This year, there are nine paratroopers who will be inducted into the 82nd Airborne Division hall of fame in September of 2022. The nominees will be recognized and inducted at All American Week Fort Bragg 2022.

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All American Week Fort Bragg 2022

All American Week Fort Bragg 2022 is taking place from September 26 through September 29, 2022. During this week, the 82nd Airborne Hall of Fame nominees will be inducted on September 28, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. All American Week is hosted by the 82nd Airborne Division Association, which includes active-duty service members who are currently serving in the 82nd Airborne Division, anyone who is currently on jump status, and Veterans who have served on jump or glider status and were honorably discharged. The association was created in England before the invasion of Normandy in 1944, also known as D-Day. They currently have members who have served or are currently serving in various divisions, including members of every military branch. The 82nd Airborne Division Association does many things for our service members, such as supporting the Fort Bragg 82nd Airborne Division Memorial Museum, developing bonds between Veterans and active-duty military members, providing scholarships, and hosting events that honor our service members. To attend All American Week Fort Bragg 2022, you can register on the 82nd Airborne Division Association website.

What Is the 82nd Airborne Division Hall of Fame?

The 82nd Airborne Fort Bragg Hall of Fame honors Veteran paratroopers who are nominated based on their service within the division, their commitment to the division’s values, and their contributions to their chosen field outside of the division or valorous combat action. Inductees are nominated by units of the division, and the final selection is made by a board of senior leaders. The criteria that the nominees must meet are having been awarded a Medal of Honor and having served a minimum of two years in the 82nd Airborne Division. They also must not be eligible for further service if they are nominated while still serving in the United States Army, and they must be five years removed from their last service in the division. The hall of fame began in 2018 to honor the division's 101 years of legendary service and its members. That year, there were 21 paratroopers inducted into the hall of fame. In 2019, there were 16. In 2020, there were 12, and in 2021 there were eight members inducted. This year, there will be nine legendary figures inducted into the Hall of Heroes.

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82nd Airborne Division Honorees

Gen. Curtis “Mike” Scaparrotti

Gen. Curtis “Mike” Scaparrotti was commissioned into the United States Army in the year 1978 from West Point. He was first a platoon leader, operations officer, and company commander in the 3rd Battalion, 325th Infantry of the 83rd Airborne Division. He then commanded the division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team from 1999 to 2001 and later became the 82nd Airborne Division’s Commander in 2008.

Lt. Gen. Raymond Mason

Lt. Gen. Raymond Mason served in the 82nd Airborne Division for 15 years, from 1983 to 1998. He commanded Company E, 407th Supply and Services Battalion, and then he Commanded the 407th Support Battalion. Since retiring in 2014, Mason has been serving as the director of the Army Emergency Relief Fund to help Soldiers in need.

Col. Benjamin H. Vandervoort

Vandervoort served in the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment from the year 1940 to 1945. He was also the commander of the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment during the invasion of Normandy in 1944. Vandervoort was described as one of the bravest and toughest battle commanders, and due to injuries he sustained in service, Vandervoort had to medically retire from the Army in 1946.

Capt. John B. Sauls

Capt. John B. Sauls was the Commander of Company G, 401st Glider Infantry Regiment when he led an attack on German defensive positions on June 9, 1944. Sauls and his company charged toward the Nazis without concealment directly into artillery and machine gun fire. For his actions, Sauls was awarded the silver star and unfortunately died at the age of 73 in 1987.

Capt. Gerald A. Wolford

Wolford served in the 82nd Airborne Division from 2000 to 2006. When serving as a staff sergeant in Iraq in 2003, the gun section of Company D, 3rd Battalion, 325th Infantry came under fire. Wolford was awarded a silver star and was selected as the 2003 USO Soldier of the Year. In 2006, he was commissioned into the infantry branch and finished his career as an information operations officer at the Department of the Army Headquarters in the Pentagon. Wolford now lives in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, and became a school teacher in Sullivan, Maine, after his retirement.

1st Lt. Waverly Wray

From 1940 to 1944, Wray served as a platoon leader and the executive officer of Company D, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He has been recognized for his bravery and successful defense during an attack by German battalions. Wray was killed in action in Holland at the age of 21 in 1943.

Command Sgt. Maj. Wolf Amacker

Amacker is nominated for his actions while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1996 to 2006. He also has held many leadership positions and has been Fort Bragg’s Range Officer since 2015.

Command Sgt. Maj. Bryant Lambert

Lambert joined the Army as an infantryman in 1983 and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. He spent 26 years in the 82nd Airborne Division, holding many leadership positions until he retired in 2018.

Cpl. John S. Gilbertie

Gilbertie served in the 82nd Airborne Division from 1917 to 1919 and is nominated into the Hall of Heroes for his actions during World War I and his service in the 82nd Airborne Division. Gilbertie died at the age of 81 in 1977. The All American Week Fort Bragg 2022 will recognize and induct these nine 82nd Airborne Veterans into the Hall of Fame in an honorable way they all deserve.

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