In September and October 2000, the 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, helped fight fires on the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana. With the encirclement broken, the men of the 101st expected to be relieved, but were given orders to resume the offensive. $4.95. The 101st Airborne was allotted to the Regular Army in June 1948[14] and reactivated as a training unit at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky the following July, only to be deactivated the next year. Able Company is a part of the WWII Airborne Living History Association (WWII ALHA) historical society, which is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit historical society dedicated to preserving the heritage and legacy of the WWII airborne soldier by educating the public. The only exception was the 187th which was added to the division later. PO Box 3897. From February through August 2000, 3rd Brigade 1/187 deployed to Kosovo for peacekeeping operations as part of Task Force Falcon in support of Operation Joint Guardian. Three artillery battalions, including the all-black 969th Field Artillery Battalion, were commandeered by the 101st and formed a temporary artillery group. Kaufering IV was located near the town of Hurlach, which the 12th Armored Division occupied on 27 April, with the 101st arriving the next day. | Est . The division took part in Operation Market Garden (1725 September 1944), an unsuccessful Allied military operation under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, commander of the Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group, to capture Dutch bridges over the Rhine, it was fought in the Netherlands, and is the largest airborne operation of any war.[22]. For information about the World War II History Center, click here. [44] In October 1968, Tiger Force's parent battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation by President Lyndon B. Johnson, which included a mention of Tiger Force's service at k T in June 1966. 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry (3rd Brigade) was attached to 3rd Infantry Division and was the main effort in clearing Saddam International Airport. Both of the two panzer divisions of the XLVII Panzer Corps moved forward from Bastogne after 21 December, leaving only one panzergrenadier regiment of the Panzer-Lehr-Division to assist the 26th Volksgrenadier Division in attempting to capture the crossroads. The commander of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne would go down in history for his defiant, one syllable reply to a German surrender ultimatum. Check Out Our Schedule for 2023 After establishing defensive positions, Col. Johnson went back to the DZ and assembled another 100 men, including Allen's group, to reinforce the bridgehead. Less than half a mile from his objective at les Droueries he was stopped by elements of battalion III/1058 Grenadier-Rgt. [6]:63 This doctrine is based on belief that initiative, depth, agility, and synchronization successfully complete a mission. The rest of the 101st was deployed to Vietnam in November 1967 and the 1st Brigade rejoined its parent division. Two other noteworthy actions took place near Sainte Marie-du-Mont by units of the 506th PIR, both of which involved the seizure and destruction of batteries of 105mm guns of the German III Battalion-191st Artillery Regiment. [133], In June 2022, Headquarters, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team rotated in to the U.S. Army V Corps' mission to reinforce NATOs eastern flank and engage in multinational exercises with partners across the European continent in order to reassure allies and deter further Russian aggression during its invasion of Ukraine. HBO's acclaimed historical miniseries Band of Brothers follows the paratroopers of Easy Company, 506th Infantry Regiment and their leader, Richard D. Winters, from their early training days at Camp Toccoa through to the end of World War II. stands near the sign at 101 Division HQ, Ft Bragg, N.C.-photo courtesy Ed Benecke. One of the most well-known companies in the United States Army is Easy Company, of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division (the Screaming Eagles). [112], As of 5 June 2011, 131 soldiers had been killed during this deployment, the highest death toll to the 101st Airborne in any single deployment since the Vietnam War. The 101st Airborne Division faced the elite of the German military which included such units as 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Fhrerbegleitbrigade, 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, and the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen. Casualty figures for the 101st Airborne Division, European theater of operations: Total battle casualties: 9,328; Total deaths in battle: 2,155 This unapproved bat wings and skull was designed by Major Hal McGowan in 1941, when the 502 was still a . Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Major Dick Winters of Easy Company 101st Airborne Division WW2 4x6 #1023* #od at the best online prices at eBay! Washington, DC 20024-2126 Major battles the company saw action in include: Operation Overlord . They suffered many . Around noon, while reconnoitering the area by jeep, Col. [7], In the recent conflicts the 101st Airborne has been increasingly involved conducting special operations especially the training and development of other states' military and security forces and counter-terrorism operations. The 2nd Brigade also played a significant role in the liberation of Mosul. The plan, as outlined by Field Marshal Montgomery, required the seizure by airborne forces of several bridges on the Highway 69 across the Maas (Meuse River) and two arms of the Rhine (the Waal and the Lower Rhine), as well as several smaller canals and tributaries. The 101st Airborne Division ("Screaming Eagles") is a specialized modular light infantry division of the US Army trained for air assault operations. The 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was activated at Camp Toccoa, Georgia on 15 November 1942. Battery C is said to have executed hundreds of missions and fired thousands of rounds in support of ISF operations since arriving in theatre in late May. The 101st left Camp Mourmelon on the afternoon of 18 December, with the order of march the division artillery, division trains, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 506th PIR, 502nd PIR, and 327th Glider Infantry. Sgt. Both airborne divisions spearheaded Operation Neptune, the assault phase of Overlord with the task of blocking approaches to Utah Beach and capturing causeway exits off the beach to allow amphibious landings by 4th US Infantry Division. The division's parachute artillery did not fare nearly as well. The Brigade also aided in the clearance of ISIS from Fallujah, the near elimination of suicide attacks in Baghdad, and the introduction of improved tactics that liberated more than 100 towns and villages. The commemoration is to honor those men and women of the U.S. military remain forever indebted to WWII veterans who . They destroyed two bridges along the Carentan highway and a railroad bridge just west of it. He never talked about himself. In the late 1970s, the division maintained one battalion on a rotating basis as the division ready force (DRF). [6]:85 It was the deepest air assault operation in history.[99]. Elements of the division's 1st Airborne Battle Group, 327th Infantry were ordered to Little Rock by President Eisenhower to escort the students into the formerly segregated school during the crisis. As part of the reorganization of the 101st Division as an airborne division, the unit was disbanded in the Organized Reserve on 15 August 1942 and reconstituted and reactivated in the Army of the United States. Godspeed. Another 101st Airborne veteran, Raymond Geddes Jr., recalls jumping only to see a farm house in the distance for a brief moment, before . The Battle of the Bulge, 'E' Company near Foy. Bradford Freeman, the last survivor of the World War II paratroop company whose combat exploits were described in the best-selling book and subsequent mini-series "Band of Brothers . OVERVIEW OF THE 101st AIRBORNE IN WW2 In this 1942 photo, Sgt Edward Benecke of the 377th PFA Bn. [3][4][5] Its unique battlefield mobility and high level of training have kept it in the vanguard of U.S. land combat forces in recent conflicts:[6] for example, foreign internal defense and counterterrorism operations in Iraq, in Afghanistan in 20152016,[7][8][9] and in Syria, as part of Operation Inherent Resolve in 20182021. [118], The U.S. Army sent 500 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to Iraq and Kuwait in early 2016 to advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces. [118] Prior to these sessions training between U.S. Special Forces and U.S. conventional forces had been uncommon. Brand New. . The 101st was distinguished partly by its tactical helmet insignia. The paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division jumped between 0048 and 0140 British Double Summer Time of 6 June. Using the personnel and equipment of the 187th ARCT and the 508th ARCT,[36] the 101st was reactivated as the first "pentomic" division with five battle groups in place of its World War II structure that included regiments and battalions. Sponsored. Senior leadership referred to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team as being exceptional. Let me call your attention to the fact that our badge is the great American eagle. Free shipping for many products! Both commanders found Exit 4 covered by German artillery fire and Cassidy recommended to the 4th Infantry Division that it not use the exit. E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles", is a company in the United States Army. The 506th attacked north and recaptured Recogne on 9 January 1945, the Bois des Corbeaux (Corbeaux Wood), to the right of Easy Company, on 10 January, and Foy on 13 January. This is based off of the official T/Os (table of organization) which are linked in the . This small corridor from Northern Belgium towards Arnhem crossed several rivers and canals. [106] After Task Force 121 members were wounded, the 3/327th Infantry surrounded and fired on the house with a TOW missile, Mark 19 Automatic Grenade Launcher, M2 50 Caliber Machine guns and small arms. At its height, the camp held more than 3,600 prisoners, but in the days before US troops arrived, the SS had evacuated many of the prisoners on a death march south in the direction of Dachau. note from webmaster:-the "Air Corps pockets" were rectangular belt pouches, with a pointed flap secured by a press-a-dot snap. General Petraeus led the division into Iraq saying, "Guidons, Guidons. [19], The 101st Airborne Division's objectives were to secure the four causeway exits behind Utah Beach between Saint-Martin-de-Varreville and Pouppeville to ensure the exit route for the 4th Infantry Division from the beach later that morning. The Ranger training program, led by Company A, 1502nd, is designed to lay the foundation for an elite Iraqi unit. Media Request SHOW UNIT INFO. After alert notification, troopers of the "hot" platoon/company, would be airborne, "wheels-up" within 30 minutes as the