 Recently I had the opportunity of visiting two army installations for the purpose of reporting on the reactivation of two army divisions with long and honored histories on the battlefields of the past. The principal reason underlying these reactivations is our determination to maintain our military strength. You and I and free people around the world have long recognized the aggressive threat of international communism. We have many clear examples of what happens to the way of life and liberty of nations that fall into the domination of its political and economic thinking. In the past year, as part of many steps taken to meet the threat, President Kennedy called the first armored and fifth infantry divisions back into service. Both units have basically been inactive since the end of World War II. The first armored division, affectionately known as Old Ironsides, distinguished itself in the North African and Italian campaigns of that war. The fifth infantry division, well known as the Red Diamond Division, and for its nickname Red Devils, wrote its outstanding record in both World Wars I and II. The reactivation of the first armored division occurred March 3, 1962 at Fort Hood, Texas. It arrived several days before the event, for the purpose of learning as much about the history and background of the unit as I could. I met several men who had been with the division during World War II. One of these was Master Sergeant Carl W. Gaylord, now Sergeant Major of the First Armored Support Command and proud owner of a Silver Star. Sergeant, it's very nice of you to invite me to your home today. It's certainly a pleasure to have you with us. We are always glad to have people from out of town come in to see our military establishment down in our quarters. Tell me, Sergeant, how long have you been in the Army? I've been in the service 26 and a half years. I first enlisted in 1935. I was an assistant pharmacist at Fort Benjamin Harrison Hospital. Then I went overseas and when I came back decided to make the Army of my career. I went back to the old hospital and while I was being interviewed by the first sergeant for reassignment, I saw a tank going by the window. And right then I decided that I was going to change my branch of service. I re-enlisted in the tanks in 1939 and have been with the tanks practically ever since. What is it about tanks that fascinates you? The ability to handle heavy equipment, I've always been fascinated and I was used to drive large equipment prior to coming in the service. And it's a challenge to a person to be able to handle that type of equipment. And not only that, I knew if there was going to be a shooting war, I wanted to be in something I could shoot back with. Sergeant Major Gaylord exemplifies the kind of men who have helped prove that ingenious weapons are only as effective as the men who make them work. As crude as our early tanks may seem now, they were still ingenious weapons when units of the First Armored came ashore at Oran in northern Tunisia, November 8, 1942, to challenge the Nazis' hold on North Africa. But it still took men with unusual combat spirit to make them effective. In the face of the hardened, more experienced Panzer units, the going was rough. For several months, the Allies pressed attacks in the area of Toborba, Medzis Elbab, Gafsa and the Casserine Pass against strong German resistance. Enemy launched air-land counter-attacks which drove our forces back with heavy losses. In January and February 1943, the Allies continued in their efforts to push the enemy back to the cities of Tunis and Bezerta, to trap them with their backs to the Mediterranean Sea and there destroy them. The battles raged with almost insane fury because of Hitler's determination not to forfeit North Africa. The tide began to turn. The Wehrmacht was critically mauled at Casserine Pass and driven back to Faid Pass. By May, the cities of Tunis and Bezerta were in Allied hands and the war in North Africa was over. After taking time out to reorganize and re-equip itself, units of old iron sides were called on September 1943 to participate in the invasion of Italy at Salerno. Ship-to-shore landings are always difficult and Salerno was no exception. The German command concentrated all its efforts in a desperate attempt to keep our forces from the mainland of Italy. The Germans failed. Following the capture of Salerno, the First Armored was deployed to take part in the amphibious assault at Anzio. Again, all went according to plan at first. Then the Germans began responding furiously. Back against the beachhead to force it back into the sea. Finally, after four grueling months of beating off enemy pressure, the Allies were able to break out of the beachhead and strike for Rome. While units of the First Armored participated in the liberation of this important city, the mobility and firepower of the division were required beyond Rome. Allied mission now was to maintain pressure on the Wehrmacht in Italy and prevent its withdrawal from the peninsula. This would serve not only to threaten the invasion of Germany from the south, but to help prepare the way for the forthcoming invasion