Army's Wolfhounds turn 100
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
The 27th Infantry Regiment at Schofield Barracks will celebrate a birthday this week, and it is a big one: 100 years of continuous military service by a single regiment.
U.S. Army photo
Events will begin Wednesday morning with a barracks open house and continue through Friday evening with a regimental lu'au. Current Wolfhounds invite Wolf-hound veterans and others interested in learning more about the regiment to join the celebration and exchange war stories, a form of communication that Lt. Col. Chelsea Y. Chae, 2nd Battalion commander, encourages.
27th Infantry Regiment soldier Hugh O'Reilly started a tradition of helping out at the Holy Family Home orphanage in Osaka, Japan, in 1949.
"Listening to a living, breathing person will teach them more than reading a dozen textbooks," Chae said. "They'll know they are part of something historical and sacred."
The Wolfhounds have plenty of war stories to pass down.
Organized in 1901, the regiment was sent to the Philippines in 1902 to protect interests acquired as a result of the Spanish-American War. The infant regiment fought a number of battles and received presidential recognition for its successes and the bravery of its soldiers.
During World War I, the regiment was assigned to protect the Trans-Siberian Railroad from the Bolsheviks. It was during the battles fought against the Russian revolutionaries that the 27th gained the nickname "Wolfhounds." According to regimental lore, the Americans pursued the Bolsheviks so relentlessly that the Russians likened them to the borzoi wolfhound of Siberia, an attack dog known for its tenacity and fearlessness.
The Wolfhounds moved to Hawai'i in 1921, where regiment members directed their energies toward athletic events. The Wolfhounds produced lightweight boxing champion Lew Jenkins, a former Wolfhound first sergeant, and inspired James Jones to write "From Here to Eternity."
U.S. Army photo
During World War II, the Wolfhounds, facing intense enemy fire, rough terrain and a lack of water, captured a series of hills at Guadalcanal and went on to fight several other battles on Pacific islands. The unit was preparing for an invasion of Japan when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrendered and the Wolfhounds were sent to perform occupation duty in Osaka.
The Wolfhounds' relationship with Japanese children in Osaka continues today.
In 1949, Wolfhound Hugh F. O'Reilly visited an impoverished orphanage established by the Sisters of Charity in Osaka. O'Reilly was touched by the plight of the children of his former enemies and roused his fellow Wolfhounds to contribute money and services. The relationship between the Holy Family Home and the Wolfhounds has continued for more than 50 years.
O'Reilly, now in his 80s, still serves the Wolfhounds as the regiment's honorary sergeant major.
The unit also has an honorary regimental colonel, a position now filled by retired Col. Lewis L. Millett, a Wolfhound who won the Medal of Honor when, during the Korean War, he led his men on an uphill bayonet charge against Chinese forces, killing at least two enemy soldiers himself despite wounds from a grenade blast. The Wolfhound regiment had entered Korea in 1950, and racked up three presidential unit citations before it departed in 1954.
On Thursday, retired Lt. Gen. Robert F. Foley will take over the honorary position from Millett. Foley, during his stint as a Wolfhound in Vietnam, also won the Medal of Honor when, during a battle at Quan Dau Tieng, Foley's company became bogged down under heavy fire from well-entrenched positions. Foley snatched up an M60 machine gun and renewed the attack. The Wolfhounds won numerous other honors in Vietnam.
For more information about the Wolfhound Centenial Celebration, visit the 25th Infantry Division (Light) and U.S. Army, Hawai'i Web site or call Capt. Eric Hudson at 655-2631.
