Sisters salutes 10th Mountain Division

Sisters area veterans saluted four members of the U.S. Army's famous 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops from World War II last week with a pizza luncheon held at the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge.

A bright red, white and blue banner greeted the guests of honor and their friends, with its crossed red sabers and "Climb To Glory" motto. Dell Riley, Don Carlson, Walt Neller and Don Olson thanked everyone for the invitation and were grateful for the warm Sisters welcome.

Sisters resident Dan Little, himself a Vietnam War veteran, presented the four men a special "10th Mountain Division" T-shirt designed by his company, STS Graphics.

"The first get-together came right here in Sisters in 1994 and this year could be the last," said relative Anna Parker from Placerville, California. "We rotate the reunion around the country every year. Last year in Branson, Missouri we had ten from Company C. Every year it gets smaller. It's becoming too hard for some men to travel and get around. This year we picked Sisters because it's so beautiful around here."

Creating a division of soldiers on skis was a far-fetched notion and a crazy experiment when first proposed back in 1942. They became the only unit specifically trained in rock climbing and skiing. For the gallant men of the 10th Mountain Division, the war started late in January of 1945, in the deep snows of Italy's Northern Apennine Mountains.

Four months later, after an intense thrust across the Po River Valley, their springtime campaign to cross the Alps ended along the sparkling shores of Lake Garda when Germany surrendered. The divison suffered some of the highest casualty rates of the entire war due to the incessant artillery and mortar fire.

"We trained for two years at Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado at 10,000 feet elevation," said Neller. "We were the last over and the first to come home as they say. We did a lot of fixed-rope climbing, rappeling and skiing. Each unit was assigned three mules per company for artillery support and carried a 75mm cannon. Some of those mules were pretty funny."

"The division ended up training at altitudes up to 14,000 feet," recalled Riley, who drove over from Albany, Oregon, with his wife, Patty. "We lived in igloos and hiked and the scenery was beautiful. Weekends we would cut loose and take off those old wooden Army skis and have some fun on the slopes. We forged some real strong bonds.

"Walt, Don and I were in the same squad," he explained. "The other Don was in the second squad but the four of us were always together in training and doing missions. We skied together and tumbled down hills together. These three guys went through the entire campaign without a scratch."

Riley was wounded by shrapnel on the first day out in Italy near Bologna and did not see his buddies again for fifty years, until the very first reunion in Sisters, some fifteen years ago.

"We keep telling all these stories over and over. Sometimes it's a little different version. I lost forty bucks in a poker game to Dell that first week out and I didn't see him for fifty years," said Neller. "First thing he asks when when I saw him was where his money was."

A member of the National Ski Patrol for over 28 years, Don Olson of Minneapolis, Minnesota still loves to ski and acts as a part-time instructor. "I probably teach twice a week," he said. "I'm not sure how much longer I can do it. I'll be 85 in January."

Don Carlson flew in from Olympia, Washington with his wife and was looking forward to dinner at the Kokanee Cafe in Camp Sherman, walking the Metolius River headwaters and visiting the fish hatchery later this weekend.

"One last thing. Those soldiers over in Iraq and Afghanistan have a tough job," said Riley, rising to tuck in his T-shirt and take a group photo. "We fought a clean war with a clearly defined opponent. It's hard when your enemy comes out of women and children. I feel bad for them all."