MCLAUGHLIN AND EISENHOWER GUARD TROPHIES RESTORED

A committee of charter members and members of Company E Missouri National Guard had trophies repaired and restored to their original beauty recently.

Enlistment for Company E started in November 1946, and a month later, Company E was formed under the leadership of Thomas K. O'Loughlin. Company E was officially recognized Jan. 10, 1947.

The annual award of the McLaughlin Trophy was instituted by the division's commander, Maj. Gen. John G. McLaughlin. The initial presentation was made in 1953 to Company E of Jackson under the leadership of Capt. Thomas K. O'Loughlin. There were 11 requirements for the best rifle company from the Missouri-Kansas Division.

The McLaughlin Trophy for the best rifle company of the 35th Division was a traveling trophy. When a company won it, the company kept it for a year and returned it if the company did not win the next year. The company received a 30-inch replica of the trophy to keep for winning that year. If a company won it three years or three times, it was no longer a traveling trophy, and became the permanent possession of the company that won it three times.

As recorded by the former Cape County Post of Jackson and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of St. Louis, McLaughlin presented the permanent McLaughlin Trophy to Company E of Jackson on Aug. 17, 1957, at Camp Ripley in Minnesota.

The permanent Eisenhower Trophy for Missouri was presented to O'Loughlin for Company E, 140th Infantry Regiment of Jackson by Maj. Gen. A.D. Sheppard, Missouri's adjutant general, for Company E's winning the Eisenhower award three times.

This was recorded in the 35th Division Signal company photo.

Company E has three small replica trophies of the Eisenhower Trophy. The large Eisenhower Trophy is missing from the Jackson armory.

People with information as to where this trophy is or is stored, should notify O'Loughlin at 327 Stone Hedge Lane or call him at 243-3056. It was awarded to the citizen Guardsmen of Jackson and belongs in the armory and to the former Company E.

The trophies have been repaired and placed in a beautiful trophy case built by Harlan Siebert of Jackson.

The former headquarters and service companies of Cape Girardeau raised funds to have Ervin's Metalsmiths of Cape Girardeau restore the six trophies to their original condition.

Maj. Mitch Passini of Headquarters and the 1140th Engineering Battalion was instrumental in returning the trophies to their original condition and in securing a trophy case for the Jackson armory.

The restoration project was partly due to a donation for the project from Mr. and Mrs. Don Sievers.