A new book, HEROES IN GOOD COMPANY: L Company, 86th Regiment, 10th Mountain Division 1943-1945, released on April 11, 2022 is now available on amazon and in select bookstores.
L Company of the 86th Mountain Infantry Regiment went into action with 185 men, and sustained 156 casualties in just two months of fierce combat with German forces. Heroes in Good Company turns interviews, letters, memoirs, archived documents and more into a seamless narrative of the wartime experience of one company of mountain troops. Veteran accounts challenge the mythology that has built up around the 10th Mountain Division, replacing it with a gritty reality even more incredible. Previously unstudied battles are reconstructed for the first time. The character and camaraderie of individual soldiers shine through the horror of war. With unvarnished honesty, the human experience of World War Two is brought to life in intense and gripping detail, revealing as nothing before what it was like to be a US ski trooper fighting Hitler’s forces on the Italian Front.
The foreword was generously provided by Sgt. H. Robert Krear, Ph.D. before his passing in 2017. Krear was a veteran of L Company’s 3rd Platoon, and was among many veterans who provided first-hand accounts. Heroes in Good Company is the product of twelve years of research, correspondence and personal interviews; the same body of research that produced much of the content on the Rucksack.
Join author Skyler Bailey and local historian Brian Lindner, on Thursday, December 1st at 7:00 PM for our Virtual Writer’s on the Red Bench series. Skyler will be discussing his new book, Heroes in Good Company: L Company, 86th Regiment, 10th Mountain Division 1943-1945. Skyler will share the journey that lead to the writing of Heroes in Good Company, his personal ties to the stories, and how he brought to life the human experience of World War II.
The 10th Mountain Division was conceived in Vermont and 260 Vermonters are part of the elite group of ski troopers. Sadly six Vermonters were KIA as members of the 10th. In 2003 these men were inducted into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. This discussion augments the Museum’s permanent 10th Mountain Division exhibit.
Skyler is the publisher of the popular blog, ‘The Rucksack: 10th Mountain Division History.’ His scholarly article, ‘Reconstructing the Battle of Torbole: A Neglected Episode in the History of the 10th Mountain Division in World War Two’ was published in the 2014 University of Vermont History Review. He was a consultant and material source for the FoxNation documentary Mountain Warriors: The Untold Story of the Winter Army, and his work has been featured or cited in popular books and articles. Born and raised in Vermont, Skyler is the Grandson of Everett Bailey, a 10th Mountain Division veteran and alumnus of Stowe’s Sepp Ruschp Ski School.
Brian Lindner, a native Vermonter and military historian whose father and two uncles were members of the 10th Mountain Division will facilitate the discussion.
RSVP here to receive a ZOOM invite. Virtual doors to the Museum open and the discussion begins at 7:00 PM. The event is complimentary, but a $10 donation from each guest is encouraged, greatly appreciated, and helps us keep this series going.
HEROES IN GOOD COMPANY: L Company, 86th Regiment, 10th Mountain Division 1943-1945
A new book, HEROES IN GOOD COMPANY: L Company, 86th Regiment, 10th Mountain Division 1943-1945, released on April 11, 2022 is now available on amazon and in select bookstores.
L Company of the 86th Mountain Infantry Regiment went into action with 185 men, and sustained 156 casualties in just two months of fierce combat with German forces. Heroes in Good Company turns interviews, letters, memoirs, archived documents and more into a seamless narrative of the wartime experience of one company of mountain troops. Veteran accounts challenge the mythology that has built up around the 10th Mountain Division, replacing it with a gritty reality even more incredible. Previously unstudied battles are reconstructed for the first time. The character and camaraderie of individual soldiers shine through the horror of war. With unvarnished honesty, the human experience of World War Two is brought to life in intense and gripping detail, revealing as nothing before what it was like to be a US ski trooper fighting Hitler’s forces on the Italian Front.
The foreword was generously provided by Sgt. H. Robert Krear, Ph.D. before his passing in 2017. Krear was a veteran of L Company’s 3rd Platoon, and was among many veterans who provided first-hand accounts. Heroes in Good Company is the product of twelve years of research, correspondence and personal interviews; the same body of research that produced much of the content on the Rucksack.
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