I lied about being done with our Ft. Bragg stay... we visited the 82nd Airborne Museum, which can be found at: https://www.82ndairbornedivisionmuseum.com.
The exhibits start on the lawns outside of the building, most of them being memories to our fallen soldiers throughout the years. One exhibit that intrigued me was a sculpture of a church. The church was made from stone found on Utah Beach, and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Ste. Mere Eglise.
Here is an example of their family of soldiers remembering their fallen. This commemorative stone was carved by the 328th Infantry Regiment remembering their fallen comrades of WWI, following
During the Great War the 328th participated in Meuse-Argonne, Saint Mihiel, and Lorraine offensives. These offensives cost the lives of 288 troops. A part of this Regiment was a man many people have heard of, his name, Sergeant A. York. We will talk more about him later.
This machine gun was used by the Germans. The gun is an 8mm, heavy water-cooled gun designed by an American, and nicknamed "the Devil's Paintbrush". It was used in interlocking battlefields, making "no-man's land" a dangerous space.
This machine gun was French made. This gun was also 8mm. The brass strip contains 30 rounds linked together, horizontal feed; strips could be linked together for continuous firing.
From what I gathered, this Division of fighting men were, and are a prestigious group of soldiers. As we walk through the doors of the museum we will see the rich history of the 82nd. I was surprised to learn that the 82nd was involved in all the 20th century wars, with the exception of the Korean War... although they were on standby.
The 82nd was one of the newest National Army divisions, formed in August, 1917. They were stationed at Camp Gordon, outside of Atlanta, Georgia. There was a civilian contest to give the division a nickname... and the Major General chose... All American. The name was chosen because there were soldier from all 48 states.
Miss Vivian Goodwin, Winner of the Contest
FUN FACT: The draftees trained quickly for WWI, and once through training they were referred to as "Doughboys". The nickname was lovingly used throughout WWI. The nickname was first used in the Civil War. The name was given to the infantrymen wearing their brass button uniforms, marching through the wet fields. The name was derived because of the doughlike appearance of the uniform soiled by the moistened pipe clay.
Back to our story. In April 1918 the division sailed to Europe. In May 1918, the 325th Regiment was chosen to parade in front of British King George V, as a show of America's commitment to Allied victory. WWI was a war in a new century, using old tactics, which created large casualty counts on both sides. The last year of the of the war saw a lower number of casualties due to new technologies and tactics that were implemented.
The Americans were not without a means to fight back.
After WWI, the Army demobilized the 82nd division in May of 1919, and brought it back in June of 1921. In September 1921, the Army created the Organizational Reserve. It organized the 82nd Division Headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina, Divisions in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The 325th Infantry and 319 Field Artillery were located to Decatur, Georgia. The 327th Infantry was located in Greeneville, South Carolina. The 321st Field Artillery was located in Georgia.
Most will remember that WWII started in 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Due to worldwide economic depression, Italy and Japan, who were part of the victory in WWI, were dissatisfied with what they gained after WWI. Their dissatisfaction caused them to align themselves with Germany, and becoming known as The Axis. At the time of WWII, initially the Allies were Great Britain and France, after June 1941, Russia became part of the Allies. The United States didn't get involved until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Most will remember that WWII started in 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Due to worldwide economic depression, Italy and Japan, who were part of the victory in WWI, were dissatisfied with what they gained after WWI. Their dissatisfaction caused them to align themselves with Germany, and becoming known as The Axis. At the time of WWII, initially the Allies were Great Britain and France, after June 1941, Russia became part of the Allies. The United States didn't get involved until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The 82nd wasn't called up until 15 March 1942, under command of Gen. Omar Bradley. They began their combat training in Louisiana. Because of their high level of training and their Organized Reserve status, the 82nd Infantry Division was designated the Army's first airborne division, August, 1942, and renamed the 82nd Airborne Division. After the re-organization and name change in October of 1942, they were moved to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. They first arrived on the WWII scene in Casablanca, Morocco, on 10 May 1943.
The 82nd's first engagement after training in Morocco, was Sicily. Their first jump wasn't perfect, but got the job done, delaying the enemy. Two days later was not such a good day for jumping into Sicily. The paratrooper transports passed over the U.S. fleet. Mistaken for the enemy, the fleet shot down 23 of the transport planes, killing 81 paratroopers. The remaining portion of the paratroopers continued their fight, leading Lt. Gen. Patton's push westward. In the five days of fighting, they captured 23,000 prisoners.
