As winter settles across the mountains and we look ahead to a historic year for the global outdoor community, I find myself reflecting on the many threads that bind our division’s past to its vibrant present—and to its inspiring future. With the Milano–Cortina Olympic Games on the horizon, the world will once again turn its eyes to the peaks of the Italian Appennine mountains where the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division fought, sacrificed, and forever shaped the course of history. This moment invites all of us to honor this – our legacy with renewed purpose.
For me, this reflection is deeply personal. My father, William “Ropes” Barr Robertson, served in the 10th Mountain Division from 1942–45. He honed his mountaineering skills in the pacific northwest wearing rope soled boots that helped him earn his 3-letter invite to train with the 87th Infantry. Known among his fellow ski troopers for his mountain skill, his rope-soled shoes, and the steadiness with which he carried others through hardships, his nickname, “Rope-Sole”—soon shortened to “Ropes”—followed him home, where he became Oregon State University’s first athletic trainer and built a 34-year career mentoring athletes with compassion, integrity, and quiet strength. His life was a testament to service—whether on Mt. Belvedere, on the sidelines at OSU, or among countless students who remember him for his kindness and unwavering care.
That spirit of service and athletic acumen carried him far—so far, in fact, that he was selected as the athletic trainer for the U.S. Track and Field Team during the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. It was a rare honor and a powerful reminder of how the 10th Mountain Division’s ethos of preparedness, grit and resilience extended well beyond the battlefield and onto the world’s greatest athletic stage.
What always strikes me most is how seamlessly his military service and his athletic vocation intertwined. That same spirit endures today in the connection between the 10th Mountain Division and the Olympic movement. As we prepare for the 2026 Winter Games, we are reminded that no other American combat unit has produced more Olympians—15 athletes and 3 coaches—whose influence has shaped skiing, outdoor leadership, and alpine culture nationwide. When Team USA skis the slopes of Cortina, they will race across the very terrain liberated by our WWII soldiers. It is a powerful full-circle moment—one that speaks to the remarkable ability of the 10th to turn hardship into opportunity and military skill into national inspiration.
This year, the Foundation has embraced that same spirit as we chart our way forward. During our 2025 Annual Meeting, your Board of Directors unanimously adopted our new identity statement, which will guide our work in the coming decade. Our mission affirms that the 10th Mountain Division Foundation supports efforts that honor the 10th Mountain Division to perpetuate its legacy. Our vision commits us to philanthropy inspired by the 10th Mountain Division legacy—a powerful reminder that every program, every grant, and every act of stewardship must reflect the courage, character, and values of those who came before us. We clarified who we serve—soldiers, families, veterans, history and heritage organizations, and mission-based initiative program partners —and how we serve them: by funding, advocating, collaborating, and communicating to strengthen the broader community that keeps the legacy alive.
Much like the veterans who returned from WWII to build America’s outdoor recreation industry—and much like my father, who channeled wartime experience into a lifetime of service—we too are called to take the lessons of the past and shape a more impactful future. Our work is evolving. Our board leadership is strong. Our program partners are doing extraordinary work. And the 2026 Olympics offer a global stage to remind the world that the story of the 10th Mountain Division is one of grit, innovation, and enduring contribution.
As we begin this new year, I am filled with gratitude—for our Board, Donors and Volunteers, for our partners, multi-generational descendants and our WWII veterans who fostered this remarkable legacy, and for the Soldiers, Families, and veterans of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), who since 1985 have carried its lineage forward through steadfast service at home and around the world. And to every member of our extended community who chooses to honor, preserve, and elevate this legacy—-THANK YOU! The road ahead is bright. Together, we will continue Linking the Legacy, ensuring that the spirit of the 10th Mountain Division not only lives on, but leads the way forward.
Semper Avanti!
Nancy B. Kramer
Chairman
10th Mountain Division Foundation
