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126th Regimental Association April 2022 Newsletter

Fall Meeting and Dinner SAVE THE DATE! Our annual meeting and dinner will return to the Grand Valley Armory, 1200 44th Street SW in Wyoming, on Saturday evening, October 1, 2022. We’d love to see you attend and participate in all the activities listed: 1600 hrs Historical archive room in armory open for visitors 1700 hrs Annual Business Meeting in the Red Arrow Room off the front lobby 1800 hrs Social Hour in the NCO Club behind the armory 1845 hrs Opening formalities followed by a delicious catered dinner in the NCO Club Freedom Room Drawings and other closing activities will follow Watch for more details and reservation information in the August newsletter.

3rd Bn 126th Infantry Update As of the date of this newsletter, Company B 3-126 Infantry is conducting overseas training in Tunisia in lieu of its Annual Training which normally takes place at Camp Grayling. Training is being conducted with multiple countries and branches of service. Although Michigan is not partnered with Tunisia, our state was afforded this unique opportunity. B Company’s training focus is conducting a Squad Live Fire Exercise. They will also participate in a culminating Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise event. The other Infantry companies from the Iron Battalion will also conduct a Squad Live Fire Exercise at Camp Grayling during their scheduled Annual Training.

“Save the Flags”

At the conclusion of the Civil War, representatives from a large contingent of Michigan regiments converged on Detroit and turned over their colors they had carried into battle to the State of Michigan. For many decades, those colors hung in relative obscurity in the Capitol rotunda in Lansing. Following the 1898 War with Spain and World War

I, once again the colors and standards of the regiments and division were put on display. Fast forward to the 1990s capitol renovation, and it was clear that time and the wearand-tear of battle were not kind to the banners and many, especially those from the Civil War period, were disintegrating. That’s when “Save the Flags” got started beginning with removing, researching, documenting, and storing these original flags in a secure, environment-controlled archive. Since then, funds have been raised through an “adoption” effort to support conservation efforts which can be fairly expensive. The 126th Infantry traces its lineage to several of these colors beginning with the Third Michigan Infantry of the Civil War. There is very little left of those two banners that saw hard battle during its three years in the Army of the Potomac. It is now at a conservator located in West Virginia and we hope to be able to see the results of this effort sometime this summer or fall. We’ll share photos of those colors after they return. Next here are the regimental colors and national banner of the 32nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry from 1898. The photos are shown in black-and-white due to our newsletter printing limitations.

upcoming meeting, noting the organization would be called “The Grand Rapids Guard.” Following the Civil War, the Grand Rapids Guard reemerged in 1872 and was mustered into service as Company B in the 2nd Regiment. In 1896, the four Grand Rapids companies voted to consolidate into a single battalion and share the same armory. The battalion became known as the Grand Rapids Battalion (note that this was a civil designation versus military). The following article is from the Grand Rapids Press dated February 10, 1925.

The next belongs to the World War I unit that started out as the 32nd Regiment but was reorganized and redesignated as the 126th Infantry before departing for France. Both designations were included. You can also see that the campaign streamers and French Croix de Guerre ribbon are included.

After visiting the state archive, viewing the flags, and meeting with the program’s co-chairs, our Association officers made the decision this past winter to adopt our 1898 and World War I regimental colors by providing “Save the Flag” with a $2,000 donation. We’ll also be planning a “formal adoption” ceremony at the Grand Valley Armory this September during the battalion’s drill weekend. Collecting and preserving our regimental heritage is an important part of our Association’s mission and we are excited to be a part of the “Save the Flag” effort. What’s in a Name? People often ask where did the name “Grand Rapids Guard” come from? The first militia company in Grand Rapids was organized on July 12, 1855, calling themselves the Grand Rapids Light Guard. Prior to its organizational meeting, The Grand Rapids Daily Enquirer newspaper announced the Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/126thRegiment/

Today, the Grand Rapids Guard continues to exist as a nonprofit corporation that provides financial support for maintenance of morale, comfort and other purposes in support of the units at the Grand Valley and Belmont armories.

Secretary’s & Treasurer’s Report

Special thanks to SGM (Ret) John Shipley for his donating the postage for the mailing of the newsletter. The cost was around $200.

