WWII 10th Mountain Division

Today's "greatest thing in the world" is in honor of the recently celebrated Veteran's Day. This is a photo from WWII. The 10th Mountain Division served in the United States military on skis. This photo depicts the training  camp at Camp Hale in Colorado. Originally constituted as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only unit of its size in the U.S. Army to specialize in fighting in mountainous and arctic conditions. After this photo was taken, they were deployed to Italy. The division was equipped with winter weather gear such as white camouflage and skis, specifically designed for the division. This select and impressive group of soldiers played a unique role in WWII. Earlier soldiers with skis and rifles influenced the sport of biathlon, which I consider a fascinating Olympic sport.