Richard Nebeker papers

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 1574

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Richard Nebeker papers (circa 1955, circa 1990) contain two short histories of the formation of the Tenth Mountain Division of the United States Army, as well as reproductions of photographs and sketches of this military unit. The first history, "My Experience in the Ski Troops," was written by Richard Nebeker and tells of his life as a soldier in the Tenth Mountain Division of the United States Army during the Second World War. The second paper, "Birth Pains of the Tenth Mountain Division," was written by Charles Minot "Minnie" Dole and relates his involvement in the inception of the Tenth Mountain Division in the early 1940s.

Dates

1955-1990

Creator

Nebeker, Richard Hulme, 1925-1998 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Organizational History

Nebeker, of Alta, Utah, was fifteen years old when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Drafted in December 1942, at eighteen years of age, he volunteered for the ski troops (then called the Tenth Light Division) at Camp Hale (Leadville), Colorado. He spent the next two years training with this group. In "My Experience in the Ski Troops" (circa 1990), Nebeker relates the skills learned, friendships formed, winter survival equipment issued, and the pranks and follies of eighteen-year-old military men during the Second World War. His division landed in Livorno, Italy in January 14, 1945, and Nebeker tells of the battles fought in northern Italy, the death of close friends, and the overpowering emotions of war during his four months of combat.

The second paper, "Birth Pains of the Tenth Mountain Division," was presented in absentia at the first reunion of the Tenth Mountain Division (circa 1955). Dole tells of his part in the initial formation for the Tenth Mountain Division. In 1938, Dole relates, he was given the responsibility of organizing the National Ski Patrol System; and, by 1939 a skeleton organization had been formed. With the outbreak of war in Europe, it was observed that the Finns, with their skill in winter warfare and experience in their own environment, were "crucifying" the Russian Army. It was also acknowledged that the United States Armed Forces were a tropical army and did not have troops trained in winter warfare. Therefore, Dole and the National Ski Patrol System became the civilian recruiters and advisors for the United States Army. The formation and activation of the 87th Infantry Mountain Regiment took place just twenty-two days before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The 87th Regiment, soon to be known as the Tenth Light Division (later to be known as the Tenth Mountain Division) trained at Camp Hale (Leadville), Colorado. They served in the Italian campaign of Northern Italy in the spring of 1945. Dole's recollection of the early years of the Tenth Mountain Division discusses the intelligence, dedication, and camaraderie of this unit.