80th Division Blue Ridge Veterans Association

09/29/2026

When you near your departure date (at least, when you're in the military), you become a "Short Timer." That mean different things to different people, but to me, "30 days and a wake-up" became a mantra.
https://azadkinsiii.com/blog/224-short-timer/

A Short Timer basically means you've got less than a 100 days left to serve. It became "real" when you hit "30 Days and a Wakeup."

09/02/2026

Over the years, the 80th Infantry Division Veterans Association has acquired many friends in Europe. Some are researchers, some are students, some are tour guides. All are friends who have an interest in keeping the memories alive. I created an ongoing list of our European friends, their location(s), and the type of assistance they might be able to offer, should you decide to further your research in Europe or follow in your 80th soldiers' footsteps.

Over the years, the 80th Infantry Division Veterans Association has acquired many friends in Europe. Some are researchers, some are students, some are tour guides. All are friends who have an interest in keeping the memories alive.

09/01/2026

Just when you think you've completed a project, someone let's you know it's not REALLY done. I recently learned there was another man from Alachua County, Florida (my hometown), who didn't make it back from Vietnam. However, his name is NOT on the Vietnam Memorial Wall ...
https://azadkinsiii.com/blog/222-a-new-mission-i-need-help/

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end) Have you ever put your all into a project and, when it’s complete, you wondered if it’s really done? Writers do this all the time. You finish writing a book, go through the editing process,... Read more #222—A New Mission & I Need Help

08/04/2026

Back in my consulting days, I traveled extensively ... mostly to client sites. I also made a plethora of presentations at legal tech conferences. Here, I'd meet up with business friends and we'd catch up on family. I don't travel as much anymore (thank goodness), but I do miss what I often call, "My family away from home." Sort of like non-family reunions.

Reunions - love 'em or hate 'em. Me? I appreciate the work behind putting these together. It's my "family away from home."

07/21/2026

Today's military has the luxury of instant communications with email, texting, and instant messaging. Back in my military days (mid-70s), we relied on handwritten letters. They took a while to travel the distance, but when you received a letter from your girlfriend dabbed with a little perfume ... all I can say is, today's military doesn't have THAT luxury.
https://azadkinsiii.com/blog/blog-219-letters/

Writing letters has almost become a relic, far different from the time when I was in the Navy during the 70s.

07/02/2026

80th Division Veterans Association – Annual Reunion Deadline to Sign up

Today is the last day to sign up for the reunion to receive our generous discount. Help us make the 105th Annual Reunion memorable. Activities include a canal river cruise, a visit to the Virginia Holocaust Museum, a great lineup of speakers, and the always exceptionally delicious Saturday night dinner.

06/09/2026

While D-Day was a few days ago AND there were plenty of celebrations across Europe, I thought it appropriate to repost this article about my father-in-law, Dr. Rufus K. Broadaway, who jumped in on D-Day. A few days after landing in Normandy, "the war just got real" for him.

My father-in-law, Dr. Rufus Broadaway, served with the 82d Airborne during World War II. He jumped into Normandy on D-Day, 82 years ago. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about him and my dad, who also served... Read moreBlog #216—D-Day+3: No Better Place to Die

05/19/2026

NEW: The Blue Ridge Service Magazine (Spring/Summer) 2026 is now online:
https://80thdivision.com/blueridge.html

In this issue:
• Call to Reunion (Registration Form included in the magazine, as well as on our website)
• Burt Marsh (319/M) celebrates his 100th birthday
• “A Tale of Two World Wars, Three Families, and the 80th Division,” by Dr. Lee Anthony
• TASS News: 80th Training Command
• WWI Uniforms of the 305th Engineers
• “World War, Too,” by Jeanne Potts Faulconer
• “Echoes of the 80th: The Child My Grandfather Liberated,” by Christine Guidry Law
• 80th Division Book Reviews
• “Honoring the Men of the 80th: Saint-Avold Installs Memorial at Site of 1944 Explosion,” by Simon Petitot
• “Standing on Sacred Ground,” by Andy Adkins
• “Keeping Lorraine’s Memory Alive: Inside the Work of Mémoire de Guerres en Lorraine.
• … and more

We received a collection of older 80th Division Veterans Association "Service" Magazines (predecessor to the current "Blue Ridge" Magazine, dating back to the original first issue: OCT 1919, Volume 1, Number 1. Click [HERE] to download & read these WWI Era Magazines.

05/12/2026

Even though my dad passed away years ago, I know he's still with me. This past few weeks, there were several times I felt his presence. I think it's because I was standing in the same place as he did during WWII - in Nuremberg, Germany - back in April 1945. "Chills."

Sometimes things happen when you least expect them. This one ... from my dad, who died way too young, years ago.

05/11/2026

2026 Annual Meeting / Reunion
August 5 - 9, 2026
105th Reunion in Chester, Virginia
Springhill Suites by Marriott Chester
Chester, VA

Registration Form online:

This site is dedicated to the thousands of men and women who fought with the 80th Division throughout the years (World War I, World War II, Post WWII, and the Global War on Terror). May we never forget them or the reasons for which they fought and died for our country.