Welcome to the home of the Scions of the 17th Airborne Division, Inc.

The official website of the veterans and descendants of the 17th Airborne Division.

The Missions of the Scions of the 17th Airborne Division are to Honor the men who served in the 17th,

and to educate others about the history of the division during World War II.

History of the Scions Organization

The Scions of the 17th Airborne was founded in 2011 by an official mandate of the 17th Airborne troopers themselves, as a challenge made by the 17th Airborne Division Association to continue the Association's legacy. We were incorporated as "The Scions of the 17th Airborne, Inc." in 2012. Individual and Family membership is open to family members and descendants of veterans of the 17th Airborne Division, with Associate Membership available to those with no direct ties but with an interest in the history of the 17th Airborne Division.

All veterans of the 17th Airborne Division are "Distinguished Honorary Members" of the Scions organization. We exist to honor them.

We strive to accomplish our missions by holding regional gatherings where troopers and their families can gather and share their recollections. We communicate with our membership using our "Thunder From Heaven" newsletter, through this website, and on our Facebook page, 17th Airborne Division Scions (Descendants). We also collect documents related to the history of the 17th and make them available to our membership.

The video clips below highlight some of our gatherings, trips and projects

History of the 17th Airborne Division

The 17th Airborne Division was an airborne unit in the United States Army during World War II, commanded by Major General William M. Miley. It was officially activated as an airborne division in April 1943, but was not immediately shipped out to a combat theater, remaining in the United States to complete its training. During this training process, the division took part in several training exercises such as the Knollwood Maneuvers, in which it played a vital part in ensuring that the airborne division remained as a military formation in the United States Army after the poor performance of American airborne forces in Sicily. As such it did not take part in the first two large-scale airborne operations conducted by the Allies: Operation Husky and Operation Neptune. The division transferred to Britain after the end of Operation Overlord.

When the division arrived in Britain, it came under the command of XVIII Airborne Corps, part of the First Allied Airborne Army. The division was not chosen to participate in Operation Market Garden (the airborne landings in the Netherlands) as Allied planners believed it had arrived too late and could not be "trained up" in time. However, after the end of Operation Market Garden, the division was shipped to France and then Belgium to fight in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge. A 17th trooper earned the Medal of Honor during the fighting in the Ardennes (the first of four that members of the division would earn), and the division was then withdrawn to France to prepare for an assault over the River Rhine. In March 1945, the division participated in its first, and only, airborne operation, dropping alongside the British 6th Airborne Division as a part of Operation Varsity, where its troopers earned three more Medals of Honor. The division then advanced through Northern Germany until the end of World War II, when it briefly undertook occupation duties in Germany before shipping back to the United States. There, it was officially inactivated in September 1945, although it was briefly reactivated as a training division between 1948 and 1949.

Scions 2024 Gathering at Arlington National Cemetery

The Scions of the 17th Airborne gathered at Arlington National Cemetery on November 10th, 2024 for our annual gathering to honor the men who served in the 17th Airborne Division.

Scion President Jerry O'Brien and Scion Jayne Linfante, along with her family, provided remarks .

A new element was added to our program this year as we layed a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Gold Star Daughter Rives Carroll, Gold Star Sons John Leary, and Gerald O'Brien and Jayne Linfante presented the wreath in this impressive ceremony.

We next gathered at the memorial to Chaplains who were killed while serving in WWII, including Chaplain Paschal D. Fowlkes who died during Operation Varsity. His daughter, Rives Carroll read remarks written by her father on the eve of Operation Varsity.

We also gathered at the Memorial to the Battle of the Bulge, where Scion Patricia Bowers read a touching letter written by her father, regarding the lasting impact that the brutal combat had on the Troopers who fought in the Bulge.

We then made a visit to the Nurses Memorial where we laid flowers in remembrance of Nadia Sembrat (wife of Trooper Harry Sembrat), and all Armed Forces nurses.

Next on our program was to the Memorial for the men from the 139th Airborne Engineer Bn who were killed in the explosion of a truck full of mines during the Battle of the Bulge.

This was followed by visits to the more than 50 individual graves of 17th Airborne Troopers whe lie at rest at Arlington.

At each grave we read material pertaining to the life and service of the trooper along with a prayer.

Many thanks must go to Pat and Jerry O'Brien, who planned and organized this most memorable gathering