50th Anniversary of the Long Summer Camp

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50 Anniversary The “Long Summer Camp”

Kentucky Army National Guard in the Berlin Crisis 1961-1962 John M. Trowbridge 2011 1

Cover photograph: An M-48 tank from 2nd Battalion maneuvers on a Ft. Stewart range. U. S. Army photograph.

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This publication is dedicated to the men of the Kentucky National Guard who answered the call to duty during the Berlin Crisis. Your service and dedication to our nation is not forgotten.

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CONTENTS Acknowledgements

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President John F. Kennedy’s Berlin Crisis Address

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The Berlin Crisis

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The Kentucky National Guard in the Berlin Crisis

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Unit Rosters: 2nd Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123 rd Armor rd

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3 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123 Armor 413th Ordnance Company (GS)

Letters of Recognition

19 37 64 70

Kentucky National Guard’s Recognition for Berlin Crisis Soldiers Berlin Crisis Service Ribbon Military Commendation Certificate for Service During the Berlin Crisis

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Second Battalion’s Murals by Edward A. Potts

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Third Battalion’s Stained Glass Window

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Lineage and Honors: 123rd Armor Battalion th

413 Ordnance Company

79 86

The M48 Patton Tank

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Acronyms

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Bibliography

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to thank the following for their support and assistance in the completion of this history.

Mrs. Lorraine Allen and Mr. Bill Hansen at the U.S. Armor School Library at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

The following members of the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion (P), 123rd Armor: Ed Adams, Bobby Ramage, J. T. Carneal, Robert Denker, and Frank Boyett of The Gleaner, Henderson, Ky. The following members of the 3rd Medium Tank Battalion, 123rd Armor: Garland W. Pence, Frank VanFleet, Frank Versnick, Joe Wilkins, and the staff of the Logan Co Public Library.

The following member of 413th Ordnance Company: Frederick D. Schleifer.

The staff of the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs, Military Records and Research Branch, Frankfort, Kentucky.

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President John F. Kennedy’s Berlin Crisis Radio and Television Address The White House July 25, 1961

Good Evening: Seven weeks ago I returned from Europe to report on my meeting with Premiere Khrushchev and the others. His grim warnings about the future of the world, his aide memoire on Berlin, his subsequent speeches and threats which he and his agents have launched, and the increase in the Soviet military budget that he has announced, have all prompted a series of decisions by the Administration and a series of consultations with the members of the NATO organization. In Berlin, as you recall, he intends to bring an end, through a stroke of the pen, first our legal rights to be in West Berlin--and secondly our ability to make good on our commitment to the 2 million free people of that city. That we cannot permit.

We are clear about what must be done--and we intend to do it. I want to talk frankly with you tonight about the first steps that we shall take. These actions will require sacrifice on the part of many of our citizens. More will be required in the future. They will require, from all of us, courage and perseverance in the years to come. But if we and our allies act out of strength and unity of purpose--with calm determination and steady nerves--using restraint in our words as well as our weapons--I am hopeful that both peace and freedom will be sustained.

The immediate threat to free men is in West Berlin. But that isolated outpost is not an isolated problem. The threat is worldwide. Our effort must be equally wide and strong, and not be obsessed by any single manufactured crisis. We face a challenge in Berlin, but there is also a challenge in Southeast Asia, where the borders are less guarded, the enemy harder to find, and the dangers of Communism less apparent to those who have so little. We face a challenge in our own hemisphere, and indeed, wherever else the freedom of human beings is at stake.

Let me remind you that the fortunes of War and Diplomacy left the free people of West Berlin, in 1945, 110 miles behind the iron curtain.

This map makes very clear the problem that we face. The white is West Germany--the East is the area controlled by the Soviet Union, and as you can see from the chart, West Berlin is 110 miles within the area which the Soviets now dominate--which is immediately controlled by the so-called East German regime.

We are there as a result of our victory over Nazi Germany--and our basic rights to be there, deriving from that victory, include both our presence in West Berlin and the enjoyment of access across East Germany. These rights have been repeatedly confirmed and recognized in special agreements with the Soviet Union. Berlin is not a part of East Germany, but a separate territory under control of the Allied powers. Thus our rights there are clear and deep rooted. But in addition to those rights is our commitment to sustain--and defend, if need be--the opportunity for more than two million people to determine their own future and choose their own way of life.

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Thus, our presence in West Berlin, and our access thereto, cannot be ended by any act of the Soviet government. The NATO shield was long ago extended to cover West Berlin--and we have given our word that an attack on that city will be regarded as an attack upon us all.

For West Berlin--lying exposed 110 miles inside East Germany, surrounded by Soviet troops and close to Soviet supply lines, has many roles. It is more than a showcase of liberty, a symbol, an island of freedom in a Communist sea. It is even more than a link with the Free World, a beacon of hope behind the Iron Curtain, an escape hatch for refugees.

West Berlin is all of that. But above all it has now become--as never before--the great testing place of Western courage and will, a focal point where our solemn commitments, stretching back over the years since 1945, and Soviet ambitions now meet in basic confrontation.

It would be a mistake for others to look upon Berlin, because of its location, as a tempting target.

The United Kingdom and France are there; the pledge of NATO is there--and the people of Berlin are there. It is as secure, in that sense, as the rest of us--for we cannot separate its safety from our own.

I hear it said that West Berlin is militarily untenable. And so was Bastogne. And so, in fact, was Stalingrad. Any dangerous spot is tenable if men--brave men--will make it so.

We do not want to fight--but we have fought before. And others in earlier times have made the same dangerous mistake of assuming that the West was too selfish and too soft and too divided to resist invasions of freedom in other lands. Those who threaten to unleash the forces of war on a dispute over West Berlin should recall the words of the ancient philosopher: A man who causes fear cannot be free from fear.

We cannot and will not permit the Communists to drive us out of Berlin, either gradually or by force. For the fulfillment of our pledge to that city is essential to the morale and security of Western Germany, to the unity of Western Europe, and to the faith of the entire Free World.

Soviet strategy has long been aimed, not merely at Berlin, but at dividing and neutralizing all of Europe, forcing us back on our own shores. We must meet our oft-stated pledge to the free peoples of West Berlin--and maintain our rights and their safety, even in the face of force-- in order to maintain the confidence of other free peoples in our word and our resolve. The strength of the alliance upon which our security depends is dependant in turn on our willingness to meet our commitments to them.

So long as the Communists insist that they are preparing to end by themselves unilaterally our rights in West Berlin, and our commitments to its people, we must be prepared to defend those rights and those commitments. We will at all times be ready to talk, if talk will help. But we must also be ready to resist with force, if force is used upon us. Either alone would fail. Together, they can serve the cause of freedom and peace.

The new preparations that we shall make to defend the peace are part of the long-term buildup in our strength which has been underway since January. They are based on our needs to meet a world-wide threat, on a basis which stretches far beyond the present Berlin crisis. Our primary purpose is neither propaganda nor provocation--but preparation.

A first need is to hasten progress toward the military goals which the North Atlantic allies have set for themselves. In Europe today, nothing less will suffice. We will put even greater resources into fulfilling those goals, and we look to our allies to do the same.

The supplementary defense build-ups that I asked from the Congress in March and May have already started moving us toward these and our other defense goals. They included an increase in size of the Marine Corps, improved readiness of our reserves, expansion of our air and sea lift, and stepped up procurement of needed weapons, ammunition, and other items. To 7

insure a continuing invulnerable capacity to deter or destroy any aggressor, they provided for the strengthening of our missile power, and for putting 50% of our B-52 and B-47 bombers on a ground alert which would send them on their way with 15 minutes warning.

These measures must be speeded up, and still others must now be taken. We must have sea and air lift capable of moving our forces quickly and in large numbers to any part of the world.

But even more importantly, we need the capability of placing in any critical area at the appropriate time a force which, combined with those of our allies, is large enough to make clear our determination and our ability to defend our rights at all costs--and to meet all levels of aggressor pressure with whatever levels of force are required. We intend to have a wider choice than humiliation or all-out nuclear action.

While it is unwise at this time either to call up or send abroad excessive numbers of these troops before they are needed, let me make it clear that I intend to take, as time goes on, whatever steps are necessary to make certain that such forces can be deployed at the appropriate time without lessening our ability to meet our commitments elsewhere.

Thus, in the days and months ahead, I shall not hesitate to ask the Congress for additional measures, or exercise any of the Executive powers that I possess to meet this threat to peace.

Everything essential to the security of freedom must be done; and if that should require more men, or more taxes, or more controls, or other new powers, I shall not hesitate to ask them. The measures proposed today will be constantly studied, and altered as necessary. But while we will not let panic shape our policy, neither will we permit timidity to direct our program.

Accordingly, I am now taking the following steps: (1) I am tomorrow requesting the Congress, for the current fiscal year, and additional $3,247,000,000 of appropriations for the Armed Forces.

(2) To fill out our present army divisions, and to make more men available for prompt deployment, I am requesting an increase in the Army's total authorized strength from 875,000 to approximately a million men.

(3) I am requesting an increase of 29,000 and 63,000 men respectively in the active duty strength of the Navy and the Air Force.

(4) To fulfill these manpower needs, I am ordering that our draft calls be doubled and tripled in the coming months; I am asking the Congress for authority to order to active duty certain ready reserve units and individual reservists, and to extend tours of duty; and, under that authority, I am planning to order to active duty a number of air transport squadrons and Air National Guard tactical air squadrons, to give us the airlift capacity and protection that we need.

Other reserve forces will be called up when needed.

(5) Many ships and planes once headed for retirement are to be retained or reactivated, increasing our air power tactically, and our sea-lift, air-lift and anti-submarine warfare capability.

In addition, our strategic air power will be increased by delaying the deactivation of B-47 bombers.

(6) Finally, some 1.8 billion dollars--about half of the total sum--is needed for the procurement of non-nuclear weapons, ammunition, and equipment.

The details on all these requests will be presented to the Congress tomorrow. Subsequent steps will be taken to suit subsequent needs. Comparable efforts for the common defense are being discussed with our NATO allies. For their commitment and interest are as precise as our own.

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And let me add that I am well aware of the fact that many American families will bear the burden of these requests. Studies or careers will be interrupted; husbands and sons will be called away; incomes in some cases will be reduced. But these are the burdens which must be borne if freedom is to be defended--Americans have willingly borne them before--and they will not flinch from the task now.

We have another sober responsibility. To recognize the possibilities of nuclear war in the missile age, without our citizens knowing what they should do and where they should go if bombs begin to fall, would be a failure of responsibility. In May, I pledged a new start on Civil Defense. Last week, I assigned, on the recommendation of the Civil Defense Director, basic responsibility for this program to the Secretary of Defense, to make certain it is administered and coordinated with our continental defense efforts at the highest civilian level. Tomorrow, I am requesting of the Congress new funds for the following immediate objectives: to identify and mark space in existing structures--public and private--that could be used for fallout shelters in case of attack; to stock those shelters with food, water, first aid kits, and other minimum essentials for survival; to increase their capacity; to improve our air-raid warning and fallout detection systems, including a new household warning system which is now under development; and to take other measures that will be effective at an early date to save millions of lives if needed.

In the event of an attack, the lives of those families which are not hit in a nuclear blast and fire can still be saved--if they can be warned to take shelter and if that shelter is available.

