PAGE 2

THE RAILSPPLITTER

OCTOBER 15, 1964

## THE CHAPLAIN'S CORNER

Rev. William C. Zenns
Society Chaplain

### ONE WORLD

Because of the modern means of communication and transportation, the people of the world are drawn more closely together now than at any other time in the history of the world. News of happenings half-way around the earth can be made known to the rest of the world within a matter of hours and, sometimes, of minutes. The ease and convenience of modern transportation makes travel between countries and between parts of this country more frequent and common than ever before.

More and more we are aware that what happens in other parts of the world and what people do in other parts of the world affects us in some measure as well. As we learn about people in other parts of the world, as we come to understand them better, we come to realize that they have hopes and plans, problems and needs, friends and families not unlike our own. What concerns them concerns us. As members of the human race, we are all members of one community, of one world and each person is a neighbor to all others.

Our twentieth century world is changing rapidly. New advances are being made almost daily in science, medicine and technology. Many of these discoveries and new products will be displayed this year at the World's Fair in New York, the theme of which is "Peace through Understanding." Indeed, there are great possibilities for progress and peace in our times, if human understanding can unite the aspirations, the ambitions and the activities of the human race into the one world that it is.

Rev. William C. Zenns

## FORMER CHAPLAIN OF 333rd INFANTRY NAMED TO DEANERY POST

New Dean of the Dayton, Ohio Deanery is Monsignor James L. Krusling, pastor of St. Helen's Church, Dayton, Ohio, who also has been named a domestic prelate by Pope Paul VI, with the title of Right Reverend Monsignor.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Monsignor Krusling was educated at St. Mary's School, Hyde Park, Ohio, Xavier University and St. Gregory's and Mt. St. Mary's Seminaries. He was ordained on May 21, 1932.

Monsignor Krusling entered the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps in 1942, where he served four years until his discharge in 1946. Later the same year he was named assistant pastor of St. Albert the Great Church in Dayton. In September, 1946, he became pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church, Lebanon, Ohio.

In 1953 he was given charge of organizing the new St. Helen's Parish, Dayton, and on November 2, 1956, he was appointed first pastor of the parish.

Monsignor Krusling celebrated his silver jubilee as a priest in 1957. In 1949 he was elected National Chaplain of the Rail-splitter Society, which office he held for several years. At our recent reunion in Chicago, he was elected Assistant National Chaplain of our Society.

### 19th ANNUAL REUNION (Continued)

and diving contest under the direction of Miss Joy Asplunde, Physical Education Instructor for the City of Chicago, was in full swing. In this connection, a sincere thanks from all Rail-splitters to Joy for her assistance in conducting the reunion.

Due to many factors, primarily time, the second business meeting scheduled for this date was cancelled.

The evening saw everyone assembling for the trip to Chicago's Melody Top - Theater where Phil Ford and his wife Mimi Hines were starring in "Pajama Game." All Railsplitters will remember Phil. He was with the D.vision Band during the war. Also, he starred in the 84th's all soldier show, "It's All Yours," which opened at the Stadt Theatre, Heidelberg, Germany, 7 Aug 1945. Some 200 Railsplitters, wives, splitters and friends attended this performance and from reports all enjoyed it very much. While we were at the Melody Top, the camera crew from NBC arrived to start filming some of our activities on the following morning.

### WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19th
The final reunion day started

at 1030 hours, with our annual Memorial Service. This service was conducted by our National Chaplain, Rev. William C. Zenns (New York). The service was divided into two parts, first part in the auditorium of the hotel, then everyone moved outside the hotel for a special ceremony in memory of our late Division Commander. For this ceremony, the Fifth United States Army, with headquarters in Chicago furnished a color guard and bugler. Also, this part of the service was filmed by NBC for their special program on the Battle of the Bulge.

Following the Memorial Service, President Sanders was host to Past-Presidents and lifetime members at the annual luncheon. In the meantime, NBC set up their cameras in the hotel and for the remainder of the day Railsplitters appeared before these cameras and swapped war stories on the Bulge for a nation-wide television audience.

