if the Association becomes inactive, I believe its web site must be perpetuated. I will do my best to make that goal a reality.

Though we veterans are in the autumn of our lives, we are not yet ready to give in. Next year, we will have another great reunion in Chicago. A final one is planned for Louisville and Fort Knox in 2010. We are also planning a final “Battle Route” tour across Europe in 2010. It will be a last opportunity for veterans, families, and friends to visit the areas where the 11th Armored Division fought; helped to liberate and restore peace in Europe; helped bring an end to the era of Nazi oppression with its horrible atrocities; and had a role in bringing a final end to the Holocaust.

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             These and other 11th Armored Division photos are available in our Photo Gallery

The 11th Armored Division Association was formed in Gmunden, Austria,  on August 15, 1945.  Since then  the Association has been continuously active.  Periodic meetings are held by regional chapters located throughout the continental United States.  Annual reunions are held each year at locations chosen by the membership.

The official publication of the Association is the THUNDERBOLT.  It is issued quarterly and circulated to the active membership.

All persons assigned to the 11th Armored Division at any time between  the dates of August  15, 1942 and September 15, 1945 are eligible for membership, as well as that person's wife, widow, and descendants.

In addition , any member of a U.S. Military Unit which worked closely with or in conjunction with the 11th Armored Division during World War II is eligible for associate membership.  Associate members have all the rights and privileges of active members, except they are not eligible to vote or hold office.  Any person dishonorably discharged from any military service of the United States is not eligible for membership.

Any persons who were significantly helped by the 11th Armored Division during World War II are eligible for honorary membership.  Survivors of the Concentration Camps Mauthausen and Gusen and their descendants, as well as other Prisoners of War and Political Prisoners who were freed from captivity by the 11th Armored Division are eligible to become honorary members.

Anyone eligible is encouraged to join the ranks of our organization.  We are dedicated to recording and preserving the history of the 11th Armored Division, and to honor the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for their country.

Annual Dues for individuals are $15.00 per year.  Applications for membership should be forwarded to:

11th Armored Division Association
2328 Admiral Street
Alquippa, PA 15001
Phone 724-375-6295
Contact the Secretary
Membership Form

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