37th Division The Buckeye Division
World War I / World War II & Korea
World War I
Camp Sheridan was the site of the August 1917 organization of the Buckeye Division, made up of Ohio National Guardsmen who previously had been serving on the Mexican Border.
After training, the 37th went to France in June 1918, fighting in the Lorraine, Ypres - Lys, and Meuse - Argonne Campaigns. It took 5,387 casualties and won a Medal of Honor before returning to the U.S. in March 1919 to be demobilized.
2nd Lieutenant Albert E. Baesel, 148th Infantry, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for conspicuous gallantry in action at Ivoiry, France, September 27, 1918.
World War II & Korea
The Buckeye Division was inducted into federal service in October 1940. Trained at Camp Shelby, Mississippi and Camp Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, it was deployed to the Pacific in May 1942 where it sustained 5,960 casualties in the Northern Solomons and Luzon Campaigns. Seven soldiers won the Medal of Honor, including Private Roger Young of the Infantry’s ballad.
The Division returned to the U.S. for demobilization in November 1945. The Division was given the mission of training replacements during the Korean Conflict. Members trained at Camp Polk, Louisiana and served in Korea as individuals rather than as a unit.
Marker is on Johnson Avenue east of Lower Wetumpka Road, in the median.
Courtesy hmdb.org
