Airborne 504 Devils of WWII

Windhorse Honors

the Soldiers of

WWII Airborne 504 Devils

Especially Uncle Leslie

I'm so glad that Grandboy Frank, ROTC, is interested and adept at doing research, asking the right questions and able to interpret the facts and relay them to me. He writes:

Uncle Lesley served from 1940-1946 in the US Army, in the infamous 82nd Airborne DIvision, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was awarded the Silver Star ( second highest award for comab (I'll have to ask if this is Army talk or a typo-W1) valor, right below the Medal of Honor) and other decorations I haven't learned of yet. He trained in England and made airborne combat jumps into Sicily, went through Italy, back to africa, trained again then fought on D-Day, continuing to fight through Europe. He seems to have been a real tough soldier.

Did you ever wonder why VFW volunteers give you a paper poppy when you give them a donation? Just read the poem, "In Flanders Fields," written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, during World War I and you'll know why:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. short days ago

we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

the torch; be yours to hold it high.