82nd Airborne Division 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment WWII Reenactors

10/03/2026

After more than 82 years, two Bushong brothers are coming home.

Sgt. Jay Bently Moreland, 21, and Staff Sgt. William Wright “Bill” Moreland, 19, enlisted together, served together and died together on D-Day, June 6, 1944, as their landing craft approached Omaha Beach.

Their remains will arrive at Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home, 605 State St. in Emporia, between 1 and 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2. An Army casket bearer team from Fort Riley will conduct a dignified transfer.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, a private gathering for family and friends will begin at 1:30 p.m., followed about an hour later by a public procession to Bushong Cemetery for burial with full military honors. The public is invited to join the procession.

Together in life and service, these brothers will finally rest in their family’s cemetery plot.

10/01/2026

On 4 October 1944, Cpl. Smith of the 508th PIR, a Pathfinder on the D-Day mission, led a three-man patrol during Operation Market Garden. Their mission: recon the eastern edge of Den Heuvel Woods.

The patrol left friendly lines around 8 p.m. and moved east until a German sentry challenged them in the northeast corner of the woods. The men went to ground and withdrew about 50 yards, but soon a squad of Germans emerged, set up a weapon, and checked their ri**es. Cpl. Smith's patrol was crawling toward the southern edge of the woods, just 25 yards from the tree line, when a German machine gun opened fire. The men crawled back under fire, narrowly escaping as a gr***de exploded nearby and r***e fire cracked from a hidden patch of trees. The patrol returned to friendly lines just before midnight.

Two weeks later, Cpl. Smith volunteered for a night mission in hostile territory. He and another soldier worked their way along drainage ditches to the Wetering Linge Canal, roughly 800 yards from the front, and then decided to walk upright through enemy positions, hoping careless sentries would mistake them for Germans.

They advanced 4,000 yards behind enemy lines without being detected and spent hours observing German troop movements and positions. On the return trip, they again moved openly through German positions, this time even greeting enemy soldiers without being discovered. Along the way, they captured a German soldier and brought him back to friendly lines for interrogation.

AATW!

10/01/2026

Lt. Jack E. Gavin began his service with the 505th PIR as a Sergeant. He fought his way through Sicily, where his leadership under fire earned him a battlefield promotion to Lieutenant. After the Italian and Normandy campaigns, he was a proven combat veteran when he dropped into Holland.

On the second day of Market Garden, enemy pressure mounted against the southern and southwestern sectors held by the 505th. By late afternoon, a fierce attack broke out and raged into the next day, with heavy losses on both sides. Through it all, 3rd Battalion held the division's southeastern flank, throwing back counterattacks at Heikant and Horst.

It was in the middle of this fight that Lieutenant Jack E. Gavin made the ultimate sacrifice: he led from the front until the very end.

Rest easy, Lieutenant. 🪂

09/18/2026

📸 82 years ago today, paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division celebrate the liberation of Veghel in the Netherlands during Operation Market-Garden. 🪖

Historic photo restored in color by Johnny Sirlande on the colorization 🎨

09/13/2026

08/16/2026

Eighty-one years ago today, following the news of Japan's surrender, August 15 was formally proclaimed as V-J Day in the United Kingdom. In this image from our Digital Collections, United States servicemembers and British civilians celebrate in London, England, on the night of August 15, 1945, waving Allied flags and holding copies of 'The Stars and Stripes.'

08/16/2026

Happy Birthday!!

84 years ago today, weather and terrain nearly decided which division would earn the title of the U.S. Army's first official Airborne Division.

In the end, the choice came down to one thing: finding the unit that was trained, ready, and battle-proven.

On 15 August 1942 at Camp Claiborne, the 82nd Airborne Division took wings and became the U.S. Army's 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 Airborne Division.

Airborne!
ALL THE WAY!