2:01 PM 6/30/2009
Eagle Talk
"The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. Things go wrong when good men do nothing."
"The truth must be repeated again and again because error is constantly being preached around us. And not by isolated
individuals, but by the majority!"
Goethe-1828
EAGLE TALK
By Mark A. Bando
Bi-Monthly Voice of the website created by Mark A. Bando
REMEMBER SEPTEMBER 11th!
Most of the current eagle division is at home in Ft Campbell, awaiting their next
mission. Welcome home to the 4th Brigade, whose members have returned since the beginning of 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.
Article for July-August, 2009
"101st Airborne spoken here..."
TRIGGER TIME CONVENTION #4
Location: The downtown Marriott hotel in Philadelphia, PA.
Dates: July 31st to August 2nd, 2009.
Our boots on the ground local organizer is Tony Coulter (Jiggers from Philly).
Jake Powers has successfully negotiated a 1/2 price rate at a luxury hotel and also made arrangements
for our conference room.
This looks like it's going to be the biggest one ever. We have more veterans anticipated and more attendees
expected than in years past. Wild Bill and Babe are local and they have stated they will attend, which will
no doubt be an additional draw.
Jake Powers is working on a famous mystery guest, as well.
Jake P. writes:
The TT Rates and information should be up and good to go Wednesday 3/4/2009. The number you will want to use
is: 215-625-2900 or 800-228-9290. I would use the 215 number first. We have 40 rooms blocked off and reservations
MUST be made by Friday July 3, 2009. That being said, the POC at the hotel told me today that there have been
several calls placed already so I would not wait to book your room. The rate is the same (149.00 + taxes) for single
or double rooms. More details to follow.
2009 Tour of Normandy with Dick Ladd
The above-captioned event was conducted in late May, 209 and proved to be a learning experience for all of us.
Here are members of the May 09 Pathfinder Tours Normandy Tour group.
Mr Richard Ladd H&H S-2 502 PIR, (far left), was our WWII paratrooper veteran-in-residence on this tour. Dick's
personable and forthcoming personality along with his amazing memory for details and locations, made him an asset
without peer, for a Normandy tour. The other group members working to the right from Dick Ladd, are MB, Mike Willis
(NY), John "PIE-Pa!"Friscia (Staten Island), Sparky Patterson, Gayle Friscia, Mark Earl Rogers (TN), Alwyn Onori (Sweeden),
Ed and Pat Peters (VA), Maj. Don 'Lash'LaRue (AZ), Lori and Tim Blixt (NJ), Kathie & Brian Avery (UT), Tom Barkley (TX),
and Jeff Foss MD, (LA).
Missing from the photo are Juerg Herzig and his buddy from Switzerland, also Mark Zemke,
who met us over there and traveled with us for only 2 days. Paul Woodadge also handled narrations at many locations.
Ed Peters Jr., son of Captain Edward Peters, the C.O. of RHQ Co. 506th
PIR (KIA on D-day) was in our group, with his wife Pat. One of the highlights of the tour was when we brought Ed to
the St Martin de Varreville artillery battery field, where his father made a ghostly appearance to Buck Dickson of the
502nd, on 7 June, 1944. The incident was described in detail in my 'Avenging Eagles' book. In this photo, you can see
two of the former artillery bunkers, now covered with earth, grass and raspberry bushes.
This was taken near Otis Sampson's wall on the D-15 in St Mere Eglise.
Jeff Foss a medical doctor from Shreveport, LA, was one of the guys in our tour group.
When Dick Ladd and I had dinner one evening at the McDonald's in Isigny,
his 101st ballcap attracted the attention of a guy from the next table. This turned-out to be Sebastien Lesne, current
president of 'The Friends of the 101st Airborne' chapter of Carentan. What followed was a introduction and a nice but
brief visit.
As happened two years ago, Mr. Ladd, our veteran, had the honor of raising
one of the US flags one morning at the US military cemetery at St Laurent, above Omaha Beach.
As usual, there were a number of other WWII veterans visiting the cemetery,
at the same time we were there. This guy introduced himself to Dick Ladd as Lewis Shank, a C-47 radio operator from the
85th TCS, (the squadron which had so badly mis-dropped the 377th PFAB on D-day). This photo shows to good advantage the
nice repro M42 jacket which was procured for Dick Ladd by Paul Woodadge and purchased by donations from a number of
Paul's friends. I do believe Dick liked this jacket a LOT.
We Get VisitorsIn early June, David Keckan
and his dad drove-up from the Cleveland area, to show me photos and artifacts which belonged to David's Grandfather, 1st Sgt
Walter Neton, of SVC/506th PIR in WW2. The effort, time and expense they devoted to this visit was much-appreciated.
