Photo By Richard Goldenberg | New York Army National Guard Spc. Jarod Barnard, assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade...... read more read more
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BONY, FRANCE – One hundred years after the guns of World War I fell silent for Memorial Day in a world again at peace, a group of New York Army National Guard Soldiers from the original New York Division returned to France to dedicate a memorial for Soldiers who fought and died in the Great War wearing the same shoulder insignia.
The Soldiers were part of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which carries the modern lineage of the 27th Division, the New York National Guard combat division which saw heavy combat during the war.
The Soldiers were in France for a staff ride with the U.S. Army Center of Military History when they learned of the opportunity to participate in the ceremony honoring fellow New York Soldiers of the 107th Regiment at the site of the unit's most costly battle in September 1918.
The memorial fosters “the continuing spirit of friendship and shared remembrance connecting France and the United States, as well as strengthened the ties of the French people to the citizens of New York,” said Col. Christopher Cronin, commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The 107th Regiment first formed in 1917 from the 1st and 7th regiments of the New York National Guard. After reorganization, training and shipping overseas in May of 1918 with the 27th Division, the 107th saw action in Flanders, Belgium, before deploying to the Somme area of France for a renewed allied offensive.
On September 29, 1918, the regiment assaulted Germany's Hindenburg Line, an extensive line of prepared defensive positions. During the first day of the attack, the regiment suffered nearly 1,000 casualties -- the largest one-day American regimental loss of the entire war.
The new memorial for the 107th is next to the Somme American Cemetery in Bony, France. The land upon which it sits was donated by a local French farmer, who wanted to ensure that it remains “American soil” even if his family sells the farm in the future.
The World War I Somme American Cemetery and Memorial in France contains the graves of 1,844 American military dead. Most lost their lives while serving in American units like the 27th Division, attached to British armies, or in operations near Cantigny.
The memorial effort was driven by retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Bob Glacel, and facilitated by cemetery superintendent Craig Rahanian. Rahanian hosted members of the 27th Brigade in 2018 for the unit’s centennial commemorative event in the Somme.
The work of the American Battle Monuments Commission made a lasting impression on the Soldiers of the 27th Brigade, said Col. Christopher Cronin, the brigade commander who attended the 2018 ceremony and provided his thanks to Rahanian for this memorial dedication.
“Our entire unit was humbled, yet inspired by its sanctity and beauty,” Cronin said of the grounds of the Somme Cemetery.
The tribute for the 27th Division and the 107th Regiment in France is an enduring monument to the service of American Soldiers, Cronin said.
They were joined at the ceremony by representatives from the local community and from New York, including members of the New York City World War I Centennial Committee.
| Date Taken: | 05.25.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 05.29.2019 16:29 |
| Story ID: | 324327 |
| Location: | BONY, AISNE, FR |
| Web Views: | 150 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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