45th Infantry Division (United States)

45th Infantry Division
45th ID Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Active	1923 – 1945 1946 – 1968
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Part of	Oklahoma Army National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nickname(s)	"Thunderbird"[1]
Motto(s)	Semper Anticus (Latin: "Always Forward")[2]
Engagements	World War II Sicily Naples-Foggia Anzio Rome-Arno Southern France Rhineland Central Europe Korean War Second Korean Winter Korea, Summer–Fall 1952 Third Korean Winter Korea, Summer 1953
Commanders
Notable commanders	Jimmy l. Vanmeter William S. Key Dwight E. Beach Philip De Witt Ginder
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia (1920–46)
Distinctive unit insignia (1946–68)

The 45th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army, most associated with the Oklahoma Army National Guard, from 1920 to 1968. Headquartered for most of its history in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the guardsmen fought in both World War II and the Korean War.

The 45th Infantry Division guardsmen saw no major action until they became one of the first National Guard units activated in World War II in 1941. They took part in intense fighting during the invasion of Sicily and the attack on Salerno in the 1943 Italian Campaign. Slowly advancing through Italy, they fought at Anzio until the capture of Rome. After landing in France during Operation Dragoon, they joined the 1945 drive into Germany that ended the War in Europe.

After a brief inactivation and subsequent reorganization as a unit restricted to Oklahomans, the division returned to duty in 1951 for the Korean War. It joined the United Nations troops on the front lines during the stalemate of the second half of the war, with constant, low-level fighting and trench warfare against the People's Volunteer Army of China that produced little gain for either side. The division remained on the front lines in such engagements as Old Baldy Hill and Hill Eerie until the end of the war, returning to the U.S. in 1954.

The division remained a National Guard formation until its downsizing in 1968. Several units were activated to replace the division and carry on its lineage. Over the course of its history, the 45th Infantry Division sustained over 25,000 battle casualties, and its men were awarded ten Medals of Honor, twelve campaign streamers, the Croix de Guerre and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.