of Normandy in France. The battles in northern Italy were as severe as those which came before. Yet by the spring of 1945, old iron sides had slashed its way to the Swiss border, cutting off the escape of thousands of enemy soldiers. By May 1945 and V.E. Day, the First Armored had in almost 1,000 days of combat fought on two continents and rolled its way across 1,000 hazardous miles in pursuit of a determined and fanatical enemy. Now, after several periods of reactivation and deactivation, it has been asked to stand again as a deterrent against those who would threaten our security. Reactivation ceremonies at Fort Hood last March began with the rendition of honors and the posting of the national colors. All around me I could sense the pride the men who would now serve with this unit felt in themselves and in the fact that they were part of the American Armored Division that had pioneered so successfully in the art and science of armored warfare. An officer from the Navy officially presented the unit with a painting of the USS Constitution, the famous Old Iron Sides. The division's history states that in 1940, when the unit was first activated, General Bruce Magruder searched for a suitable nickname for his new command. He chanced to look up at a painting of the old fighting ship and, since it stood for durability and daring, decided he had found the most fitting name for his troops. The division's present commander, Major General, then Brigadier General Ralph E. Haynes Jr., accepted the painting in behalf of his new command. On behalf of the officers and men of the Army's Old Iron Sides, I accept this inspiring picture of the Navy's Old Iron Sides. We will give it a place of honor in our division headquarters. A significant part of the reactivation ceremony was the uncasing of the battle colors earned in the past by individual units that are now to comprise the new First Armored Division. Each ribbon fastened to a unit's flagstaff represents a battlefield on which the blood of its men was shed. During its own experience in World War II, Old Iron Sides lost more men in combat than any other U.S. armored division. When the last battle flag had been unfurled, Lieutenant General Carl Henry Jark, 4th United States Army Commander, welcomed the division back to the service of its country. The First Armored Division is the first division to be activated under the Army's New Road concept. The speed and efficiency with which it is being organized into a fighting combat unit is a shining example of Army teamwork and effectiveness. Congratulations, Old Iron Sides, and welcome back to the active ranks. Following General Jark's comments, the fighting potential of the division passed in review. I was very impressed with your activation ceremonies, General. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Graves. I thought that the cadre personnel displayed a high degree of professional confidence in the ceremony. I think we've made a fine start in carrying on the magnificent traditions of Old Iron Sides. But we've got a long way to go yet, I must say. What is the program for your division in the weeks and months ahead? The division is currently being brought up to strength. We're receiving new men from all over the country. They've had eight weeks of basic combat training. Now, it's our job to give them the necessary specialized training and to make them members of the team. You expect to have your division ready in August, even under the new organizational structure? Yes, Mr. Graves. We'll be combat ready in August, as the President indicated we would. And, interestingly, we like the idea of being the first division to be organized under the road concept, which was devised, as you know, by the best brains in the Army. We like the concept. We're proud to be pioneering, and we're going to make the concepts work. As General Haynes had predicted, the men of the First Armored are now ready. Under strenuous simulated battle conditions, men and equipment are welded into a skillful and efficient team. Under these same conditions, this team again displays the great fighting spirit and capabilities for which old iron sides has long been famous. Full versatility, mobility, and firepower have not only been rebuilt, but have been tested under conditions that can be expected on the modern battlefield. At this moment, as in the past, the men of the First Armored are prepared to perform any mission against acts of aggression aimed at us, or our allies, and friends. Years of crisis with our opponents have demonstrated such acts can arise anywhere at any time. Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Berlin, Cuba. For this reason, the First Armored and Fifth Infantry divisions I learned were being organized under a new Army plan. Events in recent years have focused attention on the fact that our Army must be equipped to face a wide range of very different military situations in various parts of the world. It must have forces that can not only fight on the old world battlefields of Europe, but in swamp lands and jungles, on deserts, in mountains, and in such other difficult environments as the snow and ice of northern latitudes. These forces must be able to fight a large-scale nuclear war, or one that remains limited and completely conventional. These needs gave rise to a new concept called road, or reorganization, objective, army, divisions, designed to meet complex strategic and tactical problems wherever they may occur. Under road, every U.S. division will have a similar division base. This base will consist of a set number of command, combat support, and other support elements. On this base will be placed a varying number of combat battalions, armor, mechanized infantry, regular infantry, and airborne infantry, depending on the military environment in which the division will be deployed. In Western Europe, for example, armor and mechanized forces are required to meet those of the potential enemy. Divisions for this area will have the firepower and shock action of tanks plus the armor-protected mobility of mechanized infantry. In other regions where the terrain and other factors differ from those of Europe, the combat battalions will be mixed to include fewer tanks and more mechanized infantry. In more rugged areas, such as Korea, the division will be designed to include primarily more regular infantry battalions with some mechanized capability. Finally, the airborne division will have a preponderance of airborne infantry soldiers reinforced with armor for missions requiring swift movement by air to such remote places as Southeast Asia or for surprise attack. The mixtures of these combat forces can be varied almost infinitely. Under road, the army will have great flexibility because a division can be specifically tailored to meet any situation, anywhere, and on very short notice. The history and background of the fifth infantry division ideally suited to be the first mechanized division under the new army concept. In the past, its men have made it a leading unit in many different ways. Having been deactivated at the end of the First World War, it was one of the first to be reactivated October 1939 when Hitler appeared to be making good on his threat to conquer the world. After our involvement in World War II and a period spent guarding the strategic island of Iceland against Nazi invasion, the division traveled to Great Britain for intensive invasion training. While the best-kept secret of the war remained just that, the men of the fifth somehow knew that the main assault on Hitler's fortress of Europe was imminent. On July 4, 1944, its men began moving into northern France by way of Utah Beach. Ten days later, it was in the line in Normandy, facing Nazi units that were among the elite of the Nazi army. Attacking west and southwest of Saint-Lô, it so successfully assisted in cracking the German defenses that it was a month before the enemy could establish a new front line rapidly eastward across France. Driving hard, the fifth employed every means to keep the Wehrmacht continually off balance. The Germans resorted to suicidal counterattacks to slow the advance. But by maintaining pressure in the air and on land, the Allies were able to keep Hitler's forces rolling back to their fatherland. In September, after the Allied momentum had been temporarily slowed at Verdun, due to a shortage of supplies, the fighting reached a new crescendo, crucially severe in the fifth division siege of the Fortress of Metz, a defense position which had never been taken by storm before. It was primarily the combat spirit of the American infantrymen that enabled our forces to break through its maze of thick concrete barriers and force its capitulation. Once achieved, the Red Devils drove on to the borders of the Third Reich itself. But they were destined not to cross these borders just yet. On the 17th of December, 1944, the enemy launched the Battle of the Bulge, in which they surprised the Allied forces in the Artans and ripped through the broken lines in a last desperate effort to turn defeat into victory. When General Patton was asked for assistance, he selected his Red Devils to hit the southern flank of the enemy and turn it back. The fighting took place in heavy snow, bitter cold, and against an unrelenting enemy. But the German drive finally collapsed, and the Fifth was able to return to its push through the Siegfried Line and on into Germany. Though the hard fighting was not yet over, full Allied victory was clearly in sight. The Fifth climaxed its many river crossings by making the first assault boat crossing of the Rhine ever recorded. Before the war ended, the Red Diamond Division had taken part in clearing out the Ruhr Pocket and a drive into Czechoslovakia. By war's end, May 8, 1945, the men of the Fifth had well earned their reputation as outstanding soldiers and the men to call upon when the mission was toughest. On February 19, 1962, after years of inactivity, this famous organization was recalled to active duty. While the reactivated First Armored Division remains what it always has been, an armored division, the Fifth Infantry reactivated, will now become a mechanized infantry division. At Fort Carson, Colorado, the scene of its reactivation last winter, I again encountered men who had served with