An avid skier, Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole formed the National Ski Patrol Committee of the National Ski Association in 1938 to help rescue skiers injured on ski slopes. By 1939, this committee became the National Ski Patrol (NSP), and Minnie Dole served as its president from 1939 to 1950. In 1940, he began a written campaign to United States Army officials and the War Department, arguing for the need for specialized mountain troops.
Because of Charles Minot Dole’s lobbying efforts, the United States Army appointed the National Ski Patrol in November 1941 to recruit and vet soldiers for the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, the first ski and mountaineering unit of what would become the 10th Mountain Division.
The National Ski Patrol continued in this capacity until February 1944, by which time it had recruited around 8,000 soldiers for the 87th, 86th, and 85th Infantry Regiments of the 10th Mountain Division. The National Ski Patrol also helped train the new troops.
Recruitment efforts included a recruiting movie, letters from Minnie Dole to those he encouraged to sign up, solicitations from the American Alpine Club, and word of mouth. Several people in Melrose participated in recruitment efforts, whether they knew it or not. Three Melrose men, Robert “Bob” Hooker, Gordon “Tiny” McWade, and William “Bill” Abbot, emphasized in the Melrose Free Press’s personals column that, when they were home on furlough, they were serving in the “Ski Troops” and were among the first to enlist.
Gordon “Tiny” McWade registered for the United States Army draft on October 16, 1940, at the age of 23. William “Bill” Abbott registered for the United States Army draft on July 1, 1941, at age 21. Both joined at Fort Lewis, Washington, on April 17, 1942, and were assigned to the 87th Mountain Infantry Company L. Bob registered for the United States Army draft on October 15, 1940, at age 35, and was called to action on May 16, 1942. On multiple occasions, Bob, Tiny, and Bill used the Melrose Free Press personal column to let everyone know when they were on furlough from the “Ski Troops.”
Another Melrose soldier, Frederick “Bud” Harding, had fuller articles noting when he enlisted in the 87th, when he went to Officer’s Candidate School in August 1942, when he returned to the 87th, when he married, when his son was born, and when he was wounded and sent to a nearby hospital to recuperate. Each article mentioned the ‘ski troops.’ Other soldiers from Melrose had one or maybe two mentions in the newspaper, when they enlisted and if something happened to them. My uncle, Donald L. Macdonald, had three mentions: when he enlisted in March 1943 with Art Donovan, when he was reported Missing In Action (MIA), and when his MIA listing was rescinded.
Another recruitment tool was the John Jay film, which featured Debbie Bankart of Swampscott, one of the country’s top three female skiers and one of the first, if not the first, female ski instructors. After seeing the film, more than one skier was persuaded to join, including Malcolm MacKenzie of New Hampshire, one of the men who, in March 1943, headed to Camp Hale from Ft. Devens with my uncle and Art Donovan.
After finishing a tour of the United States and South America, Debbie joined the Red Cross to become a ‘Donut Dollie,” one of the female volunteers for the American Red Cross who provided frontline support, comfort, and a “touch of home” to U.S. service members and, in her case, specifically to the 10th Mountain Division men, mostly on the front lines as they battled through the Apennine Mountains in Italy.
As the ski and mountain troops expanded from one Regiment of about 3,000 men to a light division and then to a full division of about 14,000 men, recruitment was no longer limited to those with three recommendations who could pass a skiing test. Skiing and mountaineering remained the core, but some learned to ski and/or snowshoe for the first time after joining the 10th. Several Melrose skiers, including Webster “Web” Benedict and Charles “Charlie” Wills, chose the Army Air Corps over the ski troops; Benedict, in particular, wrote recommendations for others, such as my uncle, but wanted to be a flier.
After the war, as men and women returned home to resume their lives, skiing remained part of theirs. Tiny McWade last skied five months before he died in 2012 at 95. Bob Hooker managed the ski area at Mt. Mansfield, where the National Ski Patrol was born. My uncle, Don Macdonald, returned to Colorado after college and, for a time, managed the Cooper Hill ski area outside Leadville.
