J Plus 54 Reunion
HQ, 3rd Battlion
Kansas City, 1946

J Plus 54 (Jump + 54 minutes) was the name of the 506th Regiment's 3rd Battalion organization after WWII. The name was derived from the 3-506th PIR jump on D-Day: J was the designated jump time; 54 minutes into the flight was the actual jump time.

Their first annual meeting was held in 1946 at the Muhlback Hotel in Kansas City. During the reunion, memorial services were held for LTC Robert Lee Wolverton (3rd BN CO, KIA D-Day). All of the Currahee veterans in the above photo had served in HQ, 3rd BN, 506th PIR at some time during WWII.

(L-R): Edward D. Shames (I/HQ, 3rd BN; E Co, 2nd BN); unknown; James R. Morrow; unknown; F.D. Troxel; Raymond E. Calandrella; John W. Gibson (Medic); Charles "Chick" Stewart (Mortars); Jim Bradley (Mortars); John F. Allison (Mortars); George M. Rosie (Mortars; POW); Mary Ruth Lee; E. E. Lee (Mortars); Ivan J. Glancy (Mortars); unknown; unknown; Audrey Lewallen (Lewellyn) (LMG).

Attending the reunion, but not pictured were veterans from the other 3rd Battalion companies:

G Company: Daniel Seasock, Bill Bowen, James Martin, Oscar Saxvik, Samuel S. Snobar, Vincent Michael, Norman Capels, Cecil G. Hutt

H Company: Robert Harwick, Dominic Nazzalorso, Dudley Hefner, Fred Bahlau

I Company: Harold Johnson, John Luteran, Walter Lukasavage, Robert Nash, E.J. Austin