96_div

96th Infantry Division

The 96th Division of W.W.II was a far cry from the 96th of W.W.I. It was initially organized in September of 1918. Four months later, on January 7th, 1919, it was demobilized. It was one of the last three divisions ordered into existence before Armistice Day. It was hoped that the 96th and the other extra Divisions would force the Germans to capitulate.

In 1923, it was again reactivated and served as a reserve organization for units from Oregon and Washington. By December 6th, 1941, the Division was “ . . .about as dead as an organization could be . . .” as the country; in its anticipation of war, called it’s members to active duty.

On August 15th, 1942, the Division which had been “ . . . killed in victory . . .” would be “ . . . born in calamity. “ In a small ceremony at Camp Adair, Oregon, Major General James L. Bradley, USMA class of 1914, officially incorporated the unit into the war time Army of the United States.”

As was true with any new division, the 96th had not been selected for a particular theater of war. Initial training consisted of exercises in and around Camp Adair. In May of 1943, the Division was sent to Ft. Lewis, Washington. Camp Adair was giving at the seams as the 104th Infantry Division had recently been activated at the same Post. In September, the Division along with the 104th and 91st participated in maneuvers in Eastern Oregon. At the conclusion of this training, the 96th was sent to Camp White.

The 96th was now becoming a “hot” division and at Camp White it was brought up to full strength. In the spring of 1944, the 96th became an amphibious division, thus the Camp was reorganized to train the unit in landing operations. Personnel from the Navy and Marines who specialized in the science of amphibious warfare were assigned to the Post.

Late in April, the Division was sent to Camp San Luis Obispo and San Diego to finalize its amphibious training. By October, the 96th would be assigned to General Douglas MacArthur and serve as one of the first units to land at Leyte in his return to the Philippines.

The 96th would participate in other campaigns, which would conclude with the last great battle of W.W.II in the rubble of Medeera, Okinawa. This was the culmination of 8 months of combat in which the citizen soldiers of the United States Armed Forces would prove to be a lethal and effective fighting force.

Del Hussey
Camp White Historian