Colonel John P. Geraci
(1925 to 1996)
and
3rd Bn (Abn) 506th Infantry
“A Soldier’s Soldier”
By
David Rattee
Historian Task Force 3-506th Airborne Infantry Association
Part One – The Beginning
In 1972, Colonel John Philip Geraci, was Commanding Officer, 1st Special Forces Group and Special Action Forces, Asia. In his Officer Evaluation report J.P. Lambert, Lt. General US Army and Commanding General, USARYIS, commenting on Col. Geraci’s performance, described him as, a “Soldier’s Soldier”.
There are possibly many soldiers who served with and for J.P. Geraci between 1943 and 1978 who could attest to the accuracy of this assessment of his personal and military qualities. In this respect probably none more so that the men of the 3rd Bn (Abn) 506th Infantry, the unit that Col. Geraci formed and trained at Fort Campbell in 1967 and lead in combat in Vietnam.
Looking back over the history of the 3rd Bn (Abn) 506th Infantry, it is as if this Battalion and John Philip Geraci were destined for each other. But where did it all begin?
The 3rd Bn 506th Infantry was activated in WW2 at Camp Toccoa, GA., in July 1942. Seven months later, in February 1943, the 18 year old John P. Geraci joined the USMC at Parris Island as a Private. But it was to be 23 years later that the US Army was to determine that J.P. Geraci was the man to bring the long dormant 3rd Bn 506th Infantry fighting unit back into being.
As one of the elements of the original 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the 3rd Bn were known as “Blue”. This was on account of the colour of the playing card spade symbol painted on their helmets. Their first Commanding Officer through formation and training up to D-Day, was Lt Col Robert Lee Wolverton. The battalion included George, Howe and Item companies.
When initial training at Camp Toccoa was complete the whole of the 506th PIR headed for Ft Benning to become parachute qualified. The 1st Bn 506th famously marched from Toccoa to Atlanta where they entrained to complete the journey to Ft Benning.
Not to be outdone, it was decided by Col. Robert Sink that the 3rd Bn 506th would complete a forced march from Atlanta to Ft Benning and in doing so attempt a new world record for military marching.
526 enlisted men and 34 officers from the 3rd Bn - 136 miles in a marching time of 45 hours and 20 minutes (across a total time of 83 hours and 50 minutes) accomplished in December temperatures of 34F and it rained every day. Only 11 men failed to finish. Also on the march were the 104 men of Regimental Headquarters Company lead by Captain Harold W. Hannah and 44 attached medical personnel lead by Captain A.F. Cohn. The 3rd Bn had made its first mark on the pages of US military history.
The 3rd Bn’s second mark came during the Normandy invasion when it was faced with additional and significant challenges. Most of its drop zones were compromised. They were either deliberately flooded to make them unusable or they were swept by enemy machine gun emplacements. Instead of landing in a compact formation the 35 plane loads of the 3rd Bn troops were dispersed across 4 sq miles of enemy occupied territory to the north of Carentan. Despite this they regrouped, and then secured all their objectives, the key bridges across the Douvre.
For these actions and successes the 3rd Bn was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation in its own right. A legend was being formed.
A second PUC award was received for its participation with the 101st Abn Division in the actions at Bastogne. While the troops of the 3rd Bn were engaged in the battles on the ground around Noville, Foy, and Bastogne, one of its own paratroopers was to play a significant role in leading the Pathfinder re-supply air-drop to the be-leaguered 101st.
Deactivated in 1945, the 3rd Bn 506th was not called back into combat action until the order was issued for its reactivation at Ft Campbell in April 1967. The plan was quite specific. The battalion was to be made ready as fully airborne qualified to go into combat in Vietnam in October 1967. Its capability was to be as a rapid reaction unit operating as a “Stand Alone” battalion on search & destroy and recon missions.
More significantly the 3-506th was expected to make battalion size combat parachute jumps in Vietnam. As a consequence, when word went out across Ft Campbell and beyond that a famous Currahee unit from WW2 was being brought back to life, men volunteered from other units to transfer to the new 3rd Bn 506th Infantry.
Lt Col John P. Geraci was appointed as the CO to assemble the reactivated 3rd Bn 506th, to organise its training at Ft Campbell and to lead it into combat in Vietnam.
With the generous support of Col. Geraci’s daughter, Chris Geraci Free, the Task Force 3rd Bn 506th Airborne Infantry Association has been truly fortunate to be able to access Col Geraci’s complete DA file – all 500 pages. In reviewing Col Geraci’s
31 years of US military service it is clear that his appointment to reactivate the 3-506th was a perfect match for its special mission.
John Philip Geraci was born in Brooklyn NY in 1925 to Italian parents. By the age of 18, he was multi-lingual and his additional language capability included Italian, French and Spanish which was to be relevant to the development of his military career – but not at the outset.
On February 11, 1943, 10 days after his 18th birthday, the young John Philip stepped up to the plate and joined the USMC at Parris Island. He started as a PVT and trained as a Field Wireman, progressing to PFC and finally made CPL.
His USMC personal file is stark. What we do know is that his Campaign credits include the Northern Solomon Islands and the Philippine Islands. Also he was entitled to three bronze stars on his Asiatic Pacific Campaign ribbon for participation in the Operations at Luzon, at the Bismarck Archipelago and at Leyte Island. His other awards were the Philippine Liberation ribbon with bronze star, the WWII Victory medal and a Presidential Unit Citation. Though quite what the young marine actually did during the Pacific Campaign is not recorded and is lost in time and only family stories recalled by his children remain.
For most of his time with the USMC, John P. Geraci was with Marine Fighting Squadron Three Thirteen (VMF-313). He received an Honorable Discharge on 19th October 1945 and was placed on the Reserve List. It appears however that he had already determined that his future was to be in the military, but first he intended to further his education.
The following February, 1946, J.P. Geraci, enrolled as a student at St. John’s College, Brooklyn, NY, on the Bachelor of Arts degree course majoring in English and Philosophy. At the same time he went into employment in a role with the Vacuum Cleaner Conservation Co. as a house to house sales representative.
In November 1948 after a little over two years into his studies J.P Geraci decided to leave St John’s College and immediately applied for Extended Active Duty.
On his application form, he wrote that in his employment he had been elevated to the position of Field Manager in which his principle duty was the training of men. Training of men and leading them was something in which he would later excel with the US Army.
Two months later on 1st January 1949, CPL Geraci joined the US Army and immediately went as a 2LT for Infantry Training at Ft. Benning.
No one could have anticipated that this young man was on his way in a military career that would span another 29 years and 7 months and see him awarded two CIB’s, three Purple Hearts, and four Silver Stars.
To be continued ….