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SFC Todd Taylor

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Updated: 1/11/2010

The 101st Airborne Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, at Christmas 2008.

This re-enactment video clip of the 101st Airborne's Operation Market Garden landing in Drop Zone "C" was sent to me by my good friends Dorien and her father Jan van den Hurk... I met Dorien and her father last year when I had the opportunity to visit Son, just North of Eindhoven. Dorien witnessed the re-enactment and sent me this video taken with her cellphone camera. 12 paratroopers jumped from the C-47 "Dakota". Holland is anticipating the 65th anniversary next year with a big celebration. In the clip, you can hear Dorien's son Rico shouting "Hi Grandpa" ("he opa").

The drop zone was in Mr. Overveld's backyard. He was 15 when the paratroopers landed in 1944 and remembers giving the soldiers water as they moved towards the highway later to be known as "Hell's Highway". Sometime around 1995, as he was plowing his field, the plow caught on something under the surface. He stopped and unearthed this parachute still in extraordinarily good condition. Shown here are Mr. Van den Hurk, Mr. Overveld, and Dorien Verhoeven-van den Hurk.

If you are fans of the 101st, you'll recognize Mr. Overveld's home.

This is the plaque placed into the side of Mr. Overveld's house by Company "E", the "Band of Brothers". Dad was in Company "A".

The aviation photos continue. Saturday, September 20th was opening day for the Millville, New Jersey Airshow. This year, the crowd was sequestered at the new race track adjacent to the airport. The flight line was farther away than at the Dover airbase which made photography challenging. The lens choice was the same I used for the six mile distance to the space shuttle-- the 100-400 zoom with a 2X converter giving it a top range of 800mm. With the full-frame sensor on the Mark II, it brings in the aircraft but disables auto-focus. Out of about 600 images, only about 20 were usable and even a few of those are soft. Anyway, it was great weather and there were plenty of warbirds. I did miss the 17. It did not participate this year. I'm posting this photo now for a gentleman I met at the show who's friend Chris Shipe's Uncle flew the Avenger. Mr. Art Shipe, now 88 years young, flew the Avenger off of the carrier USS Bunker Hill and in 1944, Life Magazine photographer W. Eugene Smith did a photo essay on the war from Mr. Shipe's plane. I'm fortunate to hear of, and to meet through this acquaintance, another of our country's great heroes. More photos to be posted soon of the P-51, PBY, and one of the B-24's.

The SNJ-6 performing a loop with smoke.

The PBY flying off into history.

Another shot of the SNJ-6

On the way home from work, I turned the corner at Basin Road to Rt 13 rounding the curve around the Wilmington Airport when I spotted an aircraft in the distance. Over the landing lights at Hare's corner, it was just about a mile away. The airplane looked familiar but it wasn't the C-130's and it was too big to be a biz jet. It landed and went out of sight behind all of the buildings that totally block the view of the runway from the road. I was curious but decided to just keep heading home. Just then, something caught my eye up and to the left. I couldn't believe what I saw but a B-24 Liberator landing over my head. That's when I decided to turn around and find out what was going on at the airport. When I pulled into the arport parking lot, I saw handwritten signs for "Wings of Freedom" tour taped to a lightpost and followed them into a parking lot behind the airport.

Parked on the tarmac were the B-17 and the B-24. The engines were off and the planes were empty... done for the day. So I pulled the camera out and walked around the aircraft until the organizers looked like they were ready to go home. I'm sure they had had a long day so I took one last shot and walked back to the truck. As is typical on any shoot, the last image was the best one of the bunch.

You can follow the barnstorming warbirds by clicking on the Wings of Freedom link above.

On Sunday, August 24th, I had the privilege of flying with my next door neighbor Don Anthony. He owns two airplanes, one being this T-6 trainer built in 1942. It has been totally rebuilt twice and looks as if it was just delivered to the Army Air Corp. The last owner had it refurbished and painted to match the colors used by the Naval Air Corp during the war in the Pacific. The airbrushed transitions from dark to light blue make this a unique and beautiful aircraft. We flew from Summit airfield to Millville airport in Southern New Jersey. The ceiling was just above 3,000 feet, the air was clear and sunny. The big radial engine purrs and was not as noisy as I expected.

After eating lunch at the Millville airport restaurant, we spent an hour at the Millville Army Air Field Museum. If you get the chance, visit the museum. The Millville field was a training base for P-47s during WWII and the museum has a great deal of memorabilia on display. There is no entry fee but donations are welcomed. I was surprised to see Dad's photograph on the wall in a display of POWs. They had the Stars and Stripes photo of newly-freed GIs standing in front of the boxcars painted with POW on the roof. I pointed out Dad's image to Don and the museum staff. The museum was impressive.

After the tour, we flew at 2,000 feet over the Delaware River back to Summit. Before landing, we had to buzz our Back Creek neighborhood and I got some great photos from the open back seat canopy. This photo has been left at full resolution. Click on it to get the full size image. To see a "PhotoSynth" of the flyover photos, click here.
We also flew over the Chespeake Inn to check out the activity on "The Deck".

