"The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. Things go wrong when good men do nothing."



EAGLE TALK

By Mark A. Bando

Bi-Monthly Voice of the website created by Mark A. Bando

REMEMBER SEPTEMBER 11th!

Much of the current eagle division is on their third deployment to the devil's sandbox, while the 4th brigade began its latest deployment in mid March.
We all owe these heroes a debt we cannot repay, for doing the dangerous duty that relatively few individuals can handle. They, along with our other military forces are the first line sentinels who risk it all to preserve and protect our way of life.

Regarding the question of whether parachute troops still have a place in the 21st Century Army,
General David H.Petraeus stressed the type of individuals these units attract.
He is quoted as saying:
"There's value in having people who have confronted their fears...
it takes something to jump out of an airplane without being attached to anything."





Article for May-June, 2008 "101st Airborne spoken here..."



Webmaster Visits 2/506th Infantry in Afghanistan As many of you know, Bando spent the month of April, 2008 with Company B, 2/506th Infantry, the new 'Band of Brothers', as they began a 15 month deployment in southern Afghanistan. The ultimate purpose of this visit was to gather material for some then & now books, comparing our present-day heroes with the troopers of WW2. B Co. is the 2nd rifle company in 2/506th, as Easy Co. was in WW2-this is how we arrived at the current lineage.

I had missed the initial deployment of 2nd battalion,which began in mid-March, because it took place during my long pre-planned whale watching trip (see ET March-April 08). I flew down to the Ft Campbell area on 27 March and met with Lt Kyle Hatzinger and Sgt Dan Kemp, my friends from the 2nd BCT (502 Inf). As it turned-out, I would fly over with 1st Bn 506th, which deployed two weeks later than 2nd battalion.
On departure night, Kyle helped me get my baggage in the right place and took me to the gym where 1st Bn 506th was waiting for bus rides to the airfield. This was a bizzarre experience because we went in the buses around 0300 in the dead of night and listened to LOUD heavy metal music in the buses, enroute. Kyle had introduced me to Lt. Phil Moffatt of B Co 1st Bn, who had been a classmate of his at the USMA (06). Phil is a great guy and real friendly and helpful, the kind of guy you feel you've known all your life, even though you just met him. Here's a photo of Trent Aisner, a B/1st Bn soldier who was seriously wounded by an IED in Iraq in 2006, posing with Lt Moffatt at Portsmouth N.H. We stopped there for refueling and were met by a welcoming party of veterans and airport employees of the 'Live Free or Die' state. The local VFW, Marine Corps League and others were on hand and we had to run a gauntlet of handshakes and hugs to a big reception. These N.H. people do a great job and are much appreciated by the troops, as they greet many planeloads of deploying soldiers. The 1st Bn troopers assembled for a group photo and sang 'Rendezvous with Destiny' for the crowd. During this, I saw a pretty teenaged girl burst into tears and rush out of the room. I knew there was a story here and upon further investigation, I learned she was the sister of one of the deploying soldiers. This is Sgt Kevin Doyle with his parents, brother and sister. They drove two hours to the Portsmouth airport, on the chance that Kevin might be on this flight. When they attended the reception and Kevin's 16 year old sister saw him, she was overcome by emotion and had to leave the room. I caught-up with the family after the official ceremonies were ended and took the photo above. Sgt Doyle is a graduate of the Airborne school and had previously been to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne, where he was cited for outstanding leadership in combat. LTC Tony DeMartino, Doyle's current Battalion Commander, has selected him to be one of his personal bodyguards in the PSD (Personal Security Detachment), where Kevin is armed with a .12 gauge pump shotgun, with a pistol grip.

During a week of traveling with the 1st Bn Currahees, I met many great soldiers, including the 1st Bn B.C., also Captain Lee'Spencer' Wallace, the B Co. C.O., (no relation to Claude Wallace, I asked), also Captain Mike Eliassen, the C Co. commander, Captain Hill, the D Co. C.O., 1st Sgt Tommy Scott, who previously served with 1st Sgt Whetstone of B 2d Bn in Iraq, Captain James Whithorn, the A Co. commander, Sgts Jeremy Wilcox, Tim Moriarty, Mike Zibell, Jeff Pregent, and Mike Boganowski. I also met Spc Mike Westmoreland, who was seriously wounded in the neck in Iraq in 06, when a RPG was fired at him from the window of a passing taxi in Baghdad. Mike is related to the famous General William Westmoreland, of Vietnam fame.
Many of these great soldiers served together previously in Iraq. Some of them also told me they could have left the Army and/or otherwise avoided going on this deployment. They were here to take care of their buddies, even though the prospect of more suffering and combat was not a happy outlook for the immediate future. As such, they were not happy about going back to combat, but wanted to be with their buddies.
They are truly a band of brothers.