The final business meeting scheduled for this date was delayed in order that all Rail-splitters could avail themselves of the opportunity of appearing before the NBC cameras. The priority items on the agenda for this final meeting was the election of officers and the selection of a reunion site for 1965. After this meeting got underway, there was further delay due to considerable discussion by the delegates relative to the duties and authority of National Officers, Roberts Rules of Order and parliamentary procedure. In due course though, the committees made their reports and officers were elected and a site selected for 1965. The election results are as follows: Henry Sanders (B-334) re-elected National President; Robert King (CN-334) National Vice President; George Junker (A-333) National Secretary. Three members of the National Executive Committee elected were: Bernie Gr.mm (Ser 333), Dr. Morrison Smith (H-335) and Lawrence Olson (84 Sig Co). The City of Las Vegas, Nevada, was selected as our reunion site for 1965, Bob King and Fred Leigh were appointed Co-Chairmen for the 20th reunion. Since the time now was 1800 hours and our annual banquet scheduled to start at 1830 hours, this meeting was ad-

journey to await the call of the President.

Due to the time involved and to give everyone an opportunity to refresh themselves, the banquet started at approx 1930 hours. We were delighted to have as our honored guest for the banquet, Brig. General Robert A. Schultz, Commanding General, 84th Infantry Division (Training) of Milwaukee, Wise. General Schultz gave us a most interesting and informative report on the activities of the present day Railsplitter Division. After which, the Chairmen of the Bowling and Golf Committees announced their winners and awarded trophies. For the Splinters diving and swimming contest, President Sanders awarded trophies to the winners. Bernie Grimm acting on behalf of the Governor of Kentucky presented Kentucky Colonel's commissions to Duke Reed, Buck Johnson, Frank Gatto and Chas. Dinnebier.

The winner of our annual Golf tournament was George Junker and the runner-up was Edward Gedrich. There was only one stroke difference in the scores of these two 'Splitters. These two Railsplittin' "duffers" had better sharpen up their game. Ray Minor, Jr. is planning on taking both of them in Las Vegas next year.

The Bowling tournament was won by Ray Minor and the runner-up was Allen Crist.

The ladies Bowling was won by Finna Morris and the runner-up was Mildred Stahl.

The junior boys Bowling was won by Ray Minor, Jr. and the runner-up was Mike Morris. The girls Bowling was won by Sue Cipiti.

At the conclusion of the presentation of awards, President Sanders brought down the final curtain on our 19th annual reunion and once again all assembled for the final formation at Hernando's.

### THURSDAY, AUGUST 20th

Beginning at "dawn," most Railsplitters were busily engaged in striking pup-tents, filling foxholes, marking latrines and policing up the area prior to departure for home stations.

We sincerely hope and pray that we will see each and everyone of you in Las Vegas next year. (ED)

OCTOBER 15, 1964

THE RAILSPPLITTER

PAGE 3

FROM YOUR PRESIDENT

It was a great honor to me
for the Delegates in attendance
at our 19th reunion to re-elect
me to serve another term as
your National President.

As your President for the
past year, I joined with your
Exec Secy. in an all out effort
to get as many Railsplitters to
join your Society and become
active as dues paying members.
It has always been the belief
of your President that we are
all Railsplitters and because
some of us were for one reason
or another unable to keep in
touch or haven't paid our an-
nual dues, doesn't make us none
the less Railsplitters.

Your Executive Secretary, "Buck" Johnson and I have this past year sent out something over thirty thousand pieces of mail. This includes 15,000 copies of the RAILSPLITTER. It was done in the hope of stimulating a renewed interest in our Rail-splitter Society, which we feel is one of the best Societies of its kind anywhere in the world. I'll admit that the Railsplitters didn't respond according to our hopes or expectations. There are thousands of Railsplitters that have received our paper but haven't answered nor have they paid their dues to their Society.