Have you ever wondered how our paratroopers got to their designated locations... gliders.
It could have happened via the CG-15A Waco Glider. These gliders were part of the 325th Glider Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. Imagine yourself going into combat in a vehicle that has no motor, no weapons, and covered in canvas. The glider was used to get heavy equipment like howitzers, jeeps, and supplies to the battlefield. These gliders were capable of carrying 16 passengers or cargo + a pilot, and were towed by either a C-46, C-47, C-54, or B-24. at a speed of 120 mph. Once the glider landed, the pilot would meet up with squad he flew in; it took brave men to fly these gliders.
As part of the 325th Glider Regiment, he met up with his squad. June 1944, the platoon he was with, was advancing to secure a bridgehead across the Merderet River at La Fiere, France. At dawn they had penetrated the enemies outer line of machine guns and riflemen. Their unit was outnumbered, pinned down in a shallow ditch, and being decimated by enemy fire. He took it upon himself to create a distraction. Here comes the bravery part. PVC DeGlopper volunteered to fire his automatic rifle at the enemy so that the rest of the men could retreat about 40 yards through an opening in the hedgerow. While firing, he exposed himself to the enemy by walking out on to the road, continuously firing his weapon. Even though he was wounded and fading fast, he continued to create that necessary distraction. He died that day so that his fellow soldiers could escape. This gallantry aided in victory at Normandy.
September, 1944 would see one of the largest airborne assaults by the 82nd, it would happen in the Netherlands. Their objective was to seize bridges over the Maas and Waal Rivers, and hold the high ground between Nijmegen and Groesbeek. Most of the parachute drops were on target, and the Maas River bridge was captured. Three days later the 504th, 82nd, Company "C", and 307th Engineers captured the Waal River bridge. There was a high prize paid during the first wave of paratroopers... 50% loss of life... and still they , secured their bridge. It would be 56 days before they were relieved.
This battle saw an act of heroism as well. This young man is Pvt. John Towle, who was a rocket launcher (bazooka) gunner in "C" Company, 504th. This soldier single handedly broke up an enemy counter attack that consisted of 100 men, a half-track vehicle, and two tanks. PVC Towle saw that it would be disastrous if the enemy broke through their defensive position. Without orders, he climbed out of his foxhole, ran 200 yards through intense gun fire, to an exposed dike roadbed. From his new location he fired his bazooka, hitting both tanks. The damage did not destroy the tanks, though they did withdraw. After firing on the tanks he turned his attention to nine Germans that ran into a house for cover. He fired into the house and killed nine Germans. Reloading his weapon, he ran another 125 yards, and set his sights on the half-track. Before he could get his shot off he was killed by mortar fire. His gallantry saved the lives of his fellow soldiers, and the defensive position was maintained. For his actions he received the Medal of Honor (posthumously).
In November the 82nd left Holland for needed rest and refit... that didn't last long though. While they were trying to catch their breath, Hitler was planning a last ditch effort to capture the seaport of Antwerp, Belgium. By 16 December 1944, the 82nd had been ordered back into combat. Some fans of the war would recognize this as the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately the German forces broke through the American lines at Ardennes Forest in Belgium. Fortunately the 82nd got heads up, and by the next evening they were in combat, by January 1945, they stopped the German advancement.
The photo on the left is First Sergeant Leonard Alfred Funk Jr., the most decorated paratrooper in WWII. He received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart (x3), and the Medal of Honor. First Sergeant Funk was a soldier serving with "C" Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division (that's not multiple assignments).
His Medal of Honor story goes like this: they were in Belgium in the midst of a snowstorm, wading through waist-deep snow drifts, preparing for an attack. During the attack, the company executive officer became a casualty, so Funk assumed the role. Taking over the duties, he quickly formed the headquarters soldiers into a fighting unit for an assault in the face of direct artillery shelling, and harassing fire from his right flank. With this miscellaneous group, and the 3rd platoon, they cleared 15 houses, taking 30 prisoners... and suffer any casualties. With a fierce drive Company "C" overran Holzheim, another 80 prisoners were captured. Four guards were posted to watch the prisoners. The Germans created a distraction, and overtook the guards. 1st Sergeant Funk came around a building and found a machine gun in his stomach. The German officer ordered him to surrender. 1st Sergeant pretended to surrender, lowering the strap on his machine gun, only to level it and fire upon the German officer and soldiers. in that ensuing fight 21 Germans were killed and many wounded, the rest re-captured.