We owe that kind of insurance to our families--and to our country. In contrast to our friends in Europe, the need for this kind of protection is new to our shores. But the time to start is now. In the coming months, I hope to let every citizen know what steps he can take without delay to protect his family in case of attack. I know that you will want to do no less.

The addition of 207 million dollars in Civil Defense appropriations brings our total new defense budget requests to $3.454 billion, and a total of 47.5 billion for the year. This is an increase in the defense budget of $6 billion since January, and has resulted in official estimates of a budget deficit of over $5 billion. The Secretary of the Treasury and other economic advisors assure me, however, that our economy has the capacity to bear this new request.

We are recovering strongly from this year's recession. The increase in the last quarter of our year of our total national output was greater than that for any postwar period of initial recovery. And yet, wholesale prices are actually lower than they were during the recession, and consumer prices are only 1/4 of 1% higher than they were last October. In fact, this last quarter was the first in 8 years in which our production has increased without an increase in the overall price index. And for the first time since the fall of 1959, our gold position has improved and the dollar is more respected abroad. These gains, it should be stressed, are being accomplished with budget deficits far smaller than those of the 1958 recession.

This improved business outlook means improved revenues, and I intend to submit to the Congress in January a budget for the next fiscal year which will be strictly in balance.

Nevertheless, should an increase in taxes be needed--because of events in the next few months-to achieve that balance, or because of subsequent defense rises, those increased taxes will be requested in January.

Meanwhile, to help make certain that the current deficit is held to a safe level, we must keep down all expenditures not thoroughly justified in budget requests. The luxury of our current post office deficit must be ended. Costs in military procurement will be closely scrutinized-- and

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in this effort I welcome the cooperation of the Congress. The tax loopholes I have specified- -on expense accounts, overseas income, dividends, interest, cooperatives and others--must be closed.

I realize that no public revenue measure is welcomed by everyone. But I am certain every American wants to pay his fair share, and not leave the burden of defending freedom entirely to those who bear arms. For we have mortgaged our very future on this defense--and we cannot fail to meet our responsibilities.

But I must emphasize again that the choice is not merely between resistance and defeat, between atomic holocaust and surrender. Our peace-time military posture is traditionally defensive; but our diplomatic posture need not be. Our response to the Berlin crisis will not be merely military or negative. It will be more than merely standing firm. For we do not intend to leave it to others to choose and monopolize the forum and the framework for discussion. We do not intend to abandon our duty to mankind to seek a peaceful solution. As signers of the UN charter, we shall always be prepared to discuss international problems with any and all nations that are willing to talk--and listen--with reason. If they have proposals--not demands--we shall hear them. If they seek genuine understanding--not concessions of our rights--we shall meet with them. We have previously indicated our readiness to remove any actual irritants in West Berlin, but the freedom of that city is not negotiable. We cannot negotiate with those who say "What's mine is mine, and what's yours is negotiable." But we are willing to consider any arrangement or treaty in Germany consistent with the maintenance of peace and freedom, and with the legitimate security interests of all nations.

We recognize the Soviet Union's historical concern about their security in Central and Eastern Europe, after a series of ravaging invasions, and we believe arrangements can be worked out which will help to meet those concerns, and make it possible for both security and freedom to exist in this troubled area.

For it is not the freedom of West Berlin which is "abnormal" in Germany today, but the situation in that entire divided country. If anyone doubts the legality of our rights in Berlin, we are ready to have it submitted in International adjudication. If anyone doubts the extent to which our presence is desired by the people of West Berlin, compared to East German feelings about their regime, we are ready to have that question submitted to a free vote in Berlin, and if possible, among all the German people. And let us hear at that time from the 2 and 1/2 million refugees who have fled the Communist regime in East Germany--voting for Western type freedom with their feet.

The world is not deceived by the Communist attempt to label Berlin as a hot-bed of war.

There is peace in Berlin today. The source of world trouble and tension is Moscow, not Berlin.

And if war begins, it will have begun in Moscow, and not Berlin.

For the choice of peace or war is largely theirs, not ours. It is the Soviets who have stirred up this crisis. It is they who are trying to force a change. It is they who have opposed free elections. It is they who have rejected an all-German peace treaty, and the rulings of international law. And as Americans know from our history on our own old frontier, gun battles are caused by outlaws, and not by officers of the peace.

In short, while we are ready to defend our interests, we shall also be ready to search for peace--in quiet exploratory talks--in formal or informal meetings. We do not want military considerations to dominate the thinking of either East or West, and Mr. Khrushchev may find that his invitation to other nations to join in a meaningless treaty may lead to their inviting him to join in the community of peaceful men, in abandoning the use of force, and in respecting the sanctity of agreements.

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While all of these efforts go on, we must not be diverted from our total responsibilities, from other dangers, from other tasks. If new threats in Berlin or elsewhere should cause us to weaken our program of assistance to the developing nations who are also under heavy pressure from the same source, or to halt our efforts for realistic disarmament, or to disrupt or slow down our economy, or to neglect the education of our children, then those threats will surely be the most successful and least costly maneuver in Communist history. For we can afford all these efforts, and more, but we cannot afford not to meet this challenge.

And the challenge is not to us alone. It is a challenge to every nation which asserts its sovereignty under a system of liberty. It is a challenge to all those who want a world of free choice. It is a special challenge to the Atlantic Community--the heartland of human freedom.

We in the West must move together in building military strength. We must consult one another more closely than ever before. We must together design our proposals for peace, and labor together as they are pressed at the Conference table. And together we must share the burdens and the risks of this effort.

The Atlantic Community, as we know it, has been built in response to challenge--the challenge of European chaos in 1947, of the Berlin blockade in 1948, the challenge of Communist aggression in Korea in 1950. Now, standing strong and prosperous, after an unprecedented decade of progress, the Atlantic Community will not forget either its history or the principles which gave it meaning.

The solemn vow each of us gave to West Berlin in time of peace will not be broken in time of danger. If we do not meet our commitments to Berlin, where will we later stand? If we are not true to our word there, all that we have achieved in collective security, which relies on these words, will mean nothing. And if there is one path above all others to war, it is the path of weakness and disunity.

Today, the endangered frontier of freedom runs through divided Berlin. We want it to remain a frontier of peace. This is the hope of every citizen of the Atlantic Community; every citizen of Eastern Europe; and, I am confident, every citizen of the Soviet Union. For I cannot believe that the Russian people--who bravely suffered enormous losses in the Second World War would now wish to see the peace upset once more in Germany. The Soviet government alone can convert Berlin's frontier of peace into a pretext for war.

The steps I have indicated tonight are aimed at avoiding that war. To sum it all up--we seek peace--but we shall not surrender. That is the central meaning of this crisis, and the meaning of your government's policy.

With your help, and the help of other free men, this crisis can be surmounted. Freedom can prevail, and peace can endure.

I would like to close with a personal word. When I ran for the Presidency of the United States I knew that this country faced serious challenges, but I could not realize--nor could any man realize who does not bear the burdens of this office--how heavy and constant would be those burdens.

Three times in my life-time our country and Europe have been involved in major wars. In each case, serious misjudgments were made on both sides of the intentions of others, which brought about great devastation.

Now, in the thermonuclear age, any misjudgment on either side about the intentions of the other could rain more devastation in several hours than has been wrought in all the wars of human history.

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Therefore, I, as President and Commander-in-Chief, and all of us as Americans are moving through serious days. I shall bear this responsibility under our Constitution for the next three and one half years, but I am sure that we all, regardless of our occupations, will do our very best for our country and for our cause. For all of us want to see our children grow up in a country at peace, and in a world where freedom endures.

I know that sometimes we get impatient, we wish for some immediate action that would end our perils. But I must tell you that there is no quick and easy solution. The Communists control over a billion people, and they recognize that if we should falter, their success would be imminent.

We must look to the long days ahead, which, if we are courageous and persevering, can bring us what we all desire.

In these days and weeks I ask for your help and your advice. I ask for your suggestions when I think we could do better.

All of us, I know, love our country and will do our best to serve it.

In meeting my responsibilities in these coming months as President, I need your good will, and your support--and, above all, your prayers.

Thank you, and good night.

During the Crisis, Americans were consoled with the Public Service announcement, "Sleep well tonight. Your National Guard is awake."

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THE BERLIN CRISIS During the 1950s a steady outflow of refugees from the Soviet occupation zone to the West consisted primarily of young people of working age. By 1950 some 1.6 million had migrated to the western zones. Between 1950 and 1961, the refugee flow continued at a rate of 100,000 to 200,000 annually. Workers were attracted by the economic opportunities open to them in West Germany, and in the early 1950s, they and their families formed the majority of emigrants. By the late 1950s, a growing proportion of those leaving were professional people and students whose skills were sorely needed for internal development. In 1959 about 144,000 persons fled; in 1960 the figure rose to 199,000; and in the first seven months of 1961, about 207,000 left the country.

In November 1958, Soviet Premier Khrushchev issued an ultimatum giving the Western powers six months to agree to withdraw from Berlin and make it a free, demilitarized city. At the end of that period, Khrushchev declared, the Soviet Union would turn over to East Germany complete control of all lines of communication with West Berlin; the western powers then would have access to West Berlin only by permission of the East German government. The United States, Great Britain, and France replied to this ultimatum by firmly asserting their determination to remain in West Berlin and to maintain their legal right of free access to that city.

In 1959 the Soviet Union withdrew its deadline and instead met with the Western powers in a Big Four foreign ministers' conference. Although the three-month-long sessions failed to reach any important agreements, they did open the door to further negotiations and led to Premier Khrushchev's visit to the United States in September of 1959. At the end of this visit, Khrushchev and President Eisenhower stated jointly that the most important issue in the world was general disarmament and that the problem of Berlin and "all outstanding international questions should be settled, not by the application of force, but by peaceful means through negotiations."

During the early months of 1961, the government actively sought a means of halting the emigration of its population to the West. By the early summer of 1961, East German President Walter Ulbricht apparently had persuaded the Soviets that an immediate solution was necessary and that the only way to stop the exodus was to use force. This presented a delicate problem for the Soviet Union because the four-power status of Berlin specified free travel between zones and specifically forbade the presence of German troops in Berlin. Although it is not known who made the actual decision to erect the Berlin Wall, it is generally accepted that overall operations were directed by Marshal Ivan Konev, commander in chief of the GSFG. Apparently Konev appointed Major General Martin Blek of the NVA as the operational commander.

During the spring and early summer, the East German regime procured and stockpiled building materials for the erection of the Berlin Wall. Although this extensive activity was widely known, few outside the small circle of Soviet and East German planners believed that East Germany would be sealed off. Approximately 32,000 combat and engineer troops were used in building the Wall. Once their efforts were completed, the Border Police assumed the functions of manning and improving the barrier. The Soviet Army was present to discourage interference by the West and presumably to assist in the event of large-scale riots.

In June 1961 Premier Khrushchev created a new crisis over the status of West Berlin when he again threatened to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany, which he said, would end existing four-power agreements guaranteeing American, British, and French access 13

rights to West Berlin. The three powers replied that no unilateral treaty could abrogate their responsibilities and rights in West Berlin, including the right of unobstructed access to the city.

