Rock of the Marne! This message marks my final one as your President. After ten years, it is time for me to step aside and let a new leader take the helm and move our Society into the future.
As I write this, I am filled with mixed emotions, trepidation, and hope. I know this is the best decision for my family and for the Society, but I care so much about our Society that I don’t want anything negative to occur. But I have complete faith in our Dogface Soldiers and I know a new President will step forward to take the reins and gallop forward. My mission is complete.
To date, we have NO candidate to be President.
When I joined the Society in 2010 I was met with warmth and acceptance by those “older” veterans who served in WWII, Korea, and beyond. It was a Brotherhood I never expected. John Shirley was the first to welcome me as President in 2016 and he served in WWII and was a POW for a very short time in Germany. I later attended his funeral. Through the years I became friends with Medal of Honor awardees Hiroshi Miyamura and Bob Maxwell. Those two men were so gentle and supportive of me. They were amazing Americans and I am still inspired and honored to have known them. The tears flowed abundantly when I was informed of their passing.
When I took over as President, our membership was in a STEEP decline. We were losing more members to deaths than we were gaining new members. It was a precipice that was daunting and challenging. We were, literally, a dying Society! I worked hard to identify the solutions to this problem. It was not easy. Many younger veterans and soldiers simply don't join organizations like ours. I soon came to understand that our older members had a significantly different experience from younger members.
Prior to 1975, many members were drafted and the only experience they had in the Army was the Third Infantry Division. This made their loyalty much stronger. Younger members usually volunteered to join and then stayed longer, making their experience broader and more expansive. It was a paradigm shift in my understanding of the challenge of membership. Today, I am very proud to see our TAPS roster names shorter than our New Member names in our Magazine. That took a LOT of work and I am proud of that. Today our numbers hover around 1000 members and we need to increase that.
Our Scholarship Foundation almost collapsed on us. It was difficult to save it, but we did. This is an important program in our Society and, today, it is healthy and vibrant. Many of our members’ children receive financial help for their education and this is a source of pride! Thanks to all of our scholarship foundation board of trustees for their valiant effort to keep this program alive.
Many members don’t realize the hard work involved in keeping our membership roster up-to-date and relevant. This has always been a moving target. I have had four Roster Managers in the time I have been President and this has been a challenge. So many members die, move, or fail to keep their information current and this costs the Society money in mailings and upkeep. As President, I worked to automate our Roster information AND couple this to our website. This was a MAJOR improvement to how we manage this information. Now members can update their information online through our website, renew their dues, and make donations. It is a streamlined way of doing business.
In 2016, the Commanding General of the Division, Jim Rainey, reached out to us to host the Soldiers Ball. Due to legal reasons, the division was no longer allowed to hold their own ball unless they had a “host.” We accepted this honor and it has become a source of membership recruitment and validation of our effectiveness as a Society. This was CRITICAL. We always need to show value to the Soldiers currently assigned to the division and this will garner memberships for years to come. I have always said that the future of the Society lies in the division. This, I believe, will never change.
The crown jewel of our Society is The Watch on the Rhine. It always has been. This is the most direct communication tool and informative outlet, and has served as our “rallying point" for many decades. In 2026, we changed printers and our Editor, Bill Blissett, has been a steadfast quality control expert for all the content you enjoy. Thanks to Bill for his profound work on our magazine and for his personal friendship.
Funding has been a real challenge over my ten years as President. I realized early on that the money coming in was NOT enough to recover the money going out. It was a struggle to identify new funding streams and effective ways to “pay the bills” and keep the Society running. With the support of the Executive Committee (EXCOM), we initiated new ways to invest Society money, establish new funding streams, and remain fiscally responsible. This has been hard, but we have risen to the challenge.
THE FUTURE
We can NOT allow complacency. This will be our death. Our Society is, like many division associations, very fragile. We need money, members, and involvement. We are currently looking at restructuring our Society, eliminating the antiquated Outpost system, and identifying ways to increase member involvement. You can help by communicating and becoming involved. Many may not read these words, but all, PLEASE become involved in ANY way. Do NOT be one of those members who just sits passively and reads the magazine and forgets about our Society. Being a Dogface Soldier means being active and supportive. WE NEED YOU!!
We also need a new President. To date, the candidates we have asked to be President have all said “no.” This is heartbreaking. Dogface Soldiers have always accepted challenges and led from the front.
I will NOT be President starting July 1st.
Lastly, I want to thank all the members of our Executive Committee both past and present. These folks have always been a source of sapient knowledge, confident advice, and trustworthy guidance. Most of all they have been family. Together they have been the real power behind our success. They deserve all of our gratitude and appreciation. I love you all.
I thank you all for your support over the ten years of my Presidency. It has been an immense honor.
Rock of the Marne!
Toby Knight
Society President
In loving memory:
Hiroshi Miyamura John Fisher Harvey Sladkus
Bob Maxwell Richard Faulkner Mike McClintock
Kathleen Daddato Joe Ball Justin Vale
John Shirley Lynn Ball Bob Stark
Rest in peace dear Dogface Soldiers
So feed me ammunition, keep me in the Third Division
Your Dogface Soldier’s a-ok!