Honored Division Week #5: Black Knights return home against Tulane, honor 7th Infantry Division with gameday patch

The Army West Point Football team (2-2) returns to Michie Stadium after two weeks on the road to face American Conference foe Tulane at noon on Oct. 10 at West Point.

The Black Knights take the field this week against the Green Wave, honoring the 7th Infantry Division with division patches on the back of their helmets. The recognition highlights the history, accomplishments and continued service of Army divisions as part of the Honored Division theme featured throughout the 2026 football season.

The 7th Infantry Division represents Soldiers and units stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.

History of the 7th Infantry Division Known as the Bayonet Division, the 7th Infantry Division began its journey when it was first activated in December 1917 during the height of World War I. Elements of the division saw service during the Lorraine Campaign in 1918.

The division was initially formed by combining Regular Army units stationed around the United States, ranging from Georgia, Texas and Oklahoma to Ohio and Vermont, while drawing its officers from the Regular Army and Officer Training Corps.

Among its early commanders were two West Point graduates: Brig. Gen. Charles H. Barth, USMA Class of 1881, who assumed command in January 1918, and Maj. Gen. Edmund Wittenmyer, USMA Class of 1887, who took command in October. Following the Armistice on Nov. 11, 1918, the division served as an occupation force and conducted training in France before returning to the United States in 1919.

The 7th Infantry Division was briefly posted at Fort Riley, Kansas, and Camp Meade, Maryland, before being inactivated in September 1921, as part of the post-World War I drawdown, although its 14th Infantry Brigade and various other elements remained on active duty.

In July 1940, the division was reactivated at Camp Ord, California, under the command of Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell, a USMA Class of 1904 graduate. The unit was brought to strength through the first peacetime military draft.

Following the attack at Pearl Harbor, the division transferred to San Jose, California, to protect the West Coast. The division first saw combat in the Aleutian Islands Campaign in Alaska before moving to Hawaii in preparation for the assault on the Kwajalein Atoll. Elements of the division next captured Engebi in the Eniwetok Atoll in February 1944 before moving on to operations in Leyte. In April 1945, the division assaulted Okinawa, leading the attack alongside another Army division and two Marine divisions.

At the end of World War II, the division accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in South Korea before assuming occupation duties in Korea and Japan.

During the Korean War, the division, augmented with Korean troops and American reinforcements, participated in the Inchon Landing, Operation Chromite, with the 1st Marine Division. After liberating Seoul, the division advanced south to link up with units breaking out from the Pusan perimeter.

In October 1950, the 7th Infantry Division conducted amphibious landings along North Korea's eastern coast before advancing toward the Yalu River. Following Chinese intervention, the division fought in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, suffering heavy casualties. Throughout the remainder of the war, the division participated in several major battles, including Heartbreak Ridge, Old Baldy and Pork Chop Hill.

During the July 1953 battle of Pork Chop Hill, Richard T. Shea, a USMA Class of 1952 graduate, earned the Medal of Honor posthumously. A gifted track athlete at West Point, Shea is also the namesake of Shea Stadium along the Hudson River.

Following the Armistice, the 7th Infantry Division remained in Korea before returning to Fort Ord in October 1974. Although the division did not see combat in Vietnam, it later deployed to Honduras for Operation Golden Pheasant in 1988 and participated in Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989.

In 1994, the division relocated from Fort Ord, California, to Fort Lewis, Washington, before being inactivated in June 1994. In June 1999, the division headquarters reactivated for a brief period until August 2006. In October 2012, the division again reactivated at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), with the division increasing in strength and capability in recent years.

From the 7th Infantry Division to West Point Capt. Joshua Boylan is currently serving at West Point as a tactical officer for Company H, 2nd Regiment, where he integrates character development for cadets across the academic, physical and military pillars.

“I coach, develop and mentor the cadet chain of command in my company to support daily operations and future planning, ensuring we remain aligned with the West Point Leader Development System outcomes of developing leaders who live honorably, lead honorably and are committed to excellence,” Boylan stated.

Boylan, a West Point Class of 2018 graduate who commissioned in the Field Artillery branch, joined the 7th Infantry Division in May 2022. During his three years with the division, he served as a battalion fire support officer before taking command of Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment. His assignments included missions in Thailand and South Korea.

Wearing the division's patch held special significance for Boylan. When he first arrived, his unit wore the 2nd Infantry Division patch and insignia despite falling under the 7th Infantry Division as its higher headquarters. That changed before his departure.

“Late in my battery command, we had an official patching ceremony where all brigades switched to the 7th ID patch, carrying the motto of ‘Trust In Me,’” Boylan said. “The 7th Infantry Division has a rich history of service, particularly in the INDOPACOM AOR (Indo-Pacific Command Area of Responsibility), so it meant a lot to us before we departed for our rotational mission in Korea.”

During his time in 7th Infantry Division, Boylan enjoyed the unit’s missions in the Indo-Pacific region, including those in Korea and the Pacific Pathway missions.

“Each experience required training cycles at the Yakima Training Center, where I spent several weeks alongside my Soldiers, watching them grow in confidence, technical expertise and teamwork,” Boylan explained. “On those missions, we solidified our culture, and we were proud to align our identity with the ‘Bayonet’ Division. Serving in the 7th Infantry Division enabled my Soldiers to play a pivotal role in national strategic defense and work alongside our joint and multinational allies, an experience I will always cherish.

