Thirty Sixth Infantry Division

Thirty Sixth Infantry Division. Texas National Guard. , The 36th was a dominant element of the Texas National Guard for many years. Born of the volunteers who fought for Texas independence and nurtured through more than 150 years of local emergencies, border conflicts, Indian raids and International Wars, the guard has grown from the small group that faced Santa Anna to an indispensable cog in the defense of the United States. As the Texas Militia formally organized in 1838 it served various roles and campaigns in the Mexican and Civil Wars. Reorganized in 1892, as the Texas Volunteer Guard, it again served with distinction in the Spanish American War, Philippine Islands, the 1900 Galveston storm, etc. In 1905 the "Texas National Guard” was designated the official active militia of the state. Those units that served in the border disturbance of 1916-17 were integrated into the 36th Division which in July 1917 was organized and trained for service in World War I. On arrival in France in May 1918 the 36th was engaged in bitter combat under the Fourth French Army in the Meuse Argonne sector. On returning to the U.S. a War Department order dated 24 June 1921 again authorized the reorganization of the 36th Division to be an element of the Texas National Guard. It served its normal peace time role under state control until 25 November 1940 when the president declared a state of emergency existed and ordered all national guard units inducted into Federal service. With the U.S. entry into World War II the Division was reorganized and divesteded of a number of organic units. As a result, a significant number of 36th personnel served in various areas of the Pacific Theater from Alaska to Australia. The reorganized division moved to Florida, then to the Carolinas and last to Cape Cod Massachusetts prior to its movement overseas to Africa. After several training exercises and a short tour of duty in Morocco the Division was assigned the mission of leading the initial assault by American troops of continental Europe on D-Day south of Salerno Italy. In the following nineteen months of bitter combat duty in seven campaigns including the Anzio beachhead, the capture of Rome, D-Day in southern France and crossing the Rhine into Germany the division was to celebrate victory on V-E Day. After demobilization and return to the U.S. the 36th was again reorganized and remained active until its deactivation in 1968.