July 2002

     Gino was a man of faith and a great patriot. He left high school early, without graduating, in order to serve his country in the war. He joined the 18th Infantry in England as we prepared for the invasion of Europe, and was assigned to Captain Murphy's Company H, where he became a machine gunner on the Browning water cooled heavy machine gun. He survived the landing on Omaha Beach and fought with his company through the Normandy hedgerows. As the 18th Infantry chased the retreating Germans across Northern France and into Belgium, they reached a crossroads near the village of Sar la Bruyere in Belgium. On the night of September 4-5 a terrific battle ensued between forces cut off from their retreat back to Germany and the 18th Infantry's 2nd Battalion. Gino's company was forced to retreat, or be killed or captured. Gino's machine gun position was overrun, several times. His assistant gunner was killed, but Gino feigned death, then returned to his gun and inflicted heavy casualties on the attacking enemy forces. Unable or unwilling to retreat, Gino remained courageously at his position through the dark night until relief arrived with an 18th Infantry counter attack in the early morning. For his actions that night, PFC Gino J. Merli was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Read the full citation of his courage and bravery on our web page.

     Gino continued to man his machine gun in the battles to take Aachen and through the terrible fighting in the Huerigen Forest. He was severely wounded during the German winter offensive known as the Battle of the Bulge and was evacuated to England for treatment. He was later sent home to the United States for further treatment, and on June 15,1945, PFC Gino J. Merli received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman.

     Following the war, Gino returned to get his high school diploma and then continued to serve his country and other former soldiers as an employee of the Veterans Administration until retirement. Gino married and raised his family, residing always near his birthplace in Pennsylvania. In 1994 Gino attended our reunion at Ft Benning and was then sent as a representative of the 18th Infantry Regiment to the D-Day 50th Anniversary celebrations in France. He struggled many years with Parkinson's disease. He was 78 when he died. May he rest in peace!
 
 

Due to the Kosovo deployment we are unable to name and bring the 18th Infantry Soldier and NCO of the Year to the reunion. In their place, we are bringing an outstanding soldier, SFC Matt Cloyd, First Sergeant of the rear detachment. Several WWII veterans have informed me that they plan to attend, including Walt Ehlers who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Normandy. Mark your calendars and make your plans to attend. See you in New Orleans!
 
 
 

Our story begins with Organization Day at Fort Devens on 3 May 1941. Organization Day is the day when the Regiment remembers it's beginnings and celebrates the long and proud history of the 18th Infantry Regiment, a practice that is still followed by units of the Regiment to this day. The guest of honor on that Organization Day was retired Brigadier General William H. Bisbee. At that time, he was 101 years old. Bisbee had enlisted in the 18th Infantry during the Summer of 1861, just a few months after President Lincoln called for the organization of the Eighteenth Regiment of United States Infantry. The Regiment's Civil War history began, and Bisbee was a part of it. Bisbee rose through the ranks to Sergeant and Sergeant Major, then receiving a commission. After the war, he continued in his military career until he was promoted Brigadier General during the Philippine Insurrection and retired with more than 40 years active service. Still alive in 1941, Bisbee provided the Organization Day ceremonies with a special flavor of the honor and pride engendered by the Eighteenth's 80 years of service.

The first chapter of our book takes you from Organization Day 1941 through stateside training and training in England to the eve of D-Day in North Africa. Chapter Two covers Operation Torch and the 18th RCT (Regimental Combat Team) baptism by fire in actual combat. Chapter Three relates our time under British command - the disastrous battle of Longstop Hill and our gallant defense of Sbiba Pass. Chapter Four tells the story of El Guettar - the first time the First Division under American control met the Germans head on - American Infantry Division against German Panzer Division - it was a clear victory and it was primarily an 18th Infantry show. Chapter Five is the final push that defeated the Germans in North Africa and won a Presidential Unit Citation for the Regiment.

Chapter Six will cover Sicily. Chapters Seven and Eight will recount our training in England and the establishing of the Omaha Beachhead. Chapter Nine will take you across Northern France to the fall of Aachen. Chapter Ten will tell the story of the Huertgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. Chapter Eleven will get us across the Rhine River and into the heart of Germany. Chapter Twelve will bring you to the end of the war in May 1945.

This book is intended to be the most comprehensive and complete history ever written about the deeds of the 18th Infantry Regiment during World War II, and a lasting tribute to those of you who showed such courage and sacrifice in the making of this distinguished history, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. For this reason, we desperately want to "get it right", and tell the whole story, warts and all. Robert Baumer, our lead author, and LTC Mark Reardon, of the Center for Military History, are making great progress on the rough draft. Unfortunately, we are not aware of all the possible contacts and resources. If you have not been contacted by them and wish to add a personal remembrance or contribute something to the book, please contact the 18th Infantry Regiment Association at the address, phone number or email listed on the last page, or see me at the reunion.
 
  

A limited number of 18th Infantry golf shirts ($30), long-sleeve T-shirts ($20), baseball hats ($15), full size unit crests ($15/set) and miniature unit crests $5/set) are available. See our Photo Gallery page for details. Get yours now. Place your order with: Larry Van Kuran, 6378 Jamieson Ave, Encino, CA 91316.

Reservations for this year's Big Red One (BRO) Reunion can still be made. Register on-line at the Society web page: www.bigredone.org or for information, please contact Jennifer Sanford at the Society Office: 1933 Morris Rd, Blue Bell, PA 19422. Ph: 1-888-324-4733 (Toll free), or E-mail: soc1ID@aol.com
 

MG Eric T. Olson (2-18, Gulf) assumed command in July of the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii.

