| VFW Hospitality Room, Friday night: (L) JoAnne Beyrle, wife of Joe Beyrle (I Co, 3rd BN, 506th PIR, 1942-1945), Toccoa PIR Reunion chairman (R) Robin Sink McClelland, daughter of COL Robert F. Sink (REGT Commander, 506th PIR, 1942-1945) |
photo from Joe Rice
The welcome sign by Frank Hamel (REGT HQ, 506th PIR, 1942-1943), member of the
Toccoa-Stephens County VFW Honor Guard, was brought downtown from the
VFW Hospitality Room for the dedication of the COL Robert F. Sink Memorial
Trail marker. Frank still stands at attention the same as he did at Camp Toccoa in 1942.
photo from Joe Rice
(L) Ed "Babe" Heffron and (R) "Wild Bill" Guarnere are both among the
E Company, 2nd BN, 506th PIR Currahees chronicled in the Stephen
Ambrose Band of Brothers book and featured in the HBO Band
of Brothers mini-series.Not pictured: Ivan Schwarz from Hollywood and Joe Hobbs from
London, both representing the Stephen Speilberg/Tom Hanks
Studios HBO production, were on hand to show a short preview
of the movie on a VCR.
photo from Joe Rice
Joseph R. Beyrle, Sr. (I Co, 3rd BN, 506th PIR, 1942-1945),
organizer and chairman of the Toccoa PIR Reunion, was
Master of Ceremonies at the marker dedication.Joe's WWII experiences are chronicled in the book
The Simple Sounds of Freedom/Behind Hitler's Lines
by Thomas H. Taylor, son of GEN Maxwell Taylor,
101st Airborne Division Commander
photo from Lamar Davis of The Stephens County Historical Society
The dedication ceremony for the Memorial Trail Marker was held at the stage site
in the street between the Stephens County Court House Square and the old Belk
Building in downtown Toccoa, GA, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2000.
The marker was unveiled by COL Sink's two daughters, and was moved later in the
day to the corner of the Milliken property at the Currahee Mountain Road (now
officially named the COL Robert F. Sink Memorial Trail thanks to the efforts of
Zell Miller, US Senator from Georgia).
To reach the COL Robert F. Sink Memorial Trail from the town of Toccoa, GA, take Highway 123 South
about four miles to Jeanette Jamison Intersection, which is the intersection of Highway 123 with Highways
17 and 365. At this intersection, do not turn right on Highway 123; instead, go straight across onto Highway
184. After about 500 yards, Highway 184 turns left, but, once again, stay straight, driving onto Dick's Hill
Parkway (known locally as Old Highway 123). Travel about two miles to get to the roadside marker.
