36th Infantry Division Association
36th Infantry Division Association:
An Inventory of the 36th Infantry Division Association Papers at the Texas State Archives, 1857-1954
Note: Not all materials in this collection have been digitized.
| History | Scope and Contents | Restrictions |
Overview
Souvenir Edition of The Trail Log: Official Publication of the 131st (2nd Texas National Guard) Field Artillery
Creator: 36th Infantry Division Association.
Title: 36th Infantry Division Association papers
Dates: 1857-1954
Abstract: The Thirty-Sixth Division Association was founded in January 1946 at a meeting in Brownwood of veterans who served with the Thirty-sixth Infantry Division during World War II. The papers include correspondence, reports, military records and scrapbooks, dating 1857-1954. Records relate to Texans experience during World War I, railroads in Texas and the San Jacinto Monument. This collection is unprocessed and only a part has been digitized. Please contact archinfo@tsl.texas.gov for more information about these records.
Quantity: 13.2 cubic ft.
Language: These materials are written in English.
Repository: Texas State Archives
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Arrangement of the records
Materials are arranged as received.
36th Infantry Division History
The 36th Division, also known as the “Texas Division” and the “T-Patchers,” was organized at Camp Bowie (then in Fort Worth, Texas) on July 18, 1917 from National Guard units. The division served in France during World War I, remained for occupation duty, and then returned to Camp Bowie and was released from active duty on June 20, 1919.
On November 25, 1940, the 36th Division was once again called to active duty at Camp Bowie in Brownwood, Texas. The 36th Division finally saw action on September 9, 1943, when they landed at Paestum, Italy in the Gulf of Salerno. They were the first American combat unit to land in Europe. They spent the next 11 months fighting in the Italian campaign. On August 15, 1944, the 36th Division left Italy and landed on the beaches of Southern France. They fought their way northward in France, entered Germany and Austria, and served until the war ended in May of 1945. After six months as occupation troops, the 36th Division returned home.
After World War II, the 36th Division became part of the Texas National Guard. In 1968, the Division was deactivated. Today, its lineage and honors rest with the 36th Brigade of the 49th Armored Division of the United States Army.
(Sources: Dawson III, Joseph G. “Thirty-Sixth Infantry Division,” Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed on July 11, 2017.)
36th Infantry Division Association History
The Thirty-sixth Division Association was founded in January 1946 at a meeting in Brownwood of veterans who served with the Thirty-sixth Infantry Division during World War II. Among the association’s founders were H. Miller Ainsworth (first president), William H. Martin, Carl L. Phinney, Richard B. Dunbar, and the division’s wartime commander, Gen. Fred L. Walker. The association held annual reunions in order to perpetuate the comradeship engendered by their common service. It sponsored the publication of A Pictorial History of the 36th “Texas” Infantry Division in the late 1940s. After September 1947 membership in the association was opened to anyone assigned to the division in World War I or II. On Veterans Day, 1959, on the Capitol grounds in Austin, an eleven-foot granite monument was dedicated by the association to the members of the Thirty-sixth Division who were killed in both world wars. Another monument stands near the Salerno site where the Thirty-sixth Division led the allied invasion into Italy in 1943. In May 1972 the Thirty-sixth Division Association sponsored a return trip to Salerno for its members. The T-Patcher, the official newsletter, was published quarterly.
(Sources: Eddins, James I., “Thirty-Sixth Division Association.” Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed on July 10, 2017.)
Restrictions and Requirements
Restrictions on Use
Under the Copyright Act of 1976 as amended in 1998, unpublished works are protected for the life of the author plus 70 years. The term of copyright for published material varies. Researchers are responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
(Identify the item) 36th Infantry Division Association papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession Information
Accession number: 1972/115
These records were donated to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Thirty-Sixth Division Association on March 15, 1972.
