United States Army 76th Infantry Division (Onaway)

U. S. ARMY 76TH INFANTRY DIVISION (ONAWAY) -  The 76th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I, World War II and the Cold War.  The division was deactivated in 1996 and has been reconstituted as the 76th US Army Reserve Operational Response Command in 2013.  Nickname: Onaway Division; formerly called "Liberty Bell Division."  Battle Cry: "ONAWAY" – The "alert" signal of the Chippewa Indian warriors upon whose ground the 76th Division had trained.

World War I

Activated: August 1917
Overseas: August 1918
Inactivated: May 1919

After arrival in France in July 1918, the division, less its 302nd Infantry Regiment and 151st Field Artillery Brigade, was designated as the 3rd Depot Division on  August 3, 1918.  Most of its troops were used as replacements for front line units which reduced the division to 7,000 troops.  The division was skeletonized on  November 7, 1918 - four days before the Armistice.

World War II

Activated:  June 15, 1942
Overseas:  December 10, 1944
Campaigns: Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, Central Europe
Days of combat: 107
Distinguished Unit Citations: 2
Awards: MH-2 ; DSC-11 ; DSM-1 ; SS-176; LM-5; SM19 ; BSM-1,312 ; AM-58
Inactivated:  August 31, 1945 in Europe

WWII Casualties

• Total battle casualties: 2,395
• Killed in action: 433
• Wounded in action: 1,811
• Missing in action: 10
• Prisoner of war: 141

During 1985 and 1986, in an operation codenamed "Onaway Eagle", the division successfully defined, established and executed the first USAR (United States Army Reserve) mobilization army training center at Fort Campbell, Kentucky which became the model for utilization and employment of other reserve training divisions in the United States Army.  In Operation Onaway Eagle, elements of the division successfully conducted Basic Combat Training for hundreds of new soldiers.  In 1990-1991, during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the division validated and deployed to the Middle East over 600 of its soldiers where they served with distinction with the Third Army.

On  October 1, 1994, the division was again re-designated and on  April 18, 1995 was reorganized as the 76th Division (Institutional Training) and November 15, 1996 was inactivated at West Hartford, Connecticut.

In February 2013, Major General Daniel York sought a historical designation for a new command being stood up in the Army Reserve. The 76th Division was reactivated as the 76th USAR Operational Response Command (ORC) and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The command is made up of over 6,000 soldiers with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and select locations in Europe.