As the confrontation over Berlin escalated, on 25 July President Kennedy requested an increase in the Army's total authorized strength from 875,000 to approximately 1 million men, along with increase of 29,000 and 63,000 men in the active duty strength of the Navy and the Air Force. Additionally, he ordered that draft calls be doubled, and asked the Congress for authority to order to active duty certain ready reserve units and individual reservists. He also requested new funds to identify and mark space in existing structures that could be used for fall-out shelters in case of attack, to stock those shelters with food, water, first-aid kits and other minimum essentials for survival, and to improve air-raid warning and fallout detection systems.

On 30 August 1961, President John F. Kennedy had ordered 148,000 Guardsmen and Reservists to active duty in response to Soviet moves to cut off allied access to Berlin. The Air Guard's share of that mobilization was 21,067 individuals. ANG units mobilized in October included 18 tactical fighter squadrons, 4 tactical reconnaissance squadrons, 6 air transport squadrons, and a tactical control group. On 1 November; the Air Force mobilized three more ANG fighter interceptor squadrons. In late October and early November, eight of the tactical fighter units flew to Europe with their 216 aircraft in operation "Stair Step," the largest jet deployment in the Air Guard's history. Because of their short range, 60 Air Guard F-104 interceptors were airlifted to Europe in late November. The United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) lacked spare parts needed for the ANG's aging F-84s and F-86s. Some units had been trained to deliver tactical nuclear weapons, not conventional bombs and bullets. They had to be retrained for conventional missions once they arrived on the continent. The majority of mobilized Air Guardsmen remained in the U.S. East Germans, stirred by the crisis, fled to West Berlin in increasing numbers. In July alone there were some 30,000. The construction of the Berlin Wall started at 2:00 A.M. on August 13, 1961. The Wall effectively sealed off the best escape route open to disenchanted East Germans, thus halting the mass movement of people to the West. After its construction, the number of refugees entering West Berlin and West Germany fell drastically.

The Soviets also tried to prevent Allied access to the eastern half of the city. In response, the United States deployed men and planes to Europe. Numerous USAF Reserve and Air National Guard units were mobilized to increase Tactical Air Command [TAC] combat strength and in November, TAC deployed more than 200 Federalized ANG airplanes and thousands of personnel under "Operation Stair Step" to France, Germany, and Spain to augment units already on duty in Europe. During "Operation Stair Step," the largest overseas movement of a fighter force since WWII), not a single plane was lost.

The Berlin Crisis saw US Army troops facing East German Army troops in a stand-off, until the East German government backed down. The crisis ended in the summer of 1962 and the personnel returned to the United States. President Kennedy who visited the city in June 1963 and said: "All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin.

Therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner'."

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THE KENTUCKY NATIONAL GUARD IN THE BERLIN CRISIS In mid-1961, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union reached a crisis over the status of Berlin. The divided city, under the joint control of the four allied powers of World War II -- France, the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union -- symbolized opposing Cold War ideologies. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was alarmed by the flight of nearly 300,000 East Germans per year to freedom in West Berlin. His threat to unilaterally alter the status of Berlin was rejected by President John F. Kennedy in Vienna. In July of 1961, the United States began a rapid build-up of its military strength in anticipation of a possible confrontation.

As of July 13, 1961, most Kentucky Guard officials felt that the Kentucky National Guard would not be called to federal active duty over the situation.1 They believed any mobilization would primarily affect division-sized units, and Kentucky had no complete Guard divisions. However, on August 18, 1961, 664 officers and men of the Kentucky Guard were among the first 76,500 reservists and Guardsmen selected to strengthen the Army's strategic reserve forces.

Kentuckians were called to duty at two different times. The 3rd Medium Tank Battalion, 123rd Armor, and the 413th Ordnance Company (GS) were called first, on August 25, 1961. The 522-man 3rd Medium Tank Battalion commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Nelson Meredith was composed of five companies located at Bowling Green, Russellville, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, and Marion. The 413th Ordnance Company, commanded by Captain Calvin Knoop, was located at Frankfort and numbered 142 men. Active duty for both companies would begin 1 October.

On September 7, 1961, Adjutant General Arthur Lloyd received orders placing twelve additional units on "stand-by" status. Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, XXIII Corps Artillery, the five companies of the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 123rd Armor, the 5th Target Acquisition Battalion, the 113th Ordnance Company, and the 103rd Signal Company were ordered by the Department of Defense to intensify their training programs from four to six drills each month and to recruit prior service personnel to reach full authorized strength.2 The second alert, coming on September 19, notified Lieutenant Colonel William E. Hall's 2nd Medium Tank Battalion to report for duty at Fort Stewart, Georgia, beginning October 15th.

The battalion’s five companies, totaling 484 men, were located in Livermore, Paducah (two companies), Henderson and Owensboro.

Together, the units called to active duty amounted to twenty percent of Kentucky's 55 National Guard units. With the national average being only twelve percent per state, Adjutant General Lloyd commented, "In one way [the high percentage] is a compliment, for they are only calling the best qualified units".3 Frankfort's 413th Ordnance Company departed for Fort Stewart, Georgia, on October 4, 1961, at 0700 hours. It arrived at Fort Stewart at 1300 hours on October 7th, the first of the activated reserve component units to arrive at the post. Members began working in the Post 1

Sy Ramsey, "National Guard Aide Doubts State Call-Up," Louisville Courier-Journal, 13 July 1961, sec. 1 p. 1, cols. 5-6.

2 "12 Units in State Alerted For A Possible Call-Up," Louisville Courier-Journal, 7 September 1961, sec. 1 p. 1, cols. 1-3.

3 "Guard Call-Up May Continue," Louisville Courier-Journal, 29 October 1961, sec. 1 p. 3, cols. 7.

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Consolidated Section, performing various administrative tasks. The 413th was billeted in the 1800 block at Fort Stewart in Quonset huts until being moved later into permanent quarters.4 The men of the 413th began a phase of modified basic training on October 23rd that lasted until November 18th. They then entered the basic unit-training phase, undergoing 144 hours of field exercises in support of the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, among others. After completion of these exercises on January 27, 1962, advanced individual and advanced unit training began.

Eighty-seven percent of all personnel qualified on the "Trainfire Range." Twenty-eight officers and enlisted men qualified in the "Close Combat" training course. The men were introduced to the 3.5 rocket launcher, and 15 members qualified on the weapon. The Army Training Test, a test for determining the combat readiness of men and equipment, was conducted with the 418th Ordnance Battalion, February 28-30. The unit received an overall rating of "satisfactory," but scored "unsatisfactory" on the tactical phase of the tests. Upon being retested, however, they passed with a score of 91.5.5 During the period of 05-20 April, the 413th joined the 2nd Infantry Division for 16 days of mandatory field exercises emphasizing counter-insurgency and counter-guerilla warfare. Known as exercise "Seneca Spear," the two-week operation provided valuable training and served as a practical demonstration of cooperation between armor and infantry units.6 The 413th participated in many sports activities while at Fort Stewart. They also formed a string band called "The Kentuckians," made up of the following members: SPC James Brown, SP4 Carl Hoover, PFC Edward M. Pollett, SP4 Jackie Nelson, and SP5 Carlos Almodover. "The Kentuckians" participated in a number of shows and provided entertainment during exercise "Seneca Spear".7 The 413th won the "Troop Self-Help Award" twice during their stay at Fort Stewart and were recognized for having the best motor pool and mess hall.

The 3rd Medium Tank Battalion arrived at Fort Knox on October 10, 1961. The processing of the men was slow and uncoordinated; almost every major question had to go to the Department of the Army for an answer, resulting in considerable delay.8 Their stay at Knox was also plagued by a shortage of vehicles. The quality of the vehicles they did receive from ordnance was very poor and many were inoperable. In addition, it was over four months after their arrival before the battalion finally received its full allocation of vehicles. Various administrative changes and changes in logistics and maintenance procedures seemed especially detrimental due to the "intensified" status of the training program.

The battalion also suffered from a lack of experience and knowledge among key personnel. The battalion staff had in the past merely supervised training at the individual and platoon level and had not acted as players in tactical exercises.9 Cold weather presented another problem for the battalion. Having previously trained during the summer months, men were unprepared for the numerous problems associated with operations conducted in the winter. The clothing they were issued was ill fitting and unsuitable for training, as evidenced by the dry-rotted boots issued to some members. Yet the tankers managed to find positive results even under these conditions: in his after-action report, one 4

"Unit History Since Activation," report of the 413 th Ordnance Company to Commanding General of the US Army Armor and Artillery Firing Center, 8 May 1962.

5 Ibid.

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

8 After Action Report, 3d Medium Tank Battalion, 4 August 1962, p. 1.

9 Ibid.

16

officer states that the unit learned "the importance of maintenance properly applied" and recommended that, in the future, maintenance be emphasized in training "as much as gunnery". 10 The 3rd Medium Tank Battalion underwent both field and classroom training and played a part in demonstrations of mobile firepower for Army Undersecretary Stephen Ailes and General Herbert B. Powell, Commander of the Continental Army Command.11 The five companies of the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion arrived at Fort Stewart on 28 October. They fared much better than their comrades in the 3rd Battalion at Fort Knox. On hand to greet them were Adjutant General Arthur Lloyd, Assistant Adjutant General William R. Buster, and Colonel Arthur Bonnycastle of the 149th Armor Group.12 The tankers spent many days on the tank gunnery tables becoming familiar with weapons and equipment. They fired light weapons mounted on their M-48 Patton tanks on the first three tables, then fired their 90 mm main guns on the next three tables. In the final two stages, the tankers participated in day and night crew exercises with the tanks, testing their coordination and knowledge of tactics ranging from the crew and platoon levels up to those involving the entire battalion. Thirteen weeks later, the tankers passed their first Army Training Test.13 The second big test for the battalion was exercise "Seneca Spear." This turned out to be the most realistic training the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion had ever received, involving exposure to chemical, nuclear and counter-guerilla warfare tactics.14 The tankers used their extra time at Fort Stewart to attend Army schools, take college extension courses, and obtain high school diplomas through the Army's Educational Development Program. An added highlight to their stay at Fort Stewart was a visit in May of 1962 by Kentucky Governor Bert Combs.15 Gradually, troops were released from active duty as tensions relaxed on the world front.

On August 11, 1962, their year of active duty finished, the 1,148 Kentucky Guardsmen returned to their homes. All 11 units were honored at Fort Knox. Army Commendation Medals and certificates were awarded to forty men, and citations were presented to 16 units.16 All Guardsmen who had served on active duty were presented commendations signed by Governor Combs and Adjutant General Lloyd. In his welcoming speech, General Lloyd observed that "Never in history have so many men, both Active and Reserve, combined efforts to effectively prevent, rather than engage in, armed conflict‌We owe these returning Guardsmen a debt of gratitude".17 The units were returned to National Guard status at 0001 hours on August 12, 1962.

Units placed in the intensified training program were: Hq & Hq Battery, XXIII Corps Artillery Hq & Hq Battery, 5th Target Acq Battalion, 138th Field Artillery Battery A

Louisville Lexington Lexington

10

Ibid.

"10 Towns To Welcome 1,148 Guardsmen Home," Louisville Courier-Journal, 29 July 1962, sec. 1 p. 4, cols. 3-5.

12 "Called to Serve," history of units station at Fort Stewart during Berlin Crisis, 15.

13 Ibid.

14 Ibid.

15 Ibid.

16 Merrill McCord, "Fort Knox Pomp Send 3,000 Guard, Reserves Home," Louisville Courier-Journal, 22 July 1962, sec. 1 p. 21, cols. 1-8.

