Alex was born in Pennsylvania, Northampton; He attended a Grammar School and then worked as a metalworker.
Single, Alex decides to join the US Army in August 1942 in Philadelphia. He joined the airborne troops and the 501st P.I.R. Activated on 15 November 1942.
It is at Camp Toccoa that Alex finds this unit where he will participate in his first phase of training that will last until March 1943.
Camp Toccoa Fort Benning
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Then it is the transfer to Fort Benning to qualify the paratroopers.
The regiment is operational and is assigned to the Airborne Command, Alex and his brothers in arms join Camp Mc Kall in North Carolina. He participated in major maneuvers in Tennessee and Louisiana until early January 1944.
On January 19th, the regiment embarked aboard the USS George Goethals at Camp Myles near Boston.
The 501st docked in Scotland on 30 January and then took the train to Great Britain for their camp in West Berkshire.
Then it is the arrival for the 3rd battalion in Lambourn, more exactly to the north to Upper Lambourn. The troops are housed in old horse blocks (Lambourn being a race horse capital) as well as Nissen huts and officers mostly in private homes.
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The division participates in several exercises including Beaver at the end of March and Exercise Tiger at the end of April, and then on May 10 the Exercise Eagle, which lasts until 12, is the last great rehearsal with this night jump restoring The conditions for D-DAY.
For this Day D The mission of the third battalion is to be a battalion reserve and to provide security to the Divisional Headquarters. Its jump zone is different from that of the second and third battalions.
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Alex's battalion as well as the Division's Headquarters must jump on the DZ C west of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.
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In the last days of May, the men began to head towards the aerodromes.
For the third battalion it is the Welford Park aerodrome which is located at short distance from Lambourn.
It is the 435th TCG that will transport the troops.
Alex is in Serial 13 of the Albany Mission.
The C-47 will take Alex and his brothers in arms to Normandy, for Alex the story will stop this June 6 ...
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