Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Sergeant Anthony Joseph Repice was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Achievement in Ground Operations against the enemy in the European Theater of Operations, during the Rhineland Campaign.

Anthony Joseph Repice was born on May 1st, 1917, in Cleveland, Ohio. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on August 6th, 1941, serial number 35027776, serving as a Sergeant in Company E, 303rd Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division. Repice would see heavy combat in the European Theater of Operations, being awarded a Bronze Star for his service in the Rhineland Campaign.

After returning to the United States, Repice would work as a wine salesman, passing away on November 20th, 1968.

The Grouping includes:

- Repice’s Bronze Star in the original box, engraved “Anthony J. Repice”, along with the original pin and ribbon.
- Repice’s Bronze Star Certificate, dated December 29th, 1964.
- Two of Repice’s promotion certificates, to Corporal and Sergeant, both while he was training at Camp Barkeley, Texas
- 2 Laminated examples of the same yardlong photo of Repice’s unit.
- 1 Laminated yardlong of Co. C, 29th Battalion Medical Corps, dated September 23rd, 1941.
- 1 Laminated photo of Repice’s unit marching in a field.
- 1 folded 48-star flag, with a faint maker’s stamp and size, 5x5 ½ feet.
- 1 tri-folded flag in a sleeve, likely Repice’s burial flag.

This is a phenomenal identified Bronze Star grouping for a Sergeant of the 97th Division.

97th Division
The 97th Infantry Division was ordered into active military service during World War II on 25 February 1943 at Camp Swift, Texas, the last of the Organized Reserve infantry divisions to enter active duty. Before Organized Reserve infantry divisions were ordered into active military service, they were reorganized on paper as "triangular" divisions under the 1940 tables of organization. The headquarters companies of the two infantry brigades were consolidated into the division's cavalry reconnaissance troop, and one infantry regiment was removed by inactivation. The field artillery brigade headquarters and headquarters battery became the headquarters and headquarters battery of the division artillery. Its three field artillery regiments were reorganized into four battalions; one battalion was taken from each of the two 75 mm gun regiments to form two 105 mm howitzer battalions, the brigade's ammunition train was reorganized as the third 105 mm howitzer battalion, and the 155 mm howitzer battalion was formed from the 155 mm howitzer regiment. The engineer, medical, and quartermaster regiments were reorganized into battalions. In 1942, divisional quartermaster battalions were split into ordnance light maintenance companies and quartermaster companies, and the division's headquarters and military police company, which had previously been a combined unit, was split.

Because the activation rate of Army units in late 1942 was proceeding faster than the expected induction rate of new soldiers and there was an urgent need for personnel to participate in the Operation Torch landings in North Africa planned for November 1942, the reorganization of the 97th was deferred until early 1943 and three partially-trained divisions were stripped to less than 50 percent strength. Most of the cadre for the 97th came from the 95th Infantry Division stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. In February 1944 the division was moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for additional training. During 1944, approximately 5,000 soldiers were stripped from the division and sent as replacements to other units in Europe. Division strength was eventually restored when the Army Specialized Training Program and aviation cadet training program were sharply reduced or terminated and many of their personnel were reassigned to Army Ground Forces for retraining as infantry.

In July 1944 the division relocated to Camp San Luis Obispo, California. Under the supervision of the Navy and Marine Corps, the division began amphibious training and exercises at Camp Callan, Coronado Strand, San Clemente Island, San Nicolas Island and Camp Pendleton. In September 1944 the 97th was transferred to Camp Cooke, California, for further amphibious training.

In early January 1945, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Allied forces on the Western Front, was alarmed over the swift progress the Germans had made during the waning Battle of the Bulge and was concerned that the Germans could move additional reinforcements to the west from the Eastern Front. He requested additional divisions over and above those already earmarked for the European theater. The 86th and 97th Infantry Divisions, allocated for service in the Pacific, were ordered to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) instead for the final assault on Germany. The strength of the division upon deployment in Europe was 600 officers and 14,000 men.