91st Div

91st Division History

W.W.I made demands upon every section of the United States. Oregon, California, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming in addition to the territory of Alaska were not exempt from the whole-hearted response necessary to defeat the Germany.

On September 5, 1917, the 91st Infantry Division was activated at Camp Lewis, Washington. Its members were from all of the states that comprised the Great North-west. By the end of the war, the 91st had earned its name as the "Wild West Division" and it's battle cry of "Powder River - Let Her Buck" was well know through out the Army.

At the conclusion of W.W.I, the 91st was deactivated and with many other divisions, moth balled until they were again needed for W.W.II. On August 15th, 1942, the 91st would again became one of more than one hundred combat divisions which would prove to be the catalyst needed to win W.W.II.

The elaborate reactivating ceremony was held a Camp White, which was a new military facility recently constructed just north of Medford, Oregon. After listening to the roll call of the dead of WW I, the history of the 91st Infantry Division in W.W.II began.

The 91st would spend one year at Camp White, completing it basic, squad, platoon, company and battalion training. They would then move to Central and Eastern Oregon where final Division training with the 96th and 104th would be completed.

On September 1, 1943, after completing their initial training at Camp White, the 91st Division moved to eastern Oregon for a two-month training exercise. The 160-mile trip led them through the Crater Lake area to Highway 97 then north to a bivouac just south of Bend, Oregon. Little did anyone in the 91st realize that they would not return to Camp White but rather, at the conclusion of the exercise, the 91st would be transferred to Camp Adair, southwest of Salem, Oregon.

The maneuvers would include two other divisions, the 96th and the 104th. Both of these Divisions had been trained at Camp Adair. The 96 at the culmination of the exercises, would be sent to Camp White and assume the same buildings that the 91st had occupied.

Although the maneuvers were designed to train Division staff, the activities would test each, battalion, company, battery, platoon and squad. Personnel would soon learn to respect the unforgiving elements that make up the harsh eastern Oregon desert. They would become familiar with such names as Wagontire, Alkali Lake, China Hat and Squaw Butte. They would also discover that one canteen of water was not enough for each man and that two would become standard issue.

Although there were few local residents in the training area, the natives would learn that the deer season for 1943 would be limited, as hunters were not allowed inside the maneuver area.

Although the training ended in November of 1943, the exercises left their mark on eastern Oregon. Even today hikers and hunters still find evidence of the training when they discover expended 30 and 50 caliber shells.

After receiving training at Camp White and in central Oregon, the 91st was sent to Camp Adair arriving in November of 1943. In addition to the change in camps, they had also received a new commander, Major General William G. Livesay.

Although combat training continued, the personnel began the arduous tasked of crating their combat gear. By the 2nd of April, the Division was aboard liberty ships embarked for Oran, Ageria.

By May 2nd, 1945, the Division had fought in Campaigns from Naples to the Po Valley. The Division captured in excess of 10,000 prisoners. The 91st would conclude its tour by becoming the first American Division to participate in what would later become know as the Cold War. Marshal Tito had long coveted Trieste. At the conclusion of the war, communist troops were dispatched to occupy the area. The 91st served as the blocking force, which prevented Trieste from falling into communist hands.

The 91st returned home and was deactivated on November 13, 1945

Del Hussey
Camp White Historian