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Dan O'Brien

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Secretary
Bob Pfeiffer

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designed and maintained by
Dale Zanardelli
 

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Secretary's Report

Two German POWs at Urfahr
by Rainer Kliemann

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

2009 11th AD Reunion Information

Make your plans now to attend our 
2009 Reunion

Back To The Future

The first post-war reunion of the 11th Armored Division took place in Chicago in 1947. Here we are 62 years later, once again returning to the Windy City. This time instead of the Congress Hotel, our headquarters will be the Wyndham-Lisle in suburban Lisle, Illinois. Please use the following information to reserve your hotel room for the reunion:

Reunion Registration Form pdf

Tour Registration Form pdf

Tour Descriptions pdf

List of registered Attendees (06/21/2009)

We are pleased to offer you a rate of $104.00 per night for a standard room. When calling to make a reservation, Please specify that you are with the 11th Armored Division Association Reunion. To ensure this rate and availability, please make reservations by  July 3, 2009

We are holding the reunion in Chicago because we have many members who live in the Midwest and have not had a reunion there for a few years.  Those are in addition to our normal in-house events such as the Hospitality Room, Memorial Service, Dinner-Dance, and meetings. As always, we expect that there will be a large contingent of second/third generation Thunderbolts present to add to the festivities. For those of you who will be flying to the reunion The Wyndham suggests landing at O’Hare Airport. Remember Chicago will be our next to last reunion, as we are winding everything up and retiring the 11th Armored Division’s colors in Louisville in 2010. Most of all, however, please come to Chicago to reunite with your old Thunderbolt friends.

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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