Tropic Lightning They turned out -- more than 400 strong -- some needing to be helped with a cane, a few depending on wheelchairs.
vets recall
their grand past
Hundreds show up at a Schofield
ceremony to honor each other
and the troops of todayAT YOUR SERVICE
By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.comBut they all were on the Wahiawa parade grounds last week for one thing: to again bask in the glory of past achievements and to march proudly in review, and almost in step, as they did as long as half a century ago.
In welcoming these veterans and in reviewing the colorful history of the 25th Infantry Division, its commander, Maj. Gen. James Dubik, recalled that it was on Oct. 1, 1941, that the unit was activated at Schofield Barracks.
"Within months, on the day that will live in infamy, our soldiers experienced their first taste of combat," he said.
Ken Hoser was just a corporal then, waiting to be mustered out on Dec. 7 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. At last week's 60th reunion of the 25th Infantry Division, he was given the honor of sounding the "adjutant general's call" bringing the formation of soldiers and veterans to attention. He used a bugle that has been in his family since the Civil War.
"I had been at a farewell party downtown on Saturday night because on Wednesday I was supposed to leave," said Hoser, 81. "But when all hell broke loose, I was told to report back immediately," said Hoser, who was then a member of the 35th Regiment, nicknamed "Cacti."
"I remember that as I was in line to get back into the base, the car in front of me was full of holes. But I don't think anyone in it had been killed."
Dubik recalled that the division's first major battle was Guadalcanal, where it earned the nickname "Tropic Lightning."
"From there, we moved on to the Solomon Islands, then Luzon, and completed our World War II preparing for the invasion of Japan."
Hoser fought with the Tropic Lightning at Guadalcanal and the Solomons, but left in 1945 when he was wounded in the jaw and legs in the Philippines."I was pretty well beaten up and was taken to New Zealand and confined to other hospitals until I was released in 1945."
Dubik said that following the war, the 25th began occupation duty in Japan, where its 27th Infantry "Wolfhounds" and the "Automatic" 8th Field Artillery founded an orphanage, in Osaka, which it still supports today.
But on June 25, 1950, Dubik continued in his speech, the North Korean People's Army crossed the 38th parallel and attacked South Korea.
"A month later, the Tropic Lightning moved from Japan to take up positions in South Korea. The division's actions at Pusan, the breakout and subsequent battles once again demonstrated the mettle of the Tropic Lightning's character. And as before, even as we fought this war, we continued to assist South Korean civilians who had become displaced due to the fighting around them."
James Thompson, 69, was a member of Company I, 24th Regiment on Okinawa when the Korean War broke out.
"We were doing occupational duty in Japan then," said Thompson.
His unit, the 3rd Battalion, was the first to join the 25th Division in October in 1946.
By July 12, 1950, Thompson's unit was committed to front- line duty in Korea for more than a year.
"We had the first victory on the Pusan perimeter at Yechon and came out of the war as its most decorated regiment," said Thompson, who retired from the Army with 20 years of service in 1969 and went on to serve another 19 years as a police detective in Willingboro, N.J.Dubik said the Tropic Lightning returned to Schofield Barracks in 1954 and for 11 years experienced "a period of relative peace." That ended in 1965 when then Maj. Gen. Fred Weyand took the 25th to Vietnam. There it fought in places like Pleiku, Iron Triangle, Boi Loi Woods, Hobo Woods, Hoc Mon, War Zone Charlie and Cambodia. Weyand later would command U.S. Army Pacific and be appointed Army Chief of Staff, in 1974.
Les Stafford, 62, was a scout with Alpha Troop in 1966-67.
"Coming back here is like coming home," he said. "It's almost like I never left. I look at all these young guys on the parade grounds and I think back to where I was more than 30 years ago."
By 1970, the Tropic Lightning was back in Wahiawa.
"Since then," said Dubik, who in the late 80s commanded a Schofield Barracks battalion for two years, "we have remained busy. The division has deployed troops to numerous hot spots in the Pacific, in support of Operation Desert Storm, on peacekeeping duties in Haiti and the Sinai and joint operations in Thailand and Japan."
Morgan "Butch" Sinock, past president of the 25th Infantry Division Association, said planning for the 60th reunion began three years ago.
"There was only an instant (after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks) where we considered canceling the reunion," said Sinock who served in the division's 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry during the Vietnam War in 1968. He said that 430 people had signed up to attend the reunion.
"After Sept. 11, only 20 dropped, out" Sinock added, "but then 30 signed up."
"The messages we got then was to come out and show our support for the troops."
Dubik, in his closing remarks, told the veterans, their families and today's Tropic Lightning soldiers: "Rest assured, the 25th Infantry Division remains a viable fighting force.
"Our organizational structure may have changed. Our regiments may have changed. How we conduct operations may have changed. But one thing that remains constant is the character, discipline and competence of our soldiers and leaders. Wherever you see them in formation before you or on deployment, our men and women continue to foster a living legacy of excellence. And for those of our ranks who died maintaining that legacy, we know they would be proud of us here today."