In this photo, 1LT Andrew Carrico of D Company, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, models his new M42 jump suit for his family. Andy had previously spent nearly two years in the armored forces before volunteering for the paratroopers after OCS, so his new jump uniform and boots were quite the wonder to his family and friends.
It is likely that this photo was taken around the time of Andy's wedding to Lois Lilly in Cheraw, South Carolina.
The boys of the 511th PIR enjoyed Camp Mackall's superior facilities when not out on several-day bivouacs or long marches. Out of 12,000 volunteers, only 2,176 remained, having passed (i.e. survived) Colonel Orin Haugen's strict acceptance guidelines. At Mackall the soldiers practiced field problems and got to know the other units in their mother organization, the 11th Airborne Division under Major-General Joseph May Swing.
