During the nation’s history, many military units have been called up for service. Each has fought in one, or several conflicts concerning the United States. But the longest serving unit is the 28th Infantry Division, otherwise known as the Iron Division. This unit has its roots from as far back as 1747, where it was raised as a militia under the direct orders of Benjamin Franklin and named the Associators. This unit stood until it was formally made into a National Guard unit in 1879. Not long after, they were called into the Spanish American War. Three regiments, artillery batteries, and cavalry troops were raised to fight in the war. In 1916 the division was called to serve in the Punitive Expedition, along the Mexican border, until they were called to Camp Hancock, Georgia, for training in 1917. During their stay in Georgia, they would be reassigned from the 7th Division to the 28th Division, as a part of the war time reorganization. In the 28th were 150 locals of Carlisle making up Company G. These men were placed in the 112th Regiment of the 28th Division just before being sent off to war in Europe. When they arrived in France, they were ordered to defend Chateau-Thierry from German offensives. After getting these orders, they would not need to wait long for an attack. On the 15th of July the division was met with a hail of German shells and bullets. The battle ended in hand-to-hand combat, allowing the 28th to decisively win the engagement. The US commander of the AEF, General John J. Pershing, visited the battlefield and called the soldiers, “Men of Iron”, and named them his, “Iron Division.” In October of the same year, the 28th received their distinctive keystone patch still worn today.
After their time in Europe in 1917 and 1918, the 28th Division was called up for war once more on February 1st of 1941. It would be three more years until the division landed on Omaha Beach on July 22 of 1944, finally joining the war in Europe. On August 29 of the same year, the 28th was the first American Division to have the honor of parading through Paris. After the fanfare wore off, the division fought their way across northern France and eventually made their way into Germany. The division saw heavy fighting throughout their time overseas. While in the war they overcame several obstacles, breaching the German West Wall, fighting in the Hürtgen Forest, disrupting a German counter-offensive during the Battle of the Bulge, and liberating Colmar, France. The end of their service in WWII culminated in the crossing of the Rhine River and defending the Ruhr Pocket from a German offensive, they defended that pocket until the war’s end. The 28th Division was sent home and demobilized after peace was achieved in Europe.
The 28th Division did not see any combat during the Cold War. The most action they would see was during the Korean War, where they were deployed to Europe to defend against a possible Soviet invasion of Western Europe. They were mobilized on September 5th of 1950, and then demobilized on May 22, 1953. On a side note, on June 1st, 1959, the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade was formed, and absorbed into the 28th Division. They were based at Capital City Airport until relocated to Indiantown Gap on October 1st, 1986. Since the end of the Cold War, the 28th Division has seen action in numerous modern conflicts. They have conducted operations in Sinai, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Kosovo. They have served the US for 276 years and are still prepared to deal with any threat that looks to harm the United States.
Frank Elmer Masland Jr. was a prominent industrialist, conservationist, explorer, philanthropist and pillar of the Carlisle community throughout the twentieth century. Born to Frank Elmer Masland and Mary Esther Gossler on December 8, 1895, he was the grandson of Charles Henry Masland, founder of the Carlisle carpet company C. H. Masland & Sons.