In this episode, show host and historian Jeremy C. Holm shares the first interview he ever performed with one of the 11th Airborne Division Angels, his own grandfather 1LT Andrew Carrico of Company D, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Originally recorded on September 30, 2010, Jeremy sat down with "Andy" to discuss his early days in the United States Army before Pearl Harbor when he served in the 1st and 5th Armored Divisions. Growing "tired" of the armored life, Andy decided that the Paratroopers were more his speed and he soon found himself fighting with the 11th Airborne in the Pacific Theater.
Trained at Fort Benning, Andy transferred to the 511th at Camp Mackall then participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers before heading to Camp Stoneman, California. After sailing to New Guinea, the 511th trained at Dobodura until they sailed to Leyte where they fought a brutal campaign across the island's jungle-covered mountains.
After Leyte, Andy and the 511th jumped on Tagaytay Ridge, Luzon, then fought north to liberate Manila, including the famous rescue operation at Los Baños of 2,147 internees. After Luzon was declared secure, the regiment prepared for the invasion of Japan, but Japan surrendered and Andy's 11th Airborne provided the Honor Guard for General Douglas MacArthur aboard the USS Missouri and was the first full regiment to land on Japan.
But before all that, Andy was wounded and nearly killed on Luzon at the Battle of Mt. Bijang on March 13, 1945. He lived a long, wonderful life as a father, husband and grandfather, passing away on October 13, 2016 at age 98.
To read more of Andy's story as well as those of his comrades in the 511th PIR, please click here - http://www.511pir.com/videos
Send us a V-Mail (text message)
For more information, visit www.511pir.com or www.11thairborne.com today, or you can email jeremy at Jeremy@jeremycholm.com.
You can follow Jeremy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/11thairbornediv
To purchase copies of Jeremy's books on the 11th Airborne Division, please visit:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00G3TNO0A/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=c7baae52-e150-4caf-86b1-990b2ef40772
Or to visit our full 11th Airborne Division online store, please visit:
https://jeremycholmstore.square.site/11th-airborne-division-store
Down From Heaven Comes Eleven! Airborne All the Way!
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.