Alabamians In The 42nd Infantry Division: A Veteran Builds A Monument In France

Rod Frazer's father served in the First World War in the Alabama Regiment of the 42nd Infantry Division, the Rainbow Division. His father was wounded in France, and did not speak much about his wartime experiences. When World War II broke out, Rod enlisted in the Alabama Guard, and eventually joined the National Guard. He was in college when the Korean War broke out, and he quickly rejoined his unit. After graduating from Officer Candidate School, he was deployed to Korea and assigned to a Tank Platoon, serving under Captain George Patton IV. Near the end of the war, he earned a Silver Star for defending his position against overwhelming odds. After the war, he finished college, and eventually graduated from Harvard Business School, becoming a successful investment banker. He was always interested in his father's wartime service, and began researching and writing about the 167th Infantry Regiment from Alabama. With the help of Monique Seefried, he discovered the location where his father was wounded. He eventually purchased the Croix Rouge Farm where his father served, and commissioned a statue there in memory of the Alabamians who served in far-away France during the “War to End All Wars.”