The Milwaukee Post

16 • Milwaukee County Post • June 13, 2014 By JOE TROVATO Special to The Post MILWAUKEE – During the Second World War, Soldiers from the National Guard's 32nd Division landed in Australia to begin a combat campaign that took them from the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines to Japan. The Red Arrow ultimately logged more days in combat than any other American division in the war while it served under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Seventy years later, descendants of the 32nd Division – Red Arrow Soldiers of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team – were on hand to rededicate a statue of MacArthur in Milwaukee. Milwaukee County moved the 9-foot-6- inch bronze statue from its previous loca- tion in MacArthur Square near the Milwaukee County Courthouse to a more prominent location in Veterans Park on Milwaukee's lakefront. Members of the 32nd, senior military leaders and digni- taries of foreign nations were on hand to formally rededicate the statue at its new location Saturday. The rededication ceremony was the culminating event in a week of events and ceremonies organized in honor of MacArthur, who attended Milwaukee's West Division High School. A subsequent ceremony in the shadow of the newly unveiled statue welcomed approximately 80 new Wisconsin Army National Guard soldiers as well as dozens of their brethren from the active Army, Navy, and Coast Guard into the military. MacArthur Memorial Week also marked the 35th anniversary of the stat- ue's original 1979 unveiling and the 80th anniversary of MacArthur's entrance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. A color guard from the Red Arrow posted the colors, while other 32nd Infantry Brigade Soldiers led by Command Sgt. Maj. Rafael Conde pulled the veil from the statue overlooking Lake Michigan. The soldiers placed wreaths represent- ing the United States, Australia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan in honor of MacArthur's enduring legacy in those countries. Following the rededication, newly minted service members from the Army, Wisconsin Army National Guard, Navy and Coast Guard participated in the "Our Community Salutes" event, to honor newly sworn-in service members from the area. "We thank all of you for choosing this as your life's work," said Congresswoman Gwen Moore, from Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District, to the assembled new recruits and their families. "I know that God has given you talents and abilities that you could use in a lot of ways that would enhance you per- sonally, but you have decided to use those same skill sets to protect the values and freedoms that have made this nation what it is." Moore thanked the new service mem- bers for their willingness to serve at such critical points in their lives. "At your age, you could have a lot of other things on your minds – a new car, girlfriends or boyfriends, college, what you might do for the summer – but you are uniquely tasked by your own con- sciousness to ask what you could do for your country and your community, and clearly that is not the case for all young people of your age," she said. Retired Gen. Robert W. Cone, a Wisconsin native who retired from the Army in May after serving as the com- mander of the Army's training and doc- trine command, expressed his thanks to the new recruits and expressed the need for all services to work together. "We draw on the National Guard," Cone said of his experience leading joint commands while on active duty. "They are our brothers in arms, and we turn to them all the time and active component and vice versa. When I served in Afghanistan, I commanded National Guard brigades. So we are part of a team. So take a good look at who's on the left of you and the right of you, and remember that you will see them again defending our nation, and we are a team." Gen. MacArthur statue rededicated Photos by Joe Trovato/Special to The Post Members of the Wisconsin National Guard unveil a statue of Gen. Douglas MacArthur on Saturday in Milwaukee. The statue was moved from MacArthur Square in downtown Milwaukee to a more promi- nent location in Veterans Park on Milwaukee's lake- front. Retired Gen. Robert Cone places a wreath before a statue of Gen. Douglas MacArthur on behalf of the United States of America. Cone, the Wisconsin National Guard and others helped commemorate the re- dedication of a statue of MacArthur on Saturday in Milwaukee. Post Staff MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik said Wednesday that she has proposed a resolution to reduce the number of properties held by the coun- ty, including the City Campus facility. Almost five years ago the Milwaukee County Board engaged in strategic plan- ning, which resulted in several initiatives. Foremost among them was the decision to move forward with downsizing the number county holdings with regard to facilities. Jursik said that at the turn of the 21st cen- tury, the county's workforce was more than 7,500 employees, but it has been since been reduced below 5,000 employees. Jursik said that as the county plans for the budget for 2015, the resolution will set the policy for closing City Campus and requires the second phase of decision be given a timeline. The next phase will require policymakers to strategically exam- ine the utilization of the Marcia Coggs Center by year's end. Next, she said, the county must address planning for the Behavioral Health Complex and the Vel Phillips Juvenile Justice Center. The Courthouse Complex strategies must be determined by next year regarding the uti- lization or vacation of the Safety Building, the Medical Examiner's Space and the Community Correction Center. "After the fire, all of us learned that the courthouse is the heart of all the satellite spaces owned by the county," Jursik said. "It is imperative that we address which of the complex buildings we will keep and which will be deemed outdated and vacat- ed." Jursik proposes downsizing county holdings

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