President's Corner

Hi fellow 44th brothers and sisters, Deborah and I hope this newsletter finds you all doing well and that you had a fun and safe Independence Day.

Well here we are another reunion just around the corner. I hope many of you can come to Fort Leonard Wood/St. Robert, Missouri. Make sure to get your reservation made at our host hotel. Phone (573) 336-3355 and your reservation needs to be made by 08/27/2025 that is when the reserve comes off and there will be no guarantee on availability or price. There is more information further into the newsletter.

Smith Cade has been trying to wrap up the final details of our visit. We have an itinerary in this letter but please understand amendments may have to be made as we go along, but it will give a good idea what is planned.

With no official tour scheduled we should be able to hold reunion cost down to $50.00 per person or $100.00 per couple. This covers all refreshments in hospitality room for the 3 days and the banquet. We will discuss this procedure in the business meeting and see if membership likes this. We are thinking about a get-together luncheon on Thursday at Ocean Buffet which is a combination of Asian cuisines. It is only half a mile from our hotel so just a short drive. This will be a self-pay at the restaurant. Also at the reunion sign-in desk members can pay their dues so to be up to date and of good standing to be able to vote in the business meeting and continue to receive the newsletter. Being up to date on dues really helps the association function.

We haven’t received any requests on what refreshments to have on hand, so we will do our best to keep things as standard as possible so to hopefully have something for everyone.

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. You may also want to check out the internet for the area and come up with your own unique ideas on what to do, and feel free to develop your own sub-tour group for excursions.

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 your 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. You can add remarks as to the specialness of the item(s) sent so to add fervor in the budding.

This is an election year for officers. President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, and Treasurer. If you wish to be considered please make sure to let it be known at the meeting.

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.

FYI; Make sure you bring your 44th Association name tags and lanyards with you to the reunion. If you do not have one, email me your and spouse’s name (if coming) and I will have them waiting for you.

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 have a 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.