Fort Bragg paratroopers grateful for fellowship, celebrate legacy
Thousands of paratroopers gathered on Pike Field on Thursday at Fort Bragg to take part in the 82nd Airborne Division's review, a special part of the closing ceremony for All American Week.
It marked the last time the annual event will be held at Fort Bragg. Next year, it will be answered at Fort Liberty.
There were between 18,000 and 24,000 paratroopers out at Pike Field. They haven't had a chance to gather as much as they'd like because of COVID-19 and because of wars around the world.
Former 82nd Airborne Division Soldier Donald Wilson thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division in one place and one formation was a sight for sore eyes.
"We did a lot of preparation to get all the soldiers together," Wilson said. "Now a days, it's hard to get them together now because of the different conflicts going on in the world."
The 82nd Airborne Division is known as America's Guard of Honor. They're trained to pack up and head to any conflict around the world within 18 hours.
In 2023, All American Week honored the 40th Anniversary of Operation Urgent Fury in support of the nation’s campaign during the invasion of Grenada in 1983.
General Andrew Poppas, Commander of the US Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, reminded the paratroopers what it means to wear the maroon beret.
"It's an earned tenacity that makes us collectively unbeatable," Poppas said. "And it's the virtue embodied by all paratroopers who volunteer to don the maroon beret. And what we sacrifice in comfort, we gain in honor."
It was a celebration. Soldiers and their units were honored for outstanding performances during the past year. This year's theme for All American Week was "honor the past, jump into the future." It's a legacy that paratroopers past and present celebrate for a lifetime.
"To me, it's the greatest division in the Army," said Steve Sciarabba, former 82nd Airborne Division Soldier. "And I've been in a lot of them. I'm career retired, 20 years. But to come back here and to see these guys again ... it's just a camaraderie I can't explain."