Astrological ConnectionsThanks to my penchant for learning people's birthdays, some interesting facts began to emerge. Trent Aisner of Midland, TX (pictured above) was the first member of 1st Bn to introduce himself to me. He became very helpful in introducing me to others and explaining current weapons and equipment. His birthday turned-out to be December 14, the same day as my wife, Candace...doesn't mean anything, but then it might mean something.
When I finally caught-up with 2nd Bn at Kandahar, I was speaking with Mike Hilliard, who I had met at Ft Campbell in February. Mike had been shot in the head in 2006 in Iraq on 2/506th's 1st deployment as part of the 101st ABD. In discussing my flight over with 1st Bn guys, I learned that he was good friends with Trent Aisner, despite the fact they were from different battalions. Because both had been seriously wounded in 06, they had met while in a temporary unit for recuperating wounded soldiers. Mike is a Gemini, born 1 day after my son Christopher (June 2, 1984). Trent is born the same day as my wife and Mike Hilliard's sister is born on 15 October (my birthday). Also learned that Mike took basic training with Mike Boganowski, another 1st battalion man I met while flying over. "BOG" is born on 3 June-another significant day to me, as I had a girlfriend for 5 years, who was born on June 3rd. (I also have a June 3rd militaria collector buddy who lives in Florida;his wife is born on October 15th.)
Out of the scores of 1st Bn soldiers I flew over with, only a relative handful actually met me, and those mentioned above were among the few guys I met and became acquainted with.

3200 new US Marines Join the fight in Afghanistan And now a break from the Army, to honor the mighty US Marine Corps. I saw some 3200 of these tough guys pass through Kandahar in the month of April, 2008, enroute to their mission in Helmand Province. It seemed sad that they didn't have a journalist covering their activities. From all appearances, these guys are as proud and tough as any Devil Dogs who have worn the uniform of US Marines in previous conflicts-an impressive-looking bunch for sure. I took a photo of this small group from the weapons company, 2/7th Marines at Kandahar-they belong to a group whose insignia is a black flag bearing the grinning Jolly Roger skull logo.
Best of luck to these guys. Semper Fi

Meet Some of the B Co.Troopers of 2/506th Infantry

Alright, I admit it. This guy is one of my favorites in B Co.
William 'Shane' Fisher, a 3rd platoon member, is a December 9th Sagittarius-Tiger, from Bassett, VA. His best buddy is Tim LaFountain a May 23 Gemini-Snake. Shane's brother was tragically killed in a freak accident while at Ft Sill, OK, for training. A stray .50 caliber bullet hit him on 3 October, 2007. In the coming weeks, I'll post a photo of Shane's brother and some additional details about him. If you wish to write to Shane, his address is: PV2 William Fisher, Co. B 2/506th INF, APO AE 09355

The leaders of B Co. are great guys and there are too many to mention here, but I should mention Captain Dave Conner, the new Dick Winters, who is the son of a battalion fire chief in Joliet, IL and a former child prodigy musician. Dave is a very personable but determined leader.
1st Sgt Roosevelt Whetstone is one of the handful of African-American troopers in B Co. A career noncom, he was previously deployed with another company of 2/506th in Iraq in 05/06.
Platoon Sergeants SFC Frank Turbyfill (1st-aka "Sgt T"), SFC Landon Ranker (2d), and SFC Russell 'Rusty' Burke (3rd) all bring priceless experience to their platoons, while platoon leaders Lt. Joe Walsh (1st), Lt Jonathan Bate (2nd), and Lt. Concho Moore (3rd) are all leaders who inspire a lot of confidence from their subordinates.
Walsh (OCS), is a classic product of South Boston, who lives by the outspoken policy of "my troops come first". He is the most outspoken of the officers and he looks like the miniature of someone much larger. In any case, he is 'larger than life'.
Lt Bate's men make jokes about the many ways in which Bate is badder than Chuck Norris. He was the top graduate of 900 men in his West Point class of 2006 and his men are obviously proud of him.
Concho Moore is a tall Airborne School graduate from San Angelo, TX-a man of few words but a respected leader.
The company XO is Lt. Abraham Rush, an unusual looking guy with red hair and aqua blue eyes,who does a tremendous amount to coordinate every move the company will make and is the facilitator, who works closely with Captain Conner.
Supply Sgt Ryan Sperk is a 19 December Sagittarius, who explained to me what a supply sgt does. Among other things, he showed me how subdued 101st Airborne SSI's and Airborne tabs arrive in plastic bags containing 20 each. With my interest in Insignia, I thought this was interesting enough to take a picture of: The current eagle patches arrive with velcro already sewn to the reverse, for easy application to ACUs. The tabs and shields come in separate packages but are issued in pairs. Sgt Sperk says replacements are frequently requested, due to patches being lost when they tear- off from rubbing against heavier equipment, etc.



More Intrepid Warriors of Company B The lower-ranking Sgts, like Barnes, Cha, Denby, Estes, Fisher, Gardner, Hilliard, McClelland, McGuire, Neureuter, OBrien, Poetsch, Rashid, Rosas, Tupuloa, and others, the various Docs (medics), like Vondrell Phillips, Chris Andrew Cantu, and John Humphries, are all guys that anyone would be proud to serve with. Lt Mo Hickman and the F.O. teams (2 men to each platoon) and the mortar squad under Sgt Geoff Riordan (16 October Libra Snake, Abn School grad with 11 years service), are all key elements in making the company a total fighting force.
I know I've left out some important leaders here and have barely mentioned all the enlisted personnel who are the backbone of the company. Pvt Randall Moore is another of my favorites-he is the guy from TN who owns the menagerie of exotic animals. Randall loaned me a spare Kabar knife on the ridge where I spent my 1st night in the field-it was my only armament.

When my books are published, I hope to have a photo and some info on every guy in the company.



