Photo By Staff Sgt. Anthony Bryant | Capt. Grahm Nordlund, commander of Company B, 4th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th...... read more read more
Subscribe
On the lawn of Kit Carson Memorial Park at Fort Carson June 3, 2017, members of the 4th Infantry Division Museum planned and coordinated a living history day in honor of the “Ivy” division and its past military actions since its inception a century ago when the historic division was organized to combat Germany in World War I.
Represented at the living history day were around 20 different agencies including: 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard, Fort Carson Red Cross, Al Kaly Shriners and reenactors from the Colorado Military History Group.
Joseph Berg, the colorful director of the 4th Inf. Div. Museum and proud “Ivy” man, dressed up as Oddball from Kelly’s Heroes, a 1970 war comedy about a group of World War II Soldiers who go absent without leave.
“I hope people really take away a good family experience; and that they enjoy getting to meet Soldiers and getting to see what Soldiers did and do on an everyday basis,” Berg said. “It’s really about bringing people together and bringing generations together.”
Plenty of military kids never find out what exactly it is their parent does, Berg said. Whether it be if their parent pilots a helicopter, puts rounds in a howitzer or drives a Stryker, some military kids never get the chance to see that vehicle and actually connect with what their parent does at work.
Automatic rifles, M777 howitzer, M1126 Stryker, and an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter were among the attractions available displaying the 4th Inf. Div.’s current combat capabilities. But in honor of the division’s 100-year history, elements of its past, including weaponry, gear and uniforms, were put on public view.
Maj. Terra Dawes, deputy commander of the 438th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Service), 10th Combat Support Hospital, 4th Inf. Div., whose father and grandfather both served in the Army, brought her family to the living history day.
“My son likes to see the vehicles and the soldiers,” Dawes said. “There’s enough out here for the kids to do; to talk with the soldiers about their vehicles and to be able to go into them. The hands-on is really important for the kids.”
The event gives kids an idea of what their parents do every day at work, Dawes said. Her son knows that she’s a veterinarian but he doesn’t know who she supports. The living history day gives her son that opportunity to meet the soldiers she supports.
Reenactors at the living history day reenacted World War I, World War II and Vietnam—conflicts involving the 4th Inf. Div. The reenactors interacted with the public and helped them understand what it was like to be a soldier from that era.
Capt. Grahm Nordlund, commander of Company B, 4th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th CAB, 4th Inf. Div., dressed as a World War II soldier as part of the CMHG, an organization comprised of civilians and active-duty members who collect historical memorabilia to keep the memory of our nation’s history alive.
“We never want to forget the sacrifices that our forefathers made to make this nation so great,” Nordlund said. “Living history is a public display to raise awareness and allow a very unique opportunity to come and demonstrate the equipment that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers actually used.”
The 4th Inf. Div. Museum’s next living history day is scheduled for June, 9, 2018.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2017 13:55 |
| Story ID: | 236537 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Hometown: | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 180 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 100 years comes to life; 4ID celebrates its history, by SSG Anthony Bryant, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
