Burgess Owens: “The United States Army's 10th Mountain Division, stationed on Fort Drum, New York, has a long and storied history of…”

“The United States Army's 10th Mountain Division, stationed on Fort Drum, New York, has a long and storied history of defending the American way of life. The 10th Mountain Division was first activated as the 10th Light Division on July 13, 1943, at Camp Hale, Colorado. From there, the brave soldiers who made up the 10th Mountain Division's first unit immediately began a rigorous training regimen designed to prepare for the imminent invasion of Axis-controlled Europe. They first entered combat in January of 1945 as they were deployed to the North Apennine Mountains in Italy, opposite battle-hardened German troops, which marked the beginning of a relentless drive to liberate Italy from the clutches of the enemy. As the nature of warfare has changed throughout the decades, the 10th Mountain Division has adapted to defend the Nation against foreign threats. From its work as a training division preparing soldiers for Cold War service to deployments in West Germany, Somalia, Mogadishu, and Haiti, and the current war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 10th Mountain Division has served to maintain both national and global stability. On February 13, 1985, the 10th Mountain Division was activated in the heart of the North Country at Fort Drum. Following the September 11 attacks, units of the 10th Mountain Division were deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.”