Inside this issue:

VOLUME 16, issUE 4 OCTOBER 2018

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A PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL INFANTRY MUSEUMFOUNDATION

NIA welcomes new president

GWOT Memorial Rededication gallery

Doughboy and OSM awardees

Unexpected tribute for Gold Star family

New executive chef at the NIM

Cheer to 100 Years!

INFANTRY HERITAGELETTER

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL INFANTRY MUSEUM FOUNDATION

THE

One year after the dedication of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial at the National In-fantry Museum, a rededication event was held to pay tribute to the men and women who have given their lives in the war in the past year. Annual rededications will be held until

the war ends. Today, the memorial’s black granite panels carry the names of 6,943 brave warriors who must never be forgotten. Here are the 28 whose names have been added:

THE iNFANTRY HERiTAGE LETTERPAGE 2

Board of Directors

LTG Carmen Cavezza, Chairman Emeritus

LTG Tom Metz, ChairmanDr. Carl Savory, Vice Chairman

Mr. Brian AbeytaHON John AllenMr. Mark BakerMr. Cecil ChevesMr. Jake FlournoyMr. John HargroveSen. Hunter HillMr. Tony Link

Ms. Jacki LoweMr. Frank Lumpkin III

Mr. Warner NealMrs. Becky Rumer

Mr. Michael SilversteinHON Judy Thomas

Ex-Officio MembersBG David Hodne

COL (Ret) Mike BurnsCOL (Ret) Bob BrownMr. Dave Hanselman

Mr. Bill HuffMrs. Jean McKee

GEN John Abizaid, ChairmanMr. Jim Weaver, Vice Chairman

GEN Ed Burba, Chairman EmeritusGEN Barry McCaffrey,

Vice Chairman EmeritusGEN Lloyd AustinMr. Jim BalkcomLTG Mike BarberoLTG Jerry BatesMG J.B. Burns

LTG Carmen CavezzaLTG Charles W. “Bill” Dyke

GEN Larry EllisMG Carl Ernst

LTG Mike FerriterLTG Tom FieldsGEN John Foss

Mr. Joe GallowayLTG Dave Grange

Mrs. Richard HallockGEN William HartzogGEN Chuck JacobyGEN Buck Kernan

GEN Frederick KroesenMG Will Latham

LTG John LeMoyneMG Ken Leuer

Secretary of the Army John MarshLTG Tom Metz

Honorable Bob PoydasheffCOL Ralph Puckett

Mr. Tom RabautGEN Bill Richardson

Gov. Tom RidgeGEN Robert W. RisCassi

COL Mike SierraLTG Mike SpigelmireMG William Steele

Mr. Mat SwiftMr. Fred Taylor

LTG Sam WetzelMG Jerry White

GEN John WickhamMG Walt Wojdakowski

BG Jim Yarbrough

National Advisory Board

Advisory Board members attending the Sept 7 meeting included (left to right) Bob Poydasheff, Mike Sierra, Joe Galloway, Walt Wojdakowski, John Abizaid, Carl Savory,

Mim Hallock, Jim Weaver, Chuck Jacoby, Ralph Puckett, Tom Metz, Jim Balkcom, Carmen Cavezza, Greg Camp, Andy Redmond, William Steele, and Pete Jones.

National Advisory Board Meets

Leadership Changes at the National Infantry Association With the retirement of its longtime president, the National Infantry Asso-ciation is welcoming a new leader. COL (Ret) Rob Choppa has been selected to take the reins from COL (Ret) Dick Nurnberg, who has held the position since 2001. Choppa says he’s honored to represent all Infantrymen and looks forward to growing the association. “Our continued support of the Chief of Infantry, the National Infantry Museum, and our individual / corporate members are our priorities,” he said. “We look forward to increasing our social media exposure, online marketing for memberships, expanding recognition of deserving leaders, and teaming with other corporate and organiza-tion entities.”

