Evening star., 1936-07-16
SECOND DIVISION
TOOPEN REUNION
IN CAPITAL TODAY
ReqimentaI CoIors to Arrive
From Texas by Plane
This Afternoon.
OVER 5000 VETERANS
EXPECTED TO ATTEND
Mai. Gen. Harbord to Speak at
Ceremonies Dedicating
Monument.

With the arrival of regimental col
ors abroad an Army transport plane
from San Antonio, Tex. today, the an
nual reunion of the National Assocla-
ton of the Second Division opens for
q three-day session.
More than 5000 veterans of the ia
NOUS division, which took a leading
part in the American engagements In
France during the World War, from
Chateau Thierry to the occupation OF
Germany, are expected to attend and
witness the dedication of the Second
Division monument on the Constitu-
tion avenue side of the Ellipse Satur-
day afternoon. Maj. Gen. James G..
Harbord, retired, one of the wartime
commanders of the division and now
chairman of the board of the Radio
Corporation of America, will speak at
the ceremony.
Arriving on the transport are color
guards for the regimental insignia OF
the 9Th and 23d Infantry Regiments,
the I'd Quartermaster Regiment, the
I'd Medical Regiment and the 18th
and 18th Field Artillery Regiments,
all stationed at Fort Sam Houston,
San Antonio.
Colors to Be Presented.
Lieut.. Col. Madison Pearson. In
charge of the guard, is being met at
Boiling Field by Col. George A. Herbst
of the Office of the Chief of Infantry
and national secretary of the aSsocia-
ton, and his staff. Before the dedica-
ton ceremony, the colorS Of the 5th
and 9Th Regiments of Marines, which
were brigaded with the Army units
under the stress of the German Often
sive of July, 1918. and the 18th Field
Artillery from Fort Bragg, N. c., and
of the lst and goth Infantry from Fort
Warren, Wyo., and Navy Medical de-
tachment and mounted Headquarters
troop, will also be represented. The
division was the only one during the
World War to include units from the
Army, Navy and Marines.
The program today is devoted to reg
istration at headquarters in the Will
lard Hotel and dance tonight in the
main ball room, where a small scale
Cafe de La Paix has been set up to re-
mind the former doughboys of their
leaves in Paris.
The Army Band will play a concert
from 8 to 10, and the Navy Band for
the dance from 10 O'Clock on.
To Visit Cemetery.
The feature of tomorrow's program
will be a visit to Arlington National
Cemetery to lay a wreath at the grave
OF the Unknown Soldier. Another
dance is scheduled Friday night in the
Willard Hotel. During the day, Gen.
Harbord will arrive from Charlotts-
vile, Va, where he is delivering an
address today at the University of Vir-
einia. He will be met upon his arrival
by a group of former students of Vir-
ginia Military Institute and former
members of the division in uniform.
The business session and election of
officers is set for Saturday morning,
the dedication for 2 o'clock in the aft
ernoon and the final function, dinner
In the Willard Hotel, Saturday night.
Attending the dedication, at which
Gen. Harbord's address will be broad
cast over the National BroadcaSting
Co.'S red network from to pm, will
be two other wartime commanders Of
the division, Maj. Gen. Omar Bundy
and Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune.
The division monument, completed
only few days ago, consists of a
clenched fist grasping flaming sword,
in bronze, in front of a granite gate
way, on the sides of which is the list
of World War engagements in which
the division participated, surmounted
by wreaths. It was designed by James
z. Fraser to symbolic the stand of the
division at Chateau Thierry and Belleau
Wood, which turned back the German
advance in July, 1918. The division
went on to bear much Of the brunt of
the fighting at Toulon, Troyon, Vaux,
scissors, Marbache, st. Mihiel, Blanc
Mont and the Meuse Argonne offensive
and through the occupation of the
Rhine.
$4,000 Men in Division.
More than $4,000 men served with
the division during the war. although
the regular strength was only $4,000.
The division suffered the greatest cas-
ualties, 4,20O killed and 10000 wounded,
Of any in the A. E. F., took more artil-
lery and machine guns than any other,
and captured about one-fifth of all the
prisoners taken by the American forces.
Taking part in the ceremony Satur-
day will be Army, Navy and Marine
units from Washington and nearby
posts and stations, and squadron of
planes will fly overhead, dipping in sa-
lutte to the divisions dead. Wreaths
will be placed on the monument by
Gold Star mother and a son and
daughter of q former doughboy. Two
of the divisions seven Medal Of Honor