Colonel Ruben Tucker was born on January 29th, 1911 in Ansonia Connecticut and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1935. He served with the 9th Infantry at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, with the 33rd Infantry at Ft. Clayton, in the Canal Zone with the 94th Anti-Tank BN from Ft. Benning. He reported that his reason for joining the paratroops was, "I like excitement and adventure and I always like to participate in something new and different". He became a charter member of the original 502nd in June 1941. Later he joined the 504th at its birth, moved up rapidly to command the Regiment. Some of the decorations he was awarded were, the Distinguished Service Cross with Cluster, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit with Cluster and the Dutch Medal of Wilhelms. After having served in Korea, Ruben Tucker retired a Major General .

Fred James Baldino was born February 25, 1922 in the town of Ashland, Pennsylvania (Schuykill County). "I came out of Jump School class number 38 at Fort Benning and received the coveted paratrooper wings. I was then assigned to the 504th and became attached to Company A." Fred fought with the 504th A Company in Sicily, Salerno, Anzio and Holland. Once in Holland he was wounded and related the following to me, "We were withdrawn across the Nijmegen Bridge and I still remember a picture of a German soldier on the Nijmegen side of the Bridge who was dead and his arm was up in the air seemed to be pointing across the bridge. We then went into Germany a couple of miles, not too far from Nijmegan and dug in overlooking a valley, we were sending out quite a few one-man patrols. Our squad leader was named of Castle -- all I know is he was from Kentucky and he was a fearless fighter, he went on many patrols by himself and I hear killed quite a few Germans. While we were dug in this location, they were sending a few boys back to Nijmegan or some town to get a bath. I never got to go but one day when my good friend Danny Brisco got to go into town, I was in my foxhole and I remember some British artillery observers coming up near me. Pretty soon German mortar shells started to fall nearby and one landed ten or so feet from me. I got out of my foxhole and moved back to the cover of some trees when my friend Danny came back from getting cleaned up, , 'what's the matter, Freddie. You look as pale as a ghost.' I said, 'yes, a mortar shell just missed me.' Just then one landed real close to the both of us and I said, 'let's get the hell out of here!' and took off at a run toward our command post a few hundred yards to the rear. We only got about twenty feet. I was in the lead by about eight feet and next thing I know I was knocked cold, when I came to it felt like I had a hole in my back six inches wide, the mortar had landed between the two of us. I got hit in about nine places in back, on the top of my head (I didn't have my helmet on). I also got it in the left forearm, which cut a nerve and I couldn't open my left hand for about six months until the wound or nerve healed. My friend Danny got hit in the left eye and lost the sight in that eye. They took us to the First Aid station, gave us some bandages over our wounds, and got us back to Nijmegin a jeep. We were treated there somewhat and then sent further down the line to a field hospital and they operated to take the shrapnel out, then I lost track of Danny, he got trucked back to Brussels. I got a plane back to England where I stayed until Jan 17th and then got the Queen Elizabeth back to the States. I think I was wounded about Oct 2 or thereabouts (Ryan Archive). After a long wait (until Jan 13,1945) I shipped back to the U.S.A. on the Queen Elizabeth. So many human-interest stories in a war. I wished I would have kept a diary. It would have surpassed Ross Carter's book. I'll never forget the time Pop Przchowski got shot in the ass. It was not a funny situation, but to see him jump and run down the road holding his butt. All the guys in the platoon just busted out laughing. I guess at times it is good to get out some laughter in a tense situation.

Physically, Tom McCarthy was 5’5" 130 lbs -- not your average recruiting poster American paratrooper. However, those who challenged this man did so at their own peril. Tom had grown up in the tough city. He had been a good athlete and excelled at baseball and amateur boxing. His chosen profession as a Union bricklayer was not a job for the weak or the undisciplined. When war broke out, Tom signed up for the Marines, but at 5’5’’ was too short the recruiter said. He tried the Army Air Corps and Navy and was also rejected. Persistent, Tom finally joined the U.S. Army and went on to join the 504th. What the Marines, Navy and Army Air Corps lost was a soldier who would win three Bronze Stars, a Silver Star, three Purple Hearts and four stars on his Jump Wings (Tom jumped Pathfinder for the 507th on D-Day). About those three Purple Heart medals Tom related that he must have been very unlucky to have been wounded that many times. Tom almost didn’t make the cut for the paratroopers; however, the luck of the Irish was with him or so he said. It so happened that on the day he went in for the evaluation, a lieutenant with an Irish last name chose him. It is my personal belief that Tom was not chosen because his last name was McCarthy (pronounced McArty). If you ever met him, you would have seen that, although small in body, he projected a presence that made you believe that this man was for real. I think the officer saw that this guy was the real deal. Tom served in A Company, Hq1 and in the first Pathfinder Unit.

