The Making History Project attended the Golden Brigade’s 54th Reunion in Columbus, Georgia earlier this month. The Golden Brigade is comprised of the paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne that served in Viet Nam.
Special thanks to Phil Cronin and Richard O’Hare for the invitation and the access they provided to me to meet these great Veterans. While there, I was able to conduct four oral history interviews and establish connections for future interviews.
The group visited the fantastic National Infantry Museum with a guided tour of the original WWII Barracks as well as the “Last 100-Yards Exhibit” inside the museum. The day ended at Fort Benning with a private tour of a personal collection of uniforms and equipment for the 82nd Airborne as well as the famous training jump towers.
The Reunion concluded with a traditional reunion dinner. The keynote speaker was Col. Richard Taylor, the commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Combat Team. A commemorative toast to those missing and who were lost was made at the end of the evening. This is a wonderful group of Veterans and they had a great time catching up and sharing memories from their service. I am looking forward to staying in touch with the Golden Brigade and the new friends that I made.