When Tom Thompson saw soldiers in airports, he could always tell which were paratroopers.
“You'd see these guys from other units looking sloppy, but when you saw a paratrooper he was always straight-laced,” said Thompson, 62, of Washington. “And those spit-shine jump boots looked good with dress greens.”
The 82nd Airborne Division, which became the Army's first paratrooper division on Aug. 15, 1942, is holding its annual convention at the Monroeville Convention Center and the nearby DoubleTree hotel through Saturday.
Thompson said he expects about 1,400 current or former soldiers — including 1,100 active-duty soldiers coming from Fort Bragg, N.C. — to attend the 82nd's first convention in Western Pennsylvania.
“Just to be around guys who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam — we've got some very highly decorated people here,” said Kirk Fellabom, 67, of Donegal, vice chairman of the local chapter of the 82nd Airborne Association.
Known as “America's Guard of Honor,” Gen. George Patton called the 82nd's honor guard the best he'd ever seen, according to the division's website. The division has about 22,000 active-duty members.
“You get tradition. The 82nd are hard-core; they're hard-working guys,” said Donald Goldstein, a professor emeritus in the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
Thompson began serving in the 82nd in 1968, enlisting in order to avoid becoming an infantryman in Vietnam. Ultimately, Thompson spent 10 of his 20 years in the military in the 82nd Airborne.
“I wish I could take you by the hand and in my mind go through the jump and let you experience what it's all about,” Thompson said. “The camaraderie there is more than anywhere else I've ever served.”
The convention includes a luncheon on Thursday honoring active duty soldiers who have been wounded in battle, a lunch on Friday to remember soldiers who have been killed in action and a banquet Saturday featuring a performance from the 82nd Airborne Chorus.
“You never really leave it. You take the patch off your shoulder when you leave, but you can never remove it from your heart,” Thompson said.
Adam Wagner is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7956 or adamwagner@tribweb.com.