Pfc. James M. McNamara was drafted before WWII. He used to joke that that was the only lottery he ever won. He served in the Yankee Division (Massachusetts National Guard). Once the war began he requested a transfer to either the Airborne troops or the Army Air Corps for duty on bombers (waist gunner). He was accepted into the parachute Infantry and went to jump school at Ft. Benning Georgia jump school class 22. He was then assigned to the 504th Parachute Infantry, Hq1. He then went to S2 Regimental Headquarters Company, scout observer and then Demolition HQ,HQ 504th Parachute Infantry. He served with the 504th from N.Africa till the end of the war. He loved being a paratrooper and jumping. He did not care much for the spit and polish of being a soldier. However, he loved jumping and the physical training. He had worked at the College of The Holy Cross' Field House and was an avid basketball enthusiast and that helped him get through the physical part of training (he graduated in 1940 with a B.A. from Holy Cross). During the war, he was awarded two Bronze Stars, The Purple Heart and had three Jump Stars on his Jump Wings.

Perry A. Chester was born July 30, 1942 in Lake Spring, MO. Perry married Dorothy and had a daughter named Terrie. He was making a living as a heavy truck driver in Alton, IL. He heeded the call to serve his beloved country and enlisted in the U.S. Army January 9, 1942. Uncle Sam moved him to Fort Bragg, North Carolina and selected him to be in Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry 82nd Airborne Division. He was serving as a CPL until his wife and daughter fell very ill. He asked for a pass to go back and help his family but was denied. Family meant so much to him that he went AWOL to be with them. When he returned to Ft. Bragg, he lost his stripe and became PFC. Chester. He attended Parachute Jump School in 1942.

Staff Sergeant David Rosenkrantz, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment H Company. Staff Sgt. Rosenkrantz apparently landed in a remote area during operation,"Husky",the invasion of Sicily and, along with a Corporal Lee Black of Tennessee, captured 200 Italians. A newspaper account of this is now on the Internet at the 504 PIR Web Site Memories page. [Note: The "casualty list" available on the same site lists David as MIA and he is memorialized on the "Wall of the Missing" at the Margraten Memorial. Staff Sgt. Rosenkrantz was in the first wave of boats that crossed the Waal River in the assault on the Nijmegen Bridge. He survived the crossing only to be killed in Den Heuvel Woods. He was setting up an outpost in a farmhouse when a German Attack occurred through the woods. The troopers of the 504th were cut off and surrounded. Staff Sgt. Rosenkrantz was standing behind a tree and was shot from behind with a machine gun.

Pvt John R Towle,"Towle who had joined us in Italy, was a quiet self possessed, dark haired boy whose fate and luck it was to be the only bazooka man in the company with any ammunition. He climbed up the bank, took a quick peep at the tanks, then slid down and got his bazooka. He said ironically "I see I am going to get the Congressional today." He drawled back up and set to work. He would fire his metal pipe, slide down to reload, then crawl back up to a new point. The Krauts swiveled their 88s and tank machine-guns to cover the different portions of the embankment; wherever he stuck his weapon over, they sniped at him point blank range. Towle was facing five tanks weighing sixty tons each. Three hundred tons of mobile forts were being opposed by one man and one bazooka! Finally the stout-hearted trooper forced the tanks to withdraw to the town. His bravery saved our company(C 1st Bn 504th) and the left bank of the Rhine. In a few minutes a mortar shell dropped on Towle and killed him. Towle got his Congressional posthumously."Taken from "The Devils In Baggy Pants",By Ross Carter

Lt. Ned Wall was born March 16th, 1919 in Parsons, Kansas he attended Washburn University in Topeka and majored in education. He was a standout athlete in both basketball and football. He was drafted in June 1941 and then went to OCS. He volunteered for the paratroops and after jump school was assigned to 504th PIR Co HQ 1st Bn. He jumped in Sicily and Salerno. Tragically on September 12, 1943 at Salerno Italy Ned was killed by an 88 mm shell. Lt. Col Warren R. Williams said of him in a letter to his mom and dad. "He was known to us all as "Big Ned" a man from whom the enlisted man was assured a square deal; and an officer whom his superior officers could always depend upon for a job well done."

Pfc.Theodore H. Bachenheimer,"Ted", as he was remembered by his friends, was born in Braunschweig in Germany in April 1923. His father His father, Wilhelm Bachenheimer, was a German Jew, his mother Katherina was of German ancestry. Due to Nazi pressure Ted's father fled Germany with his family and ended up in Hollywood California. Ted studied drama at the Los Angeles City college and when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Ted joined the US Army and not long after that, he volunteered for the Army Paratroops. After finishing jump training, he was assigned to the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment HQ,HQ S2 Recon Scout Observer then to Hq1 Recon Scout Observer. He became a legend in the 504th with his persistant forays behind enemy lines. In Holland he led the Dutch Resistance in and around Arnhem. He was killed behind enemy lines on October 22,1944 after having escaped having been captured the first time by the SS.

