Passing of the Torch Part 1

Photo By 1st Sgt. Daniel Wallace | Sgt. Maj. Frank Luedtke (left), the 82nd Airborne Division fires cell sergeant major, puts an 82nd Airborne Division patch on a young boys jacket inside La Normandy Cafe May 27, 2018 at Sainte Mere Eglise, France. Local children love to collect the patches of the 82nd Airbonre Division and other units that helped to liberate France from the Nazi occupation.  

FRANCE

06.06.2018

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wallace 

82nd Airborne Division

Passing the Torch Part 1
By Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wallace
82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs

When Soldiers joins the airborne community, they’re no longer considered Soldiers, but are now paratroopers.
The airborne way of life isn’t one of ease and simplicity. Early hours, long days and recalls, at a moments notice, with the possibility of finding out that they will be on a plane within hours, heading to a foreign county.
This life, the airborne way of life, become etched into their DNA, ingrained into their souls and infused in their blood.
For more than two decades, Sgt. Maj. Frank Luedtke, the 82nd Airborne Division Fires Cell sergeant major, has been living the airborne lifestyle and the 74th Normandy D-Day commemoration and events will be one of his last missions as a paratrooper.
Just shy of 35 years of service, Luedtke will shortly retire from active-duty Army service.
Having previously attended the 64th Normandy D-Day commemorations as a first sergeant, Luedtke returns at the peak of the enlisted ranks to serves as the noncommissioned officer in charge and planner for the 82nd Airborne Division participants.
His previous time in Normandy, Luedtke was with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and served as the liaison officer for the ceremonies. He described it as initially overwhelming to understand, but as he absorbed and soaked it all in, it went by too fast.
“You hit the ground running and we were out doing LNO’s for different ceremonies,” said Luedtke, a High Point, North Carolina native. “You’re out meeting people and working, but then we would get into the other ceremonies and its go time. It (the multiple ceremonies) just bounces around so much quicker here, but getting out and being able to see everything and collocate, you get through it, see it and absorb it.”
Then there was the airborne jump onto La Fiere Field; Luedtke said that experience was unbelievable.
“The second pass, I was standing in the door (of the aircraft) with my commander in front of me and I could see over the top of his head,” said Luedtke. “Winds were too high on our pass so we flew back out.
The jumpmasters had left the door of the aircraft open, providing Luedtke with a scenic view of the historic route they were flying.
“We flew out over the English Channel and flew the route coming back in over the channel,” said Luedtke. “You’re over the channel, then Utah Beach, then you’re over the pasture, the hedgerows and then you’re going 'holy cow.'”
Luedtke said the hair stood up on the back of his neck when the realization hit that he was flying the same historic route the paratroopers of WWII had on the morning of D-Day.
“You’re doing it, it’s daytime Hollywood and you’re not getting shot at,” said Luedtke. “They were doing it at nighttime, with combat equipment and they were getting shot at. And, you’re in a foreign country doing it, so that was the best memory of being here.”
These days U.S. paratroopers get to jump with foreign parachutes, from foreign aircraft and with foreign jumpmasters. When Luedtke jumped at the 64th anniversary, he jumped from a U.S. military aircraft and with a U.S. Army parachute and jumpmaster, but he says that wasn’t what mattered.
“It didn’t matter what we jumped,” said Luedtke. “I would have jumped out of a biplane just to say I got to jump into Normandy, because it’s that important.”
“It was overwhelming and it was humbling too, because the veterans were here and they were on the drop zone watching us,” he added.
Though current active duty Paratroopers take part in the D-Day ceremonies, Luedtke said the focus it’s them, but those that fought in WWII.
“We’re their legacy, we’re carrying it on and it’s about them, it’s not about us,” said Luedtke. “It’s about the veterans and recognizing them for what they did. Without them, we wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t be doing this.”
Legacy is definitely something that Luedtke knows about. His father-in-law is a paratrooper that went to airborne school in 1956 and now Luedtke has passed that love onto his son who recently became a paratrooper.
“We were here when I was in the 173rd and he beat me to Normandy when he was in Boy Scouts,” said Luedtke. “They do a project where they clean up the crosses and help out. I was deployed so my father-in-law came over and brought Dylan out here.”
Though his son initially beat him to Normandy, Luedtke hopes his son will get an opportunity to be back as a paratrooper.
“I would love for him to come back to Normandy and jump because it’s like the holy grail of jumps,” said Luedtke.
Luedtke has worked with many paratroopers throughout his career and he hopes they left with the understanding that being airborne is a lifestyle, not a job.
“We don’t do this to get rich, we do this because of duty, responsibilities and you want to be that guy or girl that gets that phone call at 2 a.m. in the morning and you’re the first one in,” said Luedtke. “I’ve always tried to teach them three things: do the best that you can do, if you don’t understand ask and don’t waste time. “
“I’ve got some kids all over the Army doing great things for god and country,” he added.
When it’s all said and done, Luedtke knows he’s had a great career as a paratrooper and he hopes that these young paratroopers realize the experience and opportunity they’ve been given.
“The young kids, they may never get a chance e to come to Europe, ever again, this might be their only time ever in Europe and what did they do,” asked Luedtke. “They jumped out of an airplane onto a drop zone that the greatest generation jumped into during World War II and changed the tide of the war. You just can’t make that stuff up.”
“I don’t want to leave, but I have to leave,” said Luedtke. But, I know it's time to leave it to the younger guys.”

• Date Taken: 06.06.2018
• Date Posted: 06.06.2018 10:34
• Story ID: 279806
• Location: FR
• Hometown: HIGH POINT, NC, US