17 Arthur Lloyd, draft of address to returned Guardsmen (copy), 1-2.

11

17

Battery B Battery C 103rd Signal Company (FS&M) 113th Ordnance Company (DS) 207th Engineer Company (FB)

Louisville Louisville Frankfort St. Matthews Ashland

The Kentucky Guardsman, December 1962, p. 3.

Major General A. Y. Lloyd, The Adjutant General of Kentucky

18

19

UNIT ROSTERS: Headquarters and Headquarters Company nd 2 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor (Owensboro, Kentucky) Adams, William E. Allen, James Ballard, Raymond J. Barrett, Russell G. Bartley, Gary E. Beane, Douglas R. Bidwell, Danny R. Bidwell, Larry G. Bird, William L. Bittel, Richard L. Blanton, Billy R. Blythe, Norwood E. Boarman, Leon R. Brady, James L. Briggs, Charles A. Bruner, Darrell L. Burden, Sherrill L. Butler, Jimmie M. Campbell, Robert L. Childress, Ronald G. Christian, Joseph A. Church, William P. Conner, John A. Cooper, Freddy R. Cornelius, Terrel B. Crabtree, Harold E. Crabtree, Larry R. Craft, Carl E. Cravens, Mickey O. Crowe, Joseph F. Jr. Crowe, Willard G. Davis, Carroll W. Davis, Donald R. Day, Alton B. Day, Darrell L.

CPT SFC SP4 SSG SP4 SSG PFC SGT 1LT SGT SGT SP4 PFC CPT SP4 SP4 SP5 PFC SP5 PFC SP4 SP5 SP4 SSG 2LT SP5 PFC PFC PFC SFC PFC PFC PFC SP5 SP5

Devine, Eugene T. Dunn, Jimmie L. Dunn, Shelby L. Dupin, Sherman L. Durbin, Harold B. Edds, High D. Elder, James R. Elliott, Leonard R. Jr. Embrey, Joseph P. Erwin, James P. Evans, John M. Jr. Fiorella, Robert M. Fischer, Bernard J. Flake, Terry Franey, Walter T. III Frizzell, Raymond M. Garrett, David W. Garrett, James A. Gipe, Douglas L. Goatee, Vernon L. Goetz, Fred E. Graham, Charles F. Gregory, Royce H. Hall, William E. Hall, Donald A. Hall, Gerald W. Hamilton, Leon W. Harrison, Charles Head, Howard S. Heifner, George E. Hess, James D. Hettinger, George E. Howard, Ernest D. Husk, Clifford W. Jarvis, Charles L.

PFC SP4 SP5 PV2 SP5 SP5 SP4 PFC SP4 CPT SSG CPT SP4 PFC PFC MSG PFC SP4 CPT PFC SGT SSG MAJ LTC SP5 PV2 SP5 PFC SGT PFC SP5 SSG PSG PFC SP5 20

Jarvis, Harvey A. Jewell, Henry M. Johnson, James A. Kantmann, Robert A. Knight, Kenneth A. Lambert, Orville L. Leibfried, Jackie R. Love, Donald H. Marsh, William T. Matlock, David E. May, Bernard May, James C. May, Martin Morton, Thomas C. Jr. Morton, William H. Moseley, Roy I. Mullen, Thurman L. Murphy, Noah G. Murphy, Robert F. Nalley, Wayland J. Nation, George K. Nave, Carroll Nave, Ralph B. Nesmith, John A. North, Richard L. Owen, Donald R. Parks, James A. Patterson, Hubert D. Payne, James B. Payne, James M. Phelps, Wilbur Jr. Poole, Roy G. Powers, Gilbert W. Price, Gerald F. Puckett, Fred W. Ray, Rommie L. Reynolds, Curtis

SP5 PFC SP4 SSG PFC SGT SSG SP4 SP4 PFC MSG SFC CW2 SFC SSG PFC PFC MSG SP4 CPT SP5 SP5 PFC SP4 PFC SP5 PFC MSG MSG SP5 SP5 SP5 PFC MAJ SFC SGT PFC

Richie, Carl K. Riney, James G. Roberts, John W. Schartung, Michael E. Senf, Donald W. Simmons, Joseph E. Simmons, Joseph W. Simmons, Virgil J. Jr. Sims, Wendel B. Sisk, Ray O. Smith, Billy J. Smith, Bobby G. Smith, Joseph W. Sorrells, Robert A. Stewart, Harrison E. Sutherlin, Ernest G. Taylor, Charles E. Taylor, Walter C. Tinsley, James E. Tippit, John T. Jr. Tipton, Wayne C. Turner, Daniel F. Jr. Wahl, Richard D. Walkosak, Russell J. Ward, Frankie F. Webb, Robert W. Wedding, Darrell L. Wheatley, Herbert P. White, Edward A. Williams, Getty J. Willis, Lester D. Wright, William B. Wyatt, George E. Yeaman, James M. Youngman, Dean Zoglmann, Leo J. Jr.

SFC SGT SGT SGT SP4 SP5 MSG SP4 SP5 1LT SSG 2LT SP5 SP5 PFC 1LT SP5 PFC SP4 SP4 SP4 SP5 PFC SP4 SP4 SP4 SP5 SP4 SP4 PFC CW2 SP5 PFC SSG CPT SP5

21

A Company 2 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor nd

(Livermore, Kentucky) Abbott, Larry W. Baird, Coronalet Bates, Arthur V. Bell, Roy F. Beller, Franklin F. Brooks, Melvin Brown, Johnie W. Burden, Norman R. Coin, James E. Cook, Carol R. Downs, Dannie E. Dunning, Edgar L. Durham, Samuel F. Evans, Rondle L. Ferguson, Randall C. Ford, Bobbie W. Frashure, Elbert R. Frashure, Vernon L. Frizzell, Billy R. Frizzell, Wesley M. Geary, Charles R. Girvin, Fred E. Girvin, Gilbert E. Higgs, John E. Humphrey, Albert G. Humphrey, Hubert G. Johnson, Larry J. Johnson, Robert L. Jones, James W. Jr. Kassinger, Darrell Kassinger, Morton D. Loyd, Ralph E.

PFC PV2 PSG SP5 SP5 PFC PFC SP4 SP5 SP5 SP5 PV2 PSG SP4 PV2 MSG SP4 SSG SGT SFC SSG SSG MSG SP5 1LT SSG PV2 SP5 SP4 SP5 SP5 SP5

McDowell, Billy R. Morris, Otis P. Morris, Ronald W. Moseley, Harold J. Nelson, James R. Noffsinger, Kenneth E. Owen, Paschal L. Patterson, Lewis G. Pierce, William M. Price, Ellis A. Prindle, Winford R. Redfern, Walter E. Jr. Rickard, David R. Sadler, William L. Shocklee, Winford S. Shouse, Lee R. Slinker, Guy R. Slinker, Junior W. St Clair, Edgar W. St Clair, Tommie L. Stewart, Herbert D. Strong, Hershel E. Sutherlin, Leslie J. Taylor, Noah E. Thomas, Frederick D. Trunnell, Edward M. Vertrees, James F. Wigginton, Jerry D. Willis, Wilford E. Winkehofer, Alan

SP5 SP5 PFC SFC PFC PFC 2LT PFC SP4 CPT SP5 SP5 SP5 SGT SP5 SP5 PFC SSG SP5 SP5 PFC SP5 SP5 PFC PV2 SSG SFC SP5 PFC 2LT

22

Company A, 2/123rd Armor Battalion, Livermore, Kentucky.

23

24

25

B Company 2 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor nd

(Paducah, Kentucky) Adams, Harold W. Adams, William K. Albritten, James D. Alton, Perrie E. Austin, Robert A. Bagwell, Ted B. Baker, Carl R. Barfield, Dwight C. Bell, Edwin C. Bridges, Donald R. Bruce, Bobby M. Buchanan, Billy J. Burton, Charles E. Byers, James B. Carney, Cornelius Davis, Robert E. Davis, Thomas R. Dickerson, Thomas G. Doran, Darrell Dunn, Donald E. Earles, Melvin L. Edwards, Palmer G. Emerson, Kenneth L. Evans, William D. Faughn, Gerald A. Freeman, Jack A. Galloway, John W. Gamblin, Eddie L. Gamblin, Ricard H. Giles, Terry J. Giltner, Louis L. Green, Larry T. Harned, Robert M. Harris, David L. Hart, James W. Hartwell, Charles

PFC SP5 SP5 SP5 SP4 SP5 SGT PFC SP5 SGT SP5 PSG SP4 SP4 SP5 SSG SGT PFC SP4 PFC SP5 SFC SP5 SP5 SP4 1LT SGT SP5 SP5 SP5 SP5 SP4 SP4 PFC PFC SGM

Hooker, Carmon E. Hooker, William E. Hughes, Eugene F. Hutchens, Joel W. Joyce, Randel G. Kickasola, Dan M. Kidd, Donald S. Kidd, William E. King, Thomas E. Kruger, Laverne D. Lewis, Lester E. Manley, Charles A. Martin, John W. McGehee, Billy J. McKendree, Billy J. McManus, James E. Moses, John W. Jr. Myer, Eddie P. Neville, Jimmie W. Newsome, James C. Peck, Bobby J. Pinson, William D. Quertermous, Ray Rees, Jack W. Richardson, Thomas E. Riley, Charles W. Roach, Earl Roberts, Norman F. Rogers, George G. Rogers, Lorenzia D. Rose, Donald W. Rosetta, Peter F. Schoborg, Edward R. Shelton, Kinneth W. Simmons, Lawrence J. Stewart, Billy M.

PFC SGT SP4 SSG SP5 SP4 SP4 SP5 SP5 PFC PSG PFC SP5 2LT SP4 PFC SP4 SP5 SGT SP4 SP4 SGT SGT CPT SGT SP5 1LT PFC SP5 SP5 SGT PFC SGT SP4 SGT SSG 26

Styers, Melvin E. Tapscott, Ozzie D. Thompson, Billy G. Vaughn, Bobby J. Wagner, Bobby G. Whitaker, Howard E.

SSG SGT SP5 SP4 SSG SP4

Wiggins, Jimmie C. Wilfred, Bobby C. Wyatt, Johnny D. Young, Nelson E.

SGT SGT SP4 PFC

27

C Company 2 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor nd

(Henderson, Kentucky) Arflack, George E. Austin, Paul G. Bantly, James G. Cave, William H. Jr. Christian, Robert J. Clark, William E. Cline, Ralph R. Cooper, Ronnie G. Cordell, Clarence E. Crafton, Robert P. Crafton, Wilbur T. Dixon, Charles F. Jr. Duckworth, William R. Duncan, Kenneth R. Epperson, Theodore X. F. Gibbs, Arthur T. Griggs, Milton Y. Jr. Johnson, Larry J. Jones, James D. Lett, Thomas E. Jr. Locke, William L. Jr. Long, Thomas Jr.

PSG SP4 SGT PV2 SSG SP4 SP4 SP5 PFC SP5 SP4 SFC SFC PFC SSG PFC SP5 SP5 MSG CPT 2LT SP5

Melton, Jerry C. Meuth, Forrest J. Miller, Gene R. Pfohl, William B. Pierce, John W. Jr. Powell, Tommy D. Pruitt, Elvin D. Randolph, James W. Russelburg, Charles R. Samples, Charles R. Schwallier, Albert R. Shelton, Sammy J. Simpkins, Robert N. Smith, Charles D. Speaks, Charles A. Springer, Gerry A. Strouse, Jackie A. Turner, Albert L. West, Carl W. Williams, David R. Yates, L. M. Young, Billy G.