There are some Railsplitters
who have censored your Offi-
cers for these mailings. Buck
and I both feel that if we were
all 100% Christians, there
would be no need for Ministers.
We are in essence saying as
our Ministers do each Sunday,
as they stand in the pulpit and
say, "Welcome Sinner, Come in
Sinner." I want to state here
and now that if you served with
the 84th Infantry Division on or
before June 30, 1945, you are
eligible to be a member of our
Society. We not only want you,
we need you!!

It was most gratifying to see
and meet so many new active
members at our recent reunion
in Chicago. We had nine men
from H-335 that had never at-
tended a reunion. This we feel
was quite an accomplishment
and Dr. Nolan Smith of Jack-
sonville, Illinois is to be com-
mended for his efforts for our
Society.

Your Society has to date more
paid members than at anytime
since 1948. Naturally, we at
National Headquarters are very

happy with the way that our
Railsplitters have responded.
However, we still need more
dues paid if we are to continue
publishing the RAILSPLIT-
TER. For this reason, I am
saying to each Railsplitter who
has not paid his dues, please do
so as soon as possible. It is most
important that we be allowed
to continue the paper. I know,
the RAILSPLITTER WILL BE
PUBLISHED!!!!!! As I know
it should be.

Again, I would like to say
that there are many things that
could be done within our So-
ciety and they can be done with
your help. We have only re-
cently visited Fort Benning,
Georgia, where they have es-
tablished an Infantry Division
Museum. Many World War II
Divisions have set up display
booths in this Museum. It is
our hope to someday have a
booth in the Museum for the
84th Division, with our histori-
cal records, trophies and flags
on display there. This is in ad-
dition to the General Bolling
Memorial Fund started this
year.

We are striving to hit 1500
dues paying members for this
year. When you stop and think
about it, this is a pitiful few out
of some 20,000 eligibles. Don't
you agree? So, when you re-
ceive this issue of your RAIL-
SPLITTER, won't you set down
right then and write us. Let us
know what you think of our
paper and if you haven't paid
your dues, enclose them with
your letter. In any event, write
us.

To the Railsplitters who have
been active and have carried
the Society forward through
the lean years, Buck and I want
to say thanks from the bottom
of our hearts for your con-
tinued support. We are still in
need of your counsel and guid-
ance to help us reach even
greater success in the years to
come.

Since this will be the last is-
sue of the RAILSPLITTER
this year, I would like to take
this opportunity to wish each
and every Railsplitter and their
families, the very merriest of
Christmases and a happy and
most prosperous New Year.
God Bless You All.

I am, as you are, PROUD TO
BE A RAILSPLITTER,

Henry...

Compliments of

H. E. LLOYD

(Cannon Co. 334th)
LLOYDS of EL MONTE - Appliances

4255 North Tyler at Lambert
El Monte, Calif.
Phone: Gilbert 8-7668

Compliments of SAM OLSON

Recon Troop

TOPS AUTO SUPPLY

112 S. Brookhurst St.
Anaheim, California
PR 2-1600

Your Society has the items as shown in the photo below available for sale.
Simply fill in the form and indicate your choice of items desired and
return to:

The Railsplitter Society

P. O. Box 1224,
Fort Myers, Florida

Dear Buck,

Please ship me the items indicated below. Enclosed is my check or
money order in the amount of

___ 84th Insignia imported wall plaque @ $8.00

___ 333rd Infantry imported wall plaque @ $8.00

___ 334th Infantry imported wall plaque @ $8.00

___ 335th Infantry imported wall plaque @ $8.00

___ Railsplitter Safety Matches, per box of 50 @ $1.25

___ Railsplitter chrome-plated cuff links @ $2.50

___ Railsplitter chrome-plated tie clip @ $1.75

___ Railsplitter chrome-plated cigarette lighter @ $2.00

___ Railsplitter chrome-plated Ladies key chain @ $2.50

___ Railsplitter silver-plated lapel button @ $1.50

___ Railsplitter silver-plated Ladies Frat pin @ $2.50

Signed

Address

City

State

Zip No.

