506th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association
Fort Campbell, KY – The U.S. Army unit that includes the famous “Band of Brothers,” the 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment, has announced a new monument to honor soldiers of the unit killed in service to their country. The 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association, a nonprofit veterans’ organization dedicated to the active duty soldiers and veterans of the 506th Infantry, is acting on behalf of the regiment to collect contributions in support of the memorial.
The granite monument will be funded totally by private contributions, according to COL John P. “Pete” Johnson, commanding officer of the 101st Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team at Fort Campbell,. A Nashville cement contractor, Glenn Goodwin of Roy Goodwin Contractors, is contributing all the materials and labor needed for the foundation of the monument. COL Johnson made the announcement as part of a ceremony welcoming the regiment home from a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan.
The 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment – nicknamed the “Currahees” – has been part of the 101st Airborne Division for most of its history. It has fought with distinction in World War II, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, suffering in that time over 1,400 killed in action. It was elevated in the public’s consciousness by the hit movie “Saving Private Ryan” and the television series, “Band of Brothers.”
U.S. paratroopers fix their static lines before a jump before dawn over Normandy on D-Day June 6, 1944, in France. The decision to launch the airborne attack in darkness instead of waiting for first light was probably one of the few Allied missteps on June 6, and there was much to criticize both in the training and equipment given to paratroopers and glider-borne troops of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions. Improvements were called for after the invasion; the hard-won knowledge would be used to advantage later. (AP Photo/Army Signal Corps)
The regiment parachuted into Normandy before D-Day and fought through the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Market Garden to V-E day. In Vietnam, it achieved additional fame in fierce battles at Hamburger Hill and Firebase Ripcord. It has been deployed to Korea protecting the northern borders, and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. It recently returned to Fort Campbell, home of the parent 101st Airborne Division.
The volunteer 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association sponsors scholarships, packages for overseas soldier, and aid programs for the families of soldiers killed or wounded in action. In doing so, it brings veterans and active duty troops together, and hosts a large website dedicated to the history and people of the regiment.
The Association will accept tax-deductible contributions by mail, or electronically through their website at http://www.506infantry.org [1]. The Association is a charitable War Veterans Organization under IRS section 501(c) (19), and as such, contributions are tax deductible.