503rd PRCT Association WWII, Inc. to be retired.
Feb 29, 2020 9:45:02 GMT 8
Karl Welteke and chadhill like this
Post by EXO on Feb 29, 2020 9:45:02 GMT 8
In a letter received from David Hudiburgh earlier today, I received the following:
A lot of changes have taken place since our October 2018 Reunion. Perhaps the most important has been the sad but necessary decision to retire the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT) Association, World War I I . Your board reached this decision based upon the results of (1) a phone call survey of the few remaining veterans that determined they are, for all practical purposes no longer able to manage the demands of traveling lengthy distances and/or three-four days of related reunion activities and (2) a postcard survey mailed to dues paying members of the 503rd during the summer of 2019.
Your board is now in the process of arranging the retirements of the two sets of 503rd PRCT Associations Colors which include the 503rd PIR, 462nd PFAB and 161st PEC Flags and the American Flag, along with an original 503rd Infantry Flag and American Flag that were donated to the Association by Lt. Col. John Keller.
We hope you will be pleased to know that the original set of the Association's 503rd PRCT Colors, that include the unit flags of 503rdPIR, 462nd PFAB and 161st PEC, and the American Flag, will find a new home at Fort Benning's National Infantry Museum. Since Fort Benning was the birthplace of the parachute infantry, including the 503rd PIR, we feel this is, by far the best choice. All of the men who passed through the ranks of 503rd PRCT went through the parachute jump school at Ft. Benning.
At the 2015 Association's annual reunion, an original set of Colors used by the 503rd Infantry were given to the Association by Lt. Col. John Keller. Some of us served with Colonel Keller under these very colors at Ft. Bragg some sixty years ago. The active duty 503rd Infantry Regiment is now stationed at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy. Your board reached out to its Command Sergeant Major (CSGM ) Sonny Quintanilla to discuss retiring the second set of colors under the watchful eye of our current 503rd troops. CSGM Quintanilla states that they would be honored to receive the
colors and is providing considerable assistance in making it happen. On a sad note, we had hoped Colonel Keller might join us for the presentation but learned he died last year.
Travel Plans
On a positive note, several members plan to be present for the presentations of colors at Fort Benning. Currently, we are hoping to make the presentation at the end of April, early May. If you would like to join us, please let us know! We sincerely welcome everyone who can attend. We will provide dates and related information, as soon as possible, to anyone who expresses an interest in participation.
The Future
While the formality of the Association will end, our hope is that former Association members and those who have an interest in the 503rd will continue to keep in-touch. As individuals and a group, we will continue our efforts in educating the public and perpetuating the memory of the men who served in the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team during WWII.
Much has changed since the formation of the Association back in 1957. The way we get and consume our information and the way we communicate with each other has drastically changed over the years, ways in which our charter members could never have imagined. One of the main reasons for creating the Association, the gathering of old soldiers, bonding, sharing their stories and life events, no longer exists. The focus now must switch to sharing and promoting the history of the 503rd PRCT and ensuring the deeds of this fine unit are never forgotten.
To accomplish this, we will continue to post on our Facebook Page and perhaps move it toward a group page that will allow all individuals to post on the page. In the future, this will be the primary means of getting information out on "happenings", that may be of importance to those who have an interest in the 503"' PRCT. We currently have over 400 followers. The link to our Facebook page is listed below.
To help educate the public and make resources available to those seeking information about the 503rd PRCT, we have allotted monies to help fund the website that Paul Whitman, author and historian, has created. His website is dedicated to all things Corregidor, including the stories, images and deeds of the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team WWII.
The main link to access this website is listed below.
Another website that is of interest is called In the 503rd. The main link to access the website is listed below.
This particular website was developed by former President Todd Mayer. The website is data driven and contains the
names of over 3,400 men who served in the 503rd PRCT during WWII. Per Bennett Guthrie, in his book "Three Winds of
Death" the original 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment contains some 2,000 men, eventually joined by many more as
casualty replacements mounted and other unit components were added. There are still over 1,500 men to be found and
added to the database. The site is currently under development and will be for some time.
