The Dachau Concentration Camp, located in Bavaria, Germany, was liberated by U.S. Armed Forces of the U.S. 7th Army, 45th Infantry Division and Colorado Army National Guard members of the 157th Infantry Regiment, April 29, 1945.
On the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Dachau, the first concentration camp built by Nazi Germany during World War II, a memorial plaque was hung in the camp dedicated to the memory of the Liberators.
Colorado National Guard members joined with a group comprised of Oklahoma National Guard members, a Holocaust survivor, a World War II veteran, representatives from the 45th Infantry Division Association, members of the Bavarian Memorial Foundation, and members of Comité International de Dachau, to unveil the memorial plaque at the concentration camp memorial site.
The plaque honors the brave Soldiers who participated in the liberation of the camp. The plaque serves as a reminder of the cost of freedom and the enduring responsibility to remember.
Within the dedication, the legacy of the 157th lives on.
Today, the COARNG, 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery Regiment and 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry (MTN) Battalion – both of whom were created from the remnants of the 157th upon the conclusion of the war – share that lineage.
American military historian and author Flint Whitlock, states in his book, The Rock of Anzio, “If ever the American Soldier needed confirmation of the reasons why he was in uniform, why he was at war, why he was required to put his life on the line day after day, enduring all hardships and discomfort and danger, it was contained in these thirty-nine railroad cars,” referring to the cars on the track that led to the Dachau concentration camp.
That same spirit, of honoring human life, was felt throughout the messages of each of the speakers during the plaque dedication ceremony.
They emphasized the importance of remembering the truth as part of protecting human dignity – then, now and always. It was a solemn honor to represent the Soldiers from the 157th who fought a long, gruesome 511 days when many lost their lives in combat, culminating with the liberation of Dachau.
We remember not only what they fought against, but what they stood for – the enduring dignity of every human life.
The plaque also serves as a reminder to carry their story forward with reverence and responsibility as we defend freedom, confront hatred, and value the worth of every human soul.