COL Stephen Layfield (1-18, Bosnia) is on the BG list.

COL Mike Murray(1-18, Germany) is attending the Army War College in Carlisle, PA.

1SGT Matt Cloyd, 1-18 INF, will attend our reunion.
 
 
 
 
 
 

     Dear Vanguard Family, Mr Walt Ehlers visited Kosovo as the Guest of the United States European Command, on 12 June 2002. We are proud to report Mr Ehlers' visit was a great opportunity for the soldiers of the 18th Infantry Task Force. We received him at Camp Bondsteel after his short UH-60 flight from Pristina, Kosovo. Walt received a windshield tour of our sector en route to Klotkot Church (Klotkot is a Serbian community), where he spent time with a Squad of B/1-18 Infantry Soldiers. We asked our General Support MP Platoon from the 230th MPs to accompany Walt. This was, I think, the highlight of the day for us all.

     We then moved to Camp Magrath where CSM Calpena and the Task Force First Sergeants hosted a luncheon with each 1SG accompanied by a young NCO to represent their command. Walt said the chow was as good as the chow at the Presidio of San Francisco's dining facility, which he then mentioned was in 1942 when he was with the 30th Infantry Regiment preparing to ship out to World War II. CSM Calpena asked Walt to present a coin to each First Sergeant & young NCO present for exceptional performance of duty. He also presented coins to our UN CIVPOL team for their excellent support of our operations.

     After lunch the soldiers of the battalion dedicated our Conference Room in Camp Magrath as the Walter Ehlers Conference Room. After the dedication, Walt was given a tour of the Camp facilities, and back out to sector. We continued our windshield tour of sector through the town of Vitina (majority Albanian community), stopping to visit with soldiers from C/1-1 8 at Vitina Church. We then moved through sector to Vrbovac (a Serbian community), where B/1-18 is located. Walt met with the soldiers on our Traffic Control Point at Vrbovac Church, we then drove through sector to the town of Letnica (a Croat community).

     Letnica is home to the church where tradition reports Mother Teresa found her calling to the church. Letnica is "on the Border" with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FRYOM). This is an area with a large refugee community, dozens of abandoned homes, and is a suspect smuggling corridor through the mountains. We spend a lot of time here. While in Letnica Walt met one young boy who I have met several times, a FRYOM Albanian Refugee, living in the village. We both told him to stay in school. I have not seen him in school this month and that is my theme each time I meet him. Walt met children at each stop in sector, and noticed how friendly the kids are toward our Soldiers. Our soldiers are representing the American spirit of generous concern for others very well.

     We then returned Walt to our Link up with COL Hicks (old Dagger Brigade Commander) and Colonel Palmer (current Dagger 6) in Camp Monteith, home of the 1-26 INF and 1-77 Armor battalions. I must report with pride at how the soldiers on the gate at Camp Monteith reacted to Walt. When a young specialist approached the vehicle to check our identification badges, he noticed Walt's medal. With only a hasty notification of his squad leader, these young soldiers provided an impressive honor cordon as each soldier, at his post, immediately went to present arms. I told the young sergeant later it was a great experience for all of us to witness.

     We were to link up at 1550 hours. We accomplished link up at 1549 hours. We kept Walt as long as we could. LTC Bill Hedges, Steel Tiger 6, gave Walt a brief tour of the Headquarters and we then said farewell as Walt returned to Pristina via UH-60. Veterans of the 18th Infantry are always welcome and a privilege to have with us.
 
 

     Elsewhere in this Newsletter, you have read about some of the activities of our battalion as it settles in to the mission in Kosovo. Some of those activities may seem a bit unusual for Regular Infantry troops. Many of you may think, as I do, that it's hard to picture in one's mind just what life "In-Sector" is really like for our Vanguards and especially life for our PFCS. There is a website you may wish to add to your "Favorites" in order that you may follow more closely what our soldiers are doing. It's the Battalion's own website, fed with comments from both Conn Barracks at Schweinfurt and Camp Magrath in Kosovo (http//www.schweinfurt.army.mil/118/website.htm). Even though CSM Carter and I were lucky enough to join our Battalion last Spring at Hohenfels as they rehearsed for Kosovo, and even with the info from the battalion's website, Vanguard life In-Sectors still seems hard to picture.

     Not that we here in the States don't have some good indicators that always make sense to soldiers, including older ones. From the Battalion's reports, we know that all units have kept personal weapons qualifications current just as we would expect good soldiers to do. The reports also tell us our Battalion is focusing much of its military training on qualification for the Expert Infantryman Badge, a tough challenge, and on mobile, conduct-of-fire training for Bradley crewmen, a key training issue for mechanized Infantry. A long a new and different line but of major importance must be the many mounted and foot patrols our soldiers conduct In-Sector as part of the main Vanguard mission. Some of those patrols, we understand, last as long as 48 hours. Those just have to be no-nonsense means for developing junior Leaders who can deal, personally, with the unexpected. Finally, we are told that, during their off-patrol time, well over 100 Vanguards are taking college-Level courses at Camp Magrath. Sounds impressive.

     So, that's what we hear. Soon, probably in early October, CSM Carter and I will travel to Kosovo to become part of our Battalion, again, for a few days. Our next reports to you will describe what we will have seen!  Hope to talk with you in New Orleans at the Reunion.

     Duty First!  George Tronsrue, Honorary Colonel, 18th Infantry Regiment