The 104th Division began its existence on 20 August 1921, as an Organized Reserve Infantry Division, with its headquarters at Fort Douglas, Utah, drawing Soldiers from the Northern United States. Symbolizing the heartiness of life in the western states, tenacity, and vigor, the Timberwolf was adopted as the unit patch, and its Soldiers became known as Timberwolves.  Like the animal they were named after, the Timberwolves  trained and waited for the time when they would be called upon to fight.

          That opportunity came on 15 September 1942, when the 104th Division was activated at Camp Adair, Oregon, to fight in World War II.  The Timberwolves trained in Oregon, Colorado, and Arizona, before sailing for Europe, in 1944. They arrived in France in early September, pausing to support operations there. Within a few weeks, the Timberwolves went to Holland, where they joined the Allied forces, pushing through German defenses in the Battle of the Dykes. Timberwolves led the way, earning the thanks of the Dutch people they liberated.

            Without pausing for breath, the 104th Division did a battlefield handoff, and moved eastward, to Aachen, again leading the battle across the German defenses, known as the Dragon’s Teeth. Skeptics thought that as a green unit, the Timberwolves could not keep up with veteran units, but they were proven wrong.  The Timberwolves were innovators, and became famous for night attacks, taking several objectives with little difficulty. For a time, the Timberwolves halted at the Roer River, as the Germans began the Battle of the Bulge. The Timberwolves stayed on the edge of the Bulge, maintaining a defense front, repulsing many attempts by the Germans to break through their lines.

           When the Bulge was contained, on 22 February 1945, the Timberwolves crossed the Roer River, and continued east to the Rhine. They entered Cologne on 5 March and paused, before crossing the Rhine near Remagen, on 22 March. The Timberwolves helped close the Ruhr Pocket and capturing the city of Paderborn. Changing tactics again, traveling on tanks, elements of the 104th Division rode many weary miles, dismounting only to mop up any enemy resistance to their advance. They liberated the Concentration Camp of Dora Mittlebau, where slave laborers built the dreaded  V-II rockets. The division continued across Germany, to the River Mulde, where they finally contacted the Red Army on 26 April.

           By mid-June, the Timberwolves departed Europe, and traveled to Camp San Luis Obispo, California, where they prepared to fight in the Pacific Theater. The Japanese surrendered later that summer, and the Division was inactivated on 20 December 1945. The Timberwolves were remembered for their proud heritage, and links with the Pacific Northwest. On 1 December 1946, the 104th Division was reactivated as a Reserve Infantry Division, headquartered at the Vancouver Barracks, Washington. 

           In June 1959, the 104th was redesignated as a Training Division, and over the years Timberwolf Soldiers traveled to U.S. Army posts, including Fort Benning, Fort Jackson, Fort Ord, Fort Bliss, and many others, working with Active Duty Soldiers, teaching subjects as varied as Basic Rifle Marksmanship, Map Reading, Patrolling, First Aid, and Land Navigation. In 1978, the 104th Division (Training) assumed the mission of being prepared for mobilization in time of war, to set up and operate an Army Training. Center, and conduct Basic Combat Training to entry level Soldiers. Following the Cold War, the Timberwolves adapted and continued serving their country.

           In 1995, the 104th reorganized again, and was redesignated as an Institutional Training Division. The 104th Division (IT) territory grew to include 14 states, with several Brigades whose missions included Basic Combat Training, Training Support, Combat Service support, Health Services, and Professional Development. The Division also assumed the responsibility of the U.S. Army Reserves schools within the Western Region, as well as the ROTC annual Advance Camp at Fort Lewis, WA. Since the Global War on Terrorism began, Timberwolves have again adapted to the quickly changing needs of the Army.

           Before 11 September 2001, the 104th Division (IT) had fallen into a training and operational routine. At one point, the 104th Division (IT) weapons qualification was 14%, and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) qualification was at 67%.  The Division’s strength was around 86%. By 2006, Warrior Focused training helped the 104th Division become war ready. Battle Assemblies emphasized individual readiness, and raised weapons qualifications to over 67%, with MOS qualification rising to 94%. This helped raise morale, to the point that even in the midst of the war, the Division strength rose to 103%.

           Although the 104th Division was not mobilized to train or fight during the Korean Conflict, or Vietnam War, many of its Solders have answered the call of their country. In 1990, nearly 150 Timberwolves volunteered to support Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Since September 11, 2001, the 104th Division and its Solders have answered the call of their nation, mobilizing more than 1100 Soldiers in support of ongoing operations in Guantanamo Bay, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.  By July 2007, 1,233 Timberwolves were mobilized both inside and outside the Continental United States. The Division’s NCO Academy was one of only two such units deployed to Iraq; training their military.

           Sadly, Staff Sergeant Todd Cornell is the first Timberwolf Killed in Action since World War II.  He died in Fallujah, Iraq on November 9, 2004.  In 2007 the 104th Division (IT) mobilized a force of over 300 soldiers to support the Multi National Security Transition Command-Iraq (MNSTC-I) mission, a partnership between Coalition and Iraqi forces and to enable the Iraq Security Force (ISF) to conduct sustained, independent security operations.  Before they returned in 2008, sadly another Timberwolf, Major Mark Wolfer was also killed before he could come home.

           The Division remains committed to its role as a provider of trained and ready Soldiers for an Army at war in support of a nation at war, even as it continues the transformation process with the rest of the Army. Beginning in 2007, the 104th Division changed its mission and structure as part of the Army Transformation.  It changed from an Institutional Training mission to a Leader Training division.  Furthermore the number of units and Soldiers shrunk from several brigades down to two.  The 104th Division also changed from a two-star command to one-star, and in 2010 moved from its home at the Vancouver Barracks to Joint Base McCord Lewis.

This WWII era US Army Aid Station is representative of the facilities attached to infantry battalions in the European Theater of Operations in 1944.  These stations provided the first professional medical care to the wounded soldier after being transported from the front lines. This facility was attached to the infantry battalion and traveled with them, staying in very close contact.  The station was staffed with a Medical Corps officer, a Medical Administrative Corps officer, and a number of medical aidmen.

The aidmen attached to the infantry companies of the battalion, and the aidmen assigned as litter bearers were provided by the aid station as well.  At the aid station, patients were medically stabilized and prepared for motor transportation to a field hospital.