Those wishing to further support the website(s) can contact the individuals directly. Their contact information can be
found within each website.
We hope you will take advantage of these excellent informational sites pertaining to the 503rd PRCT, and, of course, tell
others, as all inquiries are welcome. And who knows, we all might have a chance to meet again in the future!
David Hudiburgh
President
On February 9, 2020 , the 503rd Board of Directors held a conference call for the purpose of finalizing a budget for the
dissolution of the 503rd PRCT Association, WWII and planning for the transfer of the 503rd PRCT Colors to Ft. Benning, GA
and the 503rd Infantry Colors to Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy (the location of the active duty 503rd unit). The budget
that was approved allows for the mailing of 2-3 newsletters; renewing the website and hosting platform - 5 years for
the domain names www.503prct.org and www.corregidor.org and 10 years for the web hosting; perpetuating the
history of 503rd PRCT through donation of a 4 volume set of "Bless 'em All" by Calhoun/Whitman and "Three Winds of
Death" by Bennett Guthrie; transferring the appropriate Colors to Ft. Benning and Italy; and donating remaining assets
to the Army Relief Fund (in accordance with Article XI of Articles of Incorporation).
Reflections
64 Reunions held! Amazing, isn't it? The first annual 503rd reunion was held in 1957 in Washington, DC.
Since that time, the group has gathered in New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania,
South Caroi'ma, Iowa, Maryland, Illinois, Tennessee, Florida, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, California,
Missouri, West Virginia, Nevada, Washington, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Virginia, Arizona, South Dakota,
Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Arkansas, Ohio, and Georgia. It is only fitting that the last Reunion was
held in Ft. Benning, GA, where all our 503rd veterans went to jump school. Over the years friendships
and memories were made by all who attended the reunions. It has been a good ride!
The time has come to retire the 503rd as we know it. It has become increasingly difficult for our
veterans to travel and we can no longer fulfill the function of the 503rd as it was originally envisioned.
Special thanks go to Paul Whitman and Todd Mayer who have worked and continue to work so hard to
perpetuate the memory of the 503rd. Their work will prove to be invaluable to those seeking information
on the history of this great unit!
Thank you everyone for your support and friendship over the years. The 503rd holds a special place in
my heart!
A lot of changes have taken place since our October 2018 Reunion. Perhaps the most important has been the sad but necessary decision to retire the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT) Association, World War I I . Your board reached this decision based upon the results of (1) a phone call survey of the few remaining veterans that determined they are, for all practical purposes no longer able to manage the demands of traveling lengthy distances and/or three-four days of related reunion activities and (2) a postcard survey mailed to dues paying members of the 503rd during the summer of 2019.
Your board is now in the process of arranging the retirements of the two sets of 503rd PRCT Associations Colors which include the 503rd PIR, 462nd PFAB and 161st PEC Flags and the American Flag, along with an original 503rd Infantry Flag and American Flag that were donated to the Association by Lt. Col. John Keller.
We hope you will be pleased to know that the original set of the Association's 503rd PRCT Colors, that include the unit flags of 503rdPIR, 462nd PFAB and 161st PEC, and the American Flag, will find a new home at Fort Benning's National Infantry Museum. Since Fort Benning was the birthplace of the parachute infantry, including the 503rd PIR, we feel this is, by far the best choice. All of the men who passed through the ranks of 503rd PRCT went through the parachute jump school at Ft. Benning.
At the 2015 Association's annual reunion, an original set of Colors used by the 503rd Infantry were given to the Association by Lt. Col. John Keller. Some of us served with Colonel Keller under these very colors at Ft. Bragg some sixty years ago. The active duty 503rd Infantry Regiment is now stationed at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy. Your board reached out to its Command Sergeant Major (CSGM ) Sonny Quintanilla to discuss retiring the second set of colors under the watchful eye of our current 503rd troops. CSGM Quintanilla states that they would be honored to receive the
colors and is providing considerable assistance in making it happen. On a sad note, we had hoped Colonel Keller might join us for the presentation but learned he died last year.
