Toccoa's Currahee Military Weekend celebrates the city’s legacy as the home of Camp Toccoa, the training camp that began as an experiment by Col. Robert F. Sink to take men straight out of civilian life and train them to be paratroopers.
This event started in 2001 as a reunion for the men who trained at Camp Toccoa during World War II. The weekend has grown to a community event open to the Veterans, their families and all who share interest in Camp Toccoa and WWII history.
Throngs of visitors crowd Toccoa’s downtown district for for the annual parade and re-enactment, and many more visit the historic museum, the USO-style dance, and other events.
The Currahee Military Weekend features World War II military reenactments in a staged military camp, weapons demonstrations, book signings by veterans, a parade through the downtown historic district, a USO-style dance, and a special banquet featuring key note speakers and veterans.
A highlight of the weekend is a six-mile race along the Colonel Sink Trail, the same trail used by the paratroopers as part of their training for combat. The common refrain is "Three Miles Up And Three Miles Down."
Other events include the annual Chamber of Commerce barbecue, memorabilia shows, the Chamber of Commerce Currahee Challenge, drill team demonstrations, an auction, and displays of vintage planes and military vehicles. The weekend concludes with a memorial service Sunday at Currahee Mountain.
The high point of all the Currahee Military Weekends is the return of the paratroopers who trained at Camp Toccoa and their families for the reunion to reminisce about their experiences with their friends who shared that time in their lives.