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Oklahoma Medal of Freedom awarded to Gov. Brad Henry
Gov. Brad Henry, who championed legislation to help Oklahoma National Guard members and military veterans and visited troops in two combat zones, was honored Tuesday for his service as the state’s commander in chief.
Gov. Brad Henry, left, and Maj. Gen. Myles Deering pin the new rank of lieutenant colonel on Sen. Tom Ivester, D-Elk City, during a ceremony Tuesday in the House chamber.Photo by David McDaniel, The Oklahoman
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45th Infantry Division
→The 45th Infantry Division was formed in 1923 with units in
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico
and Oklahoma.
→The division’s insignia was a
yellow thunderbird with wings inverted on a red square with
the point up.
→The four sides of the red square represent the four states that made up the division.
→The four states were territories originally explored by the Spanish, whose colors were yellow and red.
→The thunderbird is an American Indian symbol meaning sacred bearer of unlimited happiness.
→Many of the division’s solders were Indians from the tribes,
nations and bands in the four-
state region.
→During World War II, the division conducted campaigns in Sicily; Naples, Italy; Anzio, Italy; southern France; the Rhineland; the Ardennes region; and central Europe.
→Field Marshall Albert Kesselring, commander of German forces in Italy, called the 45th Division one
of the two finest divisions he had ever faced.
→The 45th Division was one of only two National Guard divisions
mobilized for the Korean War. The division served in heavy combat in the sectors fronting Old Baldy, Pork Chop Hill, Heartbreak Ridge and Luke’s Castle.
→The division was reorganized in 1968 into what is known today at the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 45th Fires Brigade and the 90th Troop Command. All the units are part of today’s Oklahoma National Guard.
SOURCE: Maj. Gen. Myles Deering,
state adjutant general
Maj. Gen. Myles Deering, the state adjutant general, presented the Oklahoma Medal of Freedom to the governor before a joint session of the Legislature.
The award, presented as part of 45th Infantry Division Appreciation Day activities at the state Capitol, acknowledged Henry’s meritorious service and tireless dedication to the Oklahoma National Guard.
"I’m a little speechless,” Henry said after being presented with the medal. "I can’t tell you how honored and humbled I am to receive the Oklahoma Medal of Freedom. It’s not something that I ever thought about or thought that I would receive.
"I feel inadequate to wear this great medal, but it is one that I will wear with pride and tremendous joy for the good works that our Oklahoma National Guard do not just in our state but throughout our country and our world.”
Henry said it is the men and women of the Oklahoma National Guard who deserve to be honored.
"They make great sacrifices — time away from families, careers put on hold,” he said. "They risk personal injury and some give the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedoms and our protection.
"Service is a part of the Oklahoma character,” the governor said. "And the men and women of the Oklahoma Air and Army National Guard reflect this better than anyone.”
Henry, elected governor in 2002, pushed legislation in 2005 known as Operation Home Front.
Related Topics:
Political Policy,
Politics,
U.S. Politics,
War and Conflict,
U.S. Armed Forces Activities,
Armed Forces,
Military and Defense Policy,
World Politics,
U.S. National Guard Activities,
Afghanistan War,
Government and Politics,
U.S. State Politics,
Oklahoma Politics
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