US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Jackson, SC)

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HARRY J. COLLINS Major General, U. S. Army Commanding General Harry J. Collins was born at Chicago, Illinois, December 7, 1895. After attending Western Military Academy at Alton, Ill- inois, and the University of Chicago, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry Reserve and assigned to active duty August 15, 1917. He received his regular commission on October 26, 1917, and was promoted to lirst lieutenant the same date. His first assignment was with the Third Infantry. General Collins entered the Infantry School at Fort Benning in 1925, He later excelled as a machine gun instructor and six companies which he had instructed won the first six places in the National Infantry Machine Gun Competition in 1932. The General's high-level schooling in- cluded the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, the Army War College and the Chemical Warfare School. In July, 1938, he returned to the States from duty in the Hawaiian Islands to be- come assistant to the plans and training officer of the Seventh Infantry at Van- couver Barracks and later became the ex- ecutive officer of that regiment. As G-3 of the Alaskan Defense Force he made a detailed reconnaissance of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. 'The following October he was assigned to the Sixth Infantry Division at Fort Jackson, S. C., where he held the dual role of Assistant G-3 and G-2. He was ordered to Washington, D. C., in November, 1940, for duty with General Headquarters of the Army, and the fol- lowing February was appointed G-2 of the Sixth Infantry Division at Fort Snell- ing, Minnesota. He was attached to the British Army as a Military Observer in June, 1941, later returning to his assignment with the Sixth Infantry Division. He became G-2 of the IV Army Corps at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, in November, 1941. The following April he activated the 354th Infantry Regiment, 89th Division, and commanded it at Camp Carson, Colorado. In August, 1942, he was named assistant commander of the 99th Infantry Division at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi. He assumed command of the 42nd CRainbowJ Infantry Division at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, in April, 1943. In De- cember, 1944, after a vigorous period of training which was 'nterrupted by emergency calls for thousands of the divi- sion's basically trained men, the division was rushed to the hine near Strasbourg where it played a major role in topping the last German drive in the West. Placed under General Alexander M. Patch's Seventh rmy, General Collins then reformed his unit and took it ack into the line, relieving the 45th Division in a defensive osition on the Moder River. Jumping off on March 15, 945, the 42nd attacked through the Hardt Mountains and he vaunted West Wall to cross the Rhine and capture mong the larger cities, Wurzburg, Schweinfurt, Nurem- erg, Donauworth, Dachau, and Munich. Following V-E Day, the 42nd occupied the Tyrol, then oved into Land Salzburg, Austria. As other divisions were . Q- deactivated, the 42nd extended its area and took over the entire U. S. Zone in Austria. In March, 1946, General Col- lins was named military governor in the zone and com- mander of the troops in the American zone under the com- mand of General Mark W. Clark in Vienna. After the de- activation of the 42ml Division the following July, General Collins assumed command of the Zone Command Austria. He returned to the United States in July, 1948, to as- sume command of the Second Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. He was ordered to Fort Totten Long Island in March, 1950 to take command of the New York-New Jersey Subarea. On 22 January 1951, General Collins assumed command of the Post and the bth Infantry Division, Fort Jackson, S. C. Decorations General Collins has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Ribbon and three campaign stars on his European Theatre Ribbon. The campaigns in Europe were Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland and Central Europe. His foreign decorations include the French Legion of Honor fOrder of Chevalier? and Croix de Guerre with Palm, the Order of the Crown of Italy, and Lateran Cross. ...E , , H 1 Wir ......-1 , . ,W ...ummm . . .nn

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FUHEWUHD TO THE MEN OF THE EIGHTH INFANTRY DIVISION: In 1783 George Washington, in expressing his views to Congress, emphasized that the then new Nation must maintain and develop its mili- tary strength. He pointed out that every man who enjoys liberty must be prepared to defend it. ' Here in the Eighth Infantry Division you are keeping alive the traditions handed down more than 160 years ago. As a result of your military training, you will be better able to defend your country, your people and you, your- self will be better able to survive should war 9 come again . You are assuming a personal responsibility for the security of our country. I salute you for your recognition of this obligation. May God help you succeed. I HARR .PQQLL Ng 'U' Major General, USS?-Army Commanding A-f-l '.... 'dm- ' eaa'

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TO THE MEN OF THE EIGHTH INFANTRY DIVISION It was my pleasure on August 17th of 1950 to assume initially the command of the Eighth Infantry Division fol- lowing its reactivation as one of the organizations desig- nated to train combat infantry replacements and other spe- cialties to meet the needs of an accelerated expansion of our Army. I was further privileged to receive from the Command- ing General of Third Army, Lt. Gen. John R. Hodge, the Divi- sion's organizational colors in a formal ceremony held at the Fort on November 18, 1950. These memories coupled with the fine spirit that has prevailed in the Division since its rebirth will be always in retrospect of personal pride to me, as will the resulting quality of the service the men of the Eighth will display in their performance of duty under the banners of other organ- izations. This Book will be highly valued as a testimonial of your service with this fine division -- your institution of training as an American fighting soldier. - No higher milestone in life can be reached than that of being a credit to your family, your community and your country. Y?-Aw FRANK C. McCONNELL Brigadier General, U. S. Army Assistant Division Commander