FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Aug. 24, 2017) -- The 10th Mountain Division was unique in American military history by being the only division trained specifically for mountain and cold-weather warfare and military skiing during World War II. Its volunteer ranks included many skiers, mountain climbers and others with outdoor experience.
To commemorate the history of the 10th Mountain Division, some of its Soldiers, veterans and Families attended the annual Whiteface Mountain memorial ceremony Aug. 17 at the Whiteface Mountain Ski Lodge in Wilmington.
In the years since the activation of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) at Fort Drum, Soldiers of this division have joined with its veterans in a memorial service to honor those who are no longer with us.
During this year's ceremony, Rick Hamlin, National Ski Patrol historian, spoke about the relationship between his organization and the 10th Mountain Division.
The National Ski Patrol is the largest rescue organization in the world with 28,000 members, and it covers the entire United States and Europe, he said.
"Our founder, Charles Minot Dole, was also the catalyst for the creation of the 10th Mountain Division. He went to Washington and prompted the Pentagon, convincing them that America needed mountain troops," he continued.
The ceremony provided an opportunity for members of the 10th Mountain Division, both past and present, to reflect on the history of their unit while keeping an eye to the future.
"Mountains challenge our most mighty; few can make the climb," Maj. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum commander, said during the ceremony.
"This unit not only had to live up to the challenges of nature but strived to thrive in the world's most harsh and rugged terrain," Piatt said.
In March 1962, the Italian government paid tribute to the division for their feats in the Italian theater during World War II by placing a bronze tablet and a chunk of brown granite from Mount Belvedere -- the scene of one of the 10th Mountain Division's greatest victories -- at the summit of Little Whiteface.
During the war, mountain Soldiers seized German positions at Riva Ridge on Mount Belvedere, breaking through the defenses into the Po River Valley and reaching the northern end of Lake Garda by the war's end.
For nearly five months of intense ground combat in Italy, the division was opposed by 100,000 German troops. Yet the U.S. Soldiers effectively destroyed five German divisions, unhinging their defense in Italy and drawing forces away from other theaters.
"This new unit of ski troops required special people," Piatt said. "It required good men who could love a mountain. It required men who could feel at home in harsh conditions, embrace the cold and feel comfortable at extreme heights all the while maintaining a fighting edge."
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