27th Infantry Regiment (the Wolfhounds) collection
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteThe 27th Infantry Regiment's history extends back to 1901, when Congress established the unit. The 27th has served frequently since then, though its first mission was to quell an insurrection in the Philippines. The unit became known as "The Wolfhounds" shortly after World War I when the unit participated with the American Expeditionary Forces in its Siberian Expedition during the Russian Civil War. The Bolshevik forces likened the regiment's advances to the wolfhound, a fleet, fearless dog native to Siberia. By 1952, the Department of the Army officially recognized the nickname and authorized its use as a parenthetical designation to follow the numerical designation. The 27th participated in the Philippine Insurrection, World War I (Siberia), World War II (the Pacific, Guadalcanal, Northern Solomons, and Luzon), Korea and Vietnam. During World War II, the 27th was at Pearl Harbor and fired back on attacking Japanese planes. Since World War II the unit has maintained an active association with the Holy Family Home in Osaka, Japan - a children's orphanage. In the Korean War, the 27th was well known for its defense of the Pusan perimeter and its fighting at Sand Bag Castle. The 27th served in the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1971. Currently two active battalions, the 1st and 2nd, are stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where there is also a historical museum. Scope and ContentThe collection consists of books, papers, correspondence, personal narratives, propaganda material, photographs, and artifacts contributed by soldiers and families who have served with or are connected with soldiers who served with the Wolfhounds. The bulk of the collection centers on the 27th Infantry Regiment in World War II and the Korean War. There are some materials on Siberia and Vietnam and times in between, but the majority focus on the Pacific and Korea. There are a significant number of documents and artifacts about the Wolfhound Pack Historical Society, anniversaries, reunions, and relationships between veterans after their service. There is a small but well-maintained collection of items and documents about the Holy Family Home in Japan. There are a considerable number of books in the collection. Many are about the 27th Infantry Regiment, though some are on more general topics, such as military campaigns and entire wars. Some are autobiographies or biographies; many are written by Wolfhound veterans. The videos in the collection are similar. These are often interviews of Wolfhounds and videos about certain military events. The artifacts are original and similar attire and items from Wolfhounds in their military service. There is a small assortment of unprocessed papers and artifacts that are primarily unarranged. These still focus on the 27th Infantry Regiment. Most concentrate on the Wolfhounds in the Korean War. Organization and ArrangementThe processed portions o fthe collection, except the books, are organized by wars. Within this group are individual folders from men who served in a particular war. These usually contain original photographs and documents from the donor whose name is marked on the folder. All the material has been donated and a list retained of donations but materials have often been moved from the donor's file to a more appropriate area to better aid researchers. There are also others groups of material such as the Holy Family Home, Wolfhound Pack Historical Society, uniforms and artifacts. These are usually grouped together, but some are more scattered throughout the collection, as donations have come over several years. There is a considerable amount of unprocessed materials in the collection. These have been loosely organized by war, though the origins of some documents and artifacts are hard to determine. Administrative InformationPreferred Citation27th Infantry Regiment (the Wolfhounds) collection, ms3035. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2009 June 16. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject Terms |
Special Collections Libraries
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-1641