By Sgt. 1st Class Jason Epperson
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
Fort Carson will gain a battalion-sized element of over 500 “Ivy” Soldiers Aug. 14-18, 2017. These Soldiers are no longer on active duty, but are proud 4th Infantry Division Association members who will be joining the “Iron Horse” Division for Iron Horse Week.
Glen “Rusty” Armstrong, vice president of communications and “The Ivy Leaves” editor, will be making the trip from Wisconsin to join hundreds of former “Ivy” and “Iron Horse”
Soldiers during the 4th Inf. Div. Association’s 2017 national reunion during the storied division’s Iron Horse Week.
“All members, or alumni, have been notified through our website and our quarterly magazine for this annual reunion and celebration of the 100th ‘birthday’ of the 4th Infantry Division. I have also posted this to many veteran and military organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Army Historical
Society and other organizations,” Armstrong said.
To prepare for the centennial celebration, Armstrong said he has been posting articles from the World War I Centennial organization as well as researching articles of interest about the founding of the “4th Division” Dec. 10, 1917, for assignment to France in World War I.
“I will continue to roll out articles about the division and its participation in World War I through the next two years,” he said.
The National 4th Infantry (Ivy) Division Association was formed in 1919 in Germany following World War I. The association is a nonprofit war veterans’ organization with a national organizational structure of an executive board, committees and appointed officers.
Armstrong said for many years the association has promoted both annual and memorial scholarships for children of fallen warriors as well as Family members of its membership in good standing.
Joseph Berg, acting director for the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson Museum, said he expects over 600 former members of the division along with spouses and family members to attend the reunion and Iron Horse Week.
“The association will conduct a pass in review during Iron Horse Week and will be present at most of the sporting events to meet with current Soldiers in the division and cheer on their past units,” said Berg, who is the president of the Iron Horse Chapter of the 4th Inf. Div. Association.
“The association has been a rally point for all 4th Infantry Division veterans,” said Berg. “History shows that vets from all eras want to find their ‘foxhole buddies.’ Since 1919 the
4th Infantry Division Association has been the place to find and stay connected with buddies, both now and in the future.”
Click image for 2017 Iron Horse Week eight-page special section
The 4th Inf. Div. leadership is encouraged to request veteran guest speakers through the association.
“The best way to stay informed about the proud history of the unit they are serving in is to have a veteran of the unit visit them at Fort Carson. We will do our best to provide a veteran with a passion for the 4th Infantry Division and specific units of the division when we get requests from our current leadership,” Berg said.
“The association’s website is regularly updated, contains history, current events, list of national and chapter officers, the latest 4th
Infantry Division updates, details on all our Medal of Honor recipients, information on national and chapter reunions, and an online member search and a guestbook/chat room for communicating with other 4th Infantry Division vets, Families and friends. We welcome any and all suggestions on how to make our webpage more valuable to you.”
The association holds national reunions each year, and chapters hold meetings throughout the year at sites across the country. Membership is made up of veterans of World War II, the Cold War, Vietnam War, Iraq War, Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror/Overseas Contingency Operations. Membership is open to veterans who honorably served with or were attached to the 4th Inf. Div., and those who are currently serving with or attached to division. Family members of fallen Soldiers or deceased veterans can join as memorial members and friends of the 4th Inf. Div. may join as associate members.
Visit http://www.4thinfantry.org for more information on the association.