Manitowoc’s Red Arrow Park, which is named after the soldiers of the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, now has a new informational sign. The sign was recently erected near the M1917 Cannon at the Park.
We spoke with Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels, who said “Justin Terp, Harold’s grandson, was on hand to unveil a little bit of history about his Grandfather and about the cannon at the entrance at the park. Overall, just a neat thing that a lot of folks spearheaded by Ed Hansen and his group.”
The new sign tells the story of Terp’s war experiences with the famous Red Arrow 32nd Division and the Division’s 121 Field Artillery along with the history of the cannon now named “Iron Jaw”. It also includes pictures Harold Terp took during his experience with the 121 Field Artillery in 1942 to Camp Beauregard Louisiana where the Division trained before deploying to the Pacific Theater for 654 days of continuous combat. That is the most of any Division during World War Two.
After returning home from the Iraq War Nickels says Manitowoc native Ed Hansen made it his personal mission to honor military veterans and revitalize Red Arrow Park.
“Ed came quite a few years ago top want to do some pretty neat things with great Ideas about honoring those who served in the Red Arrow Division,” Nickels explained. “People actually didn’t know what Red Arrow was named after. So the fact that he’s bringing that to light and raising a lot of money is incredible. The city has also contributed funds. They’ve added trails and a lot of history that people can read about the Red Arrow Division and how it related to Manitowoc.”
Harold- nicknamed “Tech 5 Terp” was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received during combat. He returned to Wisconsin after the war and moved to Manitowoc where he raised a family and owned a number of businesses.
Grandson Justin Terp, owner of Terp Family Insurance in Manitowoc, sponsored the event.