How to Send Letters or Gifts to Support them: I've been asked for names and addresses, where folks in the states can mail presents to the screaming eagles who are now serving in Afghanistan. Let me introduce one representative from each of B Company's three platoons. You can send them powdered Gatoraid, hand sanitizer in small bottles, toe and hand warmers for use at night, Louisiana hot sauce and any other goodies your imagination can conjure-up. Unusual snacks are a good idea. Various varieties of Beef Jerky are also welcome. These guys can buy mainstream candy bars, like Reese's Peanut Butter cups and M&Ms at the base BX. But they don't have access to more obscure types of candy, nor do they have a lot of discretionary money to spend on personal food or luxuries. No alcoholic beverages allowed. These individuals will distribute the items to guys in their platoon. S/Sgt Joe McClelland is a 6 year veteran of the US Army, also a graduate of the Airborne school. He has 2 prior Middle East deployments with the 82nd Airborne. Joe did one deployment to Afghanistan and one to Iraq with 3/504, which was later changed to the 508th. He is one of the seasoned NCOs to be found in each platoon. The experience these guys bring to the company is priceless. Joe is very outspoken in his views and reminds me a lot of my former police partner John Woodington, who shares Joe's birthdate of 15 November. Yes people do often tell him he resembles actor Kevin Bacon.
To send things to members of Joe's 1st platoon, use him as contact person.
His mail address is : S/Sgt Joe McClelland, Co. B 2/506th INF, APO AE 09355.

Mike Hilliard (l) is the young man I mentioned previously, who was struck by an AK 47 bullet near the left temple during his 2006 deployment in Iraq. Mike is a Gemini and his nickname in the company is 'Blackbeard Delight'. Shown with him, is the platoon Playboy, Sgt Ryan Estes, nicknamed "Cheese" for his lactose intolerence. These guys are best buddies and they served in Iraq together with Spc Misael Perez.
You can send goodies for the 2nd platoon c/o Sgt Mike Hilliard, Co. B 2/506th INF, APO AE 09355

Spc Sam Sanchez is a 41 year old veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, during which he served in an Armored Infantry unit of the 3rd Armored Division. After getting-out of the army for 15 years, he recently re-enlisted and now serves as RTO for Lt. Concho Moore, his platoon leader. His nickname in the company is 'Dirty Sanchez'. As a Gulf War vet, he brings a wealth of combat experience to his platoon. Sam was appointed to be my liason to meeting members of B Co. back at Ft Campbell. Not surprisingly, we get along well, as his birthday is one day before my wife's birthday (13 December).
To mail goodies to members of Sam's 3rd platoon, write: Spc Sam Sanchez, Co B 506th INF, APO AE 09355

More Buddies Whenever I determined there were pairs of best friends, I took a photo of them together. Here are two examples of many:
This pair is Justin Tagg, a Cancer Snake from Ft Worth, TX and his buddy Benjamin Park, a Libra Rabbit, known as 'Sloth', from Baltimore, MD. Sloth, who has lost over 100 pounds during his 6 months in the Army(due to training and swearing-off soda pop), describes his friendship with Tagg as "a love/hate relationship". These guys belong to the Third platoon.

The shortest and tallest in 3rd platoon are best buddies. Evan Irr, a Libra Dragon from Ft Lauderdale, FL, is about 5'5 and is known as 'Mighty Mouse'. His pal John Wayne Meeks from Lake Dallas, TX is one of the older men in the company at 33 and stands 6'3. Meeks is a Taurus Rabbitt.



Memorial Service for Two Fallen British Airmen About a week after I arrived at Kandahar air base, two British airmen, whose job it was to patrol the perimeter of the base, were killed when their vehicle ran over a hidden land mine, not 2 miles outside the wire. No telling how long the mine had been hidden there-the vehicle-a Land Rover, had strayed off to the side at a stream crossing, deviating from the path taken by preceeding vehicles, when the mine exploded. Two passengers in the vehicle survived and two others were KIA. Of the killed, one was 23 years old and the other in his late 40s, the father of three.
About 5 days later, hundreds of soldiers of many nationalities stationed at Kandahar, came to the airfield to attend a memorial service and thus pay last respects to these fallen airmen.
The ceremonies took place on a beautiful, sunny afternoon. The groups assembled by nationalities with Commonwealth soldiers swinging their arms in wide arcs, as they marched. Bagpipes escorted the coffins draped with Union Jack flags to the rear ramp of a plane which would carry them back to England. A Scottish minister conducted the service. Here's the type of patrol vehicle the British airmen were patrolling in when they were killed. It seems these vehicles don't have nearly the degree of armored protection that our armored humvees have. But this is what the troops who patrol the Kandahar perimeter are given to work with.



Air Assault on 24 April, 2008 I had the honor of going into an air assault on one of many helicopters bearing two rifle companies of 2/506th. The target area was a village 45 minutes by air from Kandahar. It is suspected that the Taliban is making bombs to plant on Highway A-1 there, and using the area as a sanctuary. We hit a cold LZ and mostly discovered that the locals were hiding and the Taliban had retreated to caves in a nearby mountain. I took the photo above that afternoon, after elements of B Co. had secured the village. This assault was uneventful, although one of the Terps (Afghani interpreters) threw-up in his chopper enroute to the LZ, causing several B Co. men to also toss their cookies. Fortunately, this didn't happen on the bird I was riding-in.
The photo above was taken at sundown 4-25-08, near Kalay, Afghanistan, on a ridge defended by machine-gunners of B/2/506th Infantry. The eagle patch I wore in the assault had been made in Iraq and was worn by Sgt Dan Kemp of the 2nd Brigade on one of his prior deployments. On the air assault, I wore the WWII dogtags of Pfc Don Zahn (H/506th) around my neck and strung through my belt loop and into my right front pants pocket were dogtags with my info and a St Michael's Medal.

