CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – It is of course a well-known fact that Fort Campbell receives an amazing amount of support from the communities and organizations surrounding the installation, and there is one group that is especially proud to be a part of the 101st.
Our latest Giving Grace shares the story of the 101st Airborne Division Association, which was formed in the mid 1940’s by General Maxwell Taylor and a core group of soldiers of the division while still on active duty in Europe.
Association Executive Secretary and Treasurer, Randy Underhill, said the association’s first reunion was in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1946. The organization will celebrate their 75th anniversary in 2020 and currently has around 7,000 members in about 28 chapters across the country.
“The goals of the organization are to perpetuate the history of the 101st Airborne Division, support the active duty division and its endeavors, and support the members of the association and the veterans of the 101st Airborne Division as an organization,” said Underhill.
Underhill said that, since it began, slightly more than $2.1 million has been put back into supporting the soldiers and veterans of the 101st by the association and the Screaming Eagle Foundation, with many of the donations coming from its members.
At their most recent reunion, the association and foundation awarded $43,000 in scholarships to 19 deserving young men and women. The organization is also in its third year working with the Patriot Foundation for the Screaming Eagle Surviving Children Scholarship.
Underhill said the association receives a grant for $50,000, and they are able to give out 20 $2,500 grants each year to children of soldiers from Fort Campbell who have been lost, injured or wounded in the line of duty in the global war on terror.
“It’s really great to let those families know that we support them and we’re hoping to invest in their children’s future,” said Underhill. The association is also working to support the Fort Campbell Fisher House and Fort Campbell Survivor Outreach Services with recurring donations.
Underhill added the majority of the funds for the donations come from former members of the division from across the country who just want to support the unit they served in.
To learn more about the 101st Airborne Division Association visit www.screamingeagle.org , or for the Screaming Eagle Foundation go to www.screamingeaglefoundation.org. There is also a 101st Airborne Division Association facebook page, or you can call 931-431-0199.