T-Sgt. Nicholas W. Mansolillo, Hq Co. 1st Bn 504th PIR was assigned to the heavy weapons platoon. His first assignment was the fifty-caliber machine gun then mortars later in the war. He is from Providence Rhode Island and graduated jump school class number 22. He loved serving in the parachute infantry and made many close friends who he kept in contact with after the war. One trooper who he had become close friends with was John Mullen who had lived for a time in Providence as he did. Sadly Nick witnessed John's last movements of life as he died on the south bank of the Waal River after having been hit by an artillery barrage. He ran to John only to find him in a pool of blood with a wound to his neck. A tradition that Nick had was to save a piece of his chute from each combat jump. He had three pieces of chute after the war he carved three paratroopers and used the small pieces he saved as canopies for the toys that he gave to each one of his sons.

Staff Sergeant Wa Fui Lee, 82nd Airborne Division, 504th PIR (1942-1945). Staff Sgt. Lee entered the Army in Feb 1942. He went to Jump School, Ft.Benning 6/1942 to 8/1942 and Specialists School for Parachute Riggers, Ft. Benning 8/1942 - 10/1942. He was then deployed to N. Africa with the 504th. He served in the 504th's Parachute Maintenance Company and had 4 combat stars on his jump wings. The 504th Parachute Maintenance Unit was charged with keeping the regiments chutes in good operating order. Sgt. Lee supervised parachute riggers and jumped in Sicily, Salerno, Normandy and Holland. The unit was led by Chief Warrant Officer John A. Ward who was one of 48 soldiers selected to form the Original Parachute Test Platoon at Fort Benning, Georgia.

His civilian friends knew Major Julian Cook as Aaron but Julian stuck in his military carrier. Julian graduated Class of 1940 from The United States Military Academy at West Point. He went into the airborne form the 9th Division with his friend James E. McGinity also a West Point Grad. McGinty was killed in Normandy with the 505th. Julian named his only son after him. Major Cook jumped with Col. Tucker in his stick for the Sicily Jump. As he was standing up ready to jump flak hit the plane. Major Cook was wounded as he put it in the "can" and also in the thigh 1/8 of an inch away from his artery. Major Cook in Holland was the 3rd Bn Commander was tasked with the famous assault across the Waal River his first action as a Battalion Commander. With 26 boats (actually some were held in reserve for the second wave) he planned and executed the assault. The boats were assembled and someone yelled," Go". The 504th 3rd Bn attack was to be remembered as one of the most gallant rushes in history. Nobody paused. Men got out and began running toward the embankment and the enemy. Gen Horocks observing the action turned to Gen. Browning and said, "I have never seen a more gallant action". Major Cook went on to win the Distinguished Service Cross and retired a Colonel in the U.S. Army

Chaplain Delbert Kuehl received the Purple Heart, two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars. The Chaplain was injured in his first jump in Sicily where he landed so hard that both his kidneys were injured. In the Mountains of Italy he was informed that some wounded 504 men were on the German side of the line. Delbert went with some medics with a Red Cross flag and some stretchers. At first the Germans fired upon them then they were allowed to bring back the wounded. Delbert won over the hearts of the fighting man by his actions. In the States his services were not well attended. Delbert prayed to God for guidance and help. “He was sad to witness their godlessness, knowing that so few were ready to meet God in the days of combat ahead. (Excerpt from “Front Line” private publication)”. However as he worked jumped and took the same chances with the men he won their respect and some back to God. He was not required to make the first assault across the Waal with the 3rd Battalion but wanted to be with the men. He helped tend to the wounded moving them from the water’s edge. He was hit by shrapnel and seriously wounded on the shore. He stayed on that shore for four hours tending to the wounded rendering aid despite his wounds. Troopers asked him after the assault “We had to go, but you didn’t. Why did you? Del Answered them, “because you had to, I had to also. I needed to be with you in that hour. (Front Line)” He survived to serve the rest of the war in the 504th. After the war he served as a missionary in Japan and continues his ministry today.

