Here's what happened during the 82nd Airborne's All American Week on Fort Liberty
The 82nd Airborne Division hosted current and former paratroopers, their families and the community last week for the All American Week on Fort Liberty.
The annual event, which took place Monday through Thursday last week, is dedicated to maintaining close ties among the division's veterans, families and the Fort Liberty community.
Check out our coverage from this year's All American Week.
82nd names Junior Paratroopers of the Year
FORT LIBERTY —The 82nd Airborne Division named its junior paratroopers of the year Tuesday, this year expanding to include three winners.
Maj. Gen. J. Patrick "Pat" Work, the division's commander, told Tuesday’s crowd that military service is a “family business.”
“We enlist the soldiers, but we reenlist the families,” he said. “None of these young people asked for this, yet they handle it so marvelously.” Read the full story here.
Honoring the fallen at 82nd's memorial ceremony
FORT LIBERTY — Several family members traced letters with their fingers on the 82nd Airborne Division monuments Tuesday at Fort Liberty.
One woman kissed a yellow rose before tapping a name on the monument and pressing her hand on it.
Gage Bell, 12, buried his head into his mother LaToya Bell’s chest as he wept for the father he never knew, 1st Sgt. Ryan Russell Bell, who was killed in action Aug. 2, 2012, while in Afghanistan.
All the family members are Gold Star families and attended the division’s annual memorial ceremony, which is part of All American Week. Read the full story here.
Paratroopers inducted into 82nd Airborne Division Hall of Fame
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxler was running on the beach several months ago when he received a phone call from Command Sgt. Maj. Randolph Delapena.
Delapena is the senior enlisted leader for the 82nd Airborne Division. Troxler is a former senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Delapena told Troxler that he was one of seven paratroopers selected by 82nd veterans and military leaders within the division to be inducted into this year’s 82nd Airborne Division Hall of Fame.
Troxler stopped running, bent over with his hands on his knees to “take in the moment,” and called his wife,’ he said following an induction ceremony Wednesday. Read the full story.
U.S. Army Special Operations Command memorial ceremony
The U.S. Army Special Operations Command added five new names to its memorial wall during a ceremony Thursday, bringing to 1,273 the total number of command soldiers who died in the line of duty.
The five USASOC soldiers, with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment based at Fort, Cambell, Kentucky, were killed Nov. 10 when the Black Hawk helicopter they were on crashed in the Mediterranean Sea.
“They rapidly and bravely deployed without hesitation and volunteered to be upfront where the mission is hard,” Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of USASOC, told the crowd gathered at Fort Liberty for Thursday’s ceremony. Read the full story.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: All coverage of the 82nd Airborne's All American Week on Fort Liberty