The NIA is a parent organization of the National Infantry Museum Foundation. Since 2009, it has contributed more than $240,000 to the museum’s construction and operations. During his Army career, Choppa served on several operational and train-ing deployments in Infantry/Maneuver Command and Staff assignments, serv-ing as Chief of Infantry at Fort Benning

from October 2013 until his retirement. Nurnberg, with 17 years of institutional knowledge to share, will continue to support the NIA as a consultant until January. He then plans to enrich his retirement volunteering with the museum’s archives department. Nurnberg served 32 years in the Army, retiring in 1996 as the commander of USA DENTAC at Fort Benning.

Nurnberg Choppa

The National Infantry Museum Foundation Advisory Board, made up of more than 40 retired general officers, business leaders and citizens, is tasked with helping the Foundation chart its course for the future. Mem-bers attend annual meetings at the museum and offer guidance on various issues throughout the year. Thank you to all for your service!

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GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISMMEMORIAL REDEDICATION

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

After years of planning and fundraising, the National Infantry Museum unveiled a major memorial to the Global War on Terrorism in October 2017. A year later, Gold Star families, military members, veterans and civilians gathered again to pay tribute to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who have given their lives in the conflict since September 11, 2001. “As long as there is one KIA due to the Global War on Terror, we will gather here on the first Saturday after Labor Day to rededicate this magnificent memorial,” National Infantry Museum Foundation Chairman LTG Tom Metz told the audience. “It is our responsibility, those of us safely at home, to honor their service with the compassion and dignity rightfully due those who made the ultimate sacrifice.” Joining LTG Metz on the dais were CSM (Ret) Joe Gainey, the first senior enlisted advisor to the Chair-man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Maneuver Center of Excellence Commanding General MG Gary Brito; National Infantry Museum Foundation President BG (Ret) Pete Jones; MCoE CSM Scott Brzak and MCoE Chaplain COL Robert Hart. The ceremony began with a Presentation of Colors by members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. The MCoE band played each service’s song as the flag was raised on the memorial.

Silence fell over the crowd and hand fans went still as CSM Brzak read the names of 28 service members whose names have been added to the memorial since 2017. Blank black granite panels remain for names that will be added every year until the war is over. More than 100 Gold Star family members attended the event, some traveling from as far away as Missouri, Texas and New Mexico. They talked about the comfort (continued on page 5)

War on Terrorism Memorial Rededicated

The ceremony closed with a bugler playing Taps and a missing man flyby performed by the Ranger Flight

Company.

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Visit us at www.nationalinfantryfoundation.organd on these social media sites!

Highest Infantry Awards Presented

Members of Congress took a break from lawmaking and politics September 5 to honor a colleague for his contributions in support of the Infantry. They quiety gathered in Bob Hurt’s office as Infantry leaders surprised him with the Order of St. Maurice. As a young Infantry and Intelligence officer, Hurt served in the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Special Forces in Vietnam. This experience at a young age served as a foundation for a lifetime of service to our nation in many forms. Hurt would eventually become Sen. Sam Nunn’s Chief of Staff until the senator’s retirement in 1997. He then joined forces with another of Sen. Nunn’s key partners, COL (Ret) Frank Norton, who was the lead staff per-son for Sen. Nunn in his role as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Together they created the formidable Hurt, Norton and Associates consulting firm in Washington. In 2003, upon learning of the fledgling efforts to build a new National Infantry Museum, they offered to assist at the Congressional level. It is not an overstatement to say that without their expertise and experience the museum may never have come to fruition. They pursued this endeavor un-like any other that their firm has so successfully supported, largely because they both wore the Combat Infantryman’s badge. The project was personal and something that they would never let fail. Tragically Frank Norton died in 2009, only a few weeks after the museum opened. Bob poured much of his grief on the loss of his friend and partner into doubling down on his efforts to make sure the NIM would thrive. For his service to the Infantry in and out of uniform he was presented the Order of St. Maurice by National Infantry Association Chairman LTG Tom Metz in a surprise ceremony at Hurt’s office complex in Washington. Many members of Congress and their staffs were in attendance for this richly deserved recognition.

