|
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Paratroopers with the
1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment welcomed one of
their own as they celebrated their storied unit's service and
history.
Vincent Speranza, an 88-year-old World War II
veteran who fought with the regiment in The Battle of the Bulge at
Bastogne, Belgium, was the unit's honorary guest for a two-day area
of operation tour complete with a head-table seat at this year's
regimental ball. Speranza's top agenda was visiting paratroopers.
The spry 88-year-old reveled in storytelling as paratroopers hung on
every word about his tales from the front line.
|
Vincent Speranza, a former infantryman machine gunner with the
501st Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II, inspects an
M249 machine gun weapon system during an installation visit Oct. 6,
2013, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Speranza was at
the base to visit paratroopers with the 1st Battalion (Airborne),
501st Infantry Regiment and to be a special guest at their
regimental ball. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith)
|
“Mr. Speranza is a real legacy to the 501st, and he took
part in the battle at Bastogne, and the fact that he could
come here almost 70 years later and really connect with the
guys on a level you don't see very often is amazing to see,”
said 1st Lt. Matthew Carstensen, the 1-501's headquarters
company executive officer. “His connection to the airborne
community and the 501st is pretty much unbounded.”
Speranza was a paratrooper assigned to H Company, 3rd
Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne
Division during the siege at Bastogne in December 1944.
While there, from the snow covered ground at his fighting
position, Speranza engaged in his first firefight against
German forces.
Since then, the Army's units have
undergone many changes including transitioning the 101st
Airborne Division into a unit specializing in helicopter
operations. The 1st Battalion of the 501st moved to Alaska,
and it is the last of the regiment still on jump status. The
1-501st is now a part of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat
Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.
“I didn't keep up with anything
for the first 65 years after the war,” said Speranza. “When
I went searching finally in 2009 for my friends, I found out
that the 501 was the last of the jumpers, and the 101st
Airborne Division had become a helicopter unit.”
“I
asked where the 501 was, and they told me they're in Alaska.
So, I wanted to visit Alaska and my old regiment of jumpers,
and I'm not sorry I came. They are a fine bunch of people.”
“I have been made proud all over again that when I hear
and read about what they [501st] have done in Afghanistan
and Iraq, and I have talked in depth with some Vietnam
boys,” said Speranza. “The idea that paratroopers are a
special breed is true. They are. They are America's pride,
and I think more people should know about it.”
“I
want to remind America that our military is the best, and
the best of the best are the parachute troops!” Speranza
said with a laugh. “Although, I'm a bit prejudice I'm sure.”
The 501st is a proud organization with an extensive
history, including being the Army's first operational
airborne unit. The unit's paratroopers were thrilled to have
Speranza join them as they conducted an airborne operation
aboard Alaska National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk Utility
Helicopters at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Speranza donned Army extreme cold-weather gear and boarded
the aircraft for a scenic flight and a bird's-eye view of
paratroopers leaping off and descending onto JBER's Malemute
Drop Zone.
Familiar with Alaska because his son lived
in Wasilla for more than 20 years, Speranza said he was
happy to visit the 49th state again.
“I love Alaska
because I was always an outdoorsman. I love to hunt and
fish, and Alaska is the last frontier. I love to be out in
the woods,” said Speranza. “I went out caribou hunting one
time and we were 600 miles from civilization. So, we were
out in the woods!”
Speranza made the trip to Alaska
from Springfield, Ill., accompanied by his granddaughter,
Emilie Yeager.
“He really loves doing this, and he is
just super-honored to be here,” Yeager said.
The
beautiful Alaskan landscape was just icing on the cake for
Speranza, as his real reason for visiting was reconnecting
with the unit he went to war with nearly 70 years ago. A
gifted story teller, Speranza shared some of his thoughts
and experiences.
“When the war started, I wanted to
get in the fight badly. I was only a 16-year old kid in high
school, and in '41 when the Japanese attacked, I just
couldn't believe it. How dare they attack the United States,
and in a sneak attack like that!”
At 18-years-old,
Speranza joined the Army as an Infantryman and was assigned
to the 87th Infantry Division at Fort Jackson, S.C. While
there, he witnessed his first airborne operation when his
unit watched a parachute demonstration.
“They marched
us all out into a field, and we sat down and waited, and
suddenly three C47s came out of the sky, and the doors
opened, and it was this brand new thing we had never even
heard of. Men came floating out of those airplanes and onto
the ground. They came and lined up in front of us, shiny
boots, silver wings, and great looking people. The
lieutenant came up and said, ‘This is the United States
Parachuting Corps and we're looking for a few good men. Who
wants to volunteer? You have to have had full infantry
training, plus advanced infantry training, and advanced
weapons.' Well, we were all of that, but we hesitated ...
‘Throw yourself out of an airplane with a piece of silk
hanging there?'... and then he said, ‘There's 50 dollars a
month jump pay.' All hands went up!”
“They selected
a few of us, but I saw it as a quicker way to get into the
fight, and that it was! Five-weeks of jump school at Fort
Benning and over we went.”
Shortly after the war,
Pfc. Speranza completed his enlistment and was honorably
discharged from the U.S. Army. He went on to lead a
successful life, getting married, and finding his lifelong
profession as a history teacher.
His legacy, along
with all paratroopers who have served in the Army stands as
a testament in spirit, pride, and accomplishment for others
to emulate.
“I think it's important to understand
where we came from and what those guys started with. They
were the best of the best, and that's what it means to be in
an airborne community,” said Capt. Andrew Boyd, the company
commander for Alpha Company, 725 Brigade Support Battalion,
4-25 IBCT (ABN).
“Mr. Speranza's visit has been rich
and rewarding for every paratrooper in the battalion. You
can see it on their faces,” said Lt. Col. Tobin Magsig,
commander of the 1-501st. “After talking with him, they
stand straighter and stick their chests out.”
“Every
paratrooper is a historian in some form or fashion,” said
Magsig. “Who doesn't idolize those who went before them and
paved the way for our airborne forces.”
Speranza
plans to do more traveling in the future, including another
trip to Belgium to visit that frozen piece of battleground
where he fought all those years ago. Also on his bucket list
is one more jump, and not a tandem one either. He plans to
exit the aircraft on his own!
By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
Comment on this article |