Active members: 409 Missing members: 287 New member since last mailing: Darin Alexander Amie Kemppainen Steven Shirk Ryan Kimball Carl Livingston Jr Johnathan Bates Ricardo Villarreal Jr Emily Bowers Chad Boverhof Nicholas Peters Jonathan Kolker Holden Chesher Evan Meckhoff Greg Paggeot Dylan Hull Jeffrey Lakatos Tanner Schember George Kotkowicz Timothy Underwood Mark Cain Dean Nienhuis Mark Nelson Reported deceased since our annual meeting: Harold R Leitz Jerome J Mathieu Jr, BG (Ret) Missing members since the last mailing: Burton K Francisco Travis Dykstra Robert Landheer Treasurer’s “Snapshot” Report as of 28 February 2022: Checking $ 9,139.13 Savings 3,863.27 CD 2,399.67 CD 2,251.05 Total $ 17,653.12 Legacy Fund Balance General Fund Balance

$ 12,150.77 $ 5,502.35

Legacy Fund Donors

Thank you to the 45 donors who contributed $5,712 to the Legacy Fund last year. Special thanks to the twelve donors who made more than one contribution: John J Johnson (2) COL(Ret) Gary Krueger (2) Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/126thRegiment/

James Luce William Streelman (2) Clayton Jackson (2) Wellington (Bill) & Laurel Miller (2) COL(Ret) David Ratajik COL Ralph & LTC Edith Kelly (2) Ben J. Landheer Dennis Grames Tom Wallace CW4(Ret) Darle VanderSchuur (2) 1SG Robert Frost Jr Vernia McCullough (2) Duane Goltz COL(Ret) Howard Becker (2) MAJ(Ret) Will Nieboer (2) COL(Ret) Chuck Holwerda Richard Bos MAJ(Ret) Gerald & Delores Sadowski Ryan Schuring Paul Essenburg (2) Walter Draeger BG Gary Tellier Ruth Wierenga Jerry H Kline Diane Byl (2) COL(Ret) Gary Wainwright COL(Ret) Bruce Whitman (2) BG Warren Lawrence Steve & Mary Jacobs Salvador Castro Robert Denslow MSG(Ret) Randall Pulaski Chuck Nagtzaam Ruperto Rodriguez SFC(Ret) David Green Ron Oakes SGM(Ret) Bill Schrader MSG(Ret) Cliff Mulder COL(Ret) Bill Ewald COL(Ret) Ken & Theresa McCreary Roger Naber SFC(Ret) Calvin Wierda MAJ Diana Sluhan Donations in memory of: Harold E. Krueger CPT Gerald A. Streelman Thomas A. Shurtz - Civil War CWO Ralph Schmidt Robert F Strong MG Cecil Simmons Twylla Nieboer LTC William Byl COL Mel Wierenga CWO Gordy Schoonover Thomas J. Jones - WWII Navy COL Harry Sobotka F. Bleckenger

General George Patton Raymond & John Naber All who have passed.

2021-22 Association Officers

President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President Secretary Treasurer Historian Asst. Historian

SSG (Ret) Cal Wierda 1SG (Ret) John Johnson SFC Mark DeYoung 1SG (Ret) James Norton LTC (Ret) Bill Sobotka CW4 (Ret) Darle VanderSchuur SSG Kyle Herring

Asst. Historian Sgt-At-Arms Chaplain Immed. Past Pres.

SFC (Ret) Earl Jenkins LTC (Ret) David Britten SFC (Ret) Bill Witte LTC (Ret) David Britten

The 126th Regimental Association newsletter is published twice yearly and mailed or emailed to all active association members. Inquiries regarding the association and this newsletter should be made to: LTC (Ret) Bill Sobotka 99 Skyline Circle NW Grand Rapids, MI 4950

(616) 531-3295 BillSobotka@prodigy.net

Brigadier General (Ret.) Jerome J. Mathieu, Jr.

General Mathieu passed away on January 23, 2022 at his home in Bear Lake, Michigan. Madeleine, his wife of 69 years, had died just seven weeks prior. In civilian life, General “Mat” began his working life at the Continental Motors Corporation in Muskegon moving on to the Manistee News Advocate in advertising and the press room. He and Madeleine then purchased and expanded The Mathieu Agency insurance company. General Mathieu enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard at the age of seventeen. He rose to command the 1st Battalion 246th Armor. He eventually attained the rank of colonel and commanded the 46th Brigade at the Grand Valley Armory. He went from that position to Commander of Troops for the Michigan Army National Guard, with the rank of brigadier general. General Mathieu was asked in 1983 to take the full-time position of Assistant Adjutant General for Army, a position he held until his retirement. General Mathieu was an active member of our association and was a long-time member of the Greater Armory Association, parent organization and trust fund manager for the Grand Rapids Guard. At one time, he had served on the local Bear Lake School Board, Manistee Intermediate School District Board, West Shore Community College Board, and was a member of the Michigan Association of School Boards. In the photo to the left, General Mathieu had just presented a long-overdue Purple Heart Medal in the Red Arrow Room of the Grand Valley Armory to John Wiarda on April 12, 1993, for wounds John received during the Meuse-Argonne campaign on October 9, 1918, while serving with Machine Gun Company, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division, A.E.F. Michigan State Representative Harold Voorhees (R-77), former Mayor of Wyoming, assisted in the presentation.

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