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Old 03-27-2012, 06:00   #10
Richard
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NorCal
Posts: 15,370
When I was CDR HHC 1-507th, I sat on the Airborne Memorial Walk Committee and got to know FSSF vet Henley Woods who chaired the committee. He was pretty banged up physically from his time in the Aleutians and Italy in the FSSF, but had a great positive attitude towards life and getting things done, and was an inspiring man to be around.

My wife took these pics when we were dedicating the Airborne Walk 23 Apr 1987; Henley is the guy wearing the dark green blazer and Green Beret.

The others in the pic of the ribbon cutting are (L-R): WW2 507th PIR vet Bob Baldwin who made 2 combat jumps and designed the walk; the Airborne Association chaplain, a WW2 vet who made 4 combat jumps and wore a smock made from the canopy of his chute from his final combat jump at Nijmegen; MG Ed Burba, Chief of Infantry; SecArmy John Marsh; BG (Ret) William Ryder, Test Platoon Leader, 1st Army Paratrooper, and 2 combat jumps with the 509th PIR and 2 with the 505th PIR; Henley Woods, FSSF vet and committee Chairman; Canadian WW2 Paratrooper in tan suit. The man kneeling taking pictures wearing the blue jeans, WW2 Paratrooper's jump jacket, and black ball cap is Doug Wilmer, a WW2 glider pilot who represented the Glider Pilot's Association on the walk committee. A/1-507th was in Tower that week and formed the participating active unit.

Those vets were an inspiring lot to be around.

Richard
Attached Images
File Type: jpg AbnWalkDedication2.jpg (63.5 KB, 42 views)
File Type: jpg AbnWalkDedication3.jpg (54.9 KB, 38 views)
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