Grand Island Town Board honors 82nd Airborne Division

Story and photo by Senior Contributing Writer Alice Gerard

The Grand Island Town Board issued a proclamation honoring the 82^nd Airborne Division at its meeting on Monday. Receiving copies of the proclamation were Ray DeGlopper, nephew of Charles N. DeGlopper; and Peggy White, sister of Terry Crowe.

According to Mary Cooke, the annual proclamation occurred because of the advocacy of Island resident Joe Synakowski.

“Joe Synakowski sent the first Airborne Day proclamation to the Town Board in 1997, the year the 82nd Airborne Division Association had its convention and reunion in Buffalo,” she said. “Aug. 16, 1940, marked the first official Army parachute jump and therefore became ‘National Airborne Day’ for the Airborne Association in their effort to honor the achievements of past, present and future Airborne members. Joe’s goal was to keep the memory of Charles DeGlopper alive in Charles’ hometown and Joe’s adopted town. Joe and Marilyn moved here around 1995.

“When Island native and Airborne Trooper Terry Crowe was killed in Iraq on June 7, 2005, Joe added him to the proclamation.

“Joe updated the proclamation each year with various new developments including the U.S. Senate passing a National Airborne Day resolution in 2004; the 70th anniversary of D-Day in 2014; renaming of the Air Assault School for Charles DeGlopper in Fort Bragg (North Carolina) in 2015; erection of the historic sign honoring Charles DeGlopper at Maple Grove Cemetery; and the dedication of the DeGlopper Memorial, honoring all of the Island’s killed in action soldiers, in 2021.

“Joe ensured that representatives of the DeGlopper and Crowe families were invited each year to accept the proclamation from the Town Board, and often members of the American Legion were also present.

“Educating Grand Islanders about the sacrifices of DeGlopper and Crowe, and all who serve, is the reason I continue to work with Joe to commemorate National Airborne Day on Grand Island. It is so important to know our history.”