The 508th PIR adopted the Red Devil emblem and the battle cry "Diablo" when
they moved to Fort Benning, Georgia for parachute training Febuary 1943.
On the 20th October 1942, at camp Blanding, Florida, the 508th Parachute
Infantry Regiment was activated with major Roy E. Lindquist in command. The
regiment primarily came from the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 26th
Infantry Division. By mid-December the 508th PIR reached full strength. The
next month the 508th was moved to Fort Mackall, North Carolina, where they
trained until December.
On 28 December 1943, the regiment boarded th U.S. Army Transport James Parker
and set out to join the convoy across the Atlantic for the war in Europe.
Twelve days later, on 9 January 1944, the James Parker docked at Belfast,
Ireland and the 508th commenced training throught Great Britain.
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