1st Sergeant Hq 1st Bn. Regis J. Pahler was from Pittsburgh, PA. he jumped in Salerno as a Pathfinder. He had earlier undergone Pathfinder Training in Sicily. He jumped in with the 75 lbs. Radar Set called Rebecca which when set up on the ground communicated with Eureka, the receiver in the plane . He had the set attached to his right leg with a quick release attachment. As soon as the chutes opened the U.S. troops began firing on the Pathfinders he could hear the bullets whistle around him. Below he could hear an announcement to stop firing and that the edgy GI’s were firing on U.S. Paratroopers. Instead of releasing the Rebecca set with all the commotion Sgt. Pahler landed with it. The initial shock had him believing that his leg was broken. Luckily he had only been stunned. He set up the set with Col. Billingslea next to him. He then heard the planes trigger on the set and witnessed the beautiful site of opening parachutes. 1st Sgt. Pahler was also next to Col. Tucker when Commander of 6th Corps, General Dawley, advised him to withdraw from Altavilla. Tucker replied Retreat, Hell! -- Send me my other battalion!" The 3rd Battalion then rejoined the 504th, the enemy was repulsed, and the Salerno beachhead was saved. By 18 September the Germans withdrew, conceding the success of the landings.

Sgt. Albert Tarbell was born near Hogensburg in Northern New York on the Reservation of the Mohawk Tribe. Albert joined the 504th as a replacement at Anzio and saw extensive combat there as a member of H Company. During "Operation Market Garden" Sgt. Tarbell was in the first wave across the Waal River during the highway and railroad bridge assaults. He recalled the moment they hit the water with the canvas boats they were given. "All Hell Broke Loose!" he said. "We were receiving machine gun fire, small arms fire and it seemed as though rain was hitting the water. We then started to receive artillery or mortar fire. The boat to my right took a direct hit turning the boat around. To this day, I can still see the look on Pfc. Louis Holt's face as our eyes met. The boat went down and out of sight." Albert went on to fight with the 504th during the Battle of the Bulge and in Germany eventually linking up with the Russians at the Elbe. In a recent book entitled "Brave men, Gentle Heroes", Sgt. Tarbell summed up his feelings of the friends he lost in combat this way. "We lost the cream of the crop. They stayed back there, they never made it home. They're the ones who are the heroes. They're the ones who deserve the accolades. They're the bravest men."

For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against armed enemy on 20 September 1944 about one mile north of ***, Holland. As a light machine gunner, Private First Class Muszynski crossed the *** River in one of the lead boats of the initial assault element during the *** bridgehead operation. As heavy machine gun and 20mm flak fire greeted the forward elements, Private First Class Muzinsky quickly mounted his machine gun in the bow of his boat and directed heavy fire on the enemy dug in on the riverbank. Although fully exposed to enemy fire, which wounded 2 of his comrades, Private First Class Muszynski disregarded all possibilities of danger and remained at his precarious post. Upon reaching the opposite bank, Private First Class Muszynski maintained a continuous cover of protective fire for the movement of his squad to the main dyke and from the dyke to the railroad embankment, accounting for at least 20 enemy dead and wounded. At times he fired his machine gun from the hip while moving forward so as to keep pace with his squad. At the railroad embankment heavy opposition from self-propelled 20mm flak guns was encountered, and one of the nearby flanking guns knocked Private First Class Muszynski’s machine gun from his arms, destroying it. Unhesitatingly and without orders from anyone, Private First Class Muszynski crept to within 15 yards of the gun position directing devastating flanking fire on his platoon, and knocked it out with hand grenades, killing 4 of the enemy. During this phase of the action, Private First Class Muszynski fell mortally wounded from enemy rifle fire. By his brave determination and valorous execution of his duties at the sacrifice of his own life, Private First Class Muszynski set an inspiring example for all his comrades and contributed directly to the successful establishment of the vital *** bridgehead. The decoration will be forwarded to the commanding general, Sixth Service Command, Chicago, Illinois, who will select an officer to make the presentation. The officer selected will communicate with you concerning your wishes in the matter. May I again express my deepest sympathy to you in your bereavement.Sincerely yours,Robert H. Dunlop Brigadier General, Acting The Adjutant General

PFC James ("Fergi") Ferguson was born July 22, 1918 in Newark, NJ and joined the Army in February of 1942. He went to Jump School at Ft. Benning, Ga in June of 1942, and shipped out in Apr. of 1943 with the 504th PIR, serving in Sicily, Ardennes, Central Europe, Naples, Foogia, Rhineland, Rome and Arno. He earned The Bronze Star Medal, The European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, and The Distinquished Unit Badge. He went to the ETO in April of 1944 and came home unwounded in Sept. of 1945. He died in a fire in Asbury Park in l965. His daughter Patti is on our forums and is interested in contact with anyone with more information about her father.

Pfc. Abraham Gurley, H Company 504th PIR received the Silver Star for gallantry in action in Sicily on July 10th 1944. Pfc. Gurley along with eight other troopers attacked a German Column and Gurley saved a Bazooka team that was trapped in the firefight. Pfc. Gurleys 3d battalion went on to cross Sicily with the rest of the 504th and went on to serve with distinction. His grandson served with the 504th and now serves as a Rangers.