NIM Champion Honored for Service to Infantry

Consultant Bob Hurt poses with wife Virginia after being awarded the Order

of St. Maurice.

The National Infantry Association presented the Doughboy Award -- the Infantry’s highest award -- at the

annual Dough-boy dinner at the National Infantry Museum on Sep-tember 11. The honorees included LTG (Ret) Sam Wetzel, CSM (Ret) Autrail Cobb and Gary Fox. Wetzel, a longtime member of the National Infantry Museum Foundation’s Advisory Board, told an audience

of more than 300 friends and fellow Soldiers that the combat Infantryman is the noblest profession of all.

Wetzel graduated from West Point in 1952 and then spent 34 years in the Army. Despite a grim cancer diagnosis in 1981, he closed out his career in three high-profile assignments: commanding general at Fort Benning, deputy commander-in-chief of U.S. Forces in Europe and commander of V Corps in Frankfurt, Germany. CSM Cobb logged 32 years in the Army, retiring in 1995. He was the former command sergeant major of Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk and the Infantry Center at Fort Benning. Gary Fox joined the Army in 1982 and served as an Infantryman for more than two decades. Since leaving the Army, Fox has led the Office of the Chief of Infantry, which manages personnel development, branch repre-sentation and force integration. The Doughboy award is presented on behalf of all Infantrymen, past and present. The trophy recipients receive is a chrome-plated replica of the Model 1917 steel helmet worn by American Doughboys in World War I. The award was established in 1980, with Bob Hope the first recipient.

LTG Wetzel, second from left, receives the Doughboy Award from (left to right) Chief of Infantry BG David Hodne, NIA

Chairman LTG Tom Metz and CSM Martin Celstine.

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There’s a new flavor coming from the kitchens at the National Infantry Museum. Exclusive caterer It’s Your Day Catering has brought in a new executive chef, Brandon Ponder. Brandon has been a professional chef for 22 years, starting his career in the restaurants of the Gulf Coast, where he perfected his passions for Creole cuisine and turning southern comfort food into fine dining. He loves working with fresh seafood and making delicious sauces. When he’s not in the kitchen, Brandon enjoys kayaking, hiking and camping with his wife and two children. Brandon’s dishes are already receiving rave reviews from wedding guests, corporate retreats and reunion groups. If you’d like to sample some of his creations, ask our Events Department how to arrange a memorable meal for your group. Brandon Ponder, the National Infantry Museum’s new executive chef, shows off one of his specialties, Creole Salmon and Shrimp over Parmesan Risotto.

New Chef Spicing Things Up at the NIM

of being around others who have lost loved ones, and of their gratitude for all who have pledged to never forget. The families were special guests at a re-ception held the night before the rededication, and at a breakfast preceding it. Their arrival at the museum was marked by a phalanx of Patriot Guard Riders who had ridden across town to the museum in a convoy with fellow motorcy-clists. Mark your calendars now for September 7, 2019, when the Global War on Terrorism Memorial will again be rededicated -- not only in honor of those whose names will be added to the memorial, but in honor of all who have served in our nation’s longest war.

Memorial Rededication(continued from page 3)

Just days before the rededication, engraver Mark Strozier applies a

template before etching new names into the memorial’s granite panels.