Much more photo coverage will be presented in my books, which I hope to have in print before Christmas of 2009.

Coming and Going Flying over to the middle east with 1st Bn 506th from Ft Campbell, we rode commercial airliners (Miami Air), but starting in Manas and on my return flights with the 508th, it was all military aircraft (several C-17's and one C-5). Going over, it took us 6 days to get to our ultimate destinations, after being stuck 3 nights in Manas and several more in Bagram. In fact 1st Bn was still awaiting flights to FOB Salerno at the time I left them for Kandahar. Coming back, I was two nights in Bagram, three in Manas and one in Germany. The photo above was taken by a Polish soldier, who was enroute home after serving near Ghazni. I was taking a last minute nap before getting my flight to Germany. This was in a huge tent in Manas-one of several, which can accomodate nearly 300 troops each.



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Thanks to a lot of hard work by our Dutch friends like Erwin Janssen and Bogie, the 2nd European Trigger Time Convention is on track and scheduled for the last day of May and 1st day of June, 2008. Erwin has a full itinerary planned and all who attend with historical interest will find it a worthwhile learning experience. Watch the TT Forum for updates and more details as the dates draw closer.

Here is info on Trigger Time convention #3 as sent to me by Rich Riley:

Just a reminder that the annual Trigger Time Convention is coming up August 8-10th, 2008. It will be held in Chicago, Illinois and registration will begin on Friday, August 8th, at 4pm at the Hotel. We are staying and meeting at the Sheraton 4 Points O'Hare at Schiller Park.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/p...?propertyID=849

When booking let them know that you are attending the Trigger Time convention and give them the dates. ***ONE IMPORTANT NOTE. PLEASE RESERVE YOUR ROOM ASAP WITH THE HOTEL. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE KNOW HOW MANY ARE ATTENDING SO WE CAN MAKE THE PROPER ARRANGEMENTS.They will not charge you at that time and if you cancel within their required time frame, they will not charge you either. PLEASE BOOK AS SOON AS YOU CAN! Below is the tentative list of WWII Airborne Vets that are planning on attending.
Don Burgett A/506
Don Brininstool A/506
Fred Bahlau H/C/Sv/506
Lou Vecchi H/506
Alex Andros H/506
Al Mampre E/2/506 Medic
Frank Perconte E/2/506
Glen Derber HQ-2/501
Willis Rohr A/327
Don't miss this great opportunity to just hang out with our great Airborne vets. We will enjoy their company at breakfast, lunch and dinner.



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Webmaster's New 7th book NOW IN PRINT
but NO MAIL ORDERS HERE Here's the ad which Zenith Presss ran in the latest issue of WW2 Magazine. There are various additional ordering options, including Amazon.com and visiting your local bookstore.

Zenith Press, a division of MBI Publishing has released this large-format coffee table book as part of their 'High Style' series. Some of you have already seen examples of this type book in Eric Hamel's USMC books on the Pacific war:'Pacific Warriors', 'Iwo Jima', and 'Guadalcanal'.
This new book of mine retails at $40- per copy, contains 250 vintage 101st WWII photos (162 of the photos are previously unpublished) accompanying a 50,000 word text of all 'new' war stories. This is a brief history of the entire screaming eagle division in WWII. The last chapter of the book deals with collecting 101st artifacts, uniforms, insignia and other memorabilia and is illustrated in color photos.
Now that the book is released I will NOT be filling mail orders.
The book is available at Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and Amazon.com.
Initially, Borders Books was not going to handle this edition. But they have reportedly re-considered their opinion, because Ken Burns cited two of my books as sources for his series 'The WAR' on PBS.
Also because Publishers'Weekly cited my new book, 'Screaming Eagles in WW2' as one of four significant new books on WWII published in the last quarter of 2007.

Anyone who purchases a copy from the various sources cited above, can get their copy signed by the author at the next event where we meet in person. I'll also be selling copies at future militaria shows and 101st-related reunions.
Update: March, 2008:
See the BOOKS page for reader reviews of my 7th book.
This book has already gone into a 2nd printing-THANKS to all of you who purchased it and made this happen.


Have you read AVENGING EAGLES yet?- See the Books page
http://www.101airborneww2.com/books.html
For ordering information on the webmaster's 6th book.
Each month more and more titles on WWII get published and they crowd the shelves of bookstores. Sadly, the vast majority of these titles offer nothing new in the way of stories or information. What many authors call "research" is no more than reading a bunch of previously-published books on the same subject and taking eclectic passages from each, scrambling them into a 'new' variation and calling it a book. Along with the previously-told stories, a lot of erroneous information also gets repeated as well, which only serves to reinforce public myths and misconceptions.
'Avenging Eagles'covers new ground and there is no precedent for it in previously- published works. It is the result of primary source research, i.e. veteran interviews, conducted over a period spanning almost four decades.
Read 'Avenging Eagles' and discover a lot of material that you won't get anywhere else, presented for the first and only time in this book. Wade through the mountain of book- report books and discover something tailor-made for the discerning reader.
Just say 'no' to the recycled pablum found in most available history tomes.
The stories in 'Avenging Eagles' range from outrageously funny to shocking or poignant.
This is a unique tribute to the WWII warriors of the mighty Eagle Division.
Order 'Avenging Eagles' today and discover what you've been missing.
Thanks for your interest in my books.







