As part of the commemoration, units from the 82nd Airborne Division participated in ceremonies and events scheduled throughout different locations in Europe.
The ceremonies honored history and to paid tribute to those who took part in the operation, in September 1944.
Units from multiple countries took part in the commemoration. They included: the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, France, Belgium and Italy.
They joined more than 250 U.S. Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, the 173rd Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, as well as Airmen from the 37th Airlift Squadron, for this occasion.
Col. Trevor J. Bredenkamp, commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, said the actions taken by all allies during the operation still resonate today.
"We remain indebted to the veterans whose service demonstrated the selfless actions of the 'greatest generation,' who not only served to protect and defend our nation, but were part of a global force to defend peace and strengthen our ties with an emerging alliance," said Bredenkamp.
During the original operation 70 years ago, more than 20,000 paratroopers performed combat jump operations into Holland, and nearly 15,000 additional paratroopers were delivered by gliders, with their equipment.
The hardships of Operation Market Garden began even before the airborne operations were under way.
Veterans of the operation shared some their memories of preparing for the day they jumped into Holland.
Retired Maj. Roy Hanna, a veteran of Operation Market Garden, says that paratroopers of his time were required to train at a higher level than others.
"Our training was a lot more rigorous than that of the average Soldier," said Hanna. "Everybody [who joined the Army] went to basic training, but as paratroopers our, training was specialized."
"All I could remember was running all the time," said Retired Maj. Moffat Burris, another veteran of Operation Market Garden. "They (unit leaders) constantly told us we were the best, and we believed when we left [the U.S.] to go overseas that we were the best."
Both veterans reflected on their memories of the operation, and shared their experiences.
This year's commemoration will feature events including airborne operations, an air assault demonstration, re-enactments, and various ceremonies with color guards and choruses from several different countries.
After the Operation Market Garden commemoration events finished, 1st Brigade Combat Team paratroopers participated in training exercise Noble Justification/Noble Ledger, a multinational training exercise in Norway, with participants from six countries: the U.S., Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Belgium.
"The objective of this particular exercise is to increase multinational interoperability with our international partners," said Bredenkamp. "By conducting training events such as this, we are able to address our interoperability challenges now, so that when the time comes, we are fully ready to deploy and operate together immediately."
http://www.army.mil/article/134595/82nd_Airborne_helps_commemorate_70th_Anniversary_of_Operation_Market_Garden/
By Staff Sgt. Javier O. Orona
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