Eleven members of the 70th Infantry Division activated at Camp Adair in 1943 returned Tuesday afternoon for a re-dedication of a monument honoring their service in Europe.

The red granite memorial was placed in the E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area northwest of Albany, near the former camp’s headquarters. Fifty-three people attended the 45-minute ceremony organized by Vern Staley of Stayton, who served with the division.

The Army donated the monument, which had stood at Fort Lawton, Wash. The fort is to be closed, so it was decided the best place to move it was to old Camp Adair.

Major Gen. Chris Ingram, a commander from Fort Lawton, attended the rededication.

“I could not be more proud to stand amongst you today,” he said. The general said six members of the 70th Division have been killed in Iraq and Afghhanistan.

Jim Willis of Albany, director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs in Salem, also spoke. “There are 351,000 veterans in Oregon,” he said. “When you honor a veteran anywhere, you honor a veteran everywhere.”

Willis’ parents met at a USO function at Camp Adair.

“I’m so proud to see this piece of history preserved for one of the most courageous divisions in history,” he said.

Former state Rep. Jeff Kropf thanked the veterans for going to war “to keep us free.”

Kropf explained the symbols on the monument, the same the 70th wore on their uniforms. The 70th was called the Trailblazers. Their shoulder patch was red, and a white ax head was superimposed on the background. Below the ax is a replica of Mount Hood, and a green fir tree stands to the side.

Veteran Dale Bowlin of Vancouver, Wash., said the monument was very impressive. “They did a great job,” he said.

Robert P. Newman of Portland also attended. While at Camp Adair, he was responsible for “getting all of the soldiers packed off” to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri before they went overseas.

In Europe, the division took part in the fight to stop the German winter offensive in 1944. In mid-January 1945, the soldiers moved south toward Saarbruecken, where they carried out reconnaissance and combat patrols, eventually pushing through the Siegfried Line.

17,000 Could Get Purple Heart Under New Policy
(AP) -- Dated Oct. 6, 2008: An estimated 17,000 deceased U.S. prisoners of war could be awarded Purple Hearts under a new Pentagon policy announced Monday.

Purple Hearts are awarded to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines wounded by enemy action. But the awards have been denied in the past to POWs who died in captivity if it could not be proven they had been wounded or killed by the enemy.

The revised policy announced Monday by the Defense Department presumes such deaths were the result of enemy action unless compelling evidence is presented to the contrary.

The new policy is retroactive to Dec. 7, 1941, the Defense Department said in a statement Monday.

Posthumous awards can be made to a family member or other representative of the deceased service member. Each branch of the military will announce the process for applying for the awards.

Family members with questions may contact the services: Army, (703) 325-8700; Navy, (314) 592-1150; Air Force, (800) 616-3775; Marine Corps, (703) 784-9340.