ST. LOUIS, MO — I arrived in St. Louis, MO, a stranger on July 18th. I went home a Hellcat.

Seventy-eight years after my father-in-law Haig Derderian attended his first 12th Armored Division Hellcat reunion at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, I took his place and attended the group’s 78th reunion in St. Louis, MO.

By the end of the 4-day reunion, I would meet and spend time with 2 veteran soldiers from the 12th Armored Division — Bill Georgov and Charles Leogrande. I also met 3 spouses of deceased veterans from the division — Liese Bruneau Norris, Ascencion Colon, and Cherry Smith. The five ranged in age from 91 to 102 years old. I also would meet dozens of other members who are sons, daughters, friends, or relatives of deceased and living veterans from the division, which fought in World War 2 from 1942 to 1945.

This was a last-second trip that I booked to meet with the group as I only learned about the reunion on July 16th in an improbable way. I went to the reunion because I’m writing a book about Haig’s service in the 12th Armored Division’s 714th Tank Battalion Company B. I felt that I needed a connection to the families of the men from the 12th Armored Division who fought throughout France and Germany in the war.

The way I learned about the reunion is an incredible story in itself. In the book, I use part of the writings from 12th Armored Division deceased veteran F. George Hatt, who was a soldier in the 17th Armored Infantry Battalion and he fought alongside Haig. He has an extensive memoir posted on the 12th Armored Division Museum website. After I found George Hatt’s memoir, I searched Facebook, Instagram, and the web for living family members of his to get some more information about him to use in the book. After an exhaustive search, I had no luck.

Rewind now to April 5, 2024 when I met 87-year-old French woman and World War 2 historian Lise Pommois. I spent 12 hours with her driving through the northeastern countryside of France visiting World War 2 battle sights where the 12th Armored Division fought in 1944 and 1945. I wrote a blog about my visit, The Incredible Story of Lise Pommois.

Fast-forward now to July 16th. Out of nowhere, I received a comment in my email about the article. It was from a woman named Julie Hatt McCarty. It read: “Hello Tom – I just read your article on Lise Pommois. I know Lise Pommois because she was heavily involved with the 12th Armored Division Association in the past. She attended many of the annual 12th association reunions. My Dad, George Hatt, was in the 12th Armored Division. He and others worked with Lise Pommois when the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum was built in Abilene, TX. She helped construct a WWII timeline of the 12th for the museum. My Dad was in the 17th armored infantry battalion of the 12th.”

Julie added that the reunion was the 3rd week of July. I looked at my calendar. It was starting in TWO DAYS!!

As soon as I learned about it, I exchanged emails with Julie, plus a couple Hellcat members, and I called and spoke to one person from the group’s executive council about going to the reunion. I excitedly raced downstairs from my home office, told my loving, supportive wife about the reunion. Sue said smiling: “So I guess you’re going to St. Louis for the rest of the week?”

With just 48 hours until the 4-day reunion would begin, I figured out a way to attend it. I immediately booked my flight on Delta Airlines and my room at the Sheraton Westport Hotel outside St. Louis where the reunion would be held. Bonus: I got a free upgrade to first-class on the flights to and from St. Louis. Cha-Ching!!

I flew out from Detroit Thursday evening and arrived at the hotel about 6 p.m. I was greeted in the lobby by Hellcat members Tom and Jill Stevens from Saginaw, MI., plus several others who had learned that I would be attending. I officially became known as “the New Guy.”

I arrived a complete stranger, but I immersed myself in this experience, introducing myself to everyone I could. I was welcomed by everyone and they all wanted to talk to me as soon as they heard I was writing a book about my father-in-law, their fathers, and friends who had served in the 12th Armored Division. Once they learned I had collected over 2,000 pages and photos of documents and information about my father-in-law’s service and about the 12th Armored Division, I was a popular person. Almost everyone sat down in our group’s hospitality room with me to find out what I had discovered.

My research into Haig’s life as a soldier in the 12th Armored Division began on December 1st, 2023 when I found a green bin in the basement compressed a foot thick with World War 2 photos, letters he sent to his parents at home, writings, and medals that he had earned. From there, I hired historian Heather Steele from the World War 2 History Project to delve deeper into Haig’s life and I collected over a thousand pages of documents about Haig, his 714th Tank Battalion, and the 12th Armored Division’s movements in Europe.

My research continued in April when I went to France to meet and interview survivors of World War 2 who personally met U.S. soldiers when their small French communes were liberated by American forces against the German army. I drove from France to Germany and followed the path of the small German towns that Haig and the 12th Armored Division rolled through in 1945. Finally, I visited the National Archives in College Park, MD, in June to retrieve over a thousand more pages of documents related to Haig and the 12th.

What I would eventually get from attending the reunion in St. Louis would be just another chapter in the book.

While the reunion this time had under 100 attendees, past reunions would see thousands of veterans, their spouses, and children. My wife, Sue, personally went to several reunions in the 1970s and one in Nashville in 1983 with her dad and mother, Shirley Derderian.

The first state-side reunion was held in New York City in 1947 and they continued uninterrupted over the years — even during the Covid year of 2020, albeit virtual on Zoom.

More than 17,000 men were assigned to the 12th Armored Division during World War 2 from 1942-1945, including my father-in-law Haig. There are 11 still living. I spent time with 2 of the vets, plus 3 spouses of deceased veterans from the 12th. I’m arranging interviews with two other veterans — one from Southfield, MI, and one from Minnesota.

Unfortunately, as veteran Hellcats and their spouses pass away, the 12th Armored Division Association becomes smaller and smaller. Where thousands used to attend, the reunion has dwindled down to less than 100 members meeting annually

Despite all of the deaths of former Hellcats and their spouses, the reunion was full of life with members sharing stories from their fathers. At the reunion, we’d meet in the hotel’s hospitality room. We ate food cooked in Crock Pots by members of the group. Some of us drank wine, beer, and top shelf liquor brought in by members (soda, tea, coffee, and flavored bottle water for the non-drinkers). Others brought hand-filled bags of snacks into the room for the attendees to munch on.

This was a well-oiled reunion that has gone on this way for years and years at various cities across the United States.

They reminisce about war stories that their fathers told them. They relay information that they learned about the 12th Armored Division — or units within the 12th AD– that they discovered at the National Archives in College Park, MD; they show off relics and writings handed down by their dad; or they discover something amazing from their father-in-law in their basement and share it with the group.

Each year, they also host a memorial to all the veterans and spouses of veterans who died in the past year. It was a very emotional ceremony with many in attendance crying. The packed room sang “Amazing Grace,” the National Anthem, “America the Beautiful,” and Taps was played by a bugler — enough to make any dry eye tear up.

Each section within the 12th Armored Division featured one representative to read the names at the ceremony of members of that section who died in the last year. George Rich from the association’s executive board asked me to read the names from the 714th Tank Battalion, which Haig served in. When I read the names, I included Haig.

We also had an annual Unit Dinner and the official banquet where a St. Louis Color Guard kicked off the ceremonies.

This isn’t only a reunion. This is a group dedicated to honoring and remembering their fathers, friends, and relatives who fought for the United States of America in World War 2 against the Nazi regime. They honor their legacy.

I met so many strangers between July 18th and July 21st at the Sheraton Westport Hotel and I left with, I expect, lifelong friends. I knew on day 1 of the reunion that I had to join the reunion’s group. So I joined the Hellcats and became a legacy member of the 12th Armored Division Association.

I officially am a Hellcat and I know my father-in-law Haig Derderian would be proud.

Stay tuned to more stories about the reunion, including interviews from members of the association, plus the two veterans whom I met, Bill Georgov and Charles Leogrande.