Courtesy Photo | Guideon bearers, and color bearers, assigned to all five Brigades in the 82nd Airborne...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A sea of maroon berets engulfed the parade field as 15,000 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers marched onto Fort Bragg’s Pike Field. Fort Bragg and local community leaders, Family members and veterans gathered this morning to witness the 2014 Division Review, a long-standing All American Week tradition.
Sgt. Mahlon Sebring, an 82nd veteran who fought in numerous World War II conflicts, scanned the parade field as he himself queued up to join the order of march for the veterans. When asked how he felt seeing the thousands of paratroopers on the field, he simply stated, “I sleep better at night.”
All American Week is a four-day celebration of the 82nd Airborne Division’s unique heritage that includes numerous traditional events; the four-mile Division Run, multiple sporting events and competitions, the Division Review and Division Memorial. The foundation of the annual celebration is honoring those who paved the road for the men and women who proudly display the “Double A” patch on their left shoulders while remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. This year’s commemoration, held May 19-22, paid a special tribute to Paratroopers like Sebring who fought to defend the freedom of others in Normandy during WWII, with the theme “Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of D-Day and the Paratrooper”.
An artilleryman assigned to Alpha Battery, 319th Glider Field Artillery Battalion, 82nd Abn. Div., Sebring rode a glider into Normandy on D-Day and again into Holland during Operation Market Garden. He also fought in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. Sebring was a guest of honor and Maj. Gen. John W. Nicholson, Jr., the Division commanding general, welcomed him specifically during his speech at the Review.
“They treat us like royalty,” Sebring said of the Division’s current Paratroopers. “We’re not that important,” he added modestly. “We had a job to do back then and we done it.”
Today’s paratroopers beg to differ. The mentality and attitude of the Paratrooper is based on men like Sebring. “The reputation of the Paratrooper will always be the same,” said Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas O’Herron, an Advanced Airborne School instructor. “The 82nd Abn. Div. is famous for a reason. We work hard, we fight hard. There’s no such thing as quit.”
Showing the 82nd veterans that today’s All American Division is the same as it was in their day is important to today’s paratroopers.
“[The veterans] see that we keep the traditions that they used to have back when they were in,” said Spc. Ronald Molina, a petroleum supply specialist assigned to 307th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Abn. Div. “They like to see that we still honor what they used to do and continue the tradition.”
Two new All American Week events this year were International Day and the International Paratroopers Ball, which celebrated the partnership between the U.S. Army, specifically the 82nd, and their allies. Paratroopers from France, Spain, United Kingdom, Holland, Poland, Chile and Canada attended the international events as well as many of the traditional All American Week events.
Lt. Col. Emmanuel Durville, a French liaison officer to the U.S. Marine Corps, stated that just as American paratroopers from WWII to the Global War on Terror have many common grounds, so do their foreign counterparts.
“As paratroopers we know that we have something in common,” Durville said. “We have the same mindset and are part of the same world and the better we can cooperate, the better it is for us.” While the paratrooper attitude is something shared by all who wear the maroon beret, the shared history between the U.S. and French Troopers will always bring them together.
“D-Day in France is obviously a very important day to us,” Durville added. “The military and most of the French citizens have been raised with this reference to D-Day as being very important to them. We are very thankful to the [Allied Forces] who came to France on D-Day. I am looking forward to the ceremonies [in France] on the 70th anniversary and it’s… a great symbol to be here just two weeks before.”
The Division was sure to honor those who could not be in attendance for this year’s celebration. Maj. Gen. Nicholson remembered those soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan in his address to the Division. “The impressive formation you see in front of you is slightly different from the one you saw last year,” he said. “Whereas last year, we had the entire Division here for the first time in many years, this year finds many of our Paratroopers back in the fight.” He added, “With their service, they have earned the eternal gratitude and respect of our nation and have written another proud chapter in the legacy of this great Division.”
The final event of the week was in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the Division and the Nation – the Division Memorial. Gold Star Family Members, those who have lost a Soldier during the Global War on Terror while serving in the 82nd, laid yellow roses on the GWOT memorial as their loved ones’ names were read aloud. The most somber and possibly the most significant ceremony, the memorial brings All American Week full circle by paying tribute to the individuals who make up the Division, who have laid the foundation of the Division’s legacy, and continue the traditions that make this unit great.
Maj. Gen. Nicholson said this week “is our time to honor our fallen, show respect for our Veterans, and enjoy the camaraderie that spans generations in our ranks and spans international boundaries.”
| Date Taken: | 05.30.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2014 11:08 |
| Story ID: | 131630 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 292 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Paratrooper camaraderie spans generations and international boundaries, by SFC Kissta DiGregorio, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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