THE STORY OF KEITH L. WARE: 1ID's FIGHTING GENERAL
Keith Ware from Denver, Colorado, looms large in the 1st Infantry Division Vietnam War history.
Keith's story, however, is inspirational beyond his Vietnam service with the Big Red One.
It starts with the WWII draft.
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In 1941, at age 25, Keith was drafted into the Army to fight in Europe. In years, he rose to become a Lieutenant Colonel and by 1944 he was given command of a battalion in the @3rd_Infantry.
Keith was a fighting commander: out front with the boys, leading on patrols.
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On the day after Christmas, 1944, Keith was wounded while leading an attack on a German machine gun position in Sigolsheim, France, an action for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
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Unlike most draftees, Ware remained in the Army after demobilization, becoming a career soldier. He was the first American WWII draftee to become a General Officer.
During the US escalation in Vietnam, General Ware volunteered to lead troops in that war.
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After serving as a deputy commander for a field HQ for a few months, Gen. Ware was selected to lead the 1st Infantry Division in March, 1968.
On Sep 13, 1968, Keith was killed near the Cambodian Border while commanding the Big Red One during the Battle of Lộc Ninh.
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Keith Ware, 52 at the time of his death, was the first American General killed in action in the Vietnam War.
Keith is the only Medal of Honor recipient since World War I killed in action in a subsequent war.
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A WWII draftee who rose to become one of the Army's most respected Generals, Keith Ware is a legendary figure within the legacy of the 1st Infantry Division.
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#TDIDCH: April 7, 1954 - The birth of the Domino Theory.
The Domino Theory was a philosophy that drove much of American national security policy during the Cold War.
That theory, long firmly embraced in the late 1940s, was given its moniker 67 years ago today.
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The domino theory suggested a communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states, each falling like a perfectly aligned row of dominos.
The National Security Council included the theory in a 1952 report on Indochina.
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But the theory had never been publicly articulated until April 7, 1954. This was during the decisive battle between Viet Minh & French forces at Dien Bien Phu. It appeared the French might lose [they did] and communist forces would gain control of the North [they did].
Dragon's Lair, Episode 4 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 25th. For this episode, we are focused on a specific and specifically vexing problem confounding the force: Soldier suicide.
For us, this is personal. This is not about beating our chests or about promoting our program. This is about saving our teammates, about raising awareness, and about giving our Soldiers a voice.
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Ideas to prevent Soldier suicide problem live in the barracks, in our orderly rooms, in our motor pools, across our formations.
Dragon's Lair episode 4 seeks to unlock and embrace those ideas.
With all the recent changes to @USArmy uniforms, we're hoping @16thSMA considers bringing back the "pocket patch."
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In the 15 years after WWII, troops from the airborne regiments in that war started wearing patches that indicated their regiments on the left breast pocket.
These were not Army-recognized insignia, but rather Soldier-designed patches.
Check out this 504th PIR patch.
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For example: Note the 508th PIR pocket patch in this 1952 pic on Fort Bragg. This is a patch created by a Soldier named John LeVique and then recognized as symbolic of the spirit of the 508.
These troops are wearing the actual 508th Insignia on their left shoulder.
Everyday at noon throughout #WomensHistoryMonth we are highlighting another woman serving in the 18th Airborne Corps today.
If you've been following the series, by now you know that we have some really impressive Soldiers. Case in point: Saleena Dodson.
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Saleena is an Army Sergeant, an active duty logistics specialist. But you can call her Dr. Dodson: last year she earned a PhD in epidemiology from Temple in her spare time.
We told Saleena's story this past summer, but it's even more inspirational than we understood.
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So, how did this Soldier achieve such an incredible academic feat while serving? Let's back up.
Saleena grew up in a rough neighborhood on Walnut Avenue in Trenton, New Jersey.
In its 79th year, the 101st Airborne Division is once again out front for the Nation, sending medics to Chicago and Orlando to support the federal government's efforts to vaccinate our most vulnerable Americans.
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This is in concert with the broad sweep of 101 history. Since inception, the Screaming Eagles have stood at the knife's edge of military innovation & National defense. But more than that, the Screaming Eagles have long served as a critical actor within American culture
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Starting in 1942, the 101st pioneered the concept of vertical envelopment, an innovation the division designed and developed and has been improving on ever since.
#TDIDCH: February 27, 1968 - Until the shocking North Vietnamese Tet Offensive in January 1968, Walter Cronkite, the Nation's most trusted reporter and anchor of CBS Evening News, believed what his government told him about the war in Vietnam.
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Cronkite, of course, covered the war from the US but made four trips to the front lines in 1967. He saw Vietnam as a necessary brushfire fight against communism.
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Cronkite's nightly newscasts helped shape public opinion about the war [the level of influence Cronkite had within the US is a subject of debate]. Walter generally accepted the official statements of General Westmoreland
and President LBJ without much scrutiny.