Travel Plans
On a positive note, several members plan to be present for the presentations of colors at Fort Benning. Currently, we are hoping to make the presentation at the end of April, early May. If you would like to join us, please let us know! We sincerely welcome everyone who can attend. We will provide dates and related information, as soon as possible, to anyone who expresses an interest in participation.
The Future
While the formality of the Association will end, our hope is that former Association members and those who have an interest in the 503rd will continue to keep in-touch. As individuals and a group, we will continue our efforts in educating the public and perpetuating the memory of the men who served in the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team during WWII.
Much has changed since the formation of the Association back in 1957. The way we get and consume our information and the way we communicate with each other has drastically changed over the years, ways in which our charter members could never have imagined. One of the main reasons for creating the Association, the gathering of old soldiers, bonding, sharing their stories and life events, no longer exists. The focus now must switch to sharing and promoting the history of the 503rd PRCT and ensuring the deeds of this fine unit are never forgotten.
To accomplish this, we will continue to post on our Facebook Page and perhaps move it toward a group page that will allow all individuals to post on the page. In the future, this will be the primary means of getting information out on "happenings", that may be of importance to those who have an interest in the 503"' PRCT. We currently have over 400 followers. The link to our Facebook page is listed below.
To help educate the public and make resources available to those seeking information about the 503rd PRCT, we have allotted monies to help fund the website that Paul Whitman, author and historian, has created. His website is dedicated to all things Corregidor, including the stories, images and deeds of the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team WWII.
The main link to access this website is listed below.
Another website that is of interest is called In the 503rd. The main link to access the website is listed below.
This particular website was developed by former President Todd Mayer. The website is data driven and contains the
names of over 3,400 men who served in the 503rd PRCT during WWII. Per Bennett Guthrie, in his book "Three Winds of
Death" the original 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment contains some 2,000 men, eventually joined by many more as
casualty replacements mounted and other unit components were added. There are still over 1,500 men to be found and
added to the database. The site is currently under development and will be for some time.
Those wishing to further support the website(s) can contact the individuals directly. Their contact information can be
found within each website.
We hope you will take advantage of these excellent informational sites pertaining to the 503rd PRCT, and, of course, tell
others, as all inquiries are welcome. And who knows, we all might have a chance to meet again in the future!
David Hudiburgh
President
On February 9, 2020 , the 503rd Board of Directors held a conference call for the purpose of finalizing a budget for the
dissolution of the 503rd PRCT Association, WWII and planning for the transfer of the 503rd PRCT Colors to Ft. Benning, GA
and the 503rd Infantry Colors to Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy (the location of the active duty 503rd unit). The budget
that was approved allows for the mailing of 2-3 newsletters; renewing the website and hosting platform - 5 years for
the domain names www.503prct.org and www.corregidor.org and 10 years for the web hosting; perpetuating the
history of 503rd PRCT through donation of a 4 volume set of "Bless 'em All" by Calhoun/Whitman and "Three Winds of
Death" by Bennett Guthrie; transferring the appropriate Colors to Ft. Benning and Italy; and donating remaining assets
to the Army Relief Fund (in accordance with Article XI of Articles of Incorporation).
Reflections
64 Reunions held! Amazing, isn't it? The first annual 503rd reunion was held in 1957 in Washington, DC.
Since that time, the group has gathered in New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania,
South Caroi'ma, Iowa, Maryland, Illinois, Tennessee, Florida, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, California,
Missouri, West Virginia, Nevada, Washington, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Virginia, Arizona, South Dakota,
Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Arkansas, Ohio, and Georgia. It is only fitting that the last Reunion was
held in Ft. Benning, GA, where all our 503rd veterans went to jump school. Over the years friendships
and memories were made by all who attended the reunions. It has been a good ride!
The time has come to retire the 503rd as we know it. It has become increasingly difficult for our
veterans to travel and we can no longer fulfill the function of the 503rd as it was originally envisioned.
Special thanks go to Paul Whitman and Todd Mayer who have worked and continue to work so hard to
perpetuate the memory of the 503rd. Their work will prove to be invaluable to those seeking information
on the history of this great unit!
Thank you everyone for your support and friendship over the years. The 503rd holds a special place in
my heart!
Nancy Young
Secretary/Treasurer