US Paratrooper – 82nd Airborne and POW
Veteran oral history interview for WWII Veteran Brodie Hand is now available.
Patrick Russell conducted this interview on November 5, 2016, in Charleston, South Carolina during the annual reunion for the Family and Friends of the 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment Association.
Brodie Hand is an American Paratrooper from the 508 P.I.R. of the 82nd Airborne where he obtained the rank of Corporal. Brodie was born in a small town in the big state of Texas and volunteered for the U.S. Army during World War II. As a paratrooper, Brodie jumped on D-Day into Normandy and was captured by German forces on the first day.
Brodie remained a POW for the duration of World War II while working in a mine and reflects on that difficult experience during the interview. Additionally, Brodie describes his training to become a paratrooper, how he got captured, and the long journey home.