first responding unit. There was also a training session on the operation of TOW missiles. The division's second deployment to Iraq began in the late summer of 2005. The 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division would suffer 6 killed and 7 wounded during combat operations. While the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams were deployed to Iraq 20072008, the division headquarters, 4th Brigade Combat Team, the 101st Sustainment Brigade, and the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade followed by the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade were deployed to Afghanistan for one-year tours falling within the 200709 window. [121], On 26 June 2016, it was announced that Iraq had successfully taken back full control of Fallujah from the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS). [50]:F-122, In the seven years that all or part of the division served in Vietnam it suffered 4,011 killed and 18,259 wounded in action. [61][62] In 1941 the U.S. Army quickly adopted this concept of offensive operations initially utilizing wooden gliders before the development of helicopters. 1st Brigade conducted Operation Scorpion with Iraqi units near Kirkuk. They had been positioned in Jordan providing security for 5th SF Group's exercise prior to 9/11. The surviving battalion commander, Lt. Col. Robert A. Ballard, gathered 250 troopers and advanced toward Saint Cme-du-Mont to complete his mission of destroying the highway bridges over the Douve. American U.S. Army WWII Style 101st Airborne Division cloth patch. The 327th attacked towards Bourcy, northeast of Bastogne, on 13 January and encountered stubborn resistance. Toward the end of World War II, American soldiers of Easy Company were assigned to occupation duty in Germany, specifically to Berchtesgaden, which was home to Adolf Hitler's famous Eagle's Nest. Photo courtesy US Army Signal Corps. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe returned from their foray at Pouppeville. Approximately 400 helicopters transported 2,000 soldiers into Iraq, where they destroyed Iraqi columns trying to flee westward and prevented the escape of Iraqi forces. Taylor made destroying the Douve bridges the division's top priority and delegated the task to Col. The end of World War II marked the beginning of an intermittent existence for the 101st . . Second, commanders are urged to utilize the entire depth of the battlefield and strike at rear targets that support frontline enemy troops. [47] Despite this, the Army decided not to pursue any prosecutions. One, piloted by 1st Lt. Marvin F. Muir of the 439th Troop Carrier Group, caught fire. Vietnam WarPersian Gulf War During this time it included the 53rd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The assault, despite initial success by German tanks in penetrating the American line, was defeated and virtually all of the German tanks involved were destroyed. Division commander Major General Thomas Turner hosted the first governors' conference for the six provinces in the division's area of operations, as well as the neighboring province of Erbil.[109]. Location, Hours & Contact; About. [126], On 3 November 2016, it was reported that U.S. Army combat engineers were seen just west of the Great Zab River about halfway between the Kurdish city of Irbil and Mosul. Through school programs, hands-on presentations and battle reenactments, Company B is focused on it's mission to "Honor and. But for Winters and the other members of E Company who survived the war, their stories didn't end there. Gen. Frank Helmick, the assistant commander of 101st Airborne, commented that all occupants of the house died during the fierce gun battle before U.S. troops entered.[107]. [29] The 506th retook Noville on 15 January and Rachamps the next day. M1916 Holster . World War I ended 9 days later, and the division was demobilized on 11 December 1918. The reorganization was in place by late April 1957 and the division's battle groups were: Division artillery consisted of the following units: Other supporting units were also assigned. [102], After an intense period of combat in rugged Shoh-I-Khot Mountains of eastern Afghanistan during Operation Anaconda with elements of the 10th Mountain Division, the Rakkasans redeployed to Fort Campbell only to find the 101st awaiting another deployment order. Most of the 2nd Battalion had jumped too far west, near Sainte-Mre-glise. Tel: (315) 567-4542. Free shipping for many products! It was assaulted on June 6, 1944 (D-Day of the invasion), by elements of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division and was taken with relatively few casualties. Another group of 50 men, assembled by the regimental S-3, Major Richard J. Allen, attacked the same area from the east at Basse-Addeville but was also pinned down. The 101st Airborne was supported by the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division. They taught marksmanship, basic battlefield medical care and ways to detect and disarm improvised explosive devices. The 101st soldiers deploying to Mihail Koglniceanu in June did not represent additional U.S. forces in Europe, but are taking the place of soldiers assigned to 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters and the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division. The company was formed in 1942 as part of an experimental airborne regiment and fought in the European Theater of World War 2. They need your skill. XXX Corps engineers, supported by German prisoners of war, constructed a class 40 Bailey bridge within 10 hours across the Wilhelmina Canal. World