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THURSDAY. MAY 25. 2023 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 11A
Continued From 1A
Screaming
Eagles
The iconic patch of the
101st Airborne may be the
most recognizable symbol of
any of the U.S. Army Divi
sions. From this photo of the
shoulder patch, it is obvious
how the 101st Airborne be
came known as the
"Screaming Eagles."
and it became the birthplace
of the 101st Airborne Divi
sion. The camp's landscape
was dominated by Mount
Curahee, which was the site
of some of the unit's most rig
orous training as the trainees
would double-time some
times two or three times daily
up the 1,000 feet trail to the
summit. As much as the
trainees despised their treks
up and down Curahee, the
101st adopted the mountain's
name as their battle cry. Cu
rahee, which in the Cherokee
language means "We stand
alone," would soon be carried
onto some of the most
fiercely fought battlefields in
Europe.
Although technically a
"rookie unit," because of
their rigorous training and the
pride instilled because of that
training, the paratroopers
fought courageously during
the Normandy campaign and
thus began to establish the
lOlst's reputation as an "elite
unit." The Screaming Eagle's
mission for Normandy was to
jump from Army Air Corps C
47's into enemy held territory
behind Omaha and Utah
Beaches and hold until they
could join up with the forces
landing and moving in from
beachheads.
Their Normandy mission
spanned from June 6th, 1944
to June 29th, more than three
weeks
fighting in the Bocage of
Normandy with many regi
ments suffering casualties of
nearly 50 percent. The 83rd
Thunderbolt Division re
lieved the 101st and, in
Steven Ambrose's book Band
of Brothers, Sgt. Pat Chris
tenson related his impression
of those who relieved the
101st. "They were so clean
looking," Christenson re
membered, "with a full
complement of men in each
unit. Even the paint on their
helmets looked as though
they had just been unpacked.
The impact of seeing such a
disheveled motley group as
we were was a shock to
them."
The paratroopers of the
101st had been fighting on
the front lines for 23 straight
days without a change of
clothes and without a shower
or shave. Their hair was mat
ted with sweat and that sweat
also stiffened their ragged
uniforms. A Private in the
83rd, a native of Jasper,*
later in his life admitted that
his first sight of the Scream
ing Eagles left a great im
pression upon him.
Ironically, a month later, the
83rd would also become a
"disheveled, motley group"
and would meet up again
with the 101st six months
later in the Ardennes Forest.
After their ordeal in the Nor
mandy Campaign, the 101st
was transferred back to Eng
land where they refitted, re
trained, and most
importantly, recuperated and
rested.
The Screaming Eagles
would be idle until late Sep
tember of 1944 when they
would be assigned to support
Operation Market Garden, an
ill-conceived plan of British
General Bernard Mont
gomery. The Screaming Ea
gles would successfully
accomplish their part of the
mission and capture the
bridge at Arnhem and with
their success, despite the op
eration's failure, their reputa
tion would continue to grow.
Following Market Garden,
the 101st would once again
return to England to recuper
ate. However, just three
months later, the Screaming
Eagles would be called upon
again in an urgent effort to
turn the tide in a battle that
would become the largest and
most costly of any battle in
Cunmeit
Camp, at
Bad Donkey,
75 North Main Street
in the heart of
Downton Jasper
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which
the United States would be
involved in World War II,
The Battle of the Bulge in
Germany.
Bastogne was surrounded
by the Germans and the
Screaming Eagles were sent
in to help relieve the besieged
town. However, this time, be
cause of the urgency of the
situation and poor weather
conditions, the 101st would
not parachute into Bastogne,
but would march in as in
fantry.
With few rations, medical
supplies, or ammunition, the
101st held for several days.
Bastogne held until relieved
by General George Patton's
Third Army several days
later. "The Battling Bastards
ofBastogne," as the 101st be
came known in press reports
at the time, were surprised
that their unit had become
immortalized in news reports
which had cemented the
lOlst's reputation as the most
elite of any American combat
unit. Nowhere else was the
battle cry, "Currahee - We
stand alone," more appropri
ate for the Screaming Eagles
than at Bastogne.
The 83rd Thunderbolt Di
vision was attached to the 3rd
Armored Division to form
the "Spearhead Division,"
which was tasked with push
ing the Germans back to the
established lines before the
Ardennes offensive. Ironi
cally, the 83rd was the same
unit that relieved the Scream
ing Eagles in Normandy only
six months earlier, and also
included that Jasper, Ga. bom
soldier who was now a Ser
geant.
The Ardennes offensive
was the "last gasp" for the
German Wehrmacht, and the
Allies would soon cross the
Rhine River and rapidly
move across the German
homeland. The 101st would
be involved in some skir
mishes with a diminished and
demoralized German Army
before they found themselves
near Munich, Germany in
May of 1945. Their final mis
sion of World War II would
be to mop up and secure the
area around Hitler's mountain
retreat at Berchtesgaden and
the Aldershorst, a fortress lo
cated high atop a Bavarian
Alp near Berchesgaden.
Following the war, many
Army training camps were
shuttered including North
Georgia's Camp Toccoa.
Also, many units were dis
banded, but not the 101st
who would see future fight
ing in Korea, Vietnam, the
Persian Gulf, and most re
cently in Iraq and
Afghanistan. However, the
Screaming Eagles would
evolve as military tactics
changed and with the advent
of new technology including
the helicopter. No longer
would the 101st be para
chuted into battle from air
transports; now they would
be ferried to drop zones by
the helicopter.
It was in this capacity the
Screaming Eagles were oper
ating during the Vietnam
Conflict. Tragically, another
local connection to the his
tory of the 101st Division oc
curred on April 15th, 1970.
Sgt. Bobby Young of Nelson
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photo/ courtesy of the 101st Airborne Division
On the eve of D-Day, General Dwight D. Eisenhower talks with members of the 101st
before they parachute into Normandy. It was reported that the Allied Supreme Commander
wept after his meeting with the Screaming Eagles because it was predicted the paratroopers
would possibly have up to 75 percent casualties in the Normandy Campaign.
was serving with the 101st
when he was killed by "hos
tile small arms fire" at the age
of only 24. It is because of
servicemen like Bobby
Young that Americans pause
in remembrance every year
on Memorial Day, and local
residents are urged to recog
nize the true meaning of this
holiday and salute Young and
the dozens of other Pickens
County servicemen who died
in the service of our country.
*Recollections of the 83rd
Thunderbolt Division were
personally related to the au
thor. Unidentified in the arti
cle, the Jasper bom soldier
was the author's dad, Sgt.
Roger W. Cavender. In addi
tion to being a contributing
writer to the Pickens County
Progress, Larry Cavender is
also an author and stories like
the one above can be found
in his latest book, Thank You
for Your Service - A Tribute
available atAmazon.com and
BarnesandNoble.com
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WE WILL BE CLOSED
ON MONDAY MAY 29 th
IN OBSERVANCE OF
MEMORIAL DAY
Let us remember all our heroes
in uniform who made the ultimate
sacrifice to defend our country
on this special day. Everyone here
at Community Bank of Pickens
County wishes you a warm, safe
and happy Memorial Day.
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