This is a partial biography of my grandfather, Alexander R. Makoid, Sr. who served in the United States Army from 1951-1954. This book focuses on those 3 years and his experiences as a member of the 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Team.

I started this book as a project for my family but the story fascinated me so much I thought I should release it for others who may be researching parts of their loved one’s pasts, or for those who helped me along the way who are just plain interested in American history and the stories of our ancestors.

My grandfather went from a young Polish Immigrant boy to a highly trained special forces level enlisted soldier very quickly and along the way made an appearance in a major motion picture with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, participated in one of the largest war games in US history, worked with ROTC kids, aided in a tornado disaster relief effort, made lifelong bonds, and of course jumped out of some planes.

I believed at first that this book would really only be of interest to our family and my grandfather’s loved ones but I hope if you find this book somewhere, someway, that it inspires you to do the same. This book consumed well over 300 hours of my life, but what I got out of it is worth more to me than I could ever quantify.