‘Triple Deuce’ veterans hold reunion in Cedar City

Veterans gather for a group photo around a Howitzer during the Utah Army National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery reunion, Cedar City, Utah, April 27, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Dozens of veterans of the Utah Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion 222nd Field Artillery, commonly known as the “Triple Deuce,” gathered Saturday in Cedar City for their reunion.

Veterans gather for Utah Army National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery reunion, Cedar City, Utah, April 27, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Retired Staff Sgt. Kelly Kleinman told Cedar City News that it was the third time the group has gotten together. The first two reunions were held in the St. George area, the first at Staheli Farms in fall 2016 and the second at Bryce Christensen Excavating last year.

‘This is the first time we’ve had it in Cedar, which is more of a central location for the battalion,” Kleinman said, explaining that the 222nd Field Artillery’s five batteries (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Headquarters and Service), along with the 213th Forward Support Company, span southwest Utah from Richfield to St. George.

The unit itself has a rich and storied history, tracing its roots to the days of the Nauvoo Legion and the Mormon Battalion, which marched from Iowa to San Diego in the late 1840s.

Kleinman, who served in the battalion from 1971-1991, says the current unit has also embraced the nickname “Southern Utah’s Golden Boys,” with the phrase appearing on many of the commemorative caps and T-shirts worn by group members during Saturday’s event.

Kelly Kleinman, a retired staff sergeant, talks about Utah Army National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery reunion, Cedar City, Utah, April 27, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“Some of the other units in the state gave that (nickname) to us because they thought we thought we were better than everyone else,” Kleinman said with a chuckle. “So, we took that to heart … yeah, we are better.”

Kleinman said any “Triple Deuce” veterans are invited to attend any reunion regardless of which battery they belong to.

“A lot of people have thought it’s just been for whichever battery that’s being held in the town, but it’s for the entire battalion,” he said. “Anybody that has ever served in the Triple Deuce is welcome to come and participate in our little get together and meet old friends, meet new friends and share war stories. I mean, everybody’s got a war story that they want to share.”

Kleinman said the purpose of the reunion is to “try to get the old veterans that you served with together and meet some of the old guys that you may not remember.”

Veterans visit after posing for group photo around a Howitzer during the Utah Army National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 222nd Field Artillery reunion, Cedar City, Utah, April 27, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Tentative plans for next year’s reunion are to have it at the armory in Beaver, sometime in mid-spring, he added.

Highlights of Saturday’s informal event included a Mexican food buffet for lunch, followed by introductions and short presentations from the Department of Veterans Affairs and support officials regarding legal benefits and other resources available to veterans. A raffle was held to raise money for future reunions, with prizes such as a Dutch oven, wooden replica artillery shells, commemorative banners and other memento items.

Afterward, almost everyone reconvened outside to pose for a group picture with the Howitzer parked out front of the armory building. Formally known as the M109A6 Paladin Howitzer, the self-propelled artillery system fires 155 mm shells. Nearly 50 veterans posed on and around the Howitzer for the photo.

For additional information about veterans of the Utah Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion 222nd Field Artillery or the group’s reunions and other planned activities, email Kleinman or visit the group’s Facebook page.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!