Steven Robert Zaley

They Are Only Gone If They Are Forgotten Steven Robert Zaley

This document was written based upon the experience of Paratroopers who were with the 82nd Airborne Division's, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment from inception in August 1942 to the demobilization of the high-time combat forces in Europe at the end of the Second World War. The sole purpose of this document is to honor the Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division, designated as the "All American" Division. At the center of that honor are the men of the 505th Combat Team. They were the only parachute infantry regiment to complete four combat operations behind enemy lines by parachute insertion. This document should be respected for the combat heroism that is displayed in the pages to follow. The utmost respect is owed to the families of the men whose accountings were not verbally passed on, as they made the ultimate sacrifice. Their stories are told only by the white crosses atop the graves on what was once a desolate battlefield far from this place we call home. This narrative began as a simple accounting of one man's participation in what would become one of the most renowned fighting combat units throughout time. As I persevered in uncovering truths about this unit, I found the tale to be far greater than any single man's participation could ever solely or honorably display. The quest for factual knowledge has produced a document that is a conglomeration of personal accounts from the men who were original members of the combat team. It takes those accounts, history, General Orders, After-Action Reports, and Combat Newspaper articles into consideration. This writing blends that information into a story that is written in a format so as to reproduce the life and times of some of the original members of the 505th Combat Team, Third Battalion, Headquarters Company. The records I retrieved, like the memories, were at times somewhat faded but proved to be irreplaceable.