President's Corner

Hi fellow 44th brothers and sisters, Deborah and I hope this newsletter finds you all doing well and that for those that celebrate the occasion, an enjoyable Easter. Our son and daughter were here with their families and it was great to see them all.

Smith Cade has been working hard on our reunion and I know we will have a fantastic time getting together again, I know Deborah and I always do. I did mess up and put the wrong phone number for the hotel in the last newsletter, I hope this did not confuse too many folks. On the lighter side Smith said he did enjoy talking with some of you and that he then gave out the correct phone number, OOPS.

As we will not have an official tour Thursday it has been discussed that perhaps a group of us could get together and have lunch at the Ocean Buffet which is a combination of Asian cuisines. It is only half a mile from our hotel so just a short drive or for some of us (me), a long walk. This will be a pay-your-own-way, so those that do not wish to go will not have to pay money for the excursion and will not be collected for at the reunion door.

While we are on the subject of reunion fees, this year the cost should be about $50.00 per person. This will be for the banquet and all the refreshments for the three days at the host hotel hospitality room. This is a significant saving for membership. The past few years we have collected less than we spent, so good news for the association treasury too. We can decide at the business meeting if we like the way this went or want to change things.

Also on the subject of refreshments, if you have a special request such as what kind of beer, wine, or whiskey you would like to have and suggestions on the food/snacks, please let us know. This can be surprisingly tough to decide when buying for a diverse group like ours. We cannot guarantee you will see your suggestion there but it would help us to have an idea. Okay, no Lobster, Caviar or High-End Champagnes, this will raise the cost collected at the reunion door significantly. LOL

Fort Leonard Wood is open for visitors as long as you have a Real ID or a Veterans ID and we will have brochures for available sites in the area. We will also contact the local chamber for more information and ideas.

I will have an itinerary made up for the next newsletter, which is subject to change of course.

Now the auction; so start thinking on what you might want to contribute to the sale. Remember all proceeds stay with the 44th Association. Now you folks that cannot go to the reunion if you wish to donate items to be auctioned off, please feel free to do so. The suggestion is to keep item(s) under $50.00 but that is up to you. Just understand some items may bring less than the purchase price, which is how auctions can go. Another suggestion is that you select an item that represents your part of the world, this is kind of a neat thing. You can send items to me or any member going….just make sure they are going before you send your items to them.

It was decided by association that if a member has financial issues and cannot attend reunion because of it, that on a case by case basis this situation can be brought to the Board of Directors for consideration on how to assist the member. This was mainly directed at assistance with the reunion fees. It will be encouraged that a member who receives such assistance, when possible, reimburse the association. Reunion fees will be shared equally among all attendees. The more that come the more the expenses can be shared.

Hope to see you all at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

Sincerely,

Rex Hurd

President

44th Engineers Battalion Association

r_and_d100@hotmail.com

When you chance check out Members Forum, there is a lot of folks wanting to make contact with old buddies and such. Take your time, there are a bunch, and they are listed from latest received to oldest.

Welcome to visitors below.

Welcome to Visitors from the Association's President

I hope you will find this website entertaining as well as informative. Make sure you view all the pages and hopefully you will find something to appreciate.

A special note to those who are alumni of the 44th but are not members of the association. I understand that many of you were attached to the 2nd Infantry Division and I understand your connection to that unit. What you may not know is that the 44th has a rich and glorious history that is second to none and you can be proud to have served with it regardless of when that was. The Korean War veterans that started this association wanted to preserve the traditions, and with the more recent history of the deployment to Iraq has just added to this storied past. What the 44th did in Iraq was arguably no less valiant than when it landed in Inchon with Gen. Douglas MacArthur and its involvement at the Chosin Reservoir. Please understand that the landing in Inchon & the Chosin Reservoir is as much part of our shared history as what was done in Iraq and it is up to us, those that served with the 44th to keep the memories of it alive and to pass them on to the future generations for as long as we can. You can read more on our History page within this website.

A personal note: I was too young to have served with the 44th during the Korean War and too old to have been deployed to Iraq, but as an alumni of the 44th I feel that the soldiers that were there in these campaigns (and others) were my brothers. I feel this way about all that have served with it regardless of when or where. For the 44th always did what it was ordered to do and did it with its own distinctive style.