95th Division Memorial Highway

The 95th Division Memorial Highway is a 4-lane divided interstate highway that begins in the southeastern part of the city of Lawton, Oklahoma, traverses the eastern side of the municipal limits of the city to the north, passes the Fort Sill Military Reservation, and continues northward in Comanche County. The Memorial Highway ends at the I-44 Exit 46, where highways East US 62, and north US 277 and US 281 split off from Interstate Highway I-44. The route passes on the periphery of a major metropolitan area, with industrial areas, commercial businesses, recreation areas, interchanges, housing areas, and a lake. It then travels over rolling terrain, past an Indian Hospital Complex, residential housing, bisects a major military installation, passes over creeks, through wooded areas and pasture lands before entering open country. The 95th Division Memorial Highway was designated in 2010. The 95th Division was activated at Camp Swift at Bastrop, Texas on July 15, 1942, and shortly redesignated as the 95th Infantry Division. The Division served in the American Theater at Fort Sam Houston at San Antonio, Texas in 1942-43, participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers in 1943, before being assigned to Fort Polk at Leesville, Louisiana in 1943. Participated in the California Maneuvers at the Desert Training Center in 1943-44, before moving to Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in 1944, to participate in the West Virginia Mountain Training Maneuvers that summer. The Division staged at Camp Myles Standish prior to overseas deployment, and sailed from the Boston Port of Embarkation on August 10, 1944. The Division arrived in France on August 17, 1944, and served in combat in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater, in the European Theater of Operations (ETO), until the end of the war in Europe. It participated in the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace (Battle of the Bulge), and Central Europe campaigns. It fought in and around the City of Metz, France from October 19, 1944, until the city was cleared about November 22, 1944, including battles at the Uckange Bridgehead, Fort Yutz, the Seven Dwarfs Fortifications, Fort St. Julien, Fort Bellacroix, and through the city of Metz. The 95th Division fought a major battle on the Saar heights in front of Saarlautern, Germany at the end of November, 1944, and continued into Saarlautern, crossed the Saar river and established a bridgehead. It defended in the bridgehead sector until January 29, 1945. The Division fought against the Ruhr Pocket in April, 1945, and then assumed military government duties from mid-April until hostilities were declared ended on May 7, 1945. The Division returned to the Boston Port on June 29, 1945, and was inactivated at Camp Shelby at Hattiesburg, Mississippi on October 15, 1945. The Division’s Distinguished Unit Insignia (crest) is inscribed with the motto “Iron Men Of Metz” in recognition of the combat tenacity of the soldiers of the Division at Metz during WWII. The 95th Infantry Division was active from 1921-1945, and from 1947 to the present, although it was reactivated as a component of the United States Army Reserve (USAR), and its designation and structure has changed over time. Its current designation is 95th Training Division (Initial Entry Training)(USAR). It has not been mobilized for any combat duty following WWII. It has been a training unit, with subordinate commands stationed in a number of States over the years, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Kansas, and currently (2017) is headquartered at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with 4 Brigades conducting initial entry (basic) training. Divisional units are currently dispersed and conduct training across the United States. (Note: The 95th Infantry Division cloth shoulder sleeve insignia (patch), is a dark blue oval with the monogram “9 V”, interlaced. The “9” is colored red and represents the first digit in the Division’s numerical designation. The “V” is colored white and represents the Roman Numeral for the Arabic number “5”, which is the second number in the Division’s designation. The letter “V” is also linked to the Division’s nickname, “Victory Division.” The letter "V" was universally recognized as an Allied symbol for victory over the Axis during World War II. The colors red, white and blue parallel the colors of the American Flag.) (Note: The 95th Infantry Division metal Distinguished Unit Insignia (crest), displays a red broad arrowhead, point down, with a black arrow shaft rising above, and terminating at the top in the form of battlements of a medieval tower. A wavy dark blue band overlays the arrowhead and shaft. Above is a scroll with the motto: “IRON MEN OF METZ” in black.)