The Old Neighborhood is Changing


If you remember driving past the Homestead heading back towards the Sears Warehouse on MacArthur, you'll remember this tree... It's now only a memory. Maryann is in a nursing home now. Daughter Cindy (lower right) and her husband have moved in with their son (on the sidewalk under the tree). Cindy's first visible renovation was to remove the tree. [click on the photos to enlarge]

Before
After

But here's the other surprise...No hedge.

Another of those special emails...

Only great minds can read this.

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too.

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed tihs forwrad it

Received this in one of those emails you occasionally get:

"I was walking past the mental hospital the other day, and all the
patients were shouting ,'13....13....13'

The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks
and looked through to see what was going on.

Some bastard poked me in the eye with a stick.
Then they all started shouting, '14....14....14'... "

Good for a chuckle!

May 4th would have been Mom and Dad's 62nd wedding anniversary. I knew if I placed one arrangement on Dad's side, Mom would have said "Hey! Where are mine?!" so they each got their own arrangement.










Sunday was a beautiful, sunny Spring day.

Sifting through some of the old boxes in the basement, I found this Ektachrome deep in a pile of old photos and negatives... Taken at Jamaica's Montego Beach in 1974 with a Yashica range finder, it was always one of my most memorable photos for subject, composure and exposure in very difficult lighting conditions. She'll remain unnamed for now. When the group returned home from this high school trip, I gave her a 20x30 print. After 34 years, I wonder if she still has it. (c)2008 davis custom digital,llc

Chevrolet is making a donation to Autism Speaks every time this video is played. Please check it out and help the cause...

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We visited Arlington on Saturday, December 29th, to close out 2007. The marker had been placed sometime in August and we had not yet seen it. Time slips by so fast. The engraving was as I had requested... with the addition of Dad's 101st Airborne designation of which he was so proud. Mom is with him and her inscription is on the other side. This is the ultimate in togetherness... forever. Just as they both would have wanted.

The letters "PH & OLC" signifies Dad's Purple Heart and an Oak Leaf Cluster. The Oak Leaf Cluster was awarded as recognition for being wounded a second time in combat. The first time was when he was hit by anti-aircraft flak as he was jumping out of the C-47 on D-Day on June 6th, 1944. The second was for his wounds at the Battle of the Bulge that led to his capture when the 101st Division Field Hospital was overrun on December 19th, 1944.

Last week while Bob, Chris and I were cleaning out the garage, we came upon a surprise. In an old bird seed bag was one of the few souvenirs Dad had from his active service days. We believe it is a D-Day-era parachute but we don't know its history.


It's dated 1944 and manufactured by the Irving Air Chute Company, Inc., Lexington, Kentucky. They were the original suppliers of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. The control lines have all been removed at about 24 inches below the canopy suggesting this was a used or rejected unit made unusable for further service.

I received a simple postcard today from Arlington Cemetery stating that the headstone has been installed. It was postmarked August 23rd. I suppose this is the last penny postcard Dad (and Mom) will receive. It will be made a permanent part of their extensive collection.

A Tornado in Back Creek???

Friday evening, July 27th, a strong line of thunderstorms passed through the Northeast. This ominous cell overtook the neighborhood and for the next half hour, pelted us with rain, hail, and swirling winds. The tree at the left is now gone as are several others from all over the development.


The image is a frame captured from a digital video.

Monday, July 2nd was the first anniversary of Mom's passing. Lisa and I placed a small vase of red, white and blue flowers on the grave site. The temporary markers are still there waiting for the headstone to be completed.

Mom and Dad were interred at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, June 25th just after 2pm. I will post video and photos as they become available. For the record, the grave site is: Section 54, Grave 3627. It is within visual distance of the administration building and an easy walk from the parking lot.

As of this morning, the headstone text has not been finalized. Dad's POW status was not included on the paperwork given to the Arlington staff so I emailed to them a different document that mentioned his release from a prison camp.

Once there is agreement on the headstone, it will take about a month to deliver and set at the site. I'll let everyone know the schedule as it becomes more certain.

After a very short letter to the funeral home, Dad's obituary has been posted to the News Journal web site: http://miva.delawareonline.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?obits.mv+69582

It is dated June 20, 2007.

This is the back of the prayer card. Bob drafted the first version keying on words found in the 101st Airborne Quarterly changing a few things. Chad and I changed a few more. I think it turned out beautifully. The front of the card was fittingly an eagle superimposed over the flag.

Do Not Forget Me

Tho’ the years have passed so swiftly,

With an open heart and open mind

I’ve watched all of you

My family

Grow into men and women.

My love for you has never waned

Tho’ the grass grows above me

The warmth of the earth surrounds.

I have been with you so short a time

But I will be with you forever

Do not forget me.