Walk Among Heroes is proud to welcome episode 17 guest, Forrest ‘Huff’ Huffstetler.  Mr. Huffstetler, a resident of San Diego, CA, is our first guest from the 82nd Airborne Division, one of the U.S. Army’s most decorated combat divisions.  During World War II, Mr. Huffstetler joined the 82nd Airborne Division and executed combat jumps into Sicily and Salerno, Italy, before withdrawing to Ireland and England to train for the largest invasion in history, known as Operation Overlord.  On June 6, 1944, D-Day, Mr. Huffstetler jumped into Normandy with the 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 82nd Airborne Division, landing in Sainte-Mer-Eglise, the first French town liberated by the Allies.  In fact, Mr. Huffstetler served alongside LTC Edward Krause, commander of 3rd Battalion, when Krause declared Sainte-Mer-Eglise ‘liberated’ and hung the American flag in-town (that same flag still remains in Sainte-Mer-Eglise to this day).

 Mr. Huffstetler later fought in Operation Market Garden, as well as the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, before returning home and finally settling in Southern California.  In this episode, Mr. Huffstetler takes us through his Army Service, combat jumps, D-Day, Operation Market Garden, Bastogne, and finally his journey home.  Simply an incredible man, it is a true honor to share his story.

 A special ‘thank you’ to Shreyas Ganesh for donating your time as sound engineer for this podcast.