NEW LIFETIME MEMBERS

Since the publication of the
June 15th issue the following
RAILSPLITTERS have paid
their lifetime membership dues:

Major General Chas. E. Hoy,
632 Langholm Dr., Winter Park,
Fla.; Colonel Cline J. Lampkin,
USFJ, Box 25, APO 925, San
Francisco, Calif.; Chas. C. War-
ren, P. O. Box 67, Newton

Grove, N.C.; Dr. Russell R.
Frink, 1655 Stratford Road,
Lawrence, Kansas; Hyatt Chap-
man, 5432 East 5th Place, Tulsa,
Okla.; Edward Gedrich, 8528
Forrest Avenue, Munster, Ind.;
Charles Dinnebeir, 9420 St.
Catherine Avenue, Cleveland,
Ohio; P. L. Hathaway, P. O.
Box 4771, Chicago, Ill.

The Southern California Chapter, 84th Infantry Division Society, extends an invitation to all Railsplitters in the Southern California area to join our active organization.

For further information contact:

G. A. PEDERSEN, Sec'y-Treas.

12549 COLLINS STREET
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.

Residence Telephone: 763-7209

Business Telephone: Hollywood 9-2411, Extension 734

PAGE 6

THE RAILSPLITTER

OCTOBER 15, 1964

84TH INFANTRY DIVISION RAILSPLITTERS SOCIETY
19TH ANNUAL REUNION

EDGWATER BEACH HOTEL - CHICAGO - AUGUST 16, 1964

ANNUAL BANQUET 19th REUNION, CHICAGO, ILL.

A MESSAGE FROM GENERAL TRUMAN . . .

ED NOTE: The following message was to have been delivered to you at the reunion in Chicago. However, due to some delay in the mails it did not arrive in time. Therefore, we are taking this means of getting this message to you.

Fellow Railsplitters - - -

I regret very much that I
shall be unable to be with you
at this year's Railsplitters re-
union in Chicago. I can assure
you, however, my thoughts and
best wishes are with you.

During the first week of Au-
gust, I was in the Geilenkirchen -
Prummern - Beech - Wuerm -
Muellendorf - Liffarth - Lin-
dern - Rur area, where the US
Army Pictorial Service was
filming shots of that area to be
included in a "Big Picture"
film, which will depict the 84th
Division's efforts in World War
II.

Seeing those areas again, aft-
er so many intervening years,
brought back very vividly to
me the outstanding accomplish-
ments of the Railsplitter Divi-
sion in World War II.

I had an opportunity to visit
most of that area, and saw
particulary the Bahnhofs at
Palenberg and Lindern where
the 84th Division had its CP's.
I also revisited the houses
where General Bolling and I
had lived during that period. It

was with the greatest of sad-
ness that I saw those places,
with the thought that he could
not be there with me to relive
the past again, and, certainly,
such a visit brought back fond
memor.es of that gallant and
brave soldier and complete gen-
tleman.

It was amazing to see again
how many fortified bunkers had
been in your advances in No-
vember and December of 1944.
As you may or may not know,
in one month's time, you cap-
tured eight well defended towns,
112 fortified bunkers, and about
30 officers and over 1,500 en-
listed men. Also, some 15 dif-
ferent German units had been
your opponents.

It was only by having such
dedicated and motivated units,
which made up the 84th Infan-
try Division, that you were able
to crack the Siegfried Line in
November-December, shift sud-
denly about 75 miles south to
the Marche area in Belgium on
20-21 December, stop the Ger-
mans in that area, assist in the

reduction of the Bulge, shift
back again to the Siegfried Line
area to cross the Rur River
during February, fight to the
Rhine in late February - early
March, and then race from the
Rhine to the Elbe by late April.

All of these actions were
conducted without losing mo-
mentum, particularly in the
later phases — a record which
few divisions can boast. All mis-
sions given to the Division
were accomplished expeditious-
ly, thoroughly and then some.

