45th Infantry Division Museum, In Oklahoma City, OK Options

[Sr Wing Comma...]

The 45th Infantry Division Museum is in Oklahoma City. It is a great military museum for not just WWII, but also the Thunderbirds actions in Korea. The division is now reorganized as the 45th Light Infantry Brigade and is part of the Oklahoma National Guard. I expect more exhibits in the future because elements of the 45th have been to Iraq, the Siani, and Afgahnistan, as well as being deployed for "homeland security".

Here is a link.

http://www.45thdivisionmuseum.com

The museum is free, and is also only a few miles from the Oklahoma City Bombing National Memorial.

[homefront41]

Thanks, Sr Wing Commander. So, how come you don't use the T'Birds avatar? Just kidding -- use whatever avatar makes you happy! (IMG:http://forums.wildbillguarnere.com/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I just looked over the WW2 area of the site and the first thing that struck me is, once again, how men were called up as National Guardsmen and before long were in "for the duration", a thing that no American has experienced since then. I wonder how many young people today understand all the implications of that kind of service. I never read that kind of material without thinking that and silently thanking those who did "what we had to do." We are very fortunate. BK

This post has been edited by homefront41: Sep 4 2003, 12:22 AM

[Sr Wing Comma...]

I don't know, I know alot of Guard members who have been pretty much in it for the duration since 9/11.

About 7 years after I got out of ROTC due to my eyes, the 45th called me and wanted to get me a waiver so I could go to OCS and be either an intel or infantry officer. They couldn't get the waiver, so it was no biggie, but several of the 45ths units that I could have been assigned too have been to the following places since the last 3 years. Bosnia, Kosovo, Sianni, and Iraq. Another battalion is set to go to Afgahnistan, and those were just the big battalion or larger size deployments.

I kinda thought I could probably get the waiver now. But I turn 30 next week and have 1.5 kids, so my wife isn't as thrilled about that idea as she used to be. Besides do I want to go to basic and OCS at 30......geez I'd be killed now just from PT.

PS I thought I would switch back and forth between CAP and the 45th avatar. My ROTC unit trained with the 45th on a couple of occasions, and some of us would fill holes in some of the 45ths' units if they had FTX or something coming up.

This post has been edited by Sr Wing Commander: Sep 5 2003, 04:06 PM

[Kiwiwriter]

Flint Whitlock's "The Rock of Anzio" is a superb history of this division in World War II. It fought from Sicily to Dachau.

So now it's just a brigade? Hmm. (IMG:http://forums.wildbillguarnere.com/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[Sr Wing Comma...]

Yup...well its kind of weird but it was cut down to a brigade in the early 70's

45th Seperate Light Infantry Brigade (Oklahoma National Guard)

Units

1st of the 179th Infantry Regiment
1st of the 180th Infantry Regiment (Air Assault)
1st of the 279th Infantry Regiment

(Thats one battalion from each of the original three regiments when it was a division)

1st of the 160th Field Artillery (m102 105mm howitzers)
700th Support Battalion
245th Engineer Company
245th Military Police Company
Troop E 145th Cavalry
E Company/1st of the 202 Air Defense Artillery (Illinois National Guard)

The 45th is an enhanced seperate national guard brigade. It's basicly tops in the US for NG units. For awhile it was associated for training with the 1st Cavalry Division, but the 45th isn't mechanized. Then for a short time I beleive it was a round out Brigade for the 101st Airborne (air assault). Now the 45th, along with a Brigade from the Arkansas NG and the Oregon NG all come together if necessary to form the 7th Infantry Division. The 7th is an active headquarters, but all its brigades are national guard.

There is also a seperate 45th Field Artillery Brigade, OKNG, which also traces back to the 45th Division. They use the MLRS.

There is also an OKNG Helicopter unit...but I don't have any info at the moment on it.

But thats the story of it as a brigade.

[homefront41]

I don't know, I know alot of Guard members who have been pretty much in it for the duration since 9/11.