JOIN THE BURGETT FAN CLUB Update: -Don Burgett is pictured above right with MB, in September, 2005, in front of St Catharina's church,in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. After sending Don to Normandy in May of 05, the DBFC Members made it possible for Don to tour Holland and Belgium with a small group of 101st WW2 relatives and history fans. The trip was a success and Don called to tell me he enjoyed this one more than any of his previous return trips to Europe.
The Fan Club now has over 100 members. The DBFC continues, now on Don's own website.
To join, send a $25-(minimum)check, made out to Donald R. Burgett
All dues and requests for membership should be addressed to:
The Don Burgett Fan Club
4848 Vines Road
Howell, MI
48843-9513





The WWII Airborne Demonstration Team The mission of the WWII ADT, is to honor all WW2 veterans, by performing parachute jumps from WW2 vintage aircraft, using round canopy chutes, at low altitudes. The team jumps at air shows, WW2 reunions, and in ETO historic locations such as Normandy and Holland. Once on the ground, the team members, dressed in WW2 jumpsuits and wearing WW2 weapons and equipment, do living history displays, to educate and inform the public about what WW2 American paratroopers wore, used and looked like.

The webmaster of this site joined the WWII ADT, by attending their jump school and graduating with five parachute jumps, in July, 2005. This was taken on graduation day, 23 July, 2005, c/o the WWII ADT website, via Terry Webb.

This helmet camera video was shot in January, 2007, by ADT member Tom Boyle.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v7e5mKh708
It shows what we do and gives the viewer a unique perspective of what a jumper actually sees, in the plane and while exiting, descending and landing on a parachute jump.

1st Sgt Richard Wolf-Man With the Vision Richard Wolf founded the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team in 1997. He was a Special Forces Ops Sgt for 24 years, starting in 1960. His MOS was : 11-B/4-S, with a specialty in munitions. Sgt Wolf served in the 5th, 8th and 12th SF groups, mainly in far east areas, ranging from Okinawa, and Nam to Panama.
Top was born a Scorpio Goat, in 1943. He grew-up in a neighborhood filled with WW2 veterans and became fascinated with their endless war stories as a child. Other veterans of the same war later trained him, when he entered the Army. Always, he recognized the greatness and sacrifices of that generation and he eventually evolved the idea of a unique method of honoring them. Thus was born the ADT, a non-profit organization, run by individuals like Sgt Wolf who contribute their time and expertise, to train volunteers as WW2 style parachutists. Those volunteers will then execute the mission of jumping at air shows, veteran reunions and on European DZs, on landmark anniversaries. The mission is not only to honor the veterans, but to educate the public and inform them of the uniforms, weapons and equipment used by WW2 paratroopers.
1st Sgt Wolf is the man with a mission. The entire concept of the WWII ADT, to Remember, Honor and Serve the WWII veterans via WW2 style Airborne Demonstrations, was his. He has brought this dream into reality and for those of us who have graduated the school, he is the symbol of our success.
Sgt Wolf lost his wonderful wife of many years, in mid 2006. Our best wishes and prayers are with him.

Other ADT staff members include Col. George Hicks and Captain Jan Petronek, (commanders of the Team and the jump school) and Bobby Yarberry, a long-time Special Forces Rigger. All of these special men are products of the state of Oklahoma and all have many years of service in the U.S. Army.

WWII ADT FriendsI met these guys at summer 2005 WWII ADT jump school and we have since traveled together and remained friends. This photo was made in front of the Chateau Bel Enault in May 2007. 'Beleneau' is my base of operations when staying in Normandy. It is situated about 3km NE of Carentan and Col. Johnson of the 501PIR posed in this exact spot in June, 1944 with his bodyguards. This photo represents the fulfillment of a short-term dream, to visit Normandy with friends met at the WWII ADT.

Ted Wooding (l) is a real estate developer from MA. He is also my Libra/Ox Alter-Ego and a world-class athlete.
Rodney R. Roycroft flew jets in the Navy for eight years and is now a overseas pilot for Delta airlines. Rodney has managed to accumulate more jumps than both Ted & I since 7/05 and he has jumped at some air shows and reunions, which I have yet to do.

WWIIADT and the LJT-Two Separate Organizations

As many of you already know, but some are still unaware, the jump team that was seen in Normandy in 2006- and 2007 was the LJT. Some of the members of that team are former ADT jumpers, who, for various personal reasons, left to form a new team in 2005. I will not go into discussing all the politics involved, because each time I do, it stirs-up a hornet's nest of controversy. Just be aware that these are two separate organizations.

False rumors have been circulating, that the WWII ADT has dissolved and no longer exists. As of this update (Nov.2007), this is far from the truth. A relatively small percentage of the team's members have left, while over 30 new members have graduated the ADT jump school in the past year.
For the WWII ADT, it's onward and upward, as their mission to Remember, Honor and Serve the WW2 veterans is still moving ahead. It will be interesting to see what the coming months and years will bring. I took this photo in late 2006, at the Toccoa WWII weekend.
l. to r.: Allen, Lucas, Critter and Alex, three of whom are former ADT members, posed with copies of the webmaster's books. We still run into each other at various events and are still friends, despite the differing views of our respective teams' leadership echelons. To them and others who have switched teams, I wish you safe landings in the future and I suspect we'll meet again, at various WWII-related functions.