SGT SP5 SSG SGT SGT SFC 2LT SP5 SP5 SP5 SFC PFC SSG SP5 SSG SGT SP5 SP5 SGT SSG PFC SSG

28

D Company 2 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor nd

(Paducah, Kentucky) Adams, Edwin F. Anderson, Clem E. Atherton, Ronald L. Barber, Harry J. Jr. Beyer, Teddy R. Bilbrey, Gene A. Bladon, Lawrence C. Bowler, Joseph E. Brewer, William D. Bryant, Olin W. Burchett, Frederick G. Carneal, J. T. Carroll, James B. Clapp, Joseph Croft, James A. Denker, Robert L. Elliott, Norman R. Farley, Charles E. Farley, Edmond F. Fullerton, Carl L. Garritson, James H. Haley, Ben T. Harris, Joe N. Hines, William R. Horne, Raymond T. Horner, Robert H. Hughes, Gordon W. Humphreys, Willard K. Hunter, Frederick L. Johnson, Eugene Joiner, Charles A. Kornegay, Robert S. Lambert, Larry W. Ligon, Adrian G.

SP5 SSG SP5 SP5 SSG SGT CPT SP5 SP5 1LT SP5 SP4 SP5 SSG SP4 SP5 SSG 2LT SP5 SP4 SFC PFC PFC PSG SSG PFC PSG SP4 SP4 PV2 SSG SP5 SP4 SP4

Long, Willis L. McKinney, James R. McKinney, Joseph L. McKinney, Thomas D. Marshall, Allen C. Maxwell, Steven R. Miller, Gary R. Mitchell, Morris W. Neihoff, John L. Neihoff, William L. Ramage, Bobby O. Ramage, Roy V. Roberts, Wendell V. Roof, Adrian J. Ryan, Wayne R. Scheer, Martin F. Sedberry, Ray C. Simmons, Audrey W. Jr. Smith, Richard T. Solomon, David W. Sprague, Billy J. Tate, Charles K. Thompson, James B. Tucker, William W. Utley, Roy C. Utley, Troy C. Walden, Carrol E. Walker, Howard E. Wallace, James H. Wallace, Joseph A. Wood, Eddie L. Wurth, Paul L. Wurth, Thomas R. Wurth, Williams J.

SP4 SP4 SP4 SSG SP5 PFC SP5 PFC SP4 PFC PFC SGT SGT SP5 SP5 SP5 PFC PFC SP5 PFC SSG PFC PFC SP5 SP4 SGT 2LT PFC PFC SP5 SSG SP5 SP5 SP5

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

UNIT ROSTERS: Headquarters and Headquarters Company rd 3 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor (Bowling Green, Kentucky) Adams, Jackie H. Adamson, Melvin R. Akin, Clay D. Amos, Billy T. Anderson, Bobby Anderson, Freeman W. Anderson, Jackie H. Ayala, Albert R. Basham, Harry Basham, Larry Belcher, Oscar E. Berry, Robert E. Blair, Howell M. Borders, William F. Brown, Barry J. Brown, William M. Burris, Hoy F. Butt, Kenneth W. Byrd, Raymond E. Cash, Darryl W. Chandler, David L. Cline, James B. Cook, Billy D. Cook, Robert L. Cooper, Norris E. Copas, Joe W. Coppage, Noel E. Cossey, Ray N. Costanzo, John A. Dar, James R. Dawers, Louis G. Jr. Davidson, Billy R. Davis, David C. Davis, James R. Davis, Jerry C.

SP5 SSG SP5 2LT SP4 PFC SP5 PFC SGT SP5 SFC SP5 SFC SP5 PFC PFC PFC SP4 SP4 PV2 SP5 PV2 SSG 2LT SP5 PFC PFC CPT CW3 SP4 SSG SGT SSG SP5 SP4

Denham, Elmer G. Diemer, James T. Dillard, Joe A. Dodson, Michael D. Downey, Robert R. Doyle, Kenneth Duffer, Walter Jr. Duffer, Willis M. Durbin, Joseph L. Jr. Durrett, Samuel J. Dyer, Frank L. Eakles, Jerry W. Edmondson, Robert W. Elkins, Richard N. Ennis, William F. III Faulkner, Edward D. Felty, Troy R. Ferguson, James E. Flood, James L. Ford, Jon M. Foster, Earl W. Foster, Guy H. Franklin, William L. Gibson, Charles D. Gilliam, Clyde O. Gilpin, Ollie T. Givens, Harold D. Greene, Richard E. Greer, Luther M. Gregory, Claudy C. Hall, Ernest H. Hammond, Joseph R. Hatfield, James T. Hawks, James T. Hayes, Harold J.

SFC SP5 PFC SP5 PV2 SP5 PFC PFC CW2 MSG PFC PFC 2LT SP4 CPT PVT SP5 PFC SP4 SP4 PFC SP5 PV2 PFC PFC SP4 SP4 PFC MAJ MSG PFC SP4 1LT PFC 1LT 38

Hayes, James R. Hayes, John A. Helmon, Rex R. Hightower, William H. Holland, Romer L. Hood, Cluff T. Howard, Carile Jr. Howard, David L. Howell, Bennet F. Jr. Hughes, Charles C. Jr. Hughes, Estle R. Jones, Bruce M. Kelly, Robert T. Kelso, Hugh P. Keown, William P. Key, Harold R. Kirby, Bobby G. Kirby, James M. Kirby, Joel D. Kitchens, Robert L. Lindsey, Bobby W. Lineberger, Jean Luttrell, Donald R. Manco, James D. Mann, Raymond L. Manning, Grover C. Manning, Wayne M. Mansfield, James G. Massey, Billy O. Massey, Harold D. Mayhew, Rufus R. McCombs, Jimmy D. McCoy, Quint H. Meador, Samuel A. Mercer, Bobby R. Meredith, Nelson A. Milam, Johnny L. Miller, Donnie E. Mittlestrasser, Norris Morrow, Gerald

PV2 SP4 PV2 MAJ MSG SP4 PFC PFC SP4 SP4 SP5 SP5 CPT CPT SP5 PFC PFC SP4 SP4 SSG SP5 SP4 SP4 SGT SP5 SP4 SP4 PFC SP5 SSG SP4 PFC SP4 SP4 SP4 LTC SP5 SP5 SP4 SP5

Murphy, George S. Jr. Murphy, Thomas J. Ogles, James R. Oliphant, Billy J. Patterson, Charles D. Pearson, Billy W. Pearson, Henry N. Pearson, William G. Pedigo, Bobbie G. Pemberton, Robert C. Jr. Perry, Paul D. Jr. Phillips, Lenvil Phillips, Willie G. Powers, Marion D. Ramsey, Robert P. Reeves, Billy J. Roark, Danny C. Rone, Alton B. Runyan, Edward A. Rush, James V. Sledge, Ferril S. Smith, Harlan L. Smith, Walter T. Spry, Donald D. Stites, Henry J. Stovall, John P. Strange, Norman M. Taylor, Lonnie R. Jr. Thompson, Charles E. Thompson, James Trott, Ronald D. Turner, Leonard G. Van Fleet, Frank C. Van Fleet, Grover F. Vincent, Rodney C. Wallace, Clovis R. Wheat, James A. Whitaker, Clifford T.

SGT CPT SP4 SP4 PFC PFC SP5 PFC 1LT CPT SP4 SFC SP4 PFC SGT SP4 SP4 SP5 CPT SSG PFC MSG SP4 PFC18 PFC 2LT SP4 CPT SGT SSG SP5 SP4 SSG 1LT MSG PFC 1LT SGT

18

Killed in auto accident, 17 June 1962, while on active duty.

39

Whitehead, Jerry E. Whittaker, Jimmy J. Wilkins, Joe N. Willis, Clifford Womack, Bobby R.

SP4 SP4 PFC PFC PV2

Wright, Ralph W. Wysong, James R. Yates, Larrie P. York, Ray D.

PFC PFC SP5 SP4

40

A Company 3 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor rd

(Russellville, Kentucky) Arnold, Arthur G. Jr. Arnold, Larry P. Ashby, Orbie R. Atkinson, Allen R. Balance, Robert W. Baldwin, Glenn H. Bates, Ernest L. Bentley, Daniel E. Bicknell, Darrell T. Blick, Layton Jr. Bouldin, Roy W. Boyles, Donald R. Brown, William T. Browning, John D. Browning, Logan L. Burchett, Jackie P. Christmas, Gordon Christmas, Thurmond R. Collins, Dennis R. Collins, James T. Coursey, Maurice Croley, William E. Dennison, Harold W. DeVasier, Buford C. Douglas, Charles R. Dowell, Kenneth L. Downey, Stephen Duncan, James N. Elrod, Bobby C. Epley, Robert E. Farmer, David R. Foster, Carl R. Gibbs, William R. Gilliam, Bobby D. Gilliam, Gerald N. Gilliam, Willie D.

SSG PFC SP4 PFC 1LT SP4 SSG CPT PFC SSG PFC SP4 PFC SP4 SP5 PFC PFC SFC PFC SSG SP5 SGT PFC PFC SGT PFC PFC SP4 PFC SP4 PFC MSG SP4 SGT PFC SP4

Hankins, Ray J. Hardy, Joseph G. Harris, John R. Heatherly, Raymond H. Hedges, Charles W. Hendricks, Arnold E. Herrell, Jerry D. Hodges, Billy J. Hollingsworth, Jimmie R. Hooper, Ronald D. Hoots, Elvice C. Knight, Clyde M. Lack, Jerry W. McCormick, William W. McDougal, Billy J. McGee, James W. McIntosh, George G. McIntosh, Joseph L. McPhaill, Louie G. Milam, James B. Ogles, Billy J. Page, James E. Palone, Woodrow L. Jr. Parrish, Billy R. Parrish, Alfred L. Pendleton, Charles R. Pendleton, Leonard S. Pike, Happy C. Pitts, Robbie B. Porter, Donald L. Powell, Dorris W. Rainwaters, Raymond R. Ramsey, Curtis M. Raymer, Billy J. Rogers, Maurice H. Jr. Sams, Ray T.

PFC SSG PFC PFC SFC PFC SP4 SP5 SP4 SP4 PFC PFC SP4 PSG SGT SP4 SSG PFC PSG SP4 SP4 SP4 SSG SFC SP5 SP4 PFC SP4 SP5 1LT SP5 PFC SP5 SSG SP4 SSG 41

Shifflett, Starling L. Smith, Alvin K. Smith, Boyd E. Smith, Randall B. Smotherman, Forrest L. Spears, John P. Stanley, Charles F. Stokes, William R. Stuart, Louis A. Thomas, Alva W.

SP4 SGT SP5 PFC PFC PFC SP4 SGT SGT PFC

Thomas, Johnnie F. Thurmond, Marion G. Trice, Horace R. Washer, Van L. White, Dallas R. Wilkins, Edward L. Wilkins, Thomas C. Wilson, Cecil M. Wren, Howard G. Young, James R. Jr.

