98th Infantry Division

Nickname: Iroquois Division. . Shoulder Patch: Patch consists of a shield, in the shape of the great seal of the State of New York; The head of the Iroquois Indian Chief is in orange superimposed on a blue background The patch is bordered in orange. The blue and orange colors are those of the Dutch House of Nassau, which was responsible for the settlement of New Amsterdam, later renamed New York. The five feathers worn by the Indian shown on the patch represent the Five (Indian) Nations: Onondagas, Cayugas. Senecas, Mohawks and Oneidas. . History: The division was to have been organized during World War I at Camp McClellan, Alabama, but due to the Armistice, organization was never commenced. Training: The 98th Division was activated 15 September, 1942, at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky. In September, 1943, it went to Tennessee to take part in the maneuvers of the Second Army for a period of two months. In November, 1943, it was transferred to Camp Rucker, Alabama, for post-maneuver training The division sailed for Hawaii, April, 1944. . Commanding Generals: Maj. Gen. Paul L. Ransom, September, 1942, to November, 1943; Maj. Gen. George W Griner, Jr., November, 1943, to November, 1944; Maj. Gen. Arthur McK. Harper, November, 1944. to present. . Component Units: (As of April, 1944) 389th, 390th and 391st Infantry Regiments; 367th, 368th, 369th (M) and 923d (L) FA Battalions. Higher Commands: while in the Hawaiian Islands, the division was under the Commanding General. Army Forces, Pacific Ocean Area (Gen. Robert Richardson, Jr.). . Combat Highlights: The mission of the 98th Infantry Division in Hawaii was secret and not until Aug. 25, 1945, was its presence in Hawaii disclosed to the public. Much to the chagrin of some of its members, the division remained in the Islands on guard duty for the entire period of its service overseas and thus became the only American division in this war which was not fired on by the enemy. Many of Its members, however, saw action in the Western Pacific, it supplied a large number of men, trained in Hawaii, to combat divisions in the fighting areas. During its stay in Hawaii, the 98th trained intensively. In the Islands, courses in jungle training were developed and personnel destined for shipment to such localities as New Guinea, the Philippines, Okinawa and intended for the Japanese mainland were seasoned in the Hawaiian semi-tropical climate.

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