MG-387. THE RAYMOND HOFFMAN COLLECTION, 1918, 1944-1970.
Colonel Raymond Hoffman served as secretary of the Society
of the 28th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, which was formed to promote ties of patriotism and comradeship among the men who served in the Keystone Division during World War I. The 28th Division was initially organized as the 7th Division in 1916, serving in the Mexican Border Campaign. In July 1917, the 7th Division was called for active duty in World War I, was reorganized into the 28th Division. The 28th Division served in France in World War I, earning the nickname the "Iron Division," and also served in World War II and Korea. In the early 1930s, land in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania was given to the state in order to create a shrine commemorating the service of the 28th Division in World War I. The shrine was officially dedicated in the 1940s, and following the Second World War, tablets denoting individual service were placed there by the Society of the 28th Division. One of the photographs in the series Photographs, 1940, in the Boalsburg Shrine subgroup shows two African American males in uniform.