America's entry into World War I in 1917 was marked by the need to
quickly build an Army and deploy it to France. Among the units deploying
was the 29th Blue and Gray Division. Comprised of National Guardsmen
from the Mid-Atlantic region, it quickly achieved a reputation as a
top-notch outfit during the Meuse-Argonne campaign. This reputation was
enhanced in World War II when the 29th was selected for the assault on
German-occupied France in the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944. The
courage and sacrifice shown by Guardsmen that day was later matched in
bloody fighting at St Lô, Brest, and Julich. In the years that followed,
the 29th would add to its lustrous reputation by becoming the Guard's
first Light division and serving effectively as peacekeepers in the
Balkans--at times only fifty miles from where World War I started. Using
previously unpublished material and images from 1917 to 2001, here is
their story.