Mariduena 1 Nick Mariduena Professor Overman English 155 October 15, 2008 American Heroes of WWII: 101 st Airborne Division Throughout the course of the years, there have been people who have come together to defend what they believe in. Those people have been immortalized by the monuments created in their honor. Monuments have a special ability that nothing else does. It is the power to eternally honor or condemn someone or something. A monument is a catalyst for emotions and memories to never be forgotten. In the waning hours of World War II, there was a division who was given the task to turn the tide of the war. They went through many trials to get to the point where they were finally ready and prepared. Those soldiers were the first ever 101 st Airborne Division, or also known as the Screaming Eagles. All of the soldiers of the 101 st Airborne Division, who fought during World War II, deserve to be recognized through a memorial for all of their accomplishments and sacrifices made. On June 6, 1944 the men, of the first ever 101 st Airborne, were given their first task in history; the task was to drop in behind enemy lines and weaken the German resistance so that a larger force could storm and take the beaches of Normandy. During this mission, only one sixth of the men of the division survived the initial drop and challenge of getting to their designated positions. They did their job at the cost of many men, which allowed the rest of the invasion of
Mariduena 2 France to be accomplished. The soldiers of the 101 st Airborne were always ready and willing to do whatever was asked of them and give whatever they had to, to complete the mission. This is one of the many examples of how the 101 st Airborne earned the privilege to be remembered with a monument. There is an existing monument to the members of the 101 st Airborne in front of Fort Campbell, KY. The monument is an inverted jet black granite obelisk. On the obelisk are etchings in 23-karat gold of the first commander s challenges to his unit, the first 101 st Airborne Division (Miles). The unique shape and design is supposed to signify how the unit has always been and will always be very different [and] bold (Miles). As said by retired 1st Sgt. Billy Colwell, We used the obverse obelisk as a symbol of boldness and departing from convention. (Miles). Another part of the design for the monument is to have the names of organizations and people s names on pavers surrounding the base of the memorial. The monument is representative to all of the members of the 101 st Airborne, past and present. The monument was fully unveiled in June of 2004 (Miles). The division of the 101 st was initially installed in November of 1918 and reconstituted in June of 1921 as an Organized Reserve Unit. The unit was fully activated during WWII, on August 16, 1942 at Camp Clairborne, Louisiana. The commanding officer at the time, Major General William C. Lee stated, The 101st... has no history, but it has a rendezvous with destiny ( History ). The unit had no history and they did more than just meet the standard, they rose above it. As it was said, they had a rendezvous with destiny. The men who were in the first installment of the 101 st Airborne made much of the difference needed during WWII. The monument to this outstanding and extraordinary group of men is not adequate, for a number of reasons. The monument to one of this nation s greatest military units deserves the
Mariduena 3 honor of being recognized in Washington, D.C. The pavers should not have the names of those who purchased them, but they should be on a directory, or some other form of list, not on the memorial itself. The monument is not meant for those who helped fund it but for those it honors, which is what people should know, understand, and respect. The design is, however, very adequate and quite symbolically strong. The monument should list all the names of the men who were a part of the first ever 101 st Airborne Division. There should also be some form of listing the first ever unit s accomplishments and missions. There should be two obelisks, one in Washington, D.C. and another at Camp Clairborne, Louisiana, to represent how the unit was ready wherever they were needed, home or abroad. It is understandable that this monument is meant for all the members of all of the 101 st Airborne Divisions, but there should be a separate memorial for the first ever unit, though. The memorial to the first unit should have more importance for many reasons. The men, who fought in the first 101 st Airborne Division, always had the odds stacked against them and yet they always pulled through, even during Operation Market-Garden of WWII. During this mission, the 101 st Airborne, along with many other units of Allied forces, was to parachute into German controlled Holland, move to a number of cities and take control of several vital bridges to the Allies future plans. The mission should have been a complete failure from the start, but because of the efforts of the 101 st Airborne Division it was not. According to Michael Haskew, author of World War II: 101st Airborne Division Holds the Line Along Hell s Highway, the 101 st did their end of the mission splendidly and even helped the other units to accomplish some of their objectives too. The body count of 3792 dead in this botched mission and the defense in another mission right after is significant enough to show how much these men gave up fighting and
Mariduena 4 defending for their country. The units of the 101 st always did their best in whatever the conditions were and so the monument should reflect that. The design that I propose is that the physical object should stay the same. The obelisks should be a national landmark of the trials and struggles of the brave men of the first 101 st Airborne. The idea, of the obelisk being inverted as a sign of difference and unconventional, is very unique and profound. This is exactly what the unit was, new and the only one of its kind. The 101 st Airborne Division was obviously different than any other unit or squadron at the time. For example, during the Battle of the Bulge, the 101 st Airborne Division was called in to help defend the city of Bastogne from continued German attempts to take the city. This was to be the last effective German counter-offensive. For a long week and a half the Germans pounded the defenses of the city but were consistently repelled by the forces of the 101 st and the other squadrons left to defend the city (Everett). As a result of this, the Germans were pushed back and left devastated, and the 101 st Airborne Division was given the Distinguished Unit Citation (now the Presidential Unit Citation) (Everett). There are those who would be against the creation of this monument and to them I would question their patriotism. For the nay-sayers, I would point out the importance and significant relevance the division made during the World War II. The nay-sayers need to be educated on the 101st Airborne Division during WWII. Those who would oppose this monument need to understand how much the men of this division sacrificed and gave up for the country that these nay-sayers are part of. The people who would be against this memorial need to be asked if they were in the position that those men were in, what they would have done, and if they would want their efforts remembered. The opposition to this monument may have been against the war in the first place, but they still need to realize that they are in a war and need to act accordingly.
Mariduena 5 The memorial would be smaller, not very large at all, to represent the humility of the unit throughout the war. The memorial is to show the flexibility and adaptability of the unit, yet with a strong base in courage, honor, and sacrifice. The monument is to be a light of what being in the military should be like and how loyal and devoted one needs to be. The evidence to motivate this monument is strong enough as it is, but people need to realize what these soldiers accomplished through a physical commemoration. This monument will not so much be better as it will be more specific. All of the members of the 101 st Airborne, past and present should be memorialized, but the men who fought in the first division deserve the honor of being remembered individually because they were the originals and founders of what the unit is and has become.
Mariduena 6 Works Cited Everett, Donna. The 101 st Airborne During World War II. WW II Division Chronicles: 101st Airborne Division. 14 October 2008. < http://www.ww2- airborne.us/18corps/101abn/101_overview.html>. Haskew, Michael. World War II: 101st Airborne Division Holds the Line Along Hell s Highway. World War II. 2004. 14 October 2008. < http://www.historynet.com/worldwar-ii-101st-airborne-division-holds-the-line-along-hells-highway.htm>. ---. History of the 101st Airborne Division. 14 October 2008. ---. <http://www.lzsally.com/panel/>. Miles, Donna. Monument to Honor 101st Airborne Division Soldiers. American Forces Press Services. 14 October 2008. <http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=27015>