Normandy Tour Services2006 marks the 62nd anniversary of D-day, and for those of you who will be visiting Normandy, I can recommend the following services, since I won't be there to guide you:

Paul Woodage (A TT Forum regular known as Reccewoody) and his capable staff run daily bus tours, visiting all the significant sites in both the U.S. and Commonwealth sectors of the Debarquement. Paul W. is a relentless student of all obscure details of the landings. By all accounts I've heard, his tours are a first rate experience.

A new service run from home base in St Mere Eglise, is the D-Day Battle Tours, run by Englishman Ellwood von Seibold. Elwood has the utmost respect for Paul W's knowledge and his operation, but with the large number of tourists anticipated this year, Elwood's service can help take-up the aspiring tourists that overflow from Paul's tour service. You can find Elwood at his Cafe, near the SE corner of the church square in St Mere, or phone him at: 33(0)2 33 94 44 13.
His website can be accessed at: www.ddaybattletours.com
Or email Ellwood at: Ellwood@ddaybattletours.com




The Historian's Mission: Get the Facts Straight Webmaster's note: This story, as well as 'Solving Another Mystery', have moved to page 5 of the War Stories Section. MB



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THE PHOTO GALLERY HAS MOVED TO PAGE 2 OF WAR STORIES





THE USUAL SUSPECTS-REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS TO THE TRIGGER TIME FORUM Paul Adamic a.k.a. Kickoff Red (l) is a fireman in Joliet, IL and also a WW2 reenactor-his medical captain impression at Rockford, IL is pictured above. Paul is researching a book on Baker Co. of the 502nd PIR in WW2.
Emmanuel Allain (r) was born March 29, 1968 (Aries). He's married, no children, and is a historian and collector of 502nd PIR in Normandy. Emmanuel (a.k.a. Manu) lives in Normandy and is compiling a history of Company E of the 502 PIR-one of the 'other' Easy Companies of the 101st Airborne, to be published in 2005.

These two History buffs reside in Minnesota. Ryan Baker (l) is a sales rep, history fan and distance runner. He's a typical Aries robust, outdoors type, who has challenged Mt. Currahee on numerous occasions.
History teacher Kurt Barickman (r), does WW2 living history projects for his students in Albert Lea, MN, and is an avid Airborne militaria collector. Kurt is a U.S. Navy veteran who lost a brother KIA with the USMC in Vietnam. He is also a runner.
Because Frank Drebin complained about the previous photo of Kurt looking too 'mean', I've posted this kinder, gentler pic, taken in Normandy, in 2004.

Mark Barber a.k.a. 'Smokejumper'writes:
"I work as an industrial maintenance supervisor at one of the worlds largest aluminum extruders/fabrcators- Hydro Aluminum. Love to fish as I live just a couple miles from the ocean and also deer hunt. As a family we love to visit historic places and camp. I read A LOT - exclusively military history".
Mark is shown above, with his son Chris- in a photo made at the WW2 Memorial.
Above right, is Spartanburg, S.C. TV newsman Tom Colones, who contributes more stories and photos to the forum than anyone else-even the webmaster. Tom served in the US Army several decades ago and now works for Channel 62. WASV, a UPN station.

Joe Beyrle II is a Vietnam War survivor of the 101st Airborne, and an avid WW2 history buff. His dad is the Joe Beyrle of I/506th PIR, who is the subject of the book 'The Simple Sounds of Freedom', more recently re-published with the title:'Behind Enemy Lines'. The photo of Joe at left was taken in Vietnam in 1969, when Joe was a member of the 326th Airborne Engineer Bn. The more recent photo at right, shows what Joe looks like today.

David Berry(l) is THE go-to guy, for info on WW2 Pathfinders. He has been interviewing them for over a quarter century now and has talked to an incredible number of them-over 150, mostly from the 82nd Airborne Division. Dave lives in the Dayton, OH area and ably fields most of the 82nd-related and PF-related questions on the TT forum.
Barb and Mike Bigalke(r) are longtime friends of the webmaster. Mike is a retired mailman, and an avid Airborne collector and history buff. The Bigalkes reside in Marengo, IL.

IAIN Bramwell (l) resides in Manchester, England, and is a WW2 history buff with main emphasis on the Airborne landings of the Normandy Invasion.
Robert 'Drew' Cook (r) is an avid Airborne History buff and a policeman in Cincinatti, OH. A long time Airborne History buff, Drew is a detail guy, who frequently corrects and informs the webmaster on various facts. Drew went to Normandy with me in 2000.

John DeNeef at upper left is a Dutch friend of the 101st, who resides in western Holland. This battlefield archaeologist is a former member of the Triple A reenactment group and posts on the TT forum under the screen name of 'John502'.

Frenk Derks van de Ven(rt) is another Dutch Airborne friend and Corridor historian, known on the forum as 'JoeMann44'.

Kevin Distel lives and works in NYC. He is an avid history buff and musician, an occasional poster on the forum and a frequent lurker. He has toured Normandy, Holland and Bastogne with the webmaster.

Raphael Giot lives in Givry, Belgium, west of Champs (NW of Bastogne) and is a Forum regular who posts under the screen name of 'Giopolis'. I had fun touring the Bastogne perimeter seeking 'Then & Now locations with Giopolis and Laurent Olivier in early October, 2007.

Anthony Ilnicki is a member of the F/501 reenactment group in Belgium-he is better known to Forum regulars under his screen name of 'Snoup Dog'.

