At about 1:30 a.m. on April 13, a trailer containing roughly $25,000 worth of historic artifacts from the 10th Mountain Division was stolen.
The lost artifacts are things that you simply cannot easily find today. There is, however, a glimmer of hope for the living history group that owned it.
From its birthplace of Camp Hale, Colorado, to its current hometown of Fort Drum, the 10th Mountain Division is forever connected with those two communities.
“When the division stood up in '85, we started working with division staff to tell that story,” 10th Mountain Division Living History Display Group cofounder David Little said.
Little lives in Colorado. In 1985, when the 10th Mountain Division officially reactivated on Fort Drum, he wanted to ensure that the division's history, its legacy, would survive.
“These guys were doing something completely different. You had 8 million conventional Army guys and you had 15,000 mountaineers and military skiers,” he said of the original 10th. “Actually, a more exclusive unit than the Rangers were during World War II.”
To ensure that story will be forever told, about 40 years ago or so, Little helped create the 10th Mountain Division Living History Display Group.
”Rather than running around in the weeds and shooting blanks with each other, we would set up anywhere from single soldier exhibits to small group campsites,” he said.
The group takes exhibits and set up shop all across the country, including on Fort Drum for its annual Mountainfest celebration.
“It's basically a camp setting of the 10th Mountain Division. It's a museum without any glass cases,” Little said.
The group sets up out of a trailer. It’s a trailer full of real, historic 10th Mountain Division artifacts, everything from uniforms and weapons to tents and netting, even kitchens.
“Just like a military operation, you know, 10 guys and we can be set up in an hour, hour and a half,” Little added.
However, its history that may be gone, at least partially, forever.
Someone in April stole that trailer and everything inside of it from outside the house of one of the group's members in Colorado.
“We've lost roughly $20,000 to $25,000 worth of artifacts, if I can even find replacements at any price,” Little said.
While the group will not be able to set up at this year's Mountainfest, this story does end with good news.
Police in Colorado recently found the trailer and some of the artifacts still inside, meaning a bleak future is giving way to hope.
“Because preserving history right now is important and it's history that’s disappearing,” Little said.
Possibly even a stop at Fort Drum next year.
Because so much is still lost, the group has started a Go Fund Me in hopes of raising money to make some purchases.
It’s also asking anyone with artifacts they would be willing to donate, to reach out through its website.