It’ll be a military weekend in Toccoa, Georgia

At Toccoa, Georgia, it’s going to be a four-day weekend, starting Thursday, to mark 23 years of a paratrooper reunion that has grown to a community event attracting visitors from just about everywhere.  Currahee Military Weekend started in 2001 as a reunion for the men who trained at Camp Toccoa during the Second World War.  Now the weekend celebrates and honors the military history of Toccoa and the role Camp Toccoa played in the growth and identity of Toccoa/Stephens County.  In July 1942, five thousand men arrived at a camp at the base of Currahee Mountain, five miles from Toccoa.  They trained to be a new type of soldier — a paratrooper.  Many people learned of Camp Toccoa paratroopers through the 2001, ten-part miniseries based on Stephen Ambrose’s best-seller, Band of Brothers.  This weekend, however, is opportunity for local residents and visitors to learn about the lives, struggles, and achievements of the Screaming Eagles, the nickname for the 101st Airborne.  The documentary film, The Girl Who Wore Freedom, opens the weekend on Thursday with 2 and 7 pm showings at the Historic Ritz Theatre.  Tickets are $10 dollars and may be purchased at the box office before each showing.