SP5 SP4 SP5 SP4 SP5 SFC 1LT PFC SP5 SP5

42

43

B Company 3 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor rd

(Hopkinsville, Kentucky) Adams, Barry E. Aldridge, Wallace M. Bailey, Robert J. Baldwin, Jerold D. Barnes, Robert W. Berry, James T. Boren, Larry L. Boyd, Tex T. Broome, Paul W. Jr. Brumfield, William P. Burnett, Jesse L. Buster, Kenneth R. Collins, Kenneth H. Combs, Allen H. Darnell, Edgar N. Jr. Deason, Richard W. Dossett, Gordon N. Dulin, Robert E. East, Edward B. Farmer, Rudolph J. Faulkner, Phillip E. Ferrell, Marcus W. Fourqurean, James D. Fuller, Howard E. Gamble, Thomas E. Gilkey, Arnold M. Gilliland, Cletus B. Graham, Ronald L. Greenwood, Beverly M. Groves, David G. Haddock, Lloyd A. Hale, R. D.

SP4 PVT PFC SGT PFC SP4 PFC SP4 PFC SGT PFC SGT SP4 SGT SP5 PSG PFC PFC SSG 1SG PSG SSG SP5 SP5 SGT SFC SP4 PFC SSG PFC SP4 SP5

Hardin, Robert J. Harper, William B. Henderson, Darrell Henderson, Henry L. Hester, Bennie L. Jones, Noble H. Lancaster, Harold Lancaster, Howard G. Lancaster, Robert L. Lancaster, Wilton H. Jr. Lile, John D. Long, Carlton E. Lowry, John E. Majors, Billy P. Mathis, Ernest E. McIntosh, Moses E. Morris, Jackie C. Petty, James M. Pritchett, Edward L. Putty, James L. Jr. Scott, Bobbie J. Scott, Tony P. Smiley, Walter G. Taylor, James C. Underwood, Thomas E. West, Dorris E. West, Will D. Wilkins, Joe F. Wilkins, Ronald W. Witherspoon, Joe R. Young, Howard E.

PSG SSG SSG PFC 1LT SGT SP5 SP5 SP5 SP5 SP4 SP5 SP4 SSG SSG PFC SP4 SP5 PFC SP4 SP4 PFC SSG SP4 SP4 SP5 SP5 SP5 SP4 PFC SP5

44

C Company 3 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor rd

(Madisonville, Kentucky) Abell, Joseph E. Adcock, James D. Allen, Paul T. Austin, Jimmie L. Bailey, Woodrow W. Baker, Cleo Barton, John L. Batts, Charles E. Bowles, Donald E. Bowles, Wesley O. Brown, Gill S. Brown, Lawrence T. Brown, Ronnie E. Byrum, David R. Clark, Carl D. Coburn, Charles E. Copeland, Robert W. Crook, Thomas E. Crowe, Delaney F. Cunningham, Charles B. Downey, Morris D. Egbert, Donald L. Ellis, Darrell T. Forbes, Clarence E. Fulcher, Kenneth R. Gamblin, Louis E. Gatlin, Charles W. Hancock, Jackie R. Harlan, David R. Higgins, Bobby D. Hobdey, Harry C. Holmes, Michael W. Kelly, Thomas W. Knight, Wayne A. Knowles, Joe C. Lance, Paul R.

SSG PFC PFC SP5 SP4 SP5 SSG SP4 SP5 SSG PFC SSG SP5 PFC PFC 1LT PV2 PFC SP5 SP5 SGT SSG PFC SP4 SP5 SSG SP5 PFC PFC PFC PFC SP4 PV2 MSG PFC SP4

Long, Kenneth R. Major, George D. Martin, Johnny C. Miller, Jerry L. Nall, Sammie W. Nance, Ted W. Over, Robert H. Padgett, Darrell D. Parish, Howard N. Patterson, Larry Patterson, Lowell G. Pence, Garland W. Pendley, David E. Pendley, Leon W. Pool, Charles R. Polley, Paul W. Potts, Ellis O. Reynolds, Garry H. Rhodes, Dulbert Rodgers, Dwight G. Rodgers, Ruby G. Smith, Boyd L. Smith, John H. R. Stone, Jerry L. Terrell, Charles E. Thompson, Narris D. Trover, Bobby G. Versnick, Frank V. Walker, Aubrey W. Walker, James W. Watkins, Fulton J. Will, Charles L. Wix, Carl G. Woodward, Noel D. Woodward, Danny H. Woodward, Lanny R.

SP5 PFC SP5 SP4 SP5 SGT SGT SP5 SP5 SP5 PFC CPT PFC SGT PFC SP5 PSG PFC SSG SP4 SP5 PFC PV2 SP4 SP5 SGT PFC 2LT SP4 PFC SP4 SGT PFC SSG SGT SGT 45

Zachary, Duane Zachery, James E.

SP5 PFC

Zachary, Ronald

SSG

46

D Company 3 Medium Tank Battalion (Patton), 123rd Armor rd

(Marion, Kentucky) Abell, Jerry L. Armstrong, Gary B. Bannister, James H. Barnard, Charles R. Belt, Lenard J. Belt, Robert B. Belt, Wendell C. Bennett, Alben T. Bigham, James H. Bond, Carlos R. Brown, Philip N. Campbell, Archie B. Cannon, James E. Carter, Thomas H. Jr. Chandler, Johnie R. Chittenden, Otto E. Cosby, Donald R. Cosby, Earl G. Cothran, William A. Croft, Charles R. Davidson, Carson G. Dickerson, Robert R. Farmer, Maurice D. Feagan, Theodore R. Jr. Franks, Raymond D. Frazer, Chastain L. Griggs, David G. Hale, Billie S. Hardin, George A. Hazel, Earl Hina, Charles W. Hodge, Sam M. Hooks, Rondall C. Hunt, Donald L. Hunt, Malcolm E. Hunt, Marvin

PFC SP5 PV2 PFC SP5 SP5 SP5 PFC SP4 SP5 PFC SP5 SP4 SP5 PFC SGT SP5 SP4 SP5 PFC SFC SP4 SGT SP4 PSG SP5 PFC SGT SSG SP4 PFC PFC PFC SGT SP5 PFC

Jones, James E. Kelly, Robert T.19 Lamb, Albert F. Lee, Billy K. Martin, Allen D. McDaniel, Carol L. McDowell, Charles E. Millikan, Douglas A. Mitchell, Jimmy R. Myers, Jewell K. O’Neal, Gerald A. Owen, Hollis D. Padon, John C. Peck, Kenneth R. Quertermous, William R. Roberts, Hobert G. Roberts, Robert F. Runyan, Edward A.20 Settle, Byron Sigler, Robert W. Small, Richard S. Summers, Allen P. Sutton, Alvin L. Tabor, Donald H. Tabor, Gerald W. Teer, Forrest D. Templeton, Fred N. Travis, Billie E. Travis, Corbitt E. Travis, Donald A. Travis, Jimmie R. Travis, Newman R.

PFC CPT SP5 SP4 SP5 1LT SP5 SP4 SP5 SP4 SP4 PFC SP4 SSG PFC SSG SP4 CPT SSG SP4 2LT SP5 SP5 PFC SP4 PSG SSG SP4 PFC SP5 SP5 PFC

19

Kelly was company commander that brought the unit home August 1962.

20 Runyan was company commander at time of activation in October 1961.

47

Wardlaw, Billy M. Wardlaw, John M. Watson, Donald E. Watson, Ralph W. Wells, Ronald J. Wheeler, Amzie M. Wheeler, Leroy Williams, Billy J. Winders, James F. Wright, Bennett R. Young, Arnold R.

2LT SSG SP5 SP4 SGT SSG SP5 1LT SP4 PFC SGT

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

UNIT ROSTER: 413 Ordnance Company (GS) th

(Frankfort, Kentucky) Adcock, Jimmy E. Alcorn, Arnold A. Jr. Almodovar, Carlos21 Bailey, Lawrence R. Barr, Howard W.22 Best, George R. Blakeman, James L. Brooks, Roy Jr. Brown, Bobby O. Brown, David W.23 Brown, James W.24 Buffin, Bobby W. Burchfield, Thurman L. Burnett, Virgil Jr. Case, Glenn H. Casey, William B.25 Catlett, Charles T. Catlett, David E. Catlett, Roy V. Chesher, Boley E. Clark, John D. Cole, Clifford P. Cox, Charles M. Cox, Wiley Jr.26 Curry, James A. Decker, William W.27 Devers, Charles P. Diedrich, Leslie M.28 Downey, Bobby R. Duvall, Ray D. Eldridge, Arthur Ellis, Floyd C. 21

Full-time technician.

Full-time technician.

23 Full-time technician.

24 Full-time technician.

25 Full-time technician.

26 Full-time technician.

27 Full-time technician.

28 Full-time technician.

22

SP4 PFC SP5 SP5 SGT SP4 SP4 SSG SP4 SGT SFC PFC SP4 SP4 SP4 SP5 PFC SP4 2LT SP4 SP4 SP4 SP5 SP5 SP4 SP5 SP4 CW3 SP4 PFC PFC SP4

Ellis, Jimmy N.29 Ellis, Larry R. Evans, Ronald D.30 Glass, Frank A. Goullon, Robert W. Jr. Gray, Franklin M.31 Gray, Leonard W. Groves, David A. Hall, George R.32 Hardin, James W. Hauck, Fred B. Hawkins, Charles R.33 Hayden, William L. Jr.34 Heichelbeck, Jerry M. Helm, James L.35 Helm, Stanley A.36 Hill, Grover W. Hockensmith, Donald C. Holston, Henry T.37 Hoover, Carl M. Hoover, Lawrence U. Hughes, Donald R. Hulker, Herman Jennings, Scottye R. Jones, Donald R. Kaelin, Alfred A. Jr.38 Kaelin, Raymond C.39 Kays, Marvin B. Kirk, Wilbur R.40

SP5 PFC SP5 PFC SP4 1LT SP4 SP4 SP5 SP4 SP4 SP5 SSG SP4 SP5 SP5 SP4 SP4 PSG SP4 SP4 SP4 SP5 SP4 SP4 SFC SP5 SP5 SP4

29

Full-time technician.

Full-time technician.

31 Full-time technician.

32 Full-time technician.

33 Full-time technician.

34 Full-time technician.

35 Full-time technician.

36 Full-time technician.

37 Full-time technician.

38 Full-time technician.

39 Full-time technician.

30

65

Knoop, Calvin L.41 Knoop, Carol M.42 Knoop, Paul A.43 Land, John W. Lathrem, Carl D. Lewis, Wayne M. Lilly, John M. Long, Harold H.44 Long, Ray McDonald, Jimmy V. McGee, Marvin D. Massie, Jimmie L. Meyer, Jerry L.45 Miller, George E. Mingis, William H.46 Mitchell, Edward H. Morretti, Raymond J. Morris, Paul D. Mortimer, James III47 Nelson, Elliott S. Nugent, Robert L.48 Owens, David Jr. Palmer, Charles C. Parrott, Velton 49 Pennington, Harold W. Petry, Clifton L. Pollett, Edward M. Polsgroves, Louis H. Powers, William A. Prewitt, William G. Jr. Refalo, Frank E.50 Refalo, Victor O.51 Renfrow, Cecil H.52

CPT SSG 1SG SP4 SP4 PFC SP5 SGT SP5 SP4 SP4 SP4 SP5 SP4 SGT SP5 SP5 SP4 SP4 SP4 SP6 PFC SP5 MSG SP4 SP5 SP4 SP4 SP4 SP4 SP5 SP5 SP5

Renfrow, William E.53 Rice, George O.54 Riddle, Leonard H. Rogers, Williams H. Jr. Ryan, Paul T. Saunders, James R.55 Schaftlein, Raymond J.56 Schleifer, Frederick D. Shelburne, Atwell T. Shepherd, David H.57 Smith, William L.58 Sparrow, Bobby W. Stephens, Lawrence G. Stratton, Cloyd D. Sullivan, Michael M. Suter, Edward L. Swanagan, Hubert G. Taylor, Howard L. Trail, Lee R.59 Waldner, Donald J. Walker, Horace W. Jr. Walters, Wren H.60 Wayne, John W. Willett, Joseph R.61 Williams, Henry C.62 Wills, Hargus D. Young, James W. Young, John G.63

MSG SP5 SP4 SP4 1LT SSG SP5 SFC SP5 SFC CW3 PFC SP4 SP4 SP4 SP4 PFC PFC SP5 2LT SP5 SFC SP4 SFC SP5 SP4 SP4 SFC

52 40

Full-time technician.