My apologies, Sr Wing Commander. You are absolutely right. I confess I misspoke. I was thinking in terms of new enlistments, frankly. 9/11 was no Pearl Harbor as regards enlistments.

A great many of our people in uniform out there (and here on our coasts and elsewhere) today are both NG and Reserves and thank goodness they are there.

I guess also I'm expressing something I've felt since 9/11. Does the public really understand the depth of the threat and how broad must be the commitment to combat it? I don't worry about it but I do keep an ear to the ground as regards cultural trends, particularly concerning our fundamental freedoms and how each succeeding generation views them. For, as we all know, no one will invite me, a 62-year-old woman, to man the barricades should the worst scenario play out. (For the record, I will be there!)

It is critical for our young people to have a proper grasp of exactly how precious are our freedoms and what is at stake in order to continue to field a force that constitutes a deterrent to any who think they can defeat us and our devotion to individual freedom.

Terrorist attacks of the nature that are possible today create an entirely different scenario to defend against and it will take a very broad commitment over an open-ended period of time to succeed. I'm not at all sure that is universally understood in this country.

Sometimes it's hard not to wish I were 25 again. My hat's off and over my heart to anyone who is and is in uniform. They are in my thoughts always. BK

[Kiwiwriter]

Yup...well its kind of weird but it was cut down to a brigade in the early 70's

45th Seperate Light Infantry Brigade (Oklahoma National Guard)

Units

1st of the 179th Infantry Regiment
1st of the 180th Infantry Regiment (Air Assault)
1st of the 279th Infantry Regiment

(Thats one battalion from each of the original three regiments when it was a division)

1st of the 160th Field Artillery (m102 105mm howitzers)
700th Support Battalion
245th Engineer Company
245th Military Police Company
Troop E 145th Cavalry
E Company/1st of the 202 Air Defense Artillery (Illinois National Guard)

The 45th is an enhanced seperate national guard brigade.  It's basicly tops in the US for NG units.  For awhile it was associated for training with the 1st Cavalry Division, but the 45th isn't mechanized.  Then for a short time I beleive it was a round out Brigade for the 101st Airborne (air assault).  Now the 45th, along with a Brigade from the Arkansas NG and the Oregon NG all come together if necessary to form the 7th Infantry Division.  The 7th is an active headquarters, but all its brigades are national guard. 

There is also a seperate 45th Field Artillery Brigade, OKNG, which also traces back to the 45th Division.  They use the MLRS.

There is also an OKNG Helicopter unit...but I don't have any info at the moment on it.

But thats the story of it as a brigade.

After reading this, I would guess that the 2nd and 3rd battalions of each regiment are on the shelf, and that if the US Army underwent a massive wartime expansion (like in World War II), the battalions would probably come off the shelf and the 45th would probably be expanded back into its divisional size.

[Sr Wing Comma...]

MMM interesting notion. I am sure it could be done, but as of now the whole brigade goes to the 7th ID and thats it. But you never know.

[Custermen]

Wing Commander,
Glad you opened this thread. Great museum. I thought there was one on this museum. I searched but didn't find anything. I know I've spoke of it. I've even posted one or maybe 2 photos taken of exhibits there.

The 45th has a nice exhibit on Bill Mauldin. Maybe there is something posted on the museum on the thread that was about his death.

I was thinking along the same lines as Kiwi about the unit possibly expanding. It just might happen--but then I don't know today's Army that well.

Cheers,
Steve
Currently on location in London

[Sr Wing Comma...]

The Mauldin display is outstanding. Sometimes I'll go down there and spend hours just looking at the cartoons.....many of them the originals.

Other great exhibits like many items from Hitler's apartment in Munich. Weapons from Nazi Germany including an MP 44 Sterm Gewer (sp?).

Some stuff from Desert Storm, and soon they will probably have some new stuff from Iraq and Afgahnistan.