In mid-June, a 19 year old novelist named Sean Asay drove up with her dad,
to visit from Terre Haute, IN. They spent two nights here and attended a Lunch Bunch, where Sean was able to meet
many WW2 101st vets, including George Koskimaki (above). Sean is writing a novel based on the 3/506th PIR in WWII.
I loaned her a copy of Ian Gardner's recent book 'Tonight We Die as Men', and George K, donated copies of his three books
to help Sean's research. Like Lou Merlano, George has always been exceptionally generous when it comes to helping-out
young people. Ms Asay is a very unusual person, a Scorpio Snake, who loves the writings of Jane Austin and who maintains
a website under the name of her alter ego, Elizabeth Bennett.
Before Sean and her dad Fred departed, we met with Don and
Twyla Burgett for dinner at the Stout Pub in Brighton, MI. Don missed the June Lunch Bunch, because he had to attend the
funeral of a (non 101st) friend. The following day, Don B. and I drove down to Al Hassenzahl's funeral in Toledo, OH with
Brian Ferencz. It has been a busy and hectic time.
Webmaster's Visit to the Boston AreaIn mid June,
I finally accomplished my long-planned visit to the Boston area. Last December 18th, I actually flew to Providence RI, intending
to see Jake Powers and Ted Wooding, but due to severe winter weather,my plane could not land and returned to Detroit. This time,
I flew to Boston and was picked-up by Jake Powers, who drove me to his home. He had invited two TT Forum regulars who reside
nearby, to join us for Dinner.
'Cimarron44'(Paul Clifford), and 'Sgt Dorango' (Mike Whitehead)-joined us for dinner,
at which time Jake proved that he is indeed a master chef. Jake prepared large live lobsters, with a steamed mussels
appetizer, corn on the cob and generous bowls of melted butter. This tops anything available in a restaurant. After gorging
on this feast, we did a show & tell session. Jake showed us some of his amazing Easy 506th holdings and Paul C. had two large
binders filled with obscure WW2 Signal Corps photos of ETO combat. Mike brought an M-1C jump helmet with unit markings painted
on the sides. I had a binder full of 101st documents, many of which are signed by historic figures. In all, we stayed-up late
and had a very enjoyable visit.
After sleeping-over at Jake's on Saturday night, Ted Wooding, who went through the
WWIIADT jump school with me in 05, drove over from another Boston suburb and I spent two nights at his incredible 'estate',
which rivals the palace of Versailles. Jake has 2 daughters, Ted has a son and a daughter and both guys have incredible wives.
Ann Powers(a distance runner& chiropractor), who ran 8 miles in a hard rain one day while I was visiting, and June Wooding,
a most unusual Harvard educated beauty, who was born on one of my 'soul mate' days, were both a pleasure to meet. The Powers and
Wooding children are also most unusual and self-possessed and confident for their young ages. Meeting these outstanding families
added an unexpected dimension to my visit.
I received a lot of WWII Easy Co. 506th photos from Jake, as well as many unpublished
facts and stories, so I can now say I have enough material to complete my current book on 'The Band of Brothers Past &
Present'.
The 3rd annual Louis P. Merlano Memorial Dinner
This event was held on Sunday, 28 June, 2009 at a country club north of Philadelphia. Lou Merlano who died several years
ago, was a veteran of A/502nd PIR in WW2. Lou spent the postwar decades in Bucks County, Pa, organizing community activities
and working with young people, coaching sports, etc. The memorial fund-raising dinners which bear his name are used to give
scholarships to oustanding athletes and academic achievers from that area. The webmaster was asked to give a speech at this
year's dinner, detailing some of the experiences Lou Merlano had on D-Day and the activities of A Co. in Normandy and
Bastogne. The speech seemed to be well-received by family members, so I guess it was a success. I first met Louis Merlano at
the 1971 reunion of the 101st Airborne Division, at the Benjamin Franklin hotel in downtown Philly. Over the following 35 years,
Lou and I met at numerous reunions and he was a friendly and helpful guy, who I'll always remember.
Following the dinner, some of Lou's sons posed with their mom in this group
photo. His son Jim, who is the spittin' image of Lou, was also in attendance and was instrumental in bringing me out to this
event. Jim is not shown in this photo, because he was busy talking with people when the photo was made.
These two lovely sisters, Natli and Lia (Leo Horse twins-July 23rd),helped-out
at the event, by selling raffle tickets and helping keep track of money from my book sales. Their presence, along with their
friends Krista and Lindsay, made this this memorable night even more enjoyable. Thanks girls!
