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News FEBRUARY 2008 |
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The
Friends and Family of the 508th PIR 2008 reunion is in its early
planning stages. CSM (Ret.) “ROCK” MERRITT will be hosting the affair.
Rock, a Fayetteville resident and honorary CSM for the present day 508th
has advised that the date will probably fall sometime around October
21st, the 66th anniversary of the regiment’s formation. The venue will
be Fort Bragg and by then the 508th will have returned from their
current deployment. The timing will allow for a great get-together of
veterans, olds and new. Pencil that date in on your calendars and stay
tuned for further news! BARRY CARUSO is seeking information on his father JAMES JOSEPH CARUSO (F Company). SSGT CARUSO won the Bronze Star Medal but didn’t talk very much about his exploits in the war. That chapter may be forever closed as he made his Final Jump some time ago. If anyone can help Barry to learn more about his father’s war-time service, please e-mail him at <bcpanhead@bellsouth.net> LUUD GORISSEN of the Netherlands writes: “I’ve adopted the grave of EDWARD TRYBULOWSKI, Staff Sergeant, 508 PIR. He is buried in American Cemetery, Margraten. He entered the service from Illinois. He died 23 Sept 1944. I have no further information of this Paratrooper. Can anyone give me more information? Please give this White Cross a human face to remember and honor. Thanks to all these brave soldiers, God Bless. E-mail Ludd at <l.gorissen3@kpnplanet.nl> TAPS JOHN J. GERARD, 80, August 24, 2001 in Minneapolis, MN. Mr. Gerard was awarded the Bronze Star. ROBERT V. BARBIAUX, 86, March 18, 2006 in New Kensington, Mr. Barbiaux was also awarded the Bronze Star. MABEL L. GOUDY 82, of Williamstown, WV passed away Monday November 5, 2007 at Marietta Memorial Hospital. She was preceded in death by her husband WILLIAM BRICE GOUDY (HQ 1st) who left us in November 2006. MABEL attended Williamstown High School then Marietta High School, she was a Civil Defense Volunteer in the 50's, was a member of the 1st Baptist Church, the 508th Paratroopers Women’s Auxiliary and was a volunteer at Marietta Memorial Hospital for 25 years. She is survived by daughters- LOIS GOUDY ANDREWS (BILL) of Phoenix, AZ, PATRICIA GOUDY VARNER (JOHN) of Williamstown, WV, JO (JODY) GOUDY and SUSAN KAY SHEPARD both of Marietta, OH, 8 Grandchildren, 14 Great Grandchildren, three sisters and a brother. DENNIS RUDDY, nephew of CAPTAIN GERARD RUDDY (HQ 1st, KIA, D-Day) and family members attended the Army-Navy Football game on December 1st. Dennis is ex-Army himself while his wife MARY is a Navy veteran. It must have made for some interesting sideline commentary. It was amplified by the presence of their daughter, CAPTAIN BRONWYN STALL (USA) and her husband ALEC. Bronwyn is a jump-qualified West Pointer and a medical doctor. She is currently posted in the Washington, DC area serving her internship rotating between Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the National Medical Center in Bethesda, MD and the National Institutes of Health. But, after Navy trounced Army for the record-setting sixth straight time, we figure Mary is lording it over Dennis and he is on another year of KP and Barracks detail. SUSAN TALLEY (daughter of LT. GEORGE GURWELL HQHQ), and husband JACK are members of a National Trophy Infantry Team firing M1 Garands. Their team, the “GCA Blind Hogs”, recently captured first place in a match held in Camp Perry, OH. Susan and Jack became interested in the history and use of the M1 because of her father’s service. If you attended the 30th Reunion in October 2004 in Gainesville, FL will remember that Sue and Jack brought a few M1 specimens for examination and photo ops. By the way, Susan’s daughter, 1ST LT. KRISTEN DODDS, just completed a 12-month tour in Iraq and hopes to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps by completing jump school. DONALD SWANSON, ex-505th and now a teacher, says that his 140 students have adopted a 508th Platoon. You can too by going to http://www.adoptaplatoon.org. That site also has a number of related links to programs such as MOMS Across America. |
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Send news for column to Dick O’Donnell 760 Conestee Drive Melbourne, FL 32904 PH: (321) 759-6174 e-mail: Jumpmaster@508PIR.org |
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