DIY History | Transcribe | World War II Diaries and Letters | Carroll Steinbeck letters to parents, May - June, 1944 | Clipping: Black Panthers Replace Iroquois Men At Rucker

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Carroll Steinbeck letters to parents, May - June, 1944

Clipping: Black Panthers Replace Iroquois Men At Rucker - continued

CAMP RUCKER REPORTER

PANTHER DIVISION
(Continued From Page 1)

general minces few words when he claims his troops will put terror into the hearts of the Axis.
Assistin Gen. Kramer in his command of the 66th Division are Brig. Gen. George Foster, assistant division commander; Brig. Gen. Francis W. Rollins, Division artillery commander, and Lt. Col. John W. Keating, Chief of Staff.

In August, 1943, six months after its activation, the Division moved to Camp Robinson, Ar., embarking on the second phase of its intensive combat training program. Now, after a year in the heat and sand of Florida and the hills and snows of Arkansas, the Panthers have adapted themselves to every type of terrain and climate, rounding out a systematic education in the science of modern warfare, and establishing themselves as the highly-trained fighting men they are by sucessfully completing several corps tests, scoring as high as 9.7 percent.

Outstanding, also, in the Division's history are the excellent relations it has had with its civilian neighbours. At Camp Blanding, the 66th was credited with having set one of the finest records of splendid conduct and good fellowship, ever displayed by any division in that area. Arkansas went "all out" for the Panthers, adopting them as a native sons a few days after their arrival, and providing a entertainment program for 66th soldiers seldom equalled in the records of Arkansas United Service Organizations.
Most striking thing about a 66th Division soldier is his shoulder patch, depicting a snarling black panther. The panther was chosen as the division's insignia because that animal embodies all the attributes a modern American soldier must possess in his fight to preserve himself. Like the panther, the soldier must be stealthy and cunning, ferocious and alert, always on the alert, a stalker and killer by day or night.

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CAMP RUCKER REPORTER PANTHER DIVISION (Continued From Page 1) general minces few words when he claims his troops will put terror into the hearts of the Axis. Assistin Gen. Kramer in his command of the 66th Division are Brig. Gen. George Foster, assistant division commander; Brig. Gen. Francis W. Rollins, Division artillery commander, and Lt. Col. John W. Keating, Chief of Staff. In August, 1943, six months after its activation, the Division moved to Camp Robinson, Ar., embarking on the second phase of its intensive combat training program. Now, after a year in the heat and sand of Florida and the hills and snows of Arkansas, the Panthers have adapted themselves to every type of terrain and climate, rounding out a systematic education in the science of modern warfare, and establishing themselves as the highly-trained fighting men they are by sucessfully completing several corps tests, scoring as high as 9.7 percent. Outstanding, also, in the Division's history are the excellent relations it has had with its civilian neighbours. At Camp Blanding, the 66th was credited with having set one of the finest records of splendid conduct and good fellowship, ever displayed by any division in that area. Arkansas went "all out" for the Panthers, adopting them as a native sons a few days after their arrival, and providing a entertainment program for 66th soldiers seldom equalled in the records of Arkansas United Service Organizations. Most striking thing about a 66th Division soldier is his shoulder patch, depicting a snarling black panther. The panther was chosen as the division's insignia because that animal embodies all the attributes a modern American soldier must possess in his fight to preserve himself. Like the panther, the soldier must be stealthy and cunning, ferocious and alert, always on the alert, a stalker and killer by day or night.