Actor makes donation to Camp Toccoa project

TOCCOA - A group working on the restoration of a World War II training camp in north Georgia has received a financial boost from Hollywood.

Actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita recently donated $25,000 to Camp Toccoa at Currahee Inc. for its restoration of the World War II paratrooper training camp.

Hanks' connection to the project is that he and Steven Spielberg served as executive producers of "Band of Brothers," a 2001 HBO miniseries depicting Easy Company's journey from intense training at Camp Toccoa to airborne landings in Normandy.

Easy Company was part of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. A march from Toccoa to Atlanta, including through Gainesville, Dec. 1-3, 1942, featured the entire battalion.

Hanks joins retired Gen. David Petreaus as the second big name linked to the organization, which is raising money for the $7.5 million project.

In May, Petraeus, the former four-star U.S. Army general who commanded coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, agreed to serve on the Camp Toccoa at Currahee Board of Trustees.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/6/262568