Connecting paratroopers of the 82d Airborne Division in the Capital Region, honoring a bond forged between American soldiers and the Dutch people that has endured for more than eighty years.
The Tulip Chapter is a newly forming local chapter of the 82d Airborne Division Association, bringing together veterans and current members of the 82d who live and work in New York's Capital Region.
Our name honors the enduring friendship between the All Americans and the people of the Netherlands, who have gifted tulips to American veterans every year since the liberation of their country in World War II. That tradition of gratitude is the heart of who we are.
We are in our founding phase and actively welcoming members. If you wore the maroon beret or served alongside the 82d, there is a place for you here.
We are building our membership and planning our first events. Founding members shape everything that follows. Reach out today and be part of this chapter from the very beginning.
Get in TouchParatroopers of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment crossed 400 meters of open river under direct fire. The bridge was taken. Nijmegen was liberated. The Dutch have never forgotten.
"Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane and I'll show you a man who'll fight."
MG James M. Gavin · CG, 82d Airborne Division
In September 1944, paratroopers of the 82d Airborne Division crossed the Waal River at Nijmegen under fire, seizing the critical bridge that opened the route north. The Dutch people of Nijmegen witnessed something they would not forget.
After liberation, the Netherlands expressed its gratitude through an enduring tradition: the gifting of tulips to American veterans. That gesture has continued for more than eighty years. The tulip is not a decoration. It is a promise kept.
The Dutch people have never stopped saying thank you.
A community for paratroopers to stay connected, support one another, and maintain the bonds built in service to the nation.
Serving the Capital Region through veteran advocacy, community engagement, and keeping the Airborne spirit alive where we live.
Carrying forward the historic friendship between the 82d Airborne and the Dutch people, symbolized by the tulip offered in gratitude every year since 1948.
The Tulip Chapter is rooted in Albany and the communities around it. This is where we live, where we serve, and where we carry the Airborne tradition forward.
Served with the 82d Airborne Division? Your chapter is forming now in the Capital Region. Come be part of it from the start.
