THE 596th AIRBORNE COMPANY in World War II – Aly Daly and His 140 Thieves

In the winter of 1998, veteran Ernie Kosan published an appeal in the 596th Parachute Combat Engineer Company newsletter ''Wings", stating that he was waiting for information and photographs to write the history of his unit. Only a few veterans had responded to his call. He wrote: "I can't make much progress on the history without some memories, memoirs, stories, experiences, and observations from the people who lived our history — YOU! So please, think back on those three years and write down your thoughts and memories of those days that were part of the most significant period of the 20th century — and you were there!"

His appeal went largely unanswered and did not make it possible to write the history of his unit. The 596th Airborne Engineer Company (known predominantly as the 596th Parachute Combat Engineer Company) was an integral part of the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team.

After the unit's deactivation on 1 March 1945 at Auxerre and the integration of its members into the 13th Airborne Division, then into the 82nd Airborne Division, those members with sufficient points were able to return home by the end of 1945. After two years of wartime service together, as with many other units, a very strong bond of friendship had developed among the majority of the engineer company's members. Back home, some remained in contact, while others were called to other duties.

The 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment had also been deactivated, bringing an end to its newsletter ''The Thunderbolt". However, in the 1960s, the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team Association was established, relaunching the publication of the periodical, which covered news of the soldiers and their families. This initiative allowed many veterans of the unit to reconnect after so many years.

In 1980, the veterans of the 596th Airborne Engineer Company took another initiative by creating a quarterly newsletter entitled "Wings", published by Charles E. Pugh and sent to all former members of their company. It published photographs and wartime stories, but also reunion photos and news about their work, families, and active lives. Over the following three decades, the veterans worked to re-establish contact with every member of their company. In 2007, the newsletter finally ceased publication, as did 'The Thunderbolt' — the online edition — in 2016. The 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team association was also dissolved in 2015.