101st Airborne: A Screaming Eagles Story
101st Airborne veteran
A proud paratrooper, a little dog named Shane, and a quiet moment I’ll always remember.
I don’t meet a Screaming Eagle paratrooper every day. But one weekend last fall, which is a big UGA football weekend here, I did. This story starts with me dog-sitting a sweet little guy named Shane.
Shane brings joy wherever he goes.
My mom, aunt, Shane, and I visited my Uncle Lynn at his nursing home. The residents loved seeing Shane and his perky ears as he walked around the activity room. He’s so friendly and gentle that everyone he meets ends up smiling. When we went into Uncle Lynn’s room, we met his roommate, John. John is an example of a Renaissance man. He had a neat pile of musical instruments in the corner of their room. John plays six instruments and practices each one every day: guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, harmonica, and dulcimer. And he loves playing requests.
Oh, and he was a paratrooper, too.
After the impromptu concert, I found out he had been a paratrooper. He was a veteran of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), also called the "Screaming Eagles." Later, I looked up this division because I don’t know much about the military, aside from stories from two close Air Force Veterans. I learned the 101st Airborne Division is an elite light infantry unit in the Army, trained for quick air assault missions.
Shane made John’s day brighter.
Then we found out John loves dogs, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had played with one. Shane was the there as the perfect companion. John and Shane found joy hanging out together, making John’s day brighter. In the end, I walked away with many thoughts. The most significant to me are that are lives are not about one thing. John could have stayed focused on his elite military career, but that was only one part of his life experience. I learned his amazing musical talent took him to Nashville to play. I also saw his love and nurturing of animals. Just a few of the many sides of a man in his 90’s.
Everyone has a story. Keep living yours.
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