Today came the news that Earl Clark, who served with the 10th Mountain Division in WWII and organized a national association for veterans of the 10th, has died. Clark was also inducted into the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame.
The 10th Mountain Division was organized during WWII as the “soldiers on skis” who were specially trained for mountain fighting. Much of their training took place at Camp Hale, near Leadville. The Division, including Mr. Clark, fought in northern Italy in WWII and helped to force the Nazis out of that region. The 10th Mountain Division still exists, though no longer based in Colorado, and has recently trained soldiers for the mountains of Afghanistan.
The Denver Public Library Western History & Genealogy Department and the Colorado Historical Society (History Colorado) both have extensive collections of 10th Mountain Division archives and artifacts. One interesting artifact held by History Colorado is the 10th Mountain Division diary of Dan Kennerly. This diary of the Italy campaign has been published in the Spring 2004 issue of Colorado Heritage magazine, which is available for checkout from our library.
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