Full-time technician.

42 Full-time technician.

43 Full-time technician.

44 Full-time technician.

45 Full-time technician.

46 Full-time technician.

47 Full-time technician.

48 Full-time technician.

49 Full-time technician.

50 Full-time technician.

51 Full-time technician.

41

Full-time technician.

Full-time technician.

54 Full-time technician.

55 Full-time technician.

56 Full-time technician.

57 Full-time technician.

58 Full-time technician.

59 Full-time technician.

60 Full-time technician.

61 Full-time technician.

62 Full-time technician.

63 Full-time technician.

53

66

67

68

69

70

LETTERS OF RECOGNITION

A Message to Those Who Served On your return to civilian life, I wish to convey my personal appreciation for the contribution that you have made to the defense of this Nation during the past year.

I am keenly aware that your active duty has involved inconvenience and hardship for many individuals and families. For the fortitude with which these difficulties have been borne, I am deeply grateful.. You may take great satisfaction in the fact that you have helped to keep the peace at a critical point in world affairs, while the strength and flexibility of our defense establishment were being increased. Your performance reflects great credit upon yourselves, the Reserve Forces, and this Nation.

With you go my best wishes for future success and a happy reunion with your families and friends.

JOHN F. KENNEDY

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73

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KENTUCKY NATIONAL GUARD’S RECOGNITION FOR BERLIN CRISIS SOLDIERS Guardsmen To Get Ribbon.

Camp Breckinridge, KY. – August 3 – Kentucky Army National Guardsmen who were called to active duty last year because of Berlin developments will be awarded a state service ribbon soon after their return.

The Adjutant General, Major General Arthur Y. Lloyd, said today “the Guardsmen who have served during the past year have contributed a great deal to the security of this country.

“I am going to recommend to Governor Bert T. Combs that the state award a service ribbon for active Federal service during the Berlin crisis.”

Lloyd said he and the Governor will also sign a military commendation certificate which will be presented within the near future to every Guardsman who served during the Berlin troubles.

Both Lloyd and Brigadier General William R. Buster, the assistant Adjutant General, agreed that the call-up of several Guard units acted as a stimulus to those which remained in Kentucky.

Said Lloyd: “They have all felt the need of very seriously training themselves to be better prepared and to be combat ready.”

General Buster said last fall’s call-up was a “great factor in causing the Russians to take another look at the situation . . . I think that’s the reason the crisis has subsided somewhat.”

He and Lloyd have gotten what they term “glowing reports” from the commanding generals of the various posts to which Kentucky Army National Guard units were sent.64

BERLIN CRISIS SERVICE RIBBON

The Berlin Crisis Service Ribbon was awarded to members of the Kentucky Army National Guard who served on active duty during the Berlin Crisis from October 1961 to August 1962.

The Berlin Crisis Service Ribbon is dark red, white and blue. The edges are 1/16 inch blue bands. Remainder of the ribbon is divided into equal segments of red on either side of white, superimposed over the white band is three narrow blue bars. Centered both horizontally and vertically in bronze is a bar which reads -BERLIN CRISIS- preceded and followed by a fivepoint star.

64

“Inside the Turret” 10 Aug 1962.

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MILITARY COMMENDATION CERTIFICATE FOR SERVICE DURING THE BERLIN CRISIS

Military Commendation Certificate presented by Governor Bert Combs and MG Arthur Y. Lloyd on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth to Louis Dawers Jr., who served with HHC, 3/123rd Armor Battalion.

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SECOND BATTALION’S MURALS BY EDWARD A. POTTS “A Painting Crisis” - Two Murals by Edward A. Potts -- On October 28, 1961, as the 80th Army Band played, the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 123rd Armor of the Kentucky Army National Guard, rolled into Fort Stewart to begin a year of active Army service during the Berlin Crisis.

The Kentucky tankers, from the towns of Owensboro, Livermore, Paducah and Henderson, began the job of bringing their unit to combat readiness in the shortest possible time. They also participated in "Exercise Seneca Spear," staged by the 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart. It was a practical demonstration of cooperation between armor and infantry and the tankers gained experience in the realistic exercise. The tankers were released from active duty on August 12, 1962. -- While at Fort Stewart, Edward A. Potts was transferred into the Battalion. During his time with the 2nd Tank he heard many wonderful stories of Kentucky and its history. He was evidently a painter in his civilian life and was inspired to create two murals for the unit. The first shows his vision of Kentucky and the second shows the history of the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion of the Kentucky National Guard. The paintings were prominently displayed in the Owensboro Armory, hometown of the Headquarters Company he served with, for many years until they were taken down during remodeling and are now in storage. -- No further information has been located to date about Mr. Potts.

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THIRD BATTALION’S STAINED GLASS WINDOW

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The 3rd Medium Tank Battalion, 123rd Armor commanded by LTC Nelson Meredith, was composed of five companies located at Bowling Green, Russellville, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, and Marion. They arrived at Fort Knox on 10 October 1961 where they underwent both field and classroom training. The 522 men of the 3rd Tank were returned to National Guard status at 0001 hours on 12 August 1962. During their time at Fort Knox contributions on the part of members of the battalion made possible this stained glass window for the "F" Avenue Chapel at Fort Knox. The window is in two sections with the entire unit some 3 feet by 9 feet tall and weighing in at some 120 pounds. The windows were saved by personnel at Fort Knox when the Chapel was demolished. The window was returned to the Kentucky National Guard in 2007 and on 15 July 2012, it was installed in the classroom building at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, Greenville, Kentucky.

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LINEAGE AND HONORS 123rd Armor Battalion Constituted 22 May 1846 in the Kentucky Militia as the 1st Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry and the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Organized from volunteers of the enrolled militia, principally from counties in central Kentucky, and mustered into Federal service 9 June 1846 at Louisville; mustered out of Federal service 7 and 9 June 1847, respectively, at New Orleans, Louisiana, and continued in state service as separate volunteer militia companies Reorganized 15 June 1860 from the Lexington Battalion and the Kentucky River Battalion Lexington and Kentucky River Battalions broken up in 1861 and their elements reorganized as follows: Elements with Union sympathy reorganized April - June 1861 primarily as the 1st and 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiments Mustered into Federal service 4 and 13 June 1861, respectively, at Camp Clay, Ohio; mustered out of Federal service 18 and 19 June 1864, respectively at Covington Elements with Confederate sympathy (less Lexington Rifles) reorganized in July 1861 as elements of the 1st Kentucky Brigade (The Orphan Brigade) and mustered into Confederate service at Camp Boone, Tennessee Surrendered 4 May 1865 at Washington, Georgia Lexington Rifles withdrawn 20 September 1861 from the Kentucky State Guard, reorganized as a separate cavalry company, and mustered into Confederate service at Bowling Green Consolidated in October 1861 with two other cavalry companies and consolidated unit reorganized and redesignated in June 1862 as the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment (Morgan's Men) Surrendered 8 May 1865 near Woodstock, Georgia Former Lexington and Kentucky River Battalions reorganized 18 May 1881 in the Kentucky State Guard as the 3rd Battalion, with Headquarters at Lexington Expanded, reorganized, and redesignated in 1883 as the 2nd Regiment of Infantry, with Headquarters at Lexington 80

Mustered into Federal service 14-25 May 1898 at Lexington as the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry; mustered out of Federal service 31 October 1898 at Lexington Reorganized 24 April 1899 in the Kentucky State Guard as the 1st Regiment of Infantry, with Headquarters in Lexington (Kentucky State Guard redesignated 19 March 1912 as the Kentucky National Guard) Mustered into Federal service 25 June 1916 at Fort Thomas, Kentucky; mustered out of Federal service 15 February 1917 at Fort Thomas, Kentucky Mustered into Federal service 21 April 1917 at Camp Stanley, Kentucky; drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917 Consolidated 1 October 1917 with the 3rd Regiment of Infantry (less 3rd Battalion) (See ANNEX 1); consolidated unit concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 149th Infantry and assigned to the 38th Division Demobilized in January 1919 at Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky Former 2nd and 3rd Regiments of Infantry reorganized 1920-1921 in the Kentucky National Guard as the 1st Infantry and the 53rd and 54th Machine Gun Squadrons (53rd and 54th Machine Gun Squadrons - hereafter separate lineages) 1st Infantry redesignated 1 July 1921 as the 149th Infantry and assigned to the 38th Division (later redesignated as the 38th Infantry Division); Headquarters Federally recognized 1 July 1922 at Frankfort (Location of Headquarters changed 13 December 1927 to Louisville) Inducted into Federal service 17 January 1941 at home stations Inactivated 9 November 1945 at Camp Anza, California Relieved 13 May 1946 from assignment to the 38th Infantry Division Reorganized and Federally recognized 25 September 1946 with Headquarters at St. Matthews Regiment broken up 1 September 1955 and its elements converted and redesignated as follows: Headquarters and the 1st Battalion (less Company A) as the 241st Tank Battalion 3rd Battalion as the 240th and 243rd Tank Battalions (Headquarters Company as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 149th Armor Group; 2nd Battalion as the 242nd Tank Battalion; and Company A as the 917th Medical Company - hereafter separate lineages) 81

240th, 241st and 243rd Tank Battalions consolidated 1 October 1959 with the 201st Engineer Battalion (see ANNEX 2) and consolidated unit reorganized and redesignated as the 123rd Armor, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System, to consist of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Medium Tank Battalions (3rd Medium Tank Battalion ordered into active Federal service 1 October 1961 at home stations; 2nd Medium Tank Battalion ordered into active Federal service 15 October 1961 at home stations; 2nd and 3rd Medium Tank Battalions released 11 August 1962 from active Federal service and reverted to state control) Reorganized 6 April 1964 to consist of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions Reorganized 1 March 1968 to consist of the 1st and 2nd Battalions Reorganized 1 November 1980 to consist of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, elements of the 149th Armored Brigade Reorganized 21 October 1988 to consist of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, elements of the 35th Infantry Division, and the 3rd Battalion Withdrawn 1 June 1989 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System with Headquarters at Paducah ANNEX 1 Organized 8 May 1882 in the Kentucky State Guard in western Kentucky as the 4th Battalion, with Headquarters at Bowling Green Expanded, reorganized, and redesignated in 1883 as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry, with Headquarters at Bowling Green Mustered into Federal service 21-31 May 1898 at Lexington as the 3rd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry; mustered into of Federal service 16 May 1899 at Savannah, Georgia Reorganized 10 October 1899 in the Kentucky State Guard as the 3rd Regiment of Infantry, with Headquarters at Bowling Green (Kentucky State Guard redesignated 19 May 1912 as the Kentucky National Guard) Mustered into Federal service 6 July 1916 at Fort Thomas, Kentucky; mustered out of Federal service 12-15 March 1917 Mustered into Federal service 21 April 1917 at Camp Stanley, Kentucky; drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917 3rd Regiment of Infantry (less 3rd Battalion) consolidated 1 October 1917 with the 2nd Regiment of Infantry; consolidated unit concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 149th Infantry and assigned to the 38th Division (3rd Battalion concurrently reorganized and redesignated as 82

