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History of the SocietyWhen the Armistice was signed, the 1st Division was located near Sedan, France. It soon began a march of over 200 miles to the North and East, across eastern France, through Luxembourg, and eventually crossing the Rhine River into Germany at Coblenz. There it occupied its assigned sector of the "Coblenz Bridgehead" which was one of three Allied footholds on German soil established by the Armistice to ensure that, if Germany failed to sign the treaty of peace, hostilities would be renewed on German soil. After organizing its sector of the bridgehead into security zones, the bulk of the 1st Division, except those elements assigned to duty on the outpost zone, essentially stood down. Activities included rest and recuperation, passes, training and schools, recreational and athletic activities and re-supply of uniforms, ammunition and equipment. The 1st Division headquarters was located in an old hilltop castle in the town of Montabaur, Germany, about 18 miles east of the Rhine. There, on February 11th, 1919, the leadership of the Division decided to form a veteran's organization and the Society of the First Infantry was born. The founding purpose of the Society was stated as follows:
"The object of this Society shall be to promote social intercourse between persons who have served in the First Division during the past war; to do any and all things advisable for the good of the military service and the American people collectively and for any member of the society individually where consistent with the principle object. "the good of the military service and the American people."After World War I, the Society continued in existence. It was subsequently recognized as a Non-profit Organization by the Internal Revenue Service of the US and chartered as a Non-profit corporation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Following each of the three major conflicts of the 20th century in which the 1st Infantry Division participated, the Society expanded - as it was infused with succeeding generations of Big Red One combat veterans. Cold War veterans, those soldiers serving on active duty in the 1st Infantry Division and veterans of the recent Peacekeeping Operations in the Balkans have also joined Society ranks. One of the fledgling Society's first actions was to honor the memory of the members of the Division who had made the supreme sacrifice on the battlefields of France. The tradition of honoring 1st Infantry Division dead continues today as one of the Society's primary and most sacred endeavors.
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