The 10th Mountain Division is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division is the only one of its size in the US military to receive intense specialized training for fighting in mountainous and arctic conditions. In 1939, Charles Minot Dole, the president of the National Ski Patrol, began to lobby the War Department of the need for a unit of troops in the United States Army trained for fighting in winter and mountain warfare. In September 1940, Dole was able to present his case to General George Marshall, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, who agreed with Dole's assessment, deciding to create a "Mountain" unit for fighting in harsh terrain. The U.S. Army authorized the formation of the platoon sized Army Ski Patrol in November 1940. Originally activated as the 10th Light Division (Alpine) in 1943, the division was redesignated the 10th Mountain Division in 1944 and fought in the mountains of Italy in some of the roughest terrain in World War II. In the mountains of Italy, the 10th was responsible for the Mount Belvedere area, climbing nearby Riva Ridge and attacking the German stronghold on mount Della Torraccia. These peaks were cleared after four days of heavy intense fighting, breaking through the German defenses, and advancing into the Po Valley area. The 10th encountered heavy opposition pushing through Italy until the Germans finally surrendered in Italy on May 2, 1945. Since 2001, the 10th has been the most deployed unit in the US military. Its combat brigades have seen over 20 deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (The 10th is also known for fierce fighting in the famous Battle of Mogadishu, detailed in Valorous TV’s Black Hawk Down: The Untold Story).