Danker & Danker PR/Marketing

Honoring Our Heroes; Campaign for Fort Campbell Memorial Gardens Kicks Off

Donors can now go to OperationTroopAid.org to donate their tax deductible donations

 

Brentwood, TN -- (SBWIRE) --02/23/2012 -- Deborah Danker, principle of Danker and Danker Public Relations, announced today the kick off of a fund raising drive for the Fort Campbell Memorial Gardens, which will serve to honor the brave soldiers of the “Bastogne Brigade”, the 327th Infantry Regiment and 1st Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division. The unit, one of the most storied and highly decorated in U.S. Army history, is headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

The 327th Infantry Regiment was originally organized as part of the 82nd Infantry Division. The unit arrived in France in the spring of 1918 and was one of the first American units to see combat at St. Mihiel, which was the first all-American operation in the war. During World War II it was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. The unit sustained heavy losses as part of the Normandy “D-Day” invasion. Later in 1944 the unit sustained 73 days of continuous combat during Operation “ Market Garden”, the ill fated invasion of Holland by Allied forces.

The unit obtained its nickname later that year during the infamous Battle of the Bulge. Although encircled and outnumbered in the cross roads town of Bastogne, American forces withstood all attempts by the Germans to take the position. For their actions as a unit in the defense of Bastogne, the 327th Infantry Regiment received their first Presidential Unit Citation.

The unit was deployed in Vietnam from July 1965 until December 1971. During the Vietnam conflict, the Brigade assumed the unofficial motto “Always First.” While in Vietnam, the Brigade engaged in fifteen highly successful campaigns. The Bastogne Brigade was again called into action in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The Regiment occupied terrain critical to the defense of Saudi Arabia and conducted the largest and longest Air Assault operation in the history of warfare. The unit deployed to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom three times; in 2003, 2005 and 2007 and in May of 2010, the unit was deployed to Afghanistan, where it carried out many missions that severely degraded the insurgents’ ability to plan and carry out violent activities. From its inception, the Bastogne Brigade Combat Team has played a vital role in numerous combat and non-combat operations. Its long and decorated history serves as a reminder of the countless Bastogne Soldiers who have given their lives in defense of democracy and freedom around the world.

In honor of these brave soldiers, a Memorial Gardens is planned at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the unit’s home. Designed by renowned artist and sculptor Jerry Palmer, the gardens are designed to be the perfect place for family and friends to gather as they remember and pray for their loved ones lost. The fund raising drive had a goal of $350,000 to build the memorial. The project groundbreaking and construction will be initiated as soon as the funds are in place, as space for the memorial has already been designated at Fort Campbell. The foundation is reaching out to all veterans and others who wish to honor these brave soldiers with a donation. Donors can go to http://www.operationtroopaid.org to donate their tax deductible donations. For additional information you can contact Danker & Danker PR/Marketing via email dd@dankerpr.com.

Please note that this press release has been revised from its original content.