Marking Time: Markers tell story of former Fort Jackson divisions John A. DeLyons Post Museum
If you have ever driven down Jackson Boulevard, you have probably seen the blue and gray signs lining each side of the road for a five-mile stretch. These signs represent former Fort Jackson units and are placed where the actual division was located. The 12 divisions commemorated on the markers are:
81st Infantry Division
This division’s nickname — the “Wildcat Division” — was taken from Wildcat Creek located on Fort Jackson. The division was organized Aug. 25, 1917. The unit was moved into permanent quarters by Camp Jackson’s first post commander and commanding general of the 81st, Brig. Gen. Charles H. Barth on Sept. 17. During this month more than 8,000 Soldiers arrived to complete the unit. The Soldiers of the 81st wore a wildcat insignia on their sleeves, starting the tradition of unit patches.
100th Division
This division was activated on Fort Jackson less than 12 months after the Dec. 7 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After World War II, the “Century Division” was reorganized in the Army Reserve. It was the only Reserve training division called to active duty during the Berlin crisis in 1961, which culminated in the building of the Berlin Wall.
26th Infantry Division
The “Yankee Division” trained on Fort Jackson in 1942, 1943 and 1944 and distinguished itself during the Battle of the Bulge. It was recognized as a liberating unit by the U.S. Army’s Center of Military History and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2002.
108th Division
Initially an airborne division, the “Golden Griffin Division” was reorganized as an infantry division in 1952, a training division in 1956 and an institutional training division in 1993. The 108th started training on Fort Jackson in the 1950s. It is still an Army Reserve unit.
4th Infantry Division
The division trained here during World War II in preparation for the June 6, 1944, invasion of Normandy. The division nickname is the “Ivy Division” because of the design of its shoulder patch: Four green ivy leaves joined at the stem and opening at the four corners. The word “Ivy” is a play on the Roman numeral four, IV. Ivy leaves are symbolic of tenacity and fidelity, the basis of the Division’s motto, “steadfast and loyal.” Today the division is split-based, with its brigades stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., and Fort Hood, Texas.
30th Infantry Division
The “workhorse of the western front” was selected as the outstanding infantry division of the European theater of operations. It was deactivated at Fort Jackson in 1945 and resumed its role in the National Guard.
31st Infantry Division
The “Dixie Division” was activated during World War I and spent some time training here during World War II. It was again mobilized for active duty in 1951 as a training division on Fort Jackson during the Korean War.
8th Infantry Division
The unit was known as both the “Golden Arrow” and “Pathfinder” division during World War II. From August 1950 until June 1954, the 8th ID was an Infantry Replacement Training Division stationed at Fort Jackson. The division later was headquartered in Germany until its deactivation in 1992.
106th Infantry Division
The division’s Initial Entry Training took place on Fort Jackson before its deployment to Europe. The “Golden Lion Division” was “badly mauled” at the Battle of the Bulge, but continued to fight on. One of the division’s Soldiers who was taken prisoner was Kurt Vonnegut, who later based his novel Slaughterhouse Five on his experiences during the war.
87th Infantry Division
The “Golden Acorn” division consolidated to Fort Jackson Jan. 20, 1944, for training before deploying to Europe. One of the battles the unit was involved in was the final assault into Czechoslovakia. It was deactivated September 1945.
102nd Cavalry Regiment
The “Essex Troop” underwent extensive and specialized training at Fort Jackson shortly after mobilization for World War II. The troops landed on Omaha Beach June 8, 1944 –– two days after D-Day –– and saw more than 300 days of combat in the European theater.
77th Infantry Division
The division was dubbed the “Statue of Liberty Division” because its personnel came almost entirely from New York City. “The old bastards” — as they were nicknamed — were part of the Organized Reserves Corps and began training at Fort Jackson. They were activated for World War II in the spring of 1942 and fought in the Pacific Theater. War correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed in action with the 77th. The unit is now the 77th Regional Readiness Command, a New York Reserve unit.
If you see a visitor standing in front of one of these markers with a nostalgic look on his face, he is probably reflecting on his days of yesteryear.
If you look close you may even see him mouth that historical phrase, “Victory starts here!”