the unit in the past. One such was First Sergeant Lester Malniks, a veteran of the Fifth in World War II. Sergeant, how long did you serve with the Fifth Infantry Division in World War II? I was with them for 16 months. I joined them at Vets as a replacement, went through all the campaigns, cross-rivers, cities, Frankfurt, into Ruhr, finally to Czechoslovakia, and now I'm back with the Fifth again. Sergeant, you mentioned rivers. I understand the Fifth was called the Paddlefoot Division. How did it get that name? That was probably because they crossed so many rivers. They had to cross a river every time they went someplace. Across the Rhine River, the Maine River, the Tepler River, I think we crossed that Mosel River about five times. Sergeant, I understand you've been in the Army for 17 years. Is that right? That's right, sir. No doubt you've served in many units during this time. What does the Fifth compare with some of the units in which you've served? I consider them head and shoulders above all other units I've ever been in. I think it was an excellent choice for the President to designate the Fifth to be reactivated. When the day for reactivation finally came, the Fifth was given the designation by which it will be known from now on. The Fifth Infantry Division mechanized. The ceremonies at Fort Carson began, as at Fort Hood, the condition of honors and the posting of the national colors. This was followed by other ceremonies which included the uncasing of the battle colors. The history of many of the units now part of the Fifth Infantry mechanized goes as far back as the Indian and Mexican wars. Most, of course, have fought battles in later conflicts. The principal speaker for the event was introduced by the unit's commander, Major General, then Brigadier General Ashton H. Manhart. It is my privilege and honor to introduce Lieutenant General Emerson L. Cummings, the commanding general of the United States Fifth Army, General Cummings. General Manhart, distinguished guests, members of the United States Army, ladies and gentlemen, I am proud and honored to be here today to take part in this ceremony activating the Fifth Infantry Division mechanized. This division has a most distinguished heritage. By accepting the historical heritage passed on today, every member of the division accepts also the responsibility of living up to the traditions manifested by the division's motto, we will, and if we are to be successful, the Fifth Division, as well as the entire Army, must live up to this same motto, we will. At the conclusion of General Cummings' address, the men of the Fifth passed in review. The newest and destined to be one of the most modern of the Army divisions, no one regards his assignment to it with more pride than its commander, General Manhart. General Manhart, what does the reactivation of the Fifth Infantry Division mechanized mean to you? We think it means two things. The primary one is this is one response which our government is making to a threat that, in our opinion, has not decreased in the last few months. The other thing we think is interesting is the fact that this is the first division of its type being created by the Army and the two principal objectives are to gain flexibility and mobility. General, President Kennedy has placed great emphasis on our ability to wage conventional warfare. Does this mean that we will not use our atomic weapons on the battlefield, should it be necessary? No, it does not. The Fifth Infantry Division mechanized will have an atomic capability which will exist in the Honest John, in the Eight-Inch Howitzer, and also in the Engineer Battalion. The division will be prepared to fight the full spectrum of combat which we may expect to meet today. General, what are the training plans for your division? We propose in the division to set the standards of the Strategic Army Corps and to maintain these standards. There are none higher in the Army today. The Fifth Infantry, as well as the First Armored, have both demonstrated that the training of organizations such as theirs could be accomplished in less time than was thought possible before. Six months later, the Fifth was ready. As the First Mechanized Division underrode, the men of the unit realized they were a showcase unit whose development would be closely watched by the Army and the nation. As a pilot unit, they realized they had a job to do and they have achieved it. Today, this fighting organization stands as a vital bulwark of our nation's defense posture. The men of the Fifth Infantry Division mechanized are prepared to have their motto, We Will, tested at any time, at any place, and under all conditions. You and I have witnessed the reactivation of two combat divisions whose continuing devotion to duty and mission will, we can be sure, always be in the highest tradition. While all of us hope that the tremendous fighting capabilities of the dedicated Americans who now constitute the First Armored and Fifth Infantry divisions may never be required on a field of battle, it is a satisfaction to know that two such outstanding organizations have rejoined our defenses should the need ever arise.