Lynn Kessler has been a forum regular for several years now. As you can see from the photo, he is into 101st reenacting and he also does the 7th Bn. of the Black Watch at timelines, parades and tacticals.
He paints military miniatures and customizes and collects 1/6th scale figures. He is a Pisces Goat and his job description: sales support for Konica Minolta Business Solutions (copier manufacturer).
He also wrote and published "Never In Doubt --Remembering Iwo Jima" in 1999, through Naval Institute Press

Craig McAvoy (l) is a resident of the U.K.and a Scot, who is a descendant of the legendary Lt. Joe McGregor (E/501) who was KIA at Recogne, Belgium, during the battle of Bastogne. This 2002 photo was taken at the Wings of Liberation Museum near Best, Holland. Craig appears with his kids, Steven(6), & Jennifer (2).The kids seemed to enjoy the museum exhibits, but Craig suspects that they might have liked the ice cream more than anything.


Ann Durnin McKendry lives on Long Island and is a physical therapist. She has also been designated as my symbolic sister by her mom, Pegg Mero-Durnin, whose brother T/4 Joseph Mero was KIA in WW2, as a member of HQ/2 501 PIR. Pegg has become my surrogate 'udder mudder'and Ann has become a regular 501st reunion guest and occasional poster on the TT forum.

Brandon McMorries is a Grandson of the legendary 501st machine-gunner Melton"Tex"McMorries. He lives and works in the Midland, TX area and has toured Holland and Belgium with the webmaster.

Stephane Molitor is another European history fan, known to forum regulars by his screen name of 'KELSO'.



Laurent Olivier (L) has been a career officer in the Belgian Navy for almost two decades. Maybe he will move to the USA after he retires?
Laurent was the sparkplug who organized the 1st European TT Convention and he is a major booster of the webmaster's books and the TT website in continental Europe.

Stan Ortman is a financial analyst in the Kokomo, IN area, an occasional poster and frequent lurker on the forum. He is an avid WW2 history buff and has also toured Belgium and the Netherlands with the webmaster.

Mark Patterson (l) is known to Forum visitors as 'Sparkyasundevil',which derives from his being a big Arizona state fan. Mark lives in Chandler Arizona with his wife Sandy and two teenaged kids: Whitney and Ryan. Mark collects both British and U.S. Airborne- related items, focusing more on the U.S. stuff. He's also heavily involved in Scottish Highland Games, with Whitney being an accomplished dancer. The Patterson's originally hail from Northern Ireland. Mark's family has a long history of military service, (his father served with The Irish Guards and later the SAS). His cousin was with the British Para's during the Falkland Islands operation. Mark served in the 82nd Airborne and sustained significant jump injuries. He is a typically outspoken (read blunt) Leo.
More recently, Mark P. has become well-known for designing and making the memorial stained glass window which now graces the famous French church with bloody pews from D-day wounded at Angoville au Plein in Normandy. He has also started his own tour guide service for Normandy battle areas.

James Parker is a Reb Airborne collector from Tennessee. Wily but personable, he is an eagle patch addict and has compiled an impressive collection of WWII vintage insignia.



The Mysterious Jake Powers has lived all over the east coast and is a man of many talents and many occupations. He is the master of the large deal, a long-time friend of the Easy 506th veterans, a surrogate son to Major R.D. Winters, and a major supporter of the webmaster, Bando books, and the TT website.


Rich Riley above right, is a 40 year old Airborne history enthusiast, who resides in the Cleveland, OH area. Rich's father was tragically KIA in the Vietnam War. Rich has interviewed most of the WWII 101st veterans in northern Ohio and he hosted the 2nd Annual TT Convention, in August, 2007.

Norman Sibbald is a Scotsman, living in the north of England. He is an avid WW2 history buff and has been lucky enough to visit Normandy (his christian name is pure coincidence!) on many occasions. Norm's late father-in-law was an navigator in Halifax bombers and flew on many missions during the war.
Bando's TT tour group met Norman for 1/2 day in France on 14 August, 2004. Norman did a research project-on site in 2005/06, re: the docks at Glasgow, Scotland, where he discovered some interesting info. He is a gentleman and a scholar.



Mark Stephenson (l) has done a detailed and scholarly study of the Bizory-Foy Belgium areas northeast of Bastogne. He has visited the area personally and the research continues. His frequent posts pertaining to that subject have been a real asset to the forum. Mark lives 'out east' and is tall, athletic, and smart. He is also an extremely talented fine artist, who can duplicate paintings of the old masters with oil paints.
Bob Talbert (r) is a younger brother of Floyd 'Tab' Talbert of E/506th PIR. Bob served as a paratrooper in the 11th ABD in Japan right after WW2 and later became Executive Vice President of the National Electrical Contractors Association, in the Detroit area. Currently, Bob is almost a neighbor of the webmaster, as he lives about 15 minutes away, in Dearborn, MI.

Jeff Thomas (l) is a lifelong Detroiter, who resides near the Webmaster and shares an interest in WW2 history. As a typical disgruntled employee of the City of Detroit, Jeff must endure many of the same indignities which I experienced during my time working for inept political appointees, who place racial politics above all else.

Tom Timmermans is a great guy who I met at the 1st European TT Convention. A Dutchie who conducts investigations into battle locations and artifacts, he has a website called 'Battle Detective.com'and he also posts on the TT Forum as Battle Detective.

