DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the 45th Infantry Division at Camp Barkeley, right there in Taylor County. Now, you want to talk about a unit that started out in a tent city on undrained prairie and ended up liberating one of the most infamous places in all of human history — well, pull up close to this fire, because that's exactly the story we've got. The 45th Infantry Division was made up of National Guard units from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
When Congress passed its joint resolution in 1940, the 45th was among the very first four divisions ordered into federal service. They started out at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, but early in 1941 they were relocated to Camp Barkeley, right here in Taylor County, Texas. Now, Abilene's citizens gave them a warm welcome — and they were going to need that warmth, because Camp Barkeley itself was, to put it charitably, a work in progress.
We're talking about not much more than a tent city sitting on undrained prairie. The soldiers, being soldiers, took one look at their new accommodations and did what soldiers do — they gave it a name. They called it "Camp Smokey Okie." And then, without missing a beat, they got straight to rigorous training.
In April of 1942, the division was ordered to Fort Devens, Massachusetts. From there it was another year of training spread across three more states before they finally shipped out — headed for North Africa and Sicily. World War II was about to take the Thunderbirds a very long way from Taylor County.
What followed was combat as fierce as any outfit could endure. Sicily. Italy.
France. Germany. The 45th moved through all of it, battle by grinding battle.
And then came April 1945, and the moment that would define their legacy forever — the liberation of the concentration camp at Dachau. When the accounting was done, the 45th had spent 511 days in combat. They had lost 3,650 men.
Eight Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded to their members. They had won the admiration, the marker tells us, of Allies and Axis powers alike. One of the most distinguished military units of the entire war.
In November 1945, the division was released from active duty. But here's the part of this story that doesn't get told enough. Hundreds of 45th Infantry soldiers came back — came back to Abilene — to marry and make their homes there.
Their love for that city, the marker says, is recorded in their letters and in their lives. That's not a small thing. That's a whole chapter of a city's history written by men who started out sleeping in tents on a muddy Texas prairie and called it Smokey Okie.
The story wasn't quite over, though. The 45th was called back to active duty during the Korean conflict. They suffered 834 casualties.
And one Thunderbird — one more soldier — was posthumously awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for his Korean service. The Thunderbirds came to Abilene as strangers in a tent city. They left as one of the most decorated divisions in American military history.
And a good number of them decided that when the fighting was done, Abilene was exactly where they wanted to be. I'd say that tells you something about both the soldiers and the town.
What the marker says
The 45th Infantry Division, comprised of National Guard units from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, was one of the first four divisions ordered into federal service by Congress' joint resolution in 1940. Initially stationed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, the 45th was relocated to Camp Barkeley in early 1941. The "Thunderbirds" found Abilene's citizens welcoming, but Camp Barkeley was as yet little more than a tent city on undrained prairie. The new arrivals nicknamed their quarters "Camp Smokey Okie" and began rigorous training at once. In April 1942 the 45th was ordered to Fort Devens, Massachusetts. After another year of training in three more states they departed for North Africa and Sicily. World War II took the 45th far from Taylor County. They saw fierce combat in Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany, culminating in the liberation of the concentration camp at Dachau in April 1945. After 511 days in combat and 3,650 men lost, the 45th Infantry was one of the most distinguished military units of the war. Eight Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded to its members, who won the admiration of Allies and Axis powers alike. The division was released from active duty in November 1945. Hundreds of 45th Infantry soldiers came back to Abilene to marry and make their homes, their love for the city recorded in their letters and their lives. The 45th was again called to active duty during the Korean conflict, suffering 834 casualties. One "Thunderbird" was posthumously awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for his Korean service. (1998)