FORT BRAGG, North Carolina - The 82nd Airborne Division inducted 16 into its Hall of Fame on Fort Bragg, North Carolina May 22, 2019.
The ceremony at the Division’s Hall of Heroes included Medal of Honor recipients, World War II veterans and other distinguished paratroopers who have served in the 82nd Airborne Division.
“This is a great tradition that we’ll keep on in the future,” says Maj. Gen. James J. Mingus, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. “It gives us the opportunity on any given day to walk among heroes. It gives us the opportunity to reflect on the past and is clearly an inspiration to the future.
“We are all students of military history and today we are making history, by establishing the legacies that will forever be enshrined,” he added.
The All American Hall of Fame commemorates those members of the Division who have achieved the highest distinction through acts of combat valor, leaders who have ushered in revolutionary change, and members who have had significant impact to American society beyond their time in the Division.
To be eligible for induction, nominees must have served a minimum of two years, must be at least two years removed from the Division and no longer eligible to serve in the Division.
Earlier this year, nominee packets were presented before an evaluation board of senior leaders within the Division. This year’s selections included the Hall of Fame’s first chaplain, first chief warrant officer and its third woman.
“It’s an honor and a pretty unique situation for me because the commander that selected me to be division sergeant major is also being inducted this year,” said inductee, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Steven R. England.
Others were similarly surprised to be included as the newest additions to the Division Hall of Fame.
“This is truly an honor and was totally unexpected,” says inductee, retired Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph R. Allen. “When I received the call saying that I was nominated to be inducted, I thought they had the wrong number, I said you gotta have the wrong guy.”
For some of the inducted, today wasn’t the first time they had been together on Fort Bragg.
“A lot of the guys that were inducted today, I served alongside half of them right on Ardennes (Street),” said Allen. “I served with the 82nd from the late 1970s to the 2000s.”
Allen gave a parting word of advice to the young paratroopers.
“To the young Soldiers I would say, do the right thing and get promoted,” said Allen.
This years’ inductees included:
Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph R. Allen, who served as command sergeant major for the 82nd’s Airborne Division Support Command from 1999 to 2002.
Gen. Lloyd J. Austin, who commanded the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment during Operation Safe Haven in Panama.
Maj. T. Moffatt Burriss, who died Jan. 4, 2019 at the age of 99, commanded Company I, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in combat during the Waal River Crossing as part of Operation Market Garden and fought with the division in North Africa, at Anzio Beach, Sicily, and the Battle of the Bulge.
Lt. Col. Robert E. Chisolm, who enlisted as a paratrooper with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, served as a corporal during Operations Neptune and Market Garden and participated in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.
Lt. Gen. George A. Crocker, who commanded the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment and deployed to Grenada as part of Operation Urgent Fury in 1983.
Lt. Col. Gordon “Duke” Dewey, who served during the division’s short-notice deployments to support Operation Power Pack and as part of Task Force Detroit.
Pfc. Robert W. Dodson, who died Oct. 25, 1943, at the age of 22, served with the 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion in Sicily during World War II.
Command Sgt. Maj. Steven R. England, who served 36 years in uniformed service with multiple deployments. From 1991 to 2000, he served as the 4th Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment operations sergeant major during Operation Desert Storm.
Brig Gen. chaplain Augustus F. Gearhard, who died March 19, 1974, at the age of 80. He was commissioned as an Army chaplain in 1918 and assigned to the American Expeditionary Forces in France.
Capt. Kimberly N. Hampton, who died Jan. 2, 2004, at the age of 28. Hampton served as the Delta Troop commander for 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment from 2002 to 2004.
Lt. Gen. James H. Johnson Jr., who was a platoon leader and company commander in the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Brig. Gen. Dennis D. Kerr, who served in the division a total of seven years from 1976 to 1991.
Gen. Carl W. Stiner, who served in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1972 to 1993; serving as the U.S. Army Special Operations Command commander from 1990 to 1993.
Maj. Gen. Reuben H. Tucker, who died Jan. 6, 1970, at the age of 58. He commanded the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in combat from 1942-1945 from Sicily to Germany.
Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, who commanded the 4th Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment during Operation Just Cause in Panama.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Johnathan A. Ward, who died Jan. 17, 1998, at the age of 87. He served with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment throughout World War II in Sicily, Italy, Nijmegen, the Netherlands and Germany and was the Army’s first parachute rigger warrant officer.