application but only at the expense of Gus forfeiting his Sergeants’ stripes and entering the school as a Private.

Gus qualified as a parachutist July 10, 1943, and wearing the coveted parachute wings went home on furlough. His last visit with his family.  

Gus was assigned to the 508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment (508^th PIR) stationed at Camp Mackall, North Carolina. He was assigned to Hq1 as a cook!

WW II airborne companies did not have kitchens, each parachutist carried his own emergency rations when he jumped into combat.  The cooks were trained and fought as riflemen, they performed security functions, and participated in patrols. 

At Camp Mackall, Gus participated in the 508^th PIR’s arduous advanced infantry and airborne operations training program. He fired various weapons, experienced countless field exercises, made dangerous night parachute jumps with full equipment, and participated in large-scale maneuvers in Tennessee and South Carolina.

Upon completing the extensive training program the 508^th PIR troopers were well trained, confident, and physically and mentally combat ready.  

The regiment packed up and moved to Camp Shanks, New York.   

Warren Brown, one of Gus Labates’ many comrades recalls how Gus pro-vided him and others with “goodies” purloined (borrowed) from the kitchen,  loaves of bread, jars of jam and peanut butter, and occasionally a pie baked for the officers mess.

Warren remembers that Gus was very religious. He and Gus went to Christmas Eve mass at Saint Patrick's’ Cathedral in New York City, and then Gus called home to talk with his family.

On December 28, 1943 the 508^th PIR left New York aboard the “James Parker.” Eleven days later, the regiment landed in Belfast, Ireland and moved into Port Stewart.

Warren Brown says that when Hq1 arrived on the pier to board the ship, Gus became seasick while still on the pier. He suffered chronic seasickness throughout the 11-day voyage,  he could neither eat nor drink.

Gus was so weak that when Hq1 disembarked from the ship his comrades had to support him and carry his equipment. Once ashore, Gus was hospitalized for several days.