My Father and the 17th Airborne Division

My adopted father, George S. Engebretson, was a retired veteran of the U.S. Army, having served a total of 23 years (1940-1963). His service covered both World War II and Korea. The picture to the right shows him as a young private (about age 23) freshly decorated after the conflicts of World War II, probably in 1946 when he finished his first tour of duty. There is a dashing quality at this stage before the rigors of time and stress aged him as you will see in a later photo. My aunt tells me that during this time he bleached his hair with peroxide.

You will notice the shoulder patch on his left sleeve as that of the 17th Airborne Division, as well as the Parachutist's badge acknowledging one combat jump. He is also wearing the Combat Infantryman Badge, First Award. His final metals at retirement had the badge with the Second Award commendation. His ribbons include the Good Conduct medal and what appear as various campaign medals below that, which would have included the American Defense Service Ribbon and the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Ribbon . There is an Army Presidential Unit Citation above his right pocket. At retirement he had received two additional awards acknowledged by two oak leaf pins, for a total of three awards. This citation was given for extraordinary heroism in action against an army enemy on or after December 7, 1941. His rank insignia is Private First Class, Sixth Grade(E2). He held this rank four months into his next enlistment in 1946, after which he was promoted to Corporal, Fifth Grade (E-3). He retired as a Staff Sergeant, E6. The rank structure has changed a lot since he first enlisted, and E-3 is now Private First Class, and what was PFC is now just a Private.

Also, in 1947 Congress authorized the awarding of the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service too recipients of the Combat Infantryman award. This is probably when he was presented with this medal, which does not yet appear on his picture above.

A history of the 17th ("Thunder From Heaven") Airborne Division during WWII can be found at this site. The 17th Division was activated in 1943 and officially disbanded in 1945. They participated in the famous Battle of the Bulge, specifically in the Ardennes Offensive in France and Belgium, and then later in Operation Varsity, the airborne assault on the Rhine, which was the last full scale airborne drop of WW II. It was also the first airborne invasion over the Rhine into Germany itself.

My father served specifically in the 513th Parachute Infantry. According to a history of the unit:
"The regiment was constituted on 26 December 1942 and assigned to the 13th Airborne Division. It moved from Fort Benning to Fort Bragg before being assigned to Camp Mackall, North Carolina in January 1944, but was transferred to the Tennessee Maneuver Area and assigned to the 17th Airborne Division in March 1944.
The 513th was not sent overseas until after D-Day and was still in training in England during Operation Market Garden. During the crisis of the Battle of the Bulge, the division was flown into Reims, France and moved by truck into southern Belgium. In January 1945, the Regiment was sent into the assault on Flamierge...After the conclusion of the Ardennes campaign, the division was withdrawn in preparation for Operation Varsity. The regiment dropped with the rest of the division into Germany near Wesel in its only combat drop."