(Page under construction)
Bando's Garage Sale/Auction
Most of the items offered here, will be things I acquired from dealers, collectors, or veterans other than 101st ABD vets,
although occasionally I will offer pieces with 101st vet provenance and on rare occasions, will offer some bonafide
historical treasures. So the offerings will range from the mundane to the rare.
As you will see in coming weeks, among the items offered will be patches and other insignia (both US and German),
uniform components, printed matter such as vintage books(including original unit histories),original maps, orders, postcards,
photos, etc, modern books by the webmaster,including some now out of print,(signed by the author to the winning bidder), occasional
edged weapons, field gear, decorations (US and German), etc. There will be pieces of camo parachute canopy from chutes
actually used on the Normandy or Market-Garden drops, battlefield-dug items like spent cartridges, parachute harness buckles
shrapnel, etc from 101st locations in Normandy, Holland or Bastogne and whatever else I dredge out of my boxes and
closets.
Photos of the offered item will be posted, along with descriptions as detailed and honest as I can make them.
MAKE BIDS TO MY EMAIL ADDRESS: markbando@aol.com
Bids will be made in US dollars and the winning bidder pays postage & (if desired),insurance. I'm not set-up to receive
payments by Paypal or credit cards, so payments will be made by cash, check, or money order, sent to:
Mark Bando
PO Box 350
Walled Lake, MI 48390.
Auction Offering for week ending Saturday, July 11th, 2009 at Midnight-
Sorry ALL, I bin too busy traveling to post anytning here-will try to put something up after July 6th.
Minimum bid on this item will be
Grouping of Hundreds of original
WWII Vintage German Army Photos
This is an amazing offering of WWII German Army official photos
(original vintage prints),including enough Eastern Front
photos to fill a book.
The Russian front pics include about 90 five x seven's, each with the original caption glued to the
reverse, the date and the name of the photographer. These are numbered in sequence and were all
taken by the same photographer (Bohmer). They were made in the Korssun Pocket, Army Group south
sector between summer 1943 and February, 1944. As such, the misery of serving in Russia is depicted
in detail-mud, snow, frozen feet, wounds, burning buildings, destroyed Rusian armored vehicles, etc.
I've seen one of the photos on the cover of the RZM Press book about the Korssun Pocket which came out
about 8 years ago. However none of the other pics in this group appear in that book and they have
probably never been published before. The photo on the cover of that book is credited to the
Bunderarchiv collection, but it's possible that many of the photos in the collection I am offering never
made it to the German archives. I say this because many photos in the numbered sequences are missing and
many other entire numbered rolls are also missing. At least some of the east front photos depict members
of a Jager (light infantry) regiment, including some Knights Cross holders, Generals and a Field Marshall.
I'm posting some sample photos here. There are also many smaller eastern front photos in
this group, as well as about 150 contact prints taken in Russia, with fine detail. A few of these are the same
as the larger prints, but most are different and they contain enough detail to be enlarged to full-size.
There are enough images here to create an entire photo book about the German soldiers' experience
on the Russian front.
There is a series of photos taken at dusk, showing German rockets being launched from
Nebelwerfers and you can actually see the rockets in mid air. Amazing shots.
Two Generals-this is one of my favorites. The general at left is a
Knight's Cross with Oakleaves recipient and he wears a generals crusher cap, with leather visor and gold flatwire
insignia.
Although the identity and unit of the GI who liberated this photo collection is not known, there is no doubt
that the photos found their way to the U.S. in that manner. Found with the grouping were ten small, square photos,
taken of dead concentration camp victims at Buchenwald, complete with US Army censor stamps on the reverse. Also
several photos showing US troops holding memorial services for the victims.
Having collected WWII German military photos for over 40 years, I can honestly say that this is the finest
group of German combat photos I have ever seen offered for sale.
Update, May 14, 2009: The seller has decided to separate the France 1940 campaign photos from this grouping,
leaving only the 90+ 5x7" Eastern Front pics and the 65-3 x5" Eastern Front pics as well as the 150 -35mm
Eastern Front contact prints. Total asking price for this grouping of all Russian Front pictures is $2000-.
This amounts to $15- each for the 5 x 7s, $5-each for the 3 x 5" prints and a little over $2- each for the
contact prints.
The owner of these photos will entertain 'best offers'. You can write to John at:
johnmazur@woway.com
Thanks, Mark B.
