Once Again, a Determined Push for a Tough Objective

Tough Standards to Meet

The 83rd Division Association is resubmitting its request in hopes that the new documentation will bolster its case. "I decided it was time to start rolling again," Gomori said.

Zamula and Gomori recognize their quest is a long shot. The standards for the citation are quite high, as defined by the Military Awards Branch. The unit must display such gallantry, determination and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions as to set it apart from and above other units participating in the same campaign. Moreover, the citation is rarely awarded to a unit larger than a battalion.

Still, Zamula and Gomori say the case for the 83rd merits a look, particularly for its actions in the closing days of the war in Europe.

On April 13, 1945, the division reached the west bank of the Elbe, which had been set as the boundary between advancing Western forces and the Soviet Red Army approaching Berlin from the east. But the XIX Corps commander, Maj. Gen. Raymond S. McLain, ordered the 83rd across the river to prevent the German army from using the Elbe to launch a counterattack. The division secured a beachhead and held it against fierce German counterattacks.

On the morning of April 15, Gen. Omar Bradley, the 12th Army Group commander, told Simpson, the 9th Army commander, that Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme Allied commander, had ordered the 9th to halt on the Elbe.

"Simpson and McLain were ready to go all the way, but they were stopped by Bradley and Eisenhower," Zamula said. "For good reason. They didn't want to start World War III."

Gomori, who lives in Butler, Pa., speculates that the proposal for a unit citation was quietly dropped at the end of the war because the United States did not want to highlight the fact that the Army had crossed into territory assigned to the Soviets. "It was a touchy issue because they didn't want to make waves," said Gomori, who was a private first class at the time.

Looking Back, and Ahead

Last month, more than 100 veterans of the 83rd gathered in Washington for a reunion, with visits to the National World War II Memorial and a memorial to the division at Arlington National Cemetery.

Some of the veterans went to a reception at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where they were honored for the 83rd's role in liberating the Langenstein concentration camp, a sub-unit of the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp. Among those attending was Charles Abdinoor of Dracut, Mass., 81, one of the first U.S. soldiers through the gate at Langenstein; he was a private first class.

The Presidential Unit Citation would be a fitting award for the 83rd, according to veterans of the division.

"I think the 83rd Division always did the job and never got a lot of credit for it, so I would like to see it happen," said William Calnan, 87, of Fairfax City, a District native and West Point graduate who served with the division's engineer battalion. "There's been a lot of effort put into it."

"Even if nothing happens, we're looking for a little recognition of an exciting exploit we're all proud of," Zamula said.

Military Matters is published twice each month in the Extras. Steve Vogel may be reached atvogels@washpost.com.