So, to paraphrase one of the
last messages of General Bolling
to his magnificent 84th Divi-
sion, I would like to say to
each one of you, "THAT I AM,
AS YOU SHOULD BE, PROUD
TO BE A RAILSPLITTER."

LOU TRUMAN
Lt. General, U.S. Army

"RAILSPLITTER
RALLY SONG"

The following are the lyrics
of the Railsplitter Rally Song
composed by Mrs. Samuel L.
Ingle, wife of Sam Ingle, Hq.
Co, 335th Inf., of 1013 E. Main
St., Gainesville, Texas. Mrs. In-
gle composed these lyrics with
fondest memories of all the
boys of the 84th and send them
to the Society as her gift to all
Railsplitters.

There 's a proud heritage be-
hind us,

Of our Buddies who gave their
all.

You don't have to remind us,

We will never let our banner
fall.

Our Banners unfurl all over the
world,

There's a Railsplitter every-
where you go.

So save us a chair, for we will
be there,

And we don't mind the mud and
the snow.

We are proud as can be of
the old Infantry,

For the Eighty Fourth give a
shout,

Oh, I'll hear 'til I die that old
Sergeant cry:

All ready boys? Let's move out!

In the old Railsplitters, you will
never find quitters.

We finish what we begin!

Oh, we try-try-try and never
say die,

And we lay down our lives for
a friend.

OCTOBER 15, 1964

THE RAILSPPLITTER

PAGE 11

★ RAILSPLINTERS (Cont.)

Dear Buck,

Thanks for the copy of the
RAILSPLITTER. Really en-
joyed reading it very much.
Sure was sorry to hear about
General Bolling. He was the
finest that any man could serve
under.

Your friend,
C. G. Caldbeck, Jr.
3125 Pacific
Memphis, Tenn.

Dear Buck,

I just received the RAIL-
SPLITTER. The news of the
passing of General Bolling is
indeed very sad. He was such
a wonderful person, a GI's
buddy. We shall all miss him.
It seems such an ungrateful
termination for so successful a
person. I know the Railsplitters
will not miss his as his family
shall. My heart, as well as the
heart of every Railsplitter, goes
out to the family in their grief.

A RAILSPPLITTER,
Charles Curry (84th Sig)
5130 N. 19th Ave.
Phoenix, Ariz.

Hello Buck,

Sure was nice receiving the
RAILSPLITTER, enjoy reading
it very much. So sorry to hear
about the death of General
Bolling.

Please keep the paper coming,
enclosed find my check, wish it
were more. Sorry I can't attend
the reunion, would like to see
all the old gang.

Rodney F. Harlow (A-333)
9710 Carolwood
San Antonio, Texas

Dear Buck,

Sorry it took me so long to
join the Railsplitter Society.
Better late than never, so here
are my dues. I enjoy the paper
very much and am looking for-
ward to the next copy.

Sincerely,
Tom Donovan (Ser Co 333)
107 Rutland St.
Buffalo, N.Y.

Dear Buck,

Have a wonderful time at Chi-
cago and give my best to all
your family and all the Service
Company gang.

Best regards,
Art Woods (Ser Co 333)
4228 - 18th St.
San Francisco, Calif.

Dear Buck,

I was very pleased to have
received the "RAILSPLITTER"
once more, although it was de-
layed a couple of weeks be-
cause of an error in the spell-
ing of my last name.

I am happy to report that I
had a short reunion with two
Railsplitters recently in Wash-
ington, D.C., namely Henry
Kissinger and Fritz Kraemer. I
also had the opportunity to
speak with Major Post of "G"
Company 335 on the phone, who

is stationed at the Pentagon.
From time to time I also re-
ceive correspondence from my
old Buddy of "G" Company 335,
Virgil Malone of 915 North
White Oak, Midwest City, Okla.

Sincerely yours,
Melvin Thomason (G-335)
2304 Peabody Dr.
Falls Church, Va.