(page under construction)
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?-
Price: $22- plus $3- Shipping
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 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
THE PHOTO GALLERY HAS MOVED TO PAGE 2 OF WAR STORIES
Gallery of Past Ms Trigger Times
It all began about 8 years ago, when a brave volunteer named Nadine Wierzbowski dressed-up in M42 pants, a sleeveless
WWII GI undershirt and wool knit jeep cap. The classic Ms TT pose has been back to camera, peeking back over the model's
shoulder. This was inspired by Betty Grable's iconic WWII cheesecake photo. Betty turned her back to the camera because
she was 6 months pregnant and 'showing', when her WWII vintage photo was made.
Nadine Wierzbowski-Field (l), daughter of the legendary Lt. Ed Wierzbowski
H/502 PIR, was the original and very first Ms Trigger Time.
Catherine van der Maas, Grand daughter of Barney Momcilovic
HQ/1 and C/501) is shown in the classic Ms TT pose.
I have long been a proponent that the daughters
(and later descendants) of WWII paratroopers have been exceptionally healthy and beautiful, coming as they do from a gene
pool of America's fittest and finest. The Ms Trigger Time feature has been a tribute to the beauty of daughters and
Grandaughters of US Airborne troopers. During months when genetic descendants have been unavailable, I have sometimes
substituted other American beauties, who get the title of 'Trigger Time Pinups', rather than Ms Trigger Time. Only
biological descendants of WWII 101st troopers qualify for the 'Ms Trigger Time' title and someday we may stage an
election to vote for the all-time favorite in that category.
In the near future, I may start a new feature here for
present day troops in the Sandbox- 'Ms TT Sandbox', with girls posing in ACUs and other accoutrements currently in wear
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now I'll post cameos of some of the past Ms TT's (I can't locate pics of all the past girls). Only 3 have been
Daughters of WWII vets, while the rest are Grand daughters.
DAUGHTERS
Nadine, daughter
of Ed Wierzbowski, Jana, daughter of Lt. Ed Jansen C/501, and Roberta, daughter of Bob Tripp, I/502.
Grandaughters
Amy, Grandaughter of Don Burgett A/506th, Ashley, Great niece of Jack Sizemore B/506th,Heather, Grand-
daughter of Bob Beachy H/501 PIR.
Catherine, Grandaughter of Barney Momcilovic HQ/1 501, Keely, Grandaughter of Wayne Nearpass
C/506th PIR, Lauren, Grand-daughter of Guadalupe Flores HQ/1 501 PIR.
(Future MsTT), Mara, Grandaughter of Glen Derber HQ/2 501 PIR, Michelle, Grandaughter of Tex McMorries,
G/501 PIR, Tessa, Grandaughter of Lt. Bill Sefton HQ/2 501 PIR.
Misc. TT Pinups, not 101st Related
In a true spirit of volunteerism, other beauties have stepped-up to volunteer their services
as shown above. This sampling includes Gina Knapp, Nyssa Rabinowitz, and Ms Hackney, a flight
attendant, recruited at TT#2 near Cleveland, OH.
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.
Known on the TT Forum as 'HeadyD506' Sgt David Brackett is serving his 3rd tour in Iraq. We are proud to have
an active duty senior noncom from the 101st Airborne as a regular participant on the TT forum. David has also done WWII reenacting with both 509 PIB and D/506th PIR
units, which is how Paul Adamic came to introduce him to me. As I write this in 2008, David is assigned to the 3rd BCT (187th 'Rakassans'Infantry) in Iraq.
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.
Alwyn Onori from Vaxholm, Sweeden toured with us in 2009 in
Normandy. He is a serious student of the battles in Normandy and frequent lurker in the TT Forum.
The venerable Jake Powers resides in Grafton, MA 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 is now married to a law enforcement officer named Geoff Field; they have a son and a daughter.
Mike Willis, known as 'Slim Cricket' on the TT Forum, toured
with us in Normandy in 2009. Mike certainly is 'Slim', standing about 6'4 and as skinny as a beanpole. He speaks French,
which proved to be a significant asset to our tour group. Mike is carrying-on his dad's study of WW II history and I first
met him at a Band of Brothers reunion. He is currently attending college classes in Europe.
Paul Woodadge, 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.
Normandy Tour Services
The webmaster conducts battlefield tours in Normandy as part of Mark 'Sparky' Patterson's 'Pathfinder Tours'
group. I conduct four solid days of tours to 101st Airborne battle locations and describe the actions
which transpired there. Lots of locations, names, units, stories, etc, which you can't get anywhere else.
You can read more details here:
http://www.pathfindertour.com/BandoNormandyTours.html
For Normandy tourists who are not traveling with Pathfinder Tours,
I can recommend the following services:
Paul Woodadge (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.
An alternative 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 during the busy season, 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
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.