Family’s Sacrifice Honored Twice The Barreras family traveled from Arizona to Georgia for a very important event: the induction of their son, father and grandfather, Marty Barreras, into the Ranger Hall of Fame. When they arrived at a reception at the National Infantry Museum preceding

the induction ceremony, they discovered another tribute to Marty’s heroism ... the Global War on Ter-rorism Memorial. In 2004, at age 49, CSM Martin R. Barreras was fatally wounded in an attack in Afghanistan. He had started his military ca-reer with the Marines, but after five years joined the Army, becoming a member of the 75th Ranger Regi-ment. In 2003, he was part

of a special forces team that made head-lines during the rescue of Jessica Lynch, the 19-year-old supply clerk who’d been taken hostage in Iraq. Barreras was one of nine Rangers inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Accepting the honor on his behalf was his friend, MSG (Ret) Russell Bell. During the reception, Bell and Barreras’s family members learned of the new Global War on Terror-ism Memorial just outside that carries the Soldier’s name. They slipped away for a few emotional mo-ments at the memorial. Barreras’s name is one of 6,943 etched in the memorial’s black granite panels.

Parents Ray and Gloria Barreras, family members and best friend

Russell Bell remembered “Gunny” Barreras at the Global War on

Terrorism Memorial.

Gold Star Mother Gloria Barreras finds her son’s name on the memorial.

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Freedom Level - $10,000Mr. and Mrs. Cecil ChevesMr. and Mrs. Jack PezoldDr. and Mrs. Carl SavoryMs. Katherine Corn Wilson

Liberty Level - $5,000GEN (Ret) and Mrs. John AbizaidMr. and Mrs. Steve Butler, Jr.Emory University Goizueta Business SchoolMr. and Mrs. Jake FlournoyMrs. Jean McKeeMr. and Mrs. Warner NealGEN (Ret) Robert RisCassiGeorge and Ann Swift Family FoundationTawani FoundationThayer CompaniesThe HON Judy Thomas

Patriot Level – $2,500Mr. and Mrs. James Balkcom, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy BlanchardCOL (Ret) and Mrs. Kris FuhrDr. and Mrs. David KulbershMr. and Mrs. Jay D. KurtzMr. and Mrs. Chuck McClureMG (Ret) Peter McVeyDr. Robin PennockDr. and Mrs. Richard RobbinsMr. and Mrs. John ThayerMr. and Mrs. Jim Weaver

1775 Level - $1,000Phyllis and Newt AaronMr. and Mrs. Brian AbeytaMr. and Mrs. Rick AlexanderMr. and Mrs. Dan AmosMr. and Mrs. Brian AndersonMr. and Mrs. R. Wayne AndrewsMr. Tom ArthurMr. and Mrs. Hal AverettDr. and Mrs. Champ Baker, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Charles BallLTG (Ret) and Mrs. Jared BatesDr. and Mrs. Gary BayerMr. and Mrs. Billy Benton, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Carter BerryMr. and Mrs. William BlanchardLTC (Ret) and Mrs. Donald Bowman

Mr. and Mrs. George Boyd, Sr.COL (Ret) and Mrs. Johnny BrooksDr. and Mrs. Frank BrownGEN (Ret) and Mrs. Edwin Burba, Jr.COL (Ret) and Mrs. Greg CampLTG (Ret) and Mrs. Carmen CavezzaCOL (Ret) and Mrs. Rob ChoppaMrs. Lovick CornLTC (Ret) and Mrs. Jim CreekMr. William J. Cunningham, Jr.COL (Ret) John D’AgostinoMs. Janet DavisMrs. Owen DitchfieldMr. and Mrs. Mack DoveLTG (Ret) and Mrs. Charles DykeMG (Ret) Maurice EdmondsCOL (Ret) and Mrs. John FatumBG (Ret) Michael FergusonMr. and Mrs. James FerrellLTG (Ret) and Mrs. Harold FieldsGordon Flournoy Charitable Lead Annuity TrustMr. and Mrs. Jake FlournoyMr. and Mrs. John FlournoyGEN (Ret) John FossLTG (Ret) Benjamin FreakleyMG Malcolm and MG Patricia FrostCOL (Ret) and Mrs. John FullerMrs. Robert GalerMr. Paul GarciaMr. and Mrs. Gardiner Garrard, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Spencer GarrardMr. R. Walker GarrettMr. and Mrs. Arthur GoldfrankDr. and Mrs. Jack GoldfrankGEN (Ret) Benjamin GriffinMrs. Richard HallockMr. Kevin HarcourtMr. and Mrs. John HargroveMr. and Mrs. Madden HatcherWilliam and Ashley HawthorneCOL (Ret) and Mrs. Thomas HaydenMr. and Mrs. Charles Hecht IIIMr. Richard HechtMr. and Mrs. Ken HensonMrs. Roger HewittMr. and Mrs. Peter HillMr. and Mrs. Comer Hobbs, Sr.COL (Ret) and Mrs. Hank HolcombCOL (Ret) and Mrs. John HouseMr. and Mrs. William HuffMr. and Mrs. Jim IrvinDr. and Mrs. Kurt Jacobson

