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October 05, 2006
Easy Company 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment Speakers
"Currahee" is a Cherokee word meaning "stand alone". To this day the Regiment yells "Currahee" when they jump from airplanes.
World War II veterans gathering in Kingston
KINGSTON - A three-day conference on World War II - honoring those who battled the Nazis, including veterans made famous in the "Band of Brothers" television series - begins today at Holiday Inn on Washington Avenue.
The event, billed "Ulster County World War II Conference and Banquet," runs through Saturday.
Organizers say the banquet, which begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, will honor Staff Sgt. Robert Dietz, a Kingston resident who was killed in action during World War II and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism. The Uptown Kingston stadium used by Kingston High School athletic teams bears his name, as does an Army Reserve center on Flatbush Avenue in the city.
Veterans will arrive at the Holiday Inn between 1 and 5 p.m. today. A service will be held at 7 p.m. at the Old Dutch Church on Wall Street, and organizers hope to fill the church's 800 seats.
A breakfast will be held at 7 a.m. Friday, followed by the veterans visiting local schools and the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in the Orange County town of New Windsor.
At 3:30 p.m. Friday, a motorcade of more than 300 Harley Davidson motorcycles is expected to travel from the Kingston Holiday Inn to City Hall on Broadway, where Kingston Mayor James Sottile will welcome the veterans to the city during a brief ceremony.
An informal dinner will be held at the Holiday Inn at 5 p.m. Friday, followed by a social and autograph session for ticket-holders only.
On Saturday, featured speakers will include veterans from the Easy Company 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army. The company's experiences during World War II were depicted in the HBO television series "Band of Brothers," which was directed by Tom Hanks and produced by Steven Spielberg.
The Saturday seminars will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be followed by the banquet.
And this......
Currahee Military Weekend set for
October 13-15
CAMP TOCCOA, GA (October 4, 2006) - The Stephens County Historical Society and the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce have partnered again this year to present the 4th annual Currahee Military Weekend set for October 13-15.
The Historical Society has invited all paratroopers who trained at Camp Toccoa and Currahee Mountain during World War II to come to a reunion. “We hope that the paratroopers who trained at Camp Toccoa on Currahee Mountain will take the time to visit Toccoa, reminisce about their training experiences and visit with their friends who shared this very significant time in their lives,” says Brenda Carlan, Historical Society President. In addition, we extend an invitation to families, friends, re-enactors, active military and the public to join these very special men for this memorable occasion.
Stephens County is rich in military history. Camp Toccoa had over 17,000 soldiers who trained here in four regiments – the 506th, 501st, 517th and the 511th.
This is the birthplace of The Band of Brothers, Saving Private Ryan and The Dirty Dozen. The event serves to celebrate the accomplishments of the veterans who trained at Camp Toccoa.
Posted by Wild Thing at October 5, 2006 12:27 PM
Comments
Wish I could be there just to talk to my heroes of WWII and ask questions. Their roster is thinning rapidly.
As a former paratrooper, I wish the 101st was still a pure Airborne outfit like the 82nd. Nothing against Airmobile, but Airborne is a different breed. Bless 'em All, Airborne, Airmobile and every other American in uniform.
Posted by: TomR at October 5, 2006 01:41 PM
Sounds WONDERFUL!!
Posted by: beth at October 5, 2006 07:15 PM
Tom I would love to go and I would really love for you to go too. Especially because you were a paratrooper.
I am hoping they tape it and sometime show it on the Histoy or maybe the Military chanel on TV. That would be wonderful if they did that.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 6, 2006 01:54 AM
Hi Beth, thank you for the trackback for this. I want so much to get the word out about this.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 6, 2006 01:55 AM
I will get the word out some of my friends belong
to Rolling Thunder
Posted by: Robert Hornberger at October 8, 2006 01:58 AM
