After WWII, the surviving soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division came home, went to college, started families, worked, and even founded ski areas like Vail and Waterville Valley. Later, they created the 10th Mountain Division Association to honor their service and remember those who did not return.

Art Delaney, my uncle Donald L. Macdonald, and others reported to Melrose City Hall to be inducted into the armed services on March 18, 1943, at 6:40 am. They then traveled to Fort Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts. After passing their physicals, each man requested a branch of service to join. Those interested in the mountaineering and ski troops had to submit three recommendations, including one from a member of the National Ski Patrol.

From Fort Devens, 13 men took a train to Pando, Colorado, where Camp Hale was located. When they arrived, the camp was still being built, and some training equipment was missing. Still, they completed basic training at over 9,000 feet. After that, they began skiing and mountaineering training, taught by well-known skiers like Toni Matt, Walter Prager, and Melrose’s own Gordon “Tiny” McWade. As more men joined, showing credentials to get into the 10th was no longer required. They trained at Camp Hale for 15 months before moving to Camp Swift in Texas in July 1944 for mule and river-crossing exercises. At the time, there was debate about whether the Army really needed mountaineering troops like those in Finland and Germany.

In his letters home, my uncle wrote that he did not know Art Delaney. Art was an 18-year-old senior at Melrose High School when he joined, while my uncle was a 19-year-old sophomore at Tufts. They got to know each other during basic training, and my uncle sometimes mentioned Art in his letters. He noted that Art Delaney became a sergeant in early 1944.

The 85th Mountain Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division, with Art Delaney in Company D and my uncle in Company E, deployed for Italy in January 1945. Their mission was to push the Germans out of the mountains and into the Po River Valley. Their first big attack was on Riva Ridge, a ridge thought to be impossible to climb, which the 10th managed to scale at night on February 18, 1945. Art survived that operation but was killed during the assault on Mt. Gorgolesco on February 20, 1945. News of his death appeared on the front page of the Melrose Free Press on March 8, 1945.

Art Delaney was first buried in the Florence American Cemetery near Florence, Italy, along with many other American soldiers. In November 1948, his remains were brought home for burial. Two Melrose soldiers, Staff Sergeant Arthur L. Delaney and Pvt. Arthur Brophy, Jr., were escorted by Melrose veterans and lay in state at Memorial Hall on Sunday, November 14, 1948, from 5 to 10 pm. A solemn High Mass was held at St. Mary’s on Monday, November 15, at 9 am for both men, followed by burial in the veterans section of Wyoming Cemetery.

The ceremony was featured on the front pages of both the Melrose Free Press and the Melrose Evening News. Several former members of the 10th from Massachusetts attended, along with representatives from the 10th Mountain Division Association, Inc. Mayor James Milano spoke about Art’s love for sports, especially winter sports. A citation from Governor Francis Sargent, who also served in the 10th, was read. Art’s younger brother, George, who owned the Melrose Ski & Sport Shop on Main Street, appears in the photo, his hand resting on top of the plaque.

A. E. Macdonald is the author of The Macdonalds of Cedar Park, about her Melrose-based family during WWII.