   Late on the night of December 23rd, Sergeant John Banister of the 14th Cavalry Group found himself meandering through the village of Provedroux, southwest of Vielsalm. He'd been separated from his unit during the wild retreat of the first days and joined up with Task Force Jones, defending the southern side of the Fortified Goose Egg. Now they were in retreat again. The Germans were closing in on the village from three sides. American vehicles were pulling out, and Banister was once again separated from his new unit, with no ride out.
   A tank destroyer rolled by; somebody waved him aboard and Banister eagerly climbed on. They roared out of the burning town. Somebody told Banister that he was riding with Lieutenant Bill Rogers. "Who's he?" Banister wanted to know. "Will Rogers' son," came the answer. It was a hell of a way to meet a celebrity.
   An hour later they reached the main highway running west from Vielsalm. There they found a lone soldier digging a foxhole. Armed with bazooka and rifle, unshaven and filthy, he went about his business with a stoic nonchalance. They pulled up to him and stopped. He didn't seem to care about the refugees.
   "If yer lookin for a safe place," he said, "just pull that vehicle behind me. I'm the 82nd Airborne. This is as far as the bastards are going."
   The men on the tank destroyer hesitated. After the constant retreats of the last week, they didn't have much fight left in them. But the paratrooper's determination was infectious. "You heard the man," declared Rogers. "Let's set up for business!" Twenty minutes later, two truckloads of GIs joined their little roadblock. All through the night, men trickled in, and their defenses grew stronger.
     Around that single paratrooper was formed the nucleus of a major strongpoint.
/The 82nd Airborne
     The 82nd Airborne ("All-American") Division, commanded by James Gavin, was formed in the early days of World War Two in response to the stunning successes of the German parachute operations in Belgium and Crete.
     Its first combat drop, a rather small affair, was in North Africa. Sicily was the first major combat drop for the entire division, and it provided many hard lessons. Some paratroopers were dropped into the sea and drowned. Some were dropped in mountainous terrain, where they suffered broken bones. All were scattered.
     The next drop was in Normandy in support of the invasion of France. Once again many mistakes were made; over 1,000 paratroopers were killed or injured in the drop alone. One group was dropped just offshore. Each burdened with a hundred pounds of equipment, they staggered through the surf onto the beach in what was surely the most difficult way to invade Europe. The 82nd remained in ground combat in Normandy until July 11th.
     The next operation was Market-Garden, the failed attempt to gain a bridgehead over the Rhine. This time the lessons of Sicily and Normandy had been learned; the drop went smoothly in the 82nd's zone and its objectives were quickly secured. But the disaster that befell the British First Airborne Division in Arnhem negated the 82nd's achievements.
     The 82nd then enjoyed several months' rest before the Battle of the Bulge. They were rushed by truck to the battlefield and fought as regular infantry. After the Bulge, the 82nd made one more airdrop and fought right up to the end of the war./