217208 Pvt. Karl Behringer Bronze StarUS Army Hq. Coy. 3rd Battalion 508th Parachute Reg. from:Bronx New York My dad Karl Behringer was assigned to Headquarters Company 3rd Battalion 508th Parachute Regiment 82nd Airborne. Dad made two combat jumps in Normandy and Holland.
During Operation Market Garden while on Patrol Dad lost his best friend Billy King when they made contact with the enemy and came under heavy enemy fire.
On December 22nd 1944 during the Battle Of the Bulge Dad and two other troopers were sent out on Patrol to try to locate a four man motorized patrol that failed to return in the area of Provedroux Petite Langlir Road in Belgium. On Christmas Eve Dad became a prisoner of war and was sent to Stalag # 7 in Germany until liberated in April 1945.
When Dad returned to the United States and was able, he made a trip to a small town in Illinois called Centralia where he met with Billy's mother. Dad and Billy had made a promise to each other that if one of them did not return they would meet with their parents.
During my youth we would drive down to Illinois from New York and visit with mother King, what a great lady and friend.
Dad would really never talk about his experience during the war to me, and I understood that, because in September 1972 I joined the military and became a Paratrooper. I was assigned to various Airborne Units until my retirement.
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