Gen (Ret) Charles Jacoby Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Doug JefcoatMr. and Mrs. Charlie JohnsonMr. and Mrs. Scott JohnsonCOL (Ret) and Mrs. Gary Allen JonesBG (Ret) and Mrs. Peter L. JonesMr. and Mrs. Thornton JordanDr. William P. KendallMr. and Mrs. Kelsey KennonMs. Ilene KentGEN (Ret) Buck KernanMr. and Mrs. Paul Kilpatrick, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Alvion KimballMrs. Robert KingCOL (Ret) and Mrs. Cole KingseedDr. and Mrs. James KurishMr. and Mrs. Mason LamptonCOL (Ret) and Mrs. Earle LasseterMG (Ret) and Mrs. Willard LathamSGM (Ret) Jim LeeMr. and Mrs. Tony LinkMr. and Mrs. Frank Lumpkin IIIMr. Doug MagruderLTG (Ret) and Mrs. Lawson Magruder IIIMr. Frank MaierMr. and Mrs. Anthony ManganielloMr. and Mrs. John MartinGEN (Ret) and Mrs. Barry McCaffreyCSM (Ret) and Mrs. Steve McClaflinMr. and Mrs. Nelson McGaheeMG (Ret) Carl McNair, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Paul MeadowsLTG (Ret) and Mrs. Thomas MetzMr. Kenneth MillerBG (Ret) Orlin MullenMG (Ret) and Mrs. James MusselmanMr. and Mrs. Alex NaikMr. and Mrs. Jerry NewmanLTG (Ret) and Mrs. Jack NixMr. and Mrs. Charlton NorrisMrs. Carol NortonCOL (Ret) and Mrs. Dick NurnbergCOL (Ret) Bob Offer and Dr. Carole RutlandMr. and Mrs. Marc Olivie’Mr. and Mrs. Dan ParkerMr. and Mrs. Jack Pease IIIMr. and Mrs. Chris PeeblesCOL (Ret) and Mrs. McDonald Plummer, Jr.GEN (Ret) and Mrs. Colin PowellThe HON and Mrs. Bob PoydasheffThe HON Robert PraterMr. Kenneth Privat

By joining the 1775 Society, you are a part of an exclusive, annual membership group that provides significant financial support to the

National Infantry Museum Foundation. It is because of patriotic people like our members that the museum’s mission of honoring

Soldiers – past, present, and future – continues to be fulfilled every day.

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Mr. and Mrs. Bill PrivetteCOL (Ret) and Mrs. Ralph PuckettMr. and Mrs. Alan RamsayCOL (Ret) George RasulaMrs. Sam Rawls, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Bill ReavesCol (Ret) and Mrs. Andrew RedmondGEN (Ret) and Mrs. William RichardsonThe HON Tom RidgeMr. and Mrs. Buddy RobertsMr. and Mrs. Chuck RossiThe HON and Mrs. Bill RumerLTC (Ret) and Mrs. Scott RutterMr. and Mrs. Claude Scarbrough IIICOL (Ret) Don Sando and the HON Julia Lumpkin SandoBG (Ret) Gene SchmidtMG (Ret) Edison ScholesMr. and Mrs. Todd Schuster

