06/17/2026
Scholars for Life: The 43rd Infantry Division in WW II
June 17, 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Hilltop Cafe
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Scholars for Life is Central's popular speaker series featuring dinner and a rotating lineup of speakers and topics. Dinner will be served at 5 p.m. and the talk will begin at 6 p.m.
The talk and dinner are $25. Pay in person with cash or check or pay online at www.ccsu.edu/conedpayment/. Just type in $25 in the payment field and we will apply it to the event you attend.
About the talk
In February 1941, as the world edged toward global war, the 43d Infantry Division was called into federal service. Drawn from National Guard units from Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont, the division was made up largely of young citizen-soldiers who expected weekend drills — not a one-way ticket to war.
They were clerks, students, mechanics, and factory workers. Yet within months, they would be in the Pacific, half a world away. After intense training, these men found themselves in unfamiliar jungles and island chains. The 43d Infantry Division took part in four major campaigns — Guadalcanal, the Northern Solomons, New Guinea, and Luzon in the Philippines. In total, the division spent 370 days in active combat.
Speaker David Thiede is a U.S. Navy veteran and a longtime member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. His father served with the 169th Infantry during World War II, though, like many men of that generation, he spoke little of his wartime experiences. Seeking to better understand his father’s service, Thiede began researching in 2009 and discovered the 43rd Infantry Division Veterans Association, founded by returning WWII veterans themselves. In time, David assumed the role of director of the association, which remains active today, preserving the legacy of the division and the men who served in it.
