10th Mountain Division Wall Mural
When
the U.S. Military Museum, formerly the Military
Museum of Southern New England, closed its doors in
2017, many of the museum’s 10,000 artifacts were
gifted to the Museum of American Armor in Bethpage,
NY. The collection encompassed an M18 Hellcat tank
destroyer, plus uniforms, military equipment,
armored vehicles, uniforms, and photographs. But one
of the items that remained behind was a wall mural
painted by WWII veteran Earl Norem. The wall mural
depicts American soldiers from the 10th Mountain
Infantry Division returning from a reconnaissance
patrol against a backdrop of the snowy peaks of the
Apennines in northwest Italy.
The mural was part of an exhibit created by Bill
Duncan, who served with 86th Regiment of the 10th
Mountain Division in World War II. Duncan was an
original member of the Military Museum of Southern
New England, which was founded in 1986 and he
donated his wartime gear to create the exhibit
honoring the 10th Mountain Division.
Earl Norem saw military action in World War II with
the 85th Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division. He
trained in Colorado and Texas, and fought the
Germans in the Northern Apennine Mountains of Italy.
By age 20, Norem was a squad leader and staff
sergeant who in the Italian Campaign fought
alongside famed skier Torger Tokle, whom he had seen
ski jumping at Bear Mountain, New York when Norem
was 12. Upon Torkle's battlefield death on March 3,
1945, Norem was one of the men assigned to retrieve
his body from the mountain. Norem received a
battlefield promotion to Tech Sergeant during the
assault on Mount Belvedere and he himself later was
wounded going into the Po Valley, ending his
military stint. Upon returning to the US, Norem
embarked on an illustration career.
Andrea Norem-Thompson of New Milford, who is Norem’s
daughter, was always curious as to what happened to
the mural when the museum closed, but her attempts
to find out about its whereabouts were unsuccessful.
Norem-Thompson then turned to Danbury resident Lee
Teicholz to see if he could help her.
“When Andrea contacted me, I told her that I would
be more than willing to take on the task. I had met
her dad once and he was an amazing individual. I
have always admired the Greatest Generation,”
Teicholz said, whose father also served during WWII
in Europe.
Teicholz stated that he began sending emails and
making phone calls many of which went unanswered.
“At times, I became very discouraged, but I never
gave up,” he said, “I did learn, however, that the
mural was still located inside the old building and
was never transferred to the Museum of American
Armor.”
Teicholz stated that he eventually sent a letter to
Lawrence Kadish, who is the founder of the Museum of
American Armor. “I think that letter is what got the
ball rolling because shortly afterwards, I was
contacted by Alan Barto,” he stated, “Barto used to
be on the board of the U.S. Military Museum and is
now a volunteer with the Museum of American Armor.”
Barto was able to make contact with David Valluzzo,
the son of John Valluzzo, who was the founder of the
Military Museum of Southern New England. John
Valluzzo passed away in 2013 and without his
constant financial support, the museum went into a
long, slow decline. They sold some vehicles to raise
money, but it was never enough. They sought
financial help from the state and city governments,
but it never came.
Finding a location to display the large mural which
measured 8 feet by 16 feet proved rather
challenging, but after learning that Earl Norem was
a long-time New Milford resident and a member of the
local VFW Post 1672, Teicholz reached out to Peter
Bass, the town's mayor. Bass stated that it would be
an honor to accept the mural and locate it at New
Milford Town Hall where it will be permanently
displayed next to the E. Paul Martin Room on the
Second Floor.
Andrea Norem-Thompson stated that she is very
excited that the public can once again view her
father’s mural in the very town that he was part of
for so many years and she hopes to have a
rededication ceremony in the near future.
“This was a long process, but I’m happy it all
finally came together in the end for the Norem
Family. I know from the bottom of my heart that Earl
Norem is smiling down from the heavens,” Teicholz
said.
www.10thmountaindivisionmural.org