Stories

The Man in the Middle

The infantry battalions of the Golden Brigade, the 3rd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division, were reactivated as the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment on 3 October 1986, taking us all back to our WWII roots. I immediately "affiliated" with the 505th PIR and proudly wear the unit crest.

For the activation, the brigade contracted military artist James Dietz to paint a scene of the Regiment's first battle, Gela Sicily. His painting, The Beginning, hangs in the 3rd Brigade Combat Team's headquarters building.

He made five hundred and five prints. I have Number 159 of 505.

As soon as our brigade hung the original in the old Ardennes Street building, my troopers decided that I was the guy in the middle. I played along, telling them that the Brigade CSM chose me because I was the best-looking man in the unit and because Deitz thought I was the epitome of how a Paratrooper should look. My soldiers countered that I was in the painting because I was THERE at the 1943 jump into Sicily.

To some, no matter what I said, I was the man in the middle.

Not long after the delivery of our prints, we had a chance to meet Jim Dietz for a signing ceremony. I stood in line like the rest and waited my turn. Mr. Dietz was friendly, engaging every trooper in line.

When I got to the head of the line, I told Mr. Dietz how people said I looked like the guy in his painting. He looked up and said, "It's You!" Then he asked for my name and personalized my print for me. As I stepped away, reading what he wrote, he said, "You owe me half of what you win in bets."

"To John Neel - The Man in the Middle. You were there at The Beginning."

It took a while to get it framed, probably four years. Kady took it to a shop and had a nice frame and mat cut. She included some of my medals, wings, cap badge, and patches. It still hangs in my office. 

It is part of my history.

It has been a long while since someone has asked me about it. The older I get, the more I worry that the truth may die with me. One day, my family may believe what Dietz wrote that day. 

To Be Clear – I was not in WWII, I did not pose for the painting, and I was not there at any beginning.

I am not The Man in the Middle.