Companies A and B, 138th Machine Gun Battalion; Company F, 113th Ammunition Train; and Company B, 113th Engineers, elements of the 38th Division) Above units demobilized in January 1919 at Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky ANNEX 2 Constituted 5 August 1917 as the 113th Supply Train and assigned to the 38th Division Organized 22 October 1917 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, by transfer of personnel from National Guard infantry companies inducted from Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia Demobilized 5-6 July 1919 at Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky Reorganized 1921-1926 in the Indiana and Kentucky National Guard as the 38th Division Quartermaster Train Reorganized and redesignated 1 July 1937 as the 113th Quartermaster Regiment and remained assigned to the 38th Division (later redesignated as the 38th Infantry Division) Inducted into Federal service 17 January 1941 at home stations Reorganized and redesignated 1 March 1942 as the 113th Quartermaster Battalion Reorganized and redesignated 1 November 1942 as the 38th Quartermaster Company, an element of the 38th Infantry Division Inactivated 9 November 1945 at Camp Anza, California Former Kentucky elements reorganized and Federally recognized 24 August 1949 in northern Kentucky as the 201st Engineer Combat Battalion, with Headquarters at Owensboro Ordered into active Federal service 9 May 1951 at home stations (201st Engineer Battalion [NGUS] organized and Federally recognized 1 May 1953 with Headquarters at Owensboro) Reorganized and redesignated 8 June 1953 as the 201st Engineer Battalion Released 30 March 1955 from active Federal service and reverted to state control; Federal recognition concurrently withdrawn from the 201st Engineer Battalion (NGUS)

CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT Mexican War Buena Vista 83

Civil War - Union service Shiloh Murfreesborough Chickamauga West Virginia 1861 Mississippi 1862 Kentucky 1862 Kentucky 1864 Tennessee 1863 Civil War - Confederate service Henry and Donelson Shiloh Murfreesborough Chickamauga Atlanta Kentucky 1862 Kentucky 1864 Louisiana 1862 Mississippi 1862 Tennessee 1862 Tennessee 1863 Indiana 1863 South Carolina 1865 World War I Streamer without inscription World War II New Guinea Leyte Luzon Company B (Hopkinsville) and Company C (Madisonville), 1st Battalion, each additionally entitled to: World War II Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead) Tunisia Sicily (with arrowhead) Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead) Anzio (with arrowhead) Rome-Arno Southern France (with arrowhead) Rhineland Ardennes-Alsace Central Europe 84

Decorations Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 October 1944 to 4 July 1945

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DISTINCTIVE UNIT INSIGNIA: 123rd Armor Battalion Blue commemorates the initial formation in 1846 as the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Mexican War service is represented by the cactus and snake from the Mexican flag. Civil War service is represented by the white saltire cross voided blue from the Confederate flag. Service during World War I is represented by the ermine chief from the arms of Brittany and Nantes.

MOTTO: "ESTO PERPETUA" (May She Endure Forever).

Design approved: 10 December 1925.

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LINEAGE AND HONORS 413th Ordnance Company Constituted 13 May 1946 as 413th Ordnance Tank Maintenance Company, and allotted to the Kentucky National Guard Organized and Federally recognized 14 November 1947 at Louisville Reorganized and redesignated 1 February 1950 as 413th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company Ordered into the active Federal service 3 September 1950 (413th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company [NGUS] Federally recognized 3 September 1952 at Louisville) Reorganized and redesignated 16 February 1953 as 413th Ordnance Company Released from the active Federal service 5 January 1955 and reverted to State control; concurrently, Federal recognition withdrawn from 413th Ordnance Company (NGUS) Change station 7 April 1958 from Louisville to Frankfort Ordered into the active Federal service 4 October 1961 Released from the active Federal service 11 August 1962 and reverted to State control Reorganized and redesignated 1 March 1968 as 413th Heavy Equipment Maintenance Company Redesignated 1 May 1974 as 413th Maintenance Company (HE) Change station 1 September 1978 from Frankfort to Harrodsburg

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Reorganized and redesignated 1 November 1980 as D Company (Maintenance), 103rd Support Battalion, 149th Separate Armored Brigade CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT None Decorations None

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THE M48 PATTON TANK The M48 Patton was the third and final US medium gun tank of the Patton series, named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle. Developed from the M47 "General Patton" tank, the M48 was the mainstay of the US Army and Marines in Vietnam.

Some 11,703 M48s were built between 1952 and 1959. Originally they had 90mm guns, but upon modification to the M48A5 they were given the British 105mm. The M48 was withdrawn from American service in favor of the M60, a further development of the M48, but the M48 Patton remains in service in a number of armies around the world.

The early designs, up to the M48A2C's, were powered by a gasoline 12 cylinder engine which was coupled with an auxiliary 8 cylinder engine (called the "Little Joe"). The gas engine gave the tank a short operating range and was prone to catching fire when hit. They also were prone to fire when the turret was penetrated and the hydraulic lines ruptured spewing "cherry juice" (the nickname for the red colored hydraulic fluid) at high pressure into the crew compartment resulting in a fireball. The flashpoint was too low, less than 300 F, causing many burns and deaths to crew members. In 1959, American M48s were upgraded to the M48A3 model which featured a diesel power plant. In the 1970's development of the AVDS 1790 2C/2D series of engines, rated at 750 horsepower, were utilized in the modernized M48A5 Tank. In the 1980's the AVDS 1790 Red Seal Engines, rated at 750 horsepower were used on the upgraded M48A5 tanks. In the 1990'S, the AVDS Gold Medallion Engine, producing 750 horsepower was produced and used in the upgraded M48A5 Tank.

The M48 vehicle is separated into three compartments: the driver's compartment, the fighting compartment where the Gunner, Loader, and Tank Commander (TC) fought, and the engine compartment. Above the main gun was a 1 million candle-power Xenon searchlight. This light had both a white light and an infrared mode. It was bore-sighted with the main gun and gun sights so that it could be used to illuminate a target at night.

The M48 was been designed for combat in Europe against Soviet tanks. When first deployed, the M48A3 had for the 1960s a state-of-the-art fire control system. At the time computers were mechanical, and range to the target was provided by a stereoscopic range finder, which functioned similarly to a 35mm camera. An end-box on each side of the turret exterior held a prism-type mirror. Turning a hand-crank on the range finder would pivot these mirrors until the double-image in the range finder merged. As the distance between the mirrors is exactly known, a little trigonometry provided the range (in meters) to the target. This information was displayed on a range indicator, and also fed to the ballistic computer by a rotating shaft. The ballistic computer was a collection of gears and cams--nothing was solidstate--which had a handle so that the gunner could select the type of ammunition that was to be fired. Each round had a different muzzle velocity, and therefore the computer had a different cam for each type. The computer would take the range data, merge it with the velocity data, and via a set of rotating shafts, supply this information to the gun's super-elevation mechanism, resulting in the gun being elevated above the gunner’s line of sight sufficiently for the round to overcome the downward pull of gravity on its way to the target. The gunner's sight however remained locked onto the target.

A good crew in Europe was able to put the first round on target 90% of the time, but this required excellent teamwork and communication on the part of the entire crew. In peacetime 89

qualification, it was possible to stop from a speed of 20 mph, acquire the target, and get off a first round kill at 2,000 yards in seven seconds.

It was widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, especially other NATO countries.

Specifications Dimensions

Weights:

Hull length

21ft, with gun forward 30ft 6 in

Width

11ft 11in

Height

10ft 1 in

Ground Clearance

16 in

Track Width

28 in

Total

52 tons 107,997 lbs [M48A5]

Hull

20 tons

Turret

18 tons

Engine/Transmission 6 tons Engine cover

2 tons

Track

2 tons each

Basic load

2 tons

Range

258 miles / 463 km

Top speed

40 mph / 48 km/h

Fuel consumption:

1 g/mi road, 2 g/mi offroad

Fording:

1.2 m

Vertical Obstacle:

0 .9 m

Gap Crossing:

2.59 m

Engine

Continental AVDS

Performance:

Powerplant:

1790 cu in 690 horsepower Transmission

Alison CD-850

Armament: 90

Main gun

90 mm rifled cannon 64 rds 105mm /51 cal M68 rfled gun with 54 rounds [M48A5]

Tank Commander

.50 cal M2 HB machine gun 3000 rds

Coax

7.62mm M73 machine gun 10,000 rds

Ammunition:

HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) HEP (High Explosive Plastic) Canister WP (White Phosphorus) Beehive

Armor:

Crew:

Homogeneous cast steel Hull Front

120 mm

Hull Side, front

76 mm

Hull Side, rear

51 mm

Hull rear

44 mm

Hull floor

25 mm

Turret Front

110 mm

Turret Side

76 mm

Turret Rear

50 mm 4 (driver, gunner, loader, TC)

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Acronyms 1LT – First Lieutenant (O2) 1SG – First Sergeant (E8) 2LT – Second Lieutenant (O1) CPT – Captain (O3) CSM – Command Sergeant Major (E9) CW2 – Chief Warrant Officer, Second Class (CWO W2) CW3 – Chief Warrant Officer, Third Class (CWO W3) MSG – Master Sergeant (E7) PFC – Private First Class (E3) PSG – Platoon Sergeant (E7) PV2 – Private Second Class (E2) PVT – Private (E1) SFC – Sergeant First Class (E6) SGM – Sergeant Major (E8) SGT – Sergeant (E5) SP4 – Specialist Fourth Class (E4) SP5 – Specialist Fifth Class (E5) SP6 - Specialist Sixth Class (E6)

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Bibliography Books: Doubler, Michael D. Civilian in Peace, Soldier in War The Army National Guard, 1636-2000.

Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2003.

Annual Reports: Lloyd, Arthur Y. Annual Report of The Adjutant General, 1 July 1961 to 30 June 1962.

Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Department of Military Affairs, 1962.

Lloyd, Arthur Y. Annual Report of The Adjutant General, 1 July 1962 to 30 June 1963.

Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Department of Military Affairs, 1963.

Magazines: __________. Called to Serve. Fort Stewart, GA:, n.p., n.d.

The National Guardsman Manuscripts: Craft, Joseph, ed. Kentucky National Guard History World War II – Berlin Crisis 1937-1962, draft manuscript. Frankfort, KY, n.p., n.d. Copy in office of Command Historian, Kentucky National Guard.

Newspapers: Inside the Turret, Fort Knox, KY. Lexington [KY] Herald Leader.

Louisville [KY] Courier-Journal.

Park City Daily News, Bowling Green, KY. The State Journal, Frankfort, KY. Newsletters: The Kentucky Guardsman

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