Dear Buck,

I wish to thank you for send-
ing me a copy of the RAIL-
SPLITTER. I would like to
hear from some of the fellows
that were in Co. "B" 309th
Med. Bn.

Best regards,
Lin Dalton (B-309 Med)
Route 3, Box 445,
Monongahela, Pa.

Dear Buck,

Sorry to be so late with my
dues. One of the things I over-
looked. I really enjoy the
RAILSPLITTER. Would like
to hear from anyone that was
in Co. "K" 335th Infantry.

Thanks,
Raymond Trader (K-335)
208 Pine St.
Delmar, Md.

Dear Buck,

Enclosed is check for $3.00
for my dues and please note the
change of address. I am mar-
ried, have a son 13 years and a
daughter 5 years. I will try my
best to get to a convention in
the near future.

Oliver R. Day (Div Hq Co)
800 South Cloudas
Sioux Falls, S.D.

Dear Buck,

Glad to receive the last issue
of the paper. It does a world of
good. Believe it or not, through
this issue a member of Co. "M"-
333, who lives in Philadelphia,
contacted me after all these
years. Also I received a letter
and a Christmas card from
Bartlett, Texas from another
Co "M" 333 lad. Keep up the
good work and if all goes well,
I will try my best to be at the
next Convention.

Sorry to hear from the paper
about John Saalfelden, he was
my First Sergeant. I have re-
covered from my second heart
attack and I know the danger
of coronary.

Give my best regards to your
group and above all my best to
you.

Sincerely,
Charlie Gerson (M-333)
5025 "F" Street
Philadelphia 24, Pa.

Dear Buck,

My sincere thanks for the
promptness in mailing me the
Lifetime Membership Card,
which did arrive in time for
Christmas giv.ng. Also, I sin-
cerely appreciate the Certifi-
cate of Merit.

Best wishes to you personally
and to the Society.

Sincerely,
Fran Cole
(Mrs. Henry P.) (A-334)
434 South Lisbon St.
Carrollton, Ohio 44615

Dear Buck,

By chance I found that one
of my better insurance clients
was also a Railsplitter. He is
Don Walsh of the 334th. He
and I went overseas about the
same time, joined the 84th the
same time, went into the lines
Jan. 1, 1945.

Enroll me and put me on
your mailing list. I was in Co
'B' 333rd Regt.

Bob Lawrence (B-333)
21270 Priday Ave.
Euclid 23, Ohio

Dear Buck,

Went home for lunch today
and found paper in mail box.
Spent nearly all my time
(lunch) reading "THE RAIL-
SPLITTER." Will continue to
read through same tonight.
General Bolling's article was
interesting as always.

Sincerely yours,
Floyd Roy (84 Sig Co)
312 Livingston Dr.
Arabi, La. 70032

Dear Buck,

I was very pleased to receive
the February 1 edition of the
RAILSPLITTER, and pleased
to know that it will be published
again.

Sincerely,
Russell A. Dahl (M-333)
1297 Pine St.
Dawson, Minn.

Dear Buck,

Received a copy of the Rail-
splitter news today and found
the paper most interesting. As
a member in good standing at
the start of the Society, but
not keeping up the dues for
quite a few years, please find

my membership dues enclosed,
so the work can continue.

Sincerely,
J. Thomas Molchan (C-333)
325 Ege Ave.
Jersey City, N.J.

Dear Buck,

Enclosed is $3.00 for my dues.
Thanks for sending the paper.

Sincerely,
Al Smigelski (B-335)
1436 West Euclid Ave.
Milwaukee, Wisc. 53215

Dear Buck,

Received your February issue
of the RAILSPLITTER. It was
forwarded to me from my for-
mer address in Kansas. You
cannot imagine how surprised I
was as I haven't heard from
the organization in nineteen
years. I joined the Railsplitters
when they were organized at
Camp Howze, Texas and de-
parted them at the Elbe River.

Was happy to read in the
paper that my Company Com-
mander, Dr. Robert N. Coale,
was in Maryland. My warmest
regards ... If I'm ever through
there, I'll stop.

