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This album contains a brief history
of a World War II airborne company. It describes significant activities
that occurred during its short life of four years, one month and four days.
It includes memoirs contributed by the men of the company or their families.
The album contains an overview
of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Association WW II - founded in 1975
by Owen B. Hill from Hq1. This association revived friendships among
the men who served in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (508th PIR).
For almost 30 years, the association operated effectively – and then it was
retired October 19, 2004.
The album also contains
a unique report of Kenneth (Rock) Merritt’s return to Normandy after 58 years.
This priceless addition to the album contains a photo of the 508th PIR drop
zone that the majority of the regiment failed to land upon during the D-Day
parachute assault on June 6, 1944.
The memoirs provided by
the men of Hq1 or their families provide a credible perspective of Hq1’s wartime
experiences. However, much of the information in the memoirs has lain
dormant in the minds of men for over 60 years, and their recollections may
be incomplete or repetitious.
Kindly consider that these
men traveled the same route, they shared the same combat actions, often earned
identical decorations, and they often recall and describe identical happenings.
The consequence is redundancy.
Most of the individual
memoirs emphasize the camaraderie the men shared, the heroic actions they
witnessed, the sorrows they encountered, and they consistently point up the
love and respect the men had for each other.
Seldom do the Hq1 men describe
in any detail their introduction into combat. An act that requires a
high degree of mental and physical discipline, and courage.
For WW II paratroopers,
it usually meant hurling oneself from a speeding plane into a violent night,
illuminated by anti-aircraft shells, machine-gun tracer bullets, and exploding
aircraft. For example – envision YOUR participation in the following
scenario!
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