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News
From The
508
MAY 2009 |
2010
REUNION VENUE ANNOUNCED – Plans are being made for what promises to be a
great reunion in Oklahoma City, OK next year.
This
reunion will be a definite “MUST” as OK City is not only a great place
to visit, but also because we will visit the World War II Airborne
Demonstration Team (ADT) headquarters at nearby Frederick, OK for a full
day of activities.
If the
ADT name sounds familiar, that is because it is the same team that
staged the jumps for us at the Birmingham reunion in 2007. They were a
smash hit then and now we have the chance to see them in action again …
this time at their home base.
The
event is being spearheaded by Jason Wolcott, a member of the ADT and
also the nephew of Jack Wolcott (508th PIR, F Co.) who was KIA on
September 18, 1944
The ADT
has not one, but two, C-47s in their hangar, a restored WW-II building
nestled amongst others on what used to be Frederick Army Air Field.
During World War II the airfield was used by the U.S. Army Air Force
Training Command. The ADT facilities also boast an authentic barracks
and a mess hall where we may find ourselves in the chow line. Both
buildings are used regularly by their jump training school.
RIDE
ALONGS! Perhaps the highlight of the day for many will be ride-along
flights enabling attendees to fly in an authentically restored C-47.
Whether you are a veteran reliving your past or someone experiencing
what the veterans did during their training and combat flights, you
can’t miss this event!
Stay
tuned on the reunion as it is still in the early planning stages. There
is a lot more to come, especially after a date is firmed up.
SICK
CALL – MARLY PORTER, wife of CARL PORTER (Service Company) recently
suffered two compression fractures of her vertebrae due to osteoporosis
and subsequently fell and broke her hip … probably, CARL thinks, because
back pain caused her to flinch and fall. The hip broke into 4 or 5
pieces and she now has “a bunch of titanium rods and screws tying it
back together”, reported CARL. She is now in a skilled nursing center
undergoing therapy and even though it hurts terribly she is doing
everything the therapist asks her to do. Get Well wishes can be sent to
her at 1201 W Northmoor Rd, Apt 222, Peoria, IL 61614-3466.
WOLLATON
PROJECT GETS A GREEN LIGHT – After a long wait and the cutting of plenty
of red tape to secure funding, a special project at the site of the
508th encampment will soon be underway.
With sufficient funds now
available, team leader PAULINE ARMSTRONG, a consultant at the University
of Nottingham will carry out an archaeological evaluation of the site.
Her primary goal is to recover physical artifacts of the 508th camp.
Included in that quest are items that are literally “time capsules”,
personal belongings that many 508ers buried for safekeeping when they
left for Normandy, some of which may have never been retrieved.
An extra
benefit will include the filming of a documentary on the project. The
Discovery Channel is expected to roll film by the end of May.
But
the project is much bigger than that. An exhibition at Wollaton Hall
will be created including educational resource packs for use in
Nottingham schools. Archaeologist and television personality JULIAN
RICHARDS will be going into schools to talk about the story of the 508
at Wollaton as part of the children’s studies on WW2.
It is
hoped that residents of Nottingham with memories of the 508 camp will
contribute to this activity in schools.
More importantly, 508th veterans are asked to help so
that the children have a personal connection.
Any
veterans interested in sharing personal tales of their stay in
Nottingham can e-mail her at Pauline.Armstrong@nottingham.ac.uk or write
to her at the University of Nottingham, Lenton Fields, University Park,
Nottingham, NG7 2RD, England.
SEARCHING
– ROBERT MARTIN YOUNG Jr. of Brighton TN, recently wrote that his father
was a medic, ambulance-driver, paratrooper in the 508th who jumped in
Normandy, etc. He says, “I am very proud of his service to our country
and would like to learn more!!!!” ROBERT can be contacted at Deer9837@aol.com. |
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SEND NEWS FOR THE COLUMN
TO:
Dick O’Donnell
760 Conestee Drive
Melbourne, FL 32904
PH: (321) 759-6174
e-mail:
Jumpmaster@508PIR.org
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