Have wondered what happen-
ed to Joe Goodell of Athens,
Texas? Also, Sgt. Guy Howie,
where are you today? Or any
of the other fellows of "A"
Company? Buck, if you have a
roster of the 84th, I would like
to obtain one.

Sincerely,
Donald Kleopfer (A-309 Med)
17 Marvin Dr.
Denbigh Station
Newport News, Va.

Dear Buck,

I appreciate the fact that the
RAILSPLITTER is being pub-
lished again. Enjoyed reading
all the letters from so many
Railsplitters. I shall be looking
forward to receiving the news-
paper again.

Sorry I can't make the Con-
vention in Chicago. I see Ivan
Hardesty every once in a while,
he lives in Raleigh, also Guy

President Henry Sanders swapping war stories with other 'Splitters for NBC news cameras.

PRESIDENT
Henry Sanders
1361 Gasparilla Drive
Fort Myers, Florida

VICE PRESIDENT
Robert King
P. O. Box 256
Piru, California

SECRETARY
George E. Junker
4248 Redwood Terrace
St. Bernard, Ohio

P. O. Box 1224 Fort Myers, Florida

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY-TREASURER
William R. Johnson
1218 Donna Drive
Fort Myers, Florida

CHAPLAIN
Reverend William C. Zenns
410 Mill Street
Williamsville, N. Y.

8 Feb 65

Mr. Henry A. Kissinger
Harvard University
6 Divinity Avenue
Cambridge, Mass. 02138

Dear Henry,

Enclosed is your membership card #1003 for the current year. From all of us here in the Sunshine State, a heartfelt thank you for your support of our Society. Your name has been placed on our active mailing list. In the future, you will receive all the "poop" issued from here.

I am sure Fritz Kraemer will be delighted to learn that you have once again joined the ranks of active Railsplitters. As you know, Fritz is an old and sturdy tree in the Railsplitter forest. I rely on him a great deal for advice and guidance. As a matter of fact, I don't know how we would get along without him.

During the past year we have revived the RAILSPLITTER newspaper. Never having had experience in the newspaper business, am sure we have set that industry back about 50 years. Not to mention the fact of, "lousing up the kings English." However, our feeble efforts have been well received by our 'Splitters. In my opinion, this paper was just the "shot in the arm" our Society needed to once again create the desire of our 'Splitters to contact their wartime Buddies. In each issue of the paper we like to do a feature story on one of our own. Therefore, I would like to request this favor of you. I am aware of the fact, this may not be possible due to the nature of your work. If it is, I would appreciate a biographical sketch and photo of yourself, for use in a future issue of the paper.

Concurrently with all our other work, we are busy getting ready for our 20th Annual Reunion to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Aug 15-18, incl., at the Dunes Hotel. Indications are that this will be one of our best reunions. I sincerely hope that your plans for the summer will include you and your family being with us in Vegas. It sure is a wonderful experience to attend one of our reunions and for a few hours re-live our training and combat days with the best Division in World War II. We'll be looking for you!

In the event you get down this way, besure and give us a buzz-our latch string is always out for Railsplitters. Again many thanks and if we here at National Headquarters can assist you in any way, please feel free to call on us. With warmest personal regards to you and your family, I am, as you are,

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Martin Van Buren
824 Center Street
Jackson, Mich.

John B. Cole
802 Taylor Street
Wake Forest, N. C.

Conrad Einwachter
328 Cleveland Avenue
Amherst, Ohio

David Laing
P. O. Box 84
Eden, N. Y.

Frank Osimo
940 Riverbank Avenue
Lincoln Park, Mich.

Steve Scalabrin
463 Elder Street
Vacaville, Calif.

Lawrence Olson
638 Seventh Street
Williamsport, Pa.

Bernard Grimm
34 - 42nd Street
Covington, Ky.

Morrison N. Smith
12 Randall Court
Jacksonville, Ill.

PROUD TO BE A RAILSPLITTER,