Click images to enlarge
Description
A fine grouping of some rather unique World War 2 original items from the United States 25th Infantry Division. The lot includes a CLUB 25 "Sympathy card", Pendant and Wooden Nickel.
The 25th Infantry Division (nicknamed "Tropic Lightning") is a United States division based at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. The division, which was activated on 1 October 1941 in Hawaii, conducts military operations primarily in the Asia-Pacific region. Its present deployment is composed of infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) and aviation units. Tropic Lightning soldiers regularly train with other U.S. military branches to practice and maintain joint operations capabilities. The climate and terrain of the Pacific region demands Tropic Lightning soldiers be able to operate in physically demanding and harsh environments. In 2014, the division opened the Jungle Operations Training Center (JOTC) —the first such school in the Army since the closing of the old Jungle Warfare School at Fort Sherman, Panama Canal Zone.
The division was originally activated from Hawaii garrison units during World War II, slightly more than two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. began the Pacific War. After spending almost a year training, it fought in the Allied counteroffensive during the Guadalcanal campaign from December 1942, helping to end organized Japanese resistance on that island by early February 1943. The 25th spent a period garrisoning the island, then moved on to fight in the New Georgia Campaign in July. After the Japanese defeat in New Georgia, it was sent to New Zealand later in 1943 for rest and training, before moving to New Caledonia for further training. The division returned to combat in the January 1945 invasion of Luzon, reducing Japanese resistance on the island until late June, after which it was pulled out of the line for training. The division then served in the occupation of Japan after the surrender of the latter from September 1945.
