Prestigious Recognition Given to 30Th Infantry Division

Prestigious Recognition Given to 30th Infantry Division

The 30th Infantry Division has just recently been recognized with a very prestigious honor by the Center for Military History, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.

We have been “Certified” as a “Liberating Unit”, of Holocaust Camps, by the Center for Military History, at Fort Leslie J. McNair, VA.

Any of you who may have visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, may have noticed, as I did, the absence of the 30th Infantry Division Flag, in the lobby of this facility. Upon visiting the USHMM several years ago, I inquired from a representative there in the lobby, as to why the 30th Infantry Division was not represented, although we had actually liberated a “Train load of 2,500 Jews, on 13 April 1945”. The reply was, that we had to be “Certified” by the Center for Military History, then, our flag could be displayed in the lobby of the USHMM.

The CMH was contacted, and we were informed that a Liberating Unit must have liberated a “Camp”, and that a “Train load of 2,500 Jews” did not qualify us for this honor !

Pertinent documentation was resubmitted for our claim, and was sent to the CMH, and then further research was done by them in the National Archives, and it was found that the 30th Infantry Division had actually liberated a few small “Camps”, not mentioned in our history books, or any documentation that we had, but was found in the Archival Records of the 30th in the National Archive Center.

Upon this resubmission of our claim and inquiry, it was finally agreed that the 30th Infantry Division did indeed qualify as being a “Liberating Unit” and was then “Certified” as such. This now qualifies the 30th Infantry Division to have its flag represented in the Lobby of the USHMM, in Washington, DC.

This has been verified by the USHMM, and as soon as a 30th Division flag can be fabricated, it will be placed in a position of Honor in the lobby of the USHMM.

This is another belated honor bestowed upon the 30th Infantry Division, whereby the millions of visitors to this Museum, will see that the 30th Infantry Division is among the “Liberating Units” of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust that we had released from years of torture and imprisonment.

P.S. The 30th Division flags have been produced, and will be presented in the Lobby of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC on 28 April 2013, at the 20thAnniverary Tribute.