Mrs. H. Norman SchwarzkopfMr. Bill ScrantomMs. Julia SellersMr. and Mrs. John ShinkleCOL (Ret) and Mrs. Michael SierraMr. and Mrs. Michael SilversteinLTG (Ret) and Mrs. Gary SpeerMr. and Mrs. J. Edward SprouseMr. and Mrs. John StacyMr. J. Riley StansellMG (Ret) and Mrs. William SteeleMr. and Mrs. Mathews SwiftMr. and Mrs. Jim TalleyMr. and Mrs. Phil TomlinsonMr. and Mrs. Brad TurnerMr. and Mrs. Scott VoynichMr. and Mrs. John Walden, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Rob Ward

Mr. and Mrs. Justin WenderLTG (Ret) and Mrs. Sam WetzelMG (Ret) and Mrs. Jerry WhiteMr. and Mrs. William WhiteMr. and Mrs. Jack WilenskyMr. and Mrs. Ben WilliamsMr. and Mrs. Bill WindhamLTG (Ret) Leonard Wishart IIIMG (Ret) and Mrs. Walt WojdakowskiLTC (Ret) Richard WoodMr. and Mrs. Troy WoodsMr. and Mrs. John WoolbrightMr. and Mrs. Bill Woolfolk IIIMr. and Mrs. Joel WootenMr. Richard F. WrightMr. and Mrs. James YanceyMr. and Mrs. Robert YellowleesMr. and Mrs. Albert Zimmerman

To learn more about how you can be a part of this noble mission, contact Jane Bayer at 706-685-2604 or jbayer@nationalinfantryfoundation.org.

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The champagne flowed and guests raised their glasses to Fort Benning and its 100 Year Anniversary at the 9th Annual Salute to Sol-diers Gala and Silent Auction. From the unique photo backdrop filled with pictures of the post from the last 100 years to the champagne bubble balloons filling the air above the dance floor, more than 400 guests, including 1775 Society members, Fort Benning leadership, active duty Soldiers and many friends from the public filled Cavez-za Hall for a night of dinner and dancing. The silent auction and “100 for 100” campaign during dinner raised more than $21,000 for the Foundation. Beautiful pieces of art by local artists such as Garry Pound and Maudie Huff and getaways to Rome and Tuscany were a huge hit. All of the proceeds raised during the event help further the museum’s mission of honoring Soldiers. Next year will mark the museum’s 10th Anniversary and we hope you will attend the gala on August 17, 2019.

Cheers to 100 Years!

Outgoing NIA President Dick Nurnberg and wife Amy enjoying the reception

before dinner.

1775 Society Chairman Bill Huff poses with wife Maudie in front of the centennial

photo montage.

Columbus City Councilor Judy Thomas’s table is always the life of

the party.

FOLLOW THE INFANTRY HONOR THE SACRIFICE PRESERVE THE LEGACY

1775 Legacy WayColumbus, Georgia 31903

706.653.9234nationalinfantrymuseum.org

The National Infantry Foundation was established in 1998 to honor our nation’s Infantrymen, past, present and future, and to preserve their legacy. The Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Army, is committed to sharing their legacy through the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center.

The museum project is sponsored, in part, by the U.S. Department of Defense. The content of this newsletter does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Government and no official endorsement should be inferred.

Have you joined the NIA?visit www.infantryassn.com

NIF STAFF

BG (USA Ret) Peter JonesPresident and COO

Col (USAF Ret) Andy RedmondExecutive Vice President

CSM (USA Ret) Steve McClaflinVice President of Operations

Jane BayerDirector of Development

Sonya BellAdministrative Services Manager

Vickie BentonDirector of Events

Mike BullardDirector of Building and Facilities

Cyndy CerbinDirector of Communications

Lisa DayOffice Manager

Mary TerryAccounting Manager

Mike McCabeDirector of Information Technology

Lora Davis WarrenDirector of Education andVolunteer Services

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MUSEUM FOUNDATION