Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Fighting Men (and Women) of Texas

The 36th Infantry Division of the National Guard was established at Camp Bowie, TX in 1917. It was composed of units from both Texas and Oklahoma. They fought in France, with great success, against the Germans in The Great War in 1918. After that war the Oklahoma folks splintered off to an Oklahoma National Guard division. On Nov. 25, 1940 the 36th Texas National Guard Division was inducted in Federal service, ultimately becoming a party of the U.S. Army ground forces. They headed for North Africa in April 1943.
A five-volume set of books entitled The Fighting Men of Texas (copyright 1948 by Historical Publishing Company, Dallas, TX) is now complete in our collection. Until recently we only held a couple of the volumes. In this set you will find biographies of each of the men and women who served in World War II from Texas. Though the first book gives the history of the 36th division, it appears that the set includes many Texans who served in other divisions as well. Photographs, in uniform, are included of each service man or woman. The biographies typically include birth date and place, education, date and place of service entry, campaigns in which they served, and discharge or death date. Some include other information.  Even if you don't have an ancestor in this book, it's a great set to flip through and remember those who served for our freedom.  The set can be found at R Gen 929.3764 HIS

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