Currahee Reunions and Other Events

A Currahee Reunion not only provides an opportunity to reestablish friendships with those you served with, but also a wide spectrum of those who served throughout the various eras of the Regiment. There will be plenty of time available for getting together with friends or for holding small group events.

The 2012 Reunion events include a Reunion Hospitality/Display Room (Azalea Ballroom), Quartermaster Sales Room (Cascade Ballroom), Regimental Buffet (Thursday evening, May 3rd), Association General Membership Meeting (Saturday morning, May 5th), and Currahee Memorial Dinner (Saturday evening, May 5th).

There will also be ample time to re-explore Fort Benning, where so many of us have spent time in the past. The Association is looking into a possible bus tour to the National Infantry Museum just outside of Fort Benning, along with coordinating a live fire range event on post.

A day pass no longer required for motorists entering Fort Benning.

Contacts: Reunion Planning Committee Co-Chairmen Gene Overton charly35@aol.com and Tom Duckett duckett@culver.org

Hotel Accommodations

Headquarters for the 2012 Currahee Reunion will be the

Hilton Garden Inn
1500 Bradley Lake Boulevard
Columbus, GA 31904

Special Reunion room rates are $86 + Room Tax = $98.04 (includes complimentary airport shuttle van service and free daily buffet breakfast)

Room Reservations:
Direct hotel phone number: 706-660-1000
Mention that you are reserving your room under the block setup for the 506th Association.
Direct on-line reservations: 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association (Group Code: 506th)

NOTE#1: reservations received after the cut-off date of April 4, 2012 will be provided on a space and rate available basis only.

NOTE#2: stop by the 506th Association Welcome Table located near the Azalea Ballroom to pick up welcome packets; reunion name tags; tickets for the Buffet Dinner, Bus Tour, and the Memorial Dinner; register late for the reunion; pay your Association membership dues; and/or check your listing in the 2012 Association Roster.

NOTE#3: a complete Quartermaster Sales Room will be open throughout the reunion, in the Cascade Ballroom. However, contact Association Quartermaster Ron Helwig at rlhelwig@verizon.net if you want to order any of the customized/personalized items available at www.506infantry.org/quartermaster.html . Ron will create your items and have them available for you at the reunion, where you can pay only for the items, and save shipping costs.

The Hilton Garden Inn is located in the Brookstone Center in North Columbus, just off the I-85 freeway from Atlanta, 95 miles from Atlanta Internation Airport. There is a complimentary shuttle to Columbus Airport. It is well located in an area with ample shopping, entertainment and eating and drinking establishments. It also is readily accessible to many of the area attractions, and on the most direct route to nearby Fort Benning. 2.4 miles to Columbus Metropolitan Airport. The hotel's Lakeside Grill serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and evening room service. (Currahees can take advantage of a more limited free buffet Breakfast if they choose.)

The Hilton offers amenities that include: · A gift shop/convenience store is available 7x24 · Complimentary wireless high-speed Internet · Complimentary 24-hour business center with remote printing · Complimentary 24-hour fitness center and pool area · Complimentary parking and area shuttle · Coin-operated laundry, plus valet/laundry service

Each room has: · King or two Queen beds · Spacious work desk with Herman Miller Aeron ergo-nomic desk chair · Comfortable side chair with ottoman · Two speakerphones with voicemail and data ports · Microwave, refrigerator and coffee maker · Iron with full sized ironing board and hair dryer

In August 2003, the 506th Association Board of Directors approved the recognition and sanctioning of the 506th Currahee Reenactors. This group is headed up by two seasoned reenactors: Duane Gregory and Jim Radel, who have agreed, at their own expense, to organize two group of reenactors.

Duane and Jim are both 506th PIR WWII Reenactors, but plans are in the process of recruiting both WWII and Vietnam-Era Reenactors for this group. The mission they have agreed to take on is to correctly portray the 506th Regiment during these two combat eras through their participation in high school presentations, living history/reenactment events as well as reenactments during the 506th Association Reunions.

There are a number of WWII 506th PIR Reenactors out there, all wearing Airborne Wings on their uniforms, but Duane and Jim have plans in the works for the WWII segment of their group to go through Jump Training at Fort Bragg, NC, in order to be qualified to jump out of a C-47 aircraft and to have the Vietnam reenactors go through Air Assault Training. Contacts and arrangements to accomplish this have already been set up at the Special Operations Center at Fort Bragg by the 506th Reenactors Senior Advisor, Clarence "Clancy" Lyall (E Co, 2nd BN, 506th PIR, 1944-1945; 1st ABG, 1956-1958).

Contact Duane Gregory at airborne506@verizon.net or 570-784-2293; or Jim Radel at radel@evenlink.com if you are interested in joining the 506th Currahee Reenactors.

A Rifle for Shifty: October 2006 article by Jim Radel about Darrell "Shifty" Powers (E Co, 2nd BN, 506th PIR, 1942-1945)