Don van den Bogert, Born 1968, typical Cancer. Father of 3 boys, Dex, Dakota and Chrissy, married to Sophia. Runs his own website, www.pararesearchteam.com with over 1.800 pages. Loves to spend time traveling and researching with his Dutch mates; Martijn, Erwin, Pieter and Tom. TT screenname: Bogeyz.

Forum regular Eric van de Sande posts on the forum under the screen name "AT BEST". He is one of our Dutch Airborne friends, from the Corridor.

WW 2 history buff Rob Van der Pol above right, resides in Knotts Island, NC and is a regular contributor to the TT Forum. Rob posts a prodigious amount of photos and news, under the screen name of 'le Bigguns'.
This photo of him was made at TT Convention #2 in Strongsville, OH, August 07. Rob also attended the 1st European TT Convention with his wife, Kelly...nice people.



Terry Webb (l) a.k.a. Terry37, is a WW2 militaria collector and avid history buff, who resides in Murfreesboro, TN. Terry's dad was a career aviator in the USAF, which started Terry's interest in all things military.
Johan WILLAERT with his wife Kristien, shown with their (then) 3-year old daughter Ellen, in one of Belgium's theme parks. Johan lives at the Belgian coast, close to the battlefields of WW1, and he's a Senior NCO in the Belgian Armed Forces, having served for over 21 years in Belgium, Germany and other countries. He currently works as a PR-Officer for an Army NCO Training Center near the historic city of Bruges, Belgium. He started collecting WW2 US Army in the ETO militaria in 1976 and has a great interest in the D-Day actions, especially the ordeal of the 29th Infantry Division on Omaha Beach.

Nadine Wierzbowski-Field is our original TT pinup girl. Born a Gemini Ox in 1973, Nadine is the daughter of Ed Wierzbowski H/502, who was with Joe Mann when he performed a feat of heroism which resulted in a poshumous award of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Nadine is a world class forum lurker, who works as a RN in Orlando, FL.
Nadine's first child, Jonathan David Field, was born on March 2, 2007.
Update, October, 2007: Nadine is expecting baby #2!

Paul Woodage, a.k.a. "reccewoody"is a Brit and a Normandy battlefield guide; his hobby for the last 20 years has been living history. He usually re-enacts British, in No. 4 Commando uniform, crossing Pegasus Bridge. He occasionally portrays an American GI, and as such been known to wear 2nd Armored kit and join in with the overseas tours on Shermans and M8s run by Jonny Heyworth out of UK. He has appeared in a few History Channel and BBC documentaries over the years and his Great Uncle (Cyril Rand of the Royal Ulster Rifles) and has appeared in a program with Dick Winters, Len Lommell and others, during the 60th anniversary WW2 observances.
Paul runs the Battlebus tours in Normandy and he bears a strong resemblance to Tony Soprano.

If more Forum regulars would care to email me a jpeg mugshot of themselves, I'll be happy to add their faces to this gallery of Trigger Time General Discussion celebrities. Regards to all, and thanks for your participation, MB.



Cal KATO-Webmaster's Cousin Above you can see photos of my 1st cousin, Calvin Kato, taken at Basic Training 1969, and after AIT school 1970. Calvin is the oldest son of my dad's youngest sister. He gave-up trying to get people to pronounce his name properly a long time ago. It is properly pronounced Kah-toe, but everyone prefers to call him KAY-toe like the Green Hornet's partner.
Calvin served briefly with the Second Armored Division at Ft Hood, TX, then was sent to Nam as an infantry replacement (he was not a jumper), and was assigned to Company 'C' 2/506th, 101st Airborne. He arrived there soon after the costly Ripcord battle and spent enough time in the field to get the C.I.B. He was then re-assigned at Camp Evans where he served the rest of his year in-country as a mail clerk for 2/506th. During his time in the jungle, he acquired dysentery, pneumonia and jungle rot.
So Calvin served in both of the divisions I have written books about. Some guys were born to live history and others only to write about it. Calvin (an 11 June Gemini) and his Gemini wife Shelly, reside in southern California. Calvin is now a broker of lawnmower parts. His dad invented and patented one of the earliest power mowers, back in the 1950s.

Wallace Tao-Another CousinWally was the oldest son of my mother's brother. He served as a paratrooper with the 503rd Infantry in the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Nam in 1966. Wally's dad was in the Army Corps of Engineeers in WW2 and his brother Marlin was a Major and an Army dentist for 20 years. Wally was very seriously wounded in action in the Iron Triangle, in '66. An article was written about him in the VFW Magazine, describing how a mortar fragment had severed a ventricle of his heart. His survival was a modern medical miracle, made possible by medivac procedures and immediate surgery. In any previous war in history, Wally would've been a dead man. Wally told Marlin after he returned from Nam, that his entire patrol was ambushed and wiped-out and that he was possibly the only survivor. When American medics surveyed the ambush site, they looked at Wally and thought he was just another 'Gook', and walked past him. He did some colorful American swearing to get their attention, so they returned and loaded him onto a helicopter and sent him for medical attention.
Wally died in 2004, a victim of lung cancer at age 59. Above, you can also see the photo of him that was in VFW Magazine.

So the webmaster had two cousins who saw combat with Airborne units. I do not believe that their accomplishments enhance my credibility in any way, but I sure am proud of them. Both of them are/were better men than I, and they served in an unpopular war, in which they looked like the enemy and the vast majority of their brothers in arms did not.