Paratroopers and Beer
This is the story of Vince Speranza, a new private at the Battle of the Bulge in Hotel Company of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division. It’s better that you hear the story in his words;
The Stars & Stripes reports that Vince got to visit his old regiment which is now in ALaska and no longer part of the 101st;
Troops showed him a Nazi banner hanging in the Battalion Headquarters that Speranza had signed more than 60 years ago but had never thought about since. They marveled with delight while a rush of names and memories flooded back to him.
Magsig also ordered ceramic helmets and Airborne beer for the regimental ball.
“Mr. Speranza’s visit has been rich and rewarding for every paratrooper in the battalion,” Magsig said. “You can see it on their faces and the way they carry themselves. After talking with him, they stand straighter and stick their chests out. Their faces beam with pride at the opportunity to serve in the 501st — in the shadow of men such as Vincent Speranza.”
Category: War Stories
RIP, Uncle Stan. The Army initially reported you as dead during the Bulge. And they were damn near right.
Thankfully, it turned out they were a wee bit off – about 48 1/2 years. (smile)
Addendum: God bless ya, Vince Speranza. God bless ya.
what a stud. i love those old uniforms also
This is a great example highlights one of the biggest things (IMHO) that the Army completely sucks at
Emphasizing and perpetuating our own history.
A big part of it is when Regiments went away.
This story represents what every goddamn unit in the Army needs to do regularly…especially with the WW2 Vets..what is left of them
Hondo…didn’t see in the articles that he had passed. Maybe/probably I missed it?
Moving video. Thanks for posting.
He is alive and well. The reason I just watched this video and and I’m now reading the comments is because my teenage son just came home from school very excited about the WWII guest speaker they had today at school. He told me the story and said “google airborne beer” – I did and it immediately brought up this sight. My son says “that’s him – he was awesome, I went up and shook his hand”. Thank you for serving Mr. Speranza!
Seems to be some dust in the air here. AND I have a six of Stella, Belgian beer. No helmet to pour into, but I’m sure Vince will understand.
I am a teetotaler, so I will have a root beer in his honor instead.
There have been many videos posted here over the years and many fine threads but, for me, Vince’s video–Vince himself–and, of course, Vince’s beer story = THE BEST. Thank you.
What a badass!
This is how legends are made.
I’ve been living here in Europe for quite some time, and it’s been an honor. I can drive just 15 minutes and find a memorial to the brave that the locals know fought for them. What’s crazy is that the old Europeans that live near me still have a better memory of the sacrifices that our men and women of that era gave to us than the current residents of the USA.
SJ: my apologies for inadvertently causing some confusion here.
My first comment was a tribute to one of my uncles who also fought at the Bulge. He very nearly came back in a pine box; he was originally reported as MIA/presumed dead. Family oral history says my grandparents were actually notified he was missing and presumed dead via telegram.
The original report of my uncle’s demise thankfully turned out to be somewhat premature – though he was badly wounded (and ended up separated from his unit after being wounded), he survived. He died in 1992 of causes unrelated to his battlefield injuries.
Seeing the video made me think of him. He was indeed a helluva guy.
As far as I know, Mr. Speranza is still alive. God bless him.
yes Vince Speranza is very much alive.Living in Illinois. He is one of my HEROS
Why is he wearing an 82nd Airborne (All American) Division patch? 101st is a choking chicken, uh, I mean, screaming eagle.
Now that is a Monday feel good story! Thank you for your service Mr Speranza. I will be in Bastogne next month, will have an Airborne in your honor! Maybe more than 1!
Here’s some additional stuff on Vince from the A. Lincoln Library and Museum. The slideshow is great.
http://www2.illinois.gov/alplm/library/collections/oralhistory/VeteransRemember/worldwarII/Pages/SperanzaVincent.aspx
A tad different from our recent Medal of Freedom “earners”.
A nation can not repay our debt to you and all who gave everything they had.
I have watched that video probably 6 times now, it does not get old. There are so many Troopers stories being placed on video, thank God someone had the great idea to do that before the first hand accounts were all lost to time….
Airborne!!
A true hero and you do not see a ton of fake medals on his chest
@18. Yeah, ain’t that the truth. There he is, on a ridge, in Belgium in 1944, dug in, scared to death, and doing what he had to do. He had empathy for the enemy, love for his fellow troopers, and a pride that relatively few ever get to feel. And amidst the horror of close-in battle, he visits a buddy and gets him some beer. There is so damn much in his story, it positively amazes me.
Well, the beer smuggling tradition continues. A nephew of one of my high school classmates lost part of his leg in a Chinook crash in Iraq back in 2003. My mom told me he was at Walter Reed, so we looked him up and I brought him a bottle of our local beer, Saranac.
God this brought a tear to my eye. We’re losing this generation and people are going to forget the great sacrifice these men made.
I stared at that flag on battalion staff duty so often. It’s so awesome to put a name to a face.
or face to name…whichever.