Brothers attend reunion of 25th Infantry Division

During the first week of October, New Hampton residents Mark Schwickerath and Raymond Schwickerath attended the annual reunion of the 25th Infantry Division in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Both brothers served in the 25th Infantry Division, commonly referred to as Tropic Lightning.  The reunion coincided with the 75th anniversary of the 25th Infantry Division which was formed just two months before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Schofield Barracks, the home of the 25th Infantry and all of our military bases on the island.  Ray made a brief stop on Oahu on his way to the Pacific Theater of World War II, and Mark spent months there for jungle training before serving in Vietnam more than 20 years later.  Reunion activities included: a review of the troops at Schofield Barracks, an address by General Christopher Cavoli, the unveiling of the latest addition to the Division's memorial "United by Sacrifice," a series of statues depicting veterans from each of the major conflicts the division has participated in since it's inception, and an exciting live fire demonstration at the firing range.Raymond was selected from a handful of remaining World War II veterans in attendance to act as a part of the color guard for the annual banquet by passing the division flag to representatives of subsequent conflicts during the opening ceremonies of the banquet.  The brothers are proud to report that the division remains true to its Tropic Lightning motto, "Ready to Strike - Anywhere, Anytime."