War II Unit Histories, Documents Monographs, Books and Reports on CD PDF Remastered and Keyword Searchable. World War II 1942-45 Post-World War II/Korean War Reserve Airborne Divisions 1946-1952 Airborne Regimental Combat Teams 1950-1957 Pentomic Era Airborne Divisions 1957-63 Vietnam-Era Airborne Divisions/Brigades Vietnam Era Aerial Delivery Units U.S. Army Reserve Aerial Delivery Units 1970s to 1990 Aerial Delivery Units 1970s-1990s (Inactivated or Redesignated) Last update: April 23, 2011 Third, agility requires commanders to strike the enemy quickly where most vulnerable and to respond to the enemy's strengths. Author's Collection. The parade would visit General Patton and McAuliffe's memorials to lay wreaths. The Screaming Eagles of WWII Foundation transformed the original and well known P.M. Pulles rosters into a comprehensive list of all members of the United States 101st Airborne Division during World War Two. Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment has become one of the most famous small units in U.S. history, thanks to Stephen Ambrose's superb . [13], The 101st Division headquarters was organized 2 November 1918 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, having been constituted on 23 July in the National Army. The force was in place to respond to alerts for action anywhere in the world. On display in the Major Dick Winters WW2 Collection at Gettysburg Museum of History. Card suits (diamonds, spades, hearts, and clubs) on each side of the helmet denoted the regiment to which a soldier belonged. At the end of D-Day, Gen. Taylor and his assistant division commander (ADC) Brig. In mid-1968, the division was reorganized and redesignated as an airmobile division; in 1974, as an air assault division. The 101st Airborne Division was recognized as a liberating unit by the US Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1998. Hundreds of inmates were too ill or weak to make the trek, so the SS guards set fire to the barracks to prevent their liberation by US troops. The 26th VG received additional armor and panzergrenadier reinforcements on Christmas Eve to prepare for its final assault, to take place on Christmas Day. During the morning, a small patrol of troopers from Company E 506th PIR under (then) 1st Lt. Richard D. Winters overwhelmed a force 34 times its size and destroyed four guns at a farm called Brcourt Manor, for which Winters was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the assault troops given Silver and Bronze Stars. "Screaming Eagles Parachute Demonstration Team", "Warrior Training Center Air Assault School Handbook", "The Logistics of the 101st Airborne Division in the First Gulf War", "Field Artillery - Army Lineage Series - Part 2", "1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Lineage", "2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Lineage", "3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Lineage", "2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Lineage", "311th Military Intelligence Battalion Lineage", "Military Support in Wildland Fire Suppression, 19882003", "Networked forces in stability operations: 101st Airborne Division, 3/2 and 1/25 Stryker brigades in northern Iraq", "Task Force Thunder rolls into Afghanistan", "2nd BATTALION 70th ARMOR "IRON TIGERS" Home", "After the war: Hussein's 2 Sons Dead in Shootout, U.S. Says", "Iraq Coalition Casualties: U.S. Fatalities By Divisions", "Iraq's new ambassador addresses Washington", "Operation Dragon Strike: Battle for Kandahar Begins", "NATO Push Deals Taliban a Setback in Kandahar", "Afghan Taliban leadership splintered by intense US military campaign", "Army's 101st pays high price for Afghan surge year", "The 101st Airborne Takes on the Taliban", "Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom Listed by base", "Storied 'Currahees' prepare to inactivate", "SF, Bastogne Soldiers combine forces for training (Release Number: 150123-01)", United States Army Special Operations Command, "Apache helicopters used for first time against Islamic State in Iraq", "101st Airborne soldiers tapped to fight Islamic State group", "Iraq takes full control of Fallujah from Islamic State, military says", "American Artillery is Pounding Islamic State in Iraq and Syria", "101st Airborne Soldiers build elite Iraqi force with Ranger Training Clarksville, TN Online", "101st Airborne soldiers thrive in battle on Iraq front lines", "101st Airborne leading coalition in Mosul fight against ISIL", "Army to Deploy 1,700 Paratroopers to Iraq", "101st Airborne Makes Handoff in Iraq During Mosul Offensive", "5 children lost their dads in an attack that killed 3 US soldiers", "101st Airborne Division's Strike Brigade receives Operation Inherent Resolve streamer following Iraq deployment", "101st Airborne troops deploy to Somalia for training mission", "101st Airborne Division arrives in Europe to support NATO Allies", "After 80 years the Screaming Eagles return to Europe", "CEREMONY AND COMBINED DEMONSTRATIVE EXERCISE CONDUCTED BY US ARMY EUROPE DEPLOYED TO ROMANIA", "Charlie Sayles And The Blues Disciples Album Review", "Jack Warden, 85; Prolific Film, TV Actor", "Headquarters, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division", "Headquarters, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division | Lineage and Honors | U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)", "HEADQUARTERS 3d BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM, 101st AIRBORNE DIVISION - U.S. Army Center of Military History - Lineage and Honors Information", "Tennessee and Kentucky National Guard Soldiers don 101st Airborne Division