MG Pat Work Disgraces US Military At 80th D-Day Celebration in France
By John Hughes
June 13, 2024
Views: 4225
On June 7, 2024, the author attended a memorial in Amfreville, France honoring the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The 507th parachuted into Normandy on June 6, 1944 as part of Operation Overlord with a little over 2,000 members. It left France 30 days later with under 800 effective fighting paratroopers after sustaining heavy casualties. The author’s grandfather was a platoon leader in the 507th in this historic military operation.
The 82nd Airborne Division sent a chorus, color guard, and its command group to the 80th anniversary commemoration. The public affairs officer, LTC Santiago, was friendly and collected information from attendees, many of whom were related to heroes from the 507th PIR. Its chorus performed flawlessly, adding grace and honor to the solemn occasion. Then, it was time for the current commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, MG Pat Work, to speak to the crowd of several hundred that was in attendance.
Ignorance of 82nd Airborne Division History. During the speech, MG Work talked about the combat operations of the 507th PIR during WW2. He discussed the Normandy campaign then transitioned into Operation Varsity, the spring 1945 airborne operation in which the 507th PIR made its second combat jump as a member of the then 17th Airborne Division. He seemed to have forgotten that the 507th also participated the Battle of the Bulge, that apparently little-known battle involving over 600,000 American/Allied/German troops and caused over 200,000 casualties. When the author served as a peacetime platoon leader in the 82nd long ago, he had to learn the division’s proud history. Commanding generals of units should know the history of their units.
https://armedforces.press/mg-pat-work-disgraces-us-military-at-80th-d-day-celebration-in-france/
