What started as a reunion opportunity for World War II paratroopers in Toccoa is now a full-fledged weekend experience, attracting history buffs, military families, veterans and tourists from all over the United States to Toccoa for Currahee Military Weekend.
Toccoa may be a small, quiet town today, but during World War II, the city was bustling with factories and thousands of soldiers.
Camp Toccoa, the military camp that trained paratroopers that served in WWII, was just six miles from the train station that runs through downtown Toccoa. In the mid-1940s, trains brought thousands of soldiers through the city every day to evaluate their skills at the nearby Camp Toccoa on Currahee Mountain.
Up to 90 trains with around 10,000 soldiers could come through Toccoa on its busiest days, but only a fraction of them were accepted into the program. Of the thousands that came through Toccoa, 17,000 soldiers trained there, and only 5,000 completed their training to become paratroopers in the war.
2001 miniseries “Band of Brothers,” recounted the stories of the men that trained at Camp Toccoa. After its release and growing popularity, the military reunion weekend became more of a pilgrimage for fans and people passionate about WWII history to see the camp in person.
“It did start out as a reunion for men that trained at Camp Toccoa, and we’d have a good crowd come in,” says Brenda Carlan, Executive Director at Currahee Military Museum and Camp Toccoa. “And then when the movie came out, ‘Band of Brothers,’ and was so successful, of course now there’s an open interest—or a bigger interest— in World War II. Especially [about those] that trained here at Camp Toccoa. So we opened it up to the public.”
The weekend is now in its 22nd year, and includes live music shows, book signings from authors who retell the stories of WWII veterans, memorabilia, USO-themed swing dances, the Currahee 5K and 10K Challenge, veterans parade, reenactments, a memorial service and more.
Carlan is not only an authority on World War II and Camp Toccoa’s history because of her experience as the museum’s director for over 15 years, she has traveled to veterans conferences, reunions, and is the daughter of a WWII veteran herself. In her lifetime, she estimates that she’s met nearly 400 WWII veterans.
Of those veterans, she says she has had the opportunity to get to know some more than others, but they all have a special place in her heart.
“They [WWII veterans] are all very, very special, but some of them just kind of pull at your heartstrings a little bit more than others,” Carlan says. “It’s just been really a positive experience for myself and the people here in Toccoa.”
Carlan’s father served in the U.S. Army in WWII, and she says her father’s impact on her and her appreciation for his sacrifices in the war brought her to work with WWII veterans while preserving their history.
“I think he’d be happy. I do,” Carlan said, regarding her father’s memory and her involvement in the preservation of both memorabilia and stories from the war. She says she’s grateful for the stories he told her about his, and Toccoa’s, role in WWII.
This year’s festivities began Thursday night with Linda Davis’ performance at The Historic Ritz Theatre, and events go through Sunday afternoon. A full list of events is available on the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce website.