“To add, the joint and multinational planning and execution we did as a member of 7th ID grew my confidence as an officer,” he continued. “It was humbling to learn from allies and partners as I was exposed to great collective professional development for all three years.”

One of Boylan's most influential mentors during his time in the division's Ghost Brigade was Col. Kwenton Kuhlman, who had previously served at West Point in the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic.

“He was a great role model and had a major impact on my decision to come to West Point and mentor the next generation of Army leaders,” Boylan said. “He was a driving factor in making it all possible for me.”

Capt. Aleksandr Kauffman, also a USMA Class of 2018 graduate and former Company C, 2nd Regiment TAC officer, is now a full-time student at Fordham Business School.

Kauffman is an Infantry officer who began his military career as an enlisted Soldier at JBLM from 2011-13 when the 7th Infantry Division was reactivated in 2012. During that time, he was a M240 machine gunner and a team leader.

After graduating from West Point and succeeding at his captain’s course, he returned to JBLM, serving with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, under the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. The battalion and brigade are now aligned under the 7th Infantry Division.

While serving with the division, Kauffman enjoyed the complex missions the 7th Infantry Division undertook.

“The 7th Infantry Division is constantly modernizing, supporting missions in the Pacific and other areas, and is a rapidly evolving unit,” Kauffman said. “Wearing the patch meant I could take on new challenges, work toward a shared goal, and see my Soldiers and peers excel.”

Kauffman's connections with the division extend beyond his time in uniform. He recalled the Soldiers and leaders he served alongside, including members of the Saturday Morning Coffee Group, as well as the training experiences that left a lasting impression, from exercises at Yakima Training Center to subterranean training and Bayonet Focus.

“I remember one where our battalion was tasked as the opposition forces (OPFOR) for 1st SBCT’s turn through Bayonet Focus,” Kauffman said. “My company faced off against a battalion in the southern training area at JBLM. Many sleepless and rainy nights, but it was incredible watching my company commit themselves to the rep.”

Lt. Col. Timothy Donohue is currently an instructor in Defense and Strategic Studies and the course director for the Academy’s Special Operations Theory and Practice course in the fall semester and Irregular Warfare Theory and Practice course in the spring semester.

Donohue is a Special Forces officer who originally branched Infantry when he graduated from West Point in 2008 as an Economics major.

During his time at JBLM, Donohue served in the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which was later reflagged as 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. From 2009-12, he served as an infantry platoon leader, company executive officer and battalion assistant S-3.

One of Donohue's defining experiences came when he deployed to Iraq in 2009, just months after taking charge of his platoon. With much of the unit's equipment already shipped overseas and personnel beginning a phased deployment, he relied on the experience of the noncommissioned officers around him.

“The NCOs in the unit had trained, fought and served together as a cohesive team through multiple deployments before I arrived,” Donohue said. “At the time, adversaries and partners overseas recognized units by the patches we wore on our uniforms. It became clear early on in our deployment that our ‘Indian Head’ patch was highly respected. It symbolized grit, determination and lethality to the people who recognized it. I was honored to be a part of that team.”

Serving alongside experienced NCOs and fellow officers left a lasting impression on Donohue, shaping his leadership and building relationships he maintains to this day.

“The NCOs were experienced, professional and technical experts honed by years of deployments overseas,” he said. “They would teach me my most integral lessons in leadership. I also have great memories of serving with exceptional officers during my time there.”

More than a Patch on Gameday Kauffman believes that taking time to recognize Soldiers serving throughout the Army and honor divisions like the 7th Infantry Division is especially important for the Corps of Cadets.

“In a very short time, many of these cadets will be sharing the inside of a Stryker with their Soldiers in the desert mountains of NTC and the rainy forests of JBLM,” Kauffman stated. “Many Soldiers from my previous unit have continued their service and I look forward to these cadets going out and leading these great Bayonet Soldiers.”

Boylan understands the significance of wearing a unit's patch on the football field from both a Soldier's and former player's perspective. He played for Army Football from 2014-17, and during his senior season, he was part of the 10-3 team that defeated Navy, 14-13, in snowy Philadelphia while wearing white 10th Mountain Division-themed uniforms.

As an offensive lineman who played every game that season, he assisted the team in winning its bowl game against San Diego State and set what was then an Academy record of 50 rushing touchdowns in a season.

Now, seeing Army Football honor the division in which he served brings those two experiences together on the gridiron.

“From an officer’s perspective, it is rewarding to see the division you served in worn by the next generation of leaders,” Boylan said. “It offers the opportunity to engage with those cadet athletes and the Corps of Cadets about the significance and rich history about that division, and to tell them how Soldiers can and will watch as they carry the Bayonet Division’s logo onto the fields of friendly strife.

“As a player, I think it gets easy to forget about the significance of representing the logos on a week-to-week basis, but when you can reach down and engage with those cadets about the Soldiers, the locations and operations of the 7th Infantry Division, it provides real insight to the cadet athletes, and they carry much more pride with them into the game, knowing that those they represent will be cheering them on and watching from afar, all over the globe,” Boylan added. “When I played, many of the officer representatives would engage with us like this before each game, and it was awesome for me to think about those men and women deployed watching us carry their brand into our own battles…It truly brings significance to the saying, ‘It is more than a game.’”

(Editor’s note: 7th Infantry Division historical knowledge was provided by Dave Siry, the Director for the Center of Oral History at the U.S. Military Academy.)

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