patch", Website of Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), STRIKE on The Military Channel's Warrior POV Screaming Eagles in Afghanistan, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=101st_Airborne_Division&oldid=1142712470, United States Army divisions during World War II, Airborne divisions of the United States Army, Military units and formations established in 1942, United States Army divisions of World War I, Articles with dead external links from July 2020, Articles with failed verification from April 2022, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2023, Articles needing additional references from February 2012, All articles needing additional references, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from July 2022, Articles lacking reliable references from July 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014, Articles needing additional references from March 2017, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from March 2017, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Articles needing additional references from November 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Headquarters, Special Troops, 101st Division. At 16:00 radio contact alerted the main force that the Son bridge had been destroyed and requested that a replacement Bailey bridge be brought forward. [6]:63. The 54th Signal Battalion was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps (which included the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions) during the Battle of the Bulge and was reinforced during the battle by companies of the 97th Signal Operations Battalion. [119] But they need you to continue building on that success, preparing them for the fight today and the long hard fight for their future. Casualty List of 116th Inf Co B on 6 June 1944. | Condition: Very good. [18], The pathfinders of the 101st Airborne Division led the way on D-Day in the night drop before the invasion. On the night of 18 to 19 December the 101st Airborne Division was jammed into trucks and rushed into battle, destination Bastogne Belgium. [citation needed] This shrank to just over 100 aircraft with the inactivation of the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade in 2015,[3] making it no different in configuration from the Army's other light infantry divisions. Under the direction of the 101st Iraqi forces have taken back a significant amount of geography from the control of ISIS. We would like to thank Crown Family Philanthropies and the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation for supporting the ongoing work to create content and resources for the Holocaust Encyclopedia. It is known as the Battle of Barawala Kalay Valley. 101st Airborne Casualty Figures. Task Force Band of Brothers' primary mission during its second deployment to Iraq was the training of Iraqi security forces. Its drop was one of the worst of the operation, losing all but one howitzer and dropping all but two of 54 loads four to twenty miles (32km) to the north, where most ultimately became casualties. On episode 25 of the All American Legacy Podcast, we mention the blue beret of the 101st Airborne Division in the 1970s. During the typhus epidemic of 1945 in Germany, Kaufering prisoners with typhus were sent there to die. Lt. Muir held the aircraft steady while the stick jumped, then died when the plane crashed immediately afterward, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. [notes 6]. During the 101st's drive into southern Germany, the unit uncovered Kaufering IV, one of 11 camps in the Kaufering complex in the Landsberg region. This is Eagle 6. 82nd Airborne Division : $9.99 . These were discontinued in the 101st after Normandy. [125], On 17 October 2016, an article from The Leaf Chronicle stated that the 101st Airborne was leading a coalition of 19 nations to support the liberation of Mosul from ISIL. Army Col. Edward Shames, the last remaining officer of World War II's 'Band of Brothers,' dies at 99 As a mortarman for Easy Company, he jumped in the D-Day Normandy invasion, per the obituary. 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 187th Infantry, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 327th Infantry, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 502nd Infantry, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 506th Infantry, 2d Battalion, 101st Aviation (Inactive between 16 November 1988 and 16 August 1991), 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation (General Support), 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation (Medium Lift), 9th Battalion, 101st Aviation (Assault - constituted 16 December 1989), 2d Battalion, 320th Field Artillery (18 M102 105mm towed howitzer), 3d Battalion, 320th Field Artillery (18 M102 105mm towed howitzer), 8th Battalion, 101st Aviation (Maintenance), Counteroffensive, Phase II (1st Brigade only), Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at BASTOGNE (Division and 1st Brigade only), Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in FRANCE AND BELGIUM (Division and 1st Brigade only), Signal, Intelligence, and Sustainment Company ("Never Quit"), 40th Public Affairs Detachment ("The Professionals"), Screaming Eagles 101st Airborne Division by Russ & Susan Bryant, 101st Airborne in Vietnam The 'Screaming Eagles' by Michael Sharpe & Simon Dunstan, Screaming Eagles The 101st Airborne Division from D-Day to Desert Storm by Christopher J. Anderson, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 00:00. They came together, citizen soldiers, in the summer of 1942, drawn to Airborne by the $50 monthly bonus and a .