TAKE A BREAK.
After WWII, the 82nd came back home. Coming home did not mean that all was good, they would begin to train for the "Cold War" era. As I mentioned earlier, the 82nd was not a part of the Korean War.
Let's have a little history lesson... who were the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion?
The "Triple Nickles" were an experimental black paratrooper platoon. 17 of the original 20 members were from the 92nd Infantry (Buffalo) Division. 
Black soldiers in WWII were expected to drive trucks, haul ammo, serve the whites... but not jump out of airplanes. They received all the training the white paratroopers received, but never saw action in Europe.
Black soldiers in WWII were expected to drive trucks, haul ammo, serve the whites... but not jump out of airplanes. They received all the training the white paratroopers received, but never saw action in Europe.
The commanders in the European theatre were concerned about the conflicts that might arise between the blacks, and white supremists. The other concern was Japan sending incendiary devices via balloons, to start forest fires. Ultimately they were used on the west coast to fight forest fires, and became known as the first "Smoke Jumpers".
Class is over. So what happened after WWII... the 555th Infantry Battalion was finally absorbed into the Third Battalion, 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment, and the 555th was decommissioned. With the integration, the 82nd Airborne became the first integrated unit in the U.S. Army.
With the continuing Cold War in the 1960s, the 82nd Airborne was sent to the Congo in 1964, Dominican Republic in 1965, and the Congo again in 1967. In 1968 the 82nd saw action in Vietnam. Because of the quick deployment of 3rd Brigade personnel, many of which had just finished time in Vietnam, were offered the option to return to the states, and about 2,700 did. This created a shortfall which was addressed, but utilizing non 82nd Airborne personnel. This required a re-organization, and adding an "E" company to each infantry battalion. We all know the end result of this war, so let's move on.
We all remember Clint Eastwood as a Marine in Heartbreak Ridge, saving American students in Grenada... wrong, all branches took part in the rescue. 25 October 1983, the 82nd Airborne was ordered down to the Grenada to rescue the students, and prevent a Cuban-inspired Communist takeover. Their task force was from the 2nd Battalion, 325th Infantry, which left out of Pope Air Force Base. 26 and 27 October, the 1st Battalion, 505th Infantry and 1st Battalion 508th Infantry, and support units were also deployed. They did encounter the People's Army and Cuban forces, the conflict lasting several days, culminating in the rescue of the students. The last element of the 82nd returned to Ft. Bragg in December of 1983.
December of 1989 sees the 82nd in action again, this time in Panama. This was the first time since WWII that the All American Division engaged in a parachute combat assault. The objective of the action was to oust Noriega from power. With the mission complete, the 82nd returned home to Ft. Bragg.
No rest for the weary, August 1990 rolls around. This mobilization is thanks to Saddam Hussein, and his invasion of Kuwait. This operation would be known as Desert Shield. While the 82nd drew a line in the sand with their Sherman tanks, I was on a ship cutting one-mile squares in the Arabian Gulf. By February 1991, the situation escalated to shooting missiles, and aggressive ground attacks. This phase of the war came to be known as Desert Storm. I was still cutting one-mile squares in the gulf.
SIDEBAR: the ship I was stationed on was a nuclear power guided missile cruiser. Take a look at the description of my ship... you might think wow, a display of power. Here is how the Navy looked at it - let's put a nuclear ship in a gulf, full of mines, some broken loose from their moorings, and we'll put them in command of the minesweepers clearing the mines. We could hear, and sometimes see the minesweeps exploding loose mines. I was responsible for a group/watch of people that spent four to eight hours a day looking for loose mines... we didn't want to be part of any explosion.
After 2001 the world changed with terrorism rearing its ugly head. For the 82nd, they were ready to attack terrorism at the source, and in 2003 they spent many a day in Afghanistan... over 17 years.
All pieces of this group are elite in their own right, and should be honored as such.
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