HIGHLY DETAILED 5 1/2" X 3" US PARATROOPER MERROWED EDGE EMBROIDERED PATCH WAX BACKING FOR EASY IRON ON (SEWING IS RECOMMENDED)
500th Infantry Regiment 502nd Infantry Regiment The 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment, previously the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (501st PIR) and later 501st Infantry Regiment, is an airborne forces regiment of the United States Army, with a long history, having served in World War II and the Vietnam War, both as part of the 101st Airborne Division, as well as the War in Afghanistan. It is the first airborne unit by designation in the United States Armed Forces. Its 1st Battalion is assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, located at Fort Richardson, Alaska. Its 2nd Battalion is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Contents 1 History 1.1 World War II 1.2 Cold War 1.3 Vietnam 1.4 Post Vietnam 1.5 Operation Enduring Freedom 1.6 Operation Iraqi Freedom 1.7 Operation Enduring Freedom 2 Motto 3 The Black Diamonds 4 Lineages of the 1st and 2nd Bn 5 Honors 5.1 Campaign participation 5.2 Decorations 5.3 Notable Geronimo 6 References 7 External links History The following history was provided by 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Public Affairs Office. World War II The 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was activated at Camp Toccoa, Georgia on 15 November 1942. The 501st was part of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II and the Vietnam War. Camp Toccoa, GA, c. 1942 The famous test platoon, the prime ancestor of all American parachute units, provided the nucleus of the 1st Parachute Battalion, which in turn provided part of the cadre, the unit number, the genealogical lineage and the heraldic background of the 501st Parachute Regiment. Its initial group of officers were hand picked by its first commander, Colonel Howard R. Johnson. Colonel Howard R. Johnson. The first commander of the 501st PIR Known by his peers as "Skeets", he was very much in the swashbuckling mold of most of the original parachute regimental commanders, of whom the popular saying was "To command a parachute unit, you don't have to be nuts, but it helps!" Johnson attended the Naval Academy for two years; he boxed while a midshipman. He had transferred to the Army after leaving Annapolis and had most recently been at the tank destroyer center before volunteering for parachute duty. To say that he took to parachuting is a gross understatement: he ate, slept, and breathed it, and jumped whenever he possibly could, often jumping many times in a single day. His nickname among his men became "Jumping Johnson." He was a zealot on physical conditioning, for himself and everyone in his regiment, and personally led calisthenics, running and all other physical activities. He set a record for running up Currahee Mountain (which loomed over Camp Toccoa) and challenged anyone in the regiment to beat his time. A heavy punching bag hung outside his quarters, and when not punching that, Johnson could often be seen throwing his huge knife at hanging plywood replicas of Hitler and Hirohito. All members of the regiment were parachute volunteers, but only a minor fraction were actually qualified jumpers during training at Camp Toccoa, GA. So, when that very arduous training was over in March 1943, the unit marched to Atlanta, GA, a distance of 105 miles (169 km). They then moved to Fort Benning, GA, to jump train all members not previously qualified. With jump training over, the regiment was assigned to the Airborne Command at Camp MacKall, NC. This was its home base during prolonged maneuvers in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Louisiana, and until January 1944, when the regiment deployed to England, by way of Camp Myles Standish, MA. Once in England the 501st became a permanent attachment of the 101st Airborne Division and was a vital part of that famous unit for the duration of World War II. In England, training was hard, realistic and became increasingly oriented toward an airborne assault into German-held Europe. Although none of the soldiers knew this initially, the regiment was training for Operation Overlord, the secret allied plan for the combined air, naval, amphibious, and airborne operations to breach Hitler's "Atlantic Wall." As D-Day drew closer, a few key commanders and staff were briefed on the part the 101st would play in Operation Overlord. Then with D-Day just days away, the 501st with the rest of the division was sequestered in well guarded marshaling camps where every man finally learned his own mission and the overall mission of the 501st and the 101st Airborne Division. These very extensive and intensive briefings were to later prove vital during actual operations. The 501st (less 3rd Battalion) took off from Merryfield Airport at 2245, 5 June 1944, while the 3rd Battalion departed at the same time from Welford. All units flew across the English Channel and were set to drop into Normandy, five hours prior to the seaborne landing. The 501st drop zones were north and east of Carentan. Two battalions were to seize key canal locks at La Barquette and destroy bridges over the Douve River, while the third battalion was in division reserve. The troop aircraft formations were widely scattered due to a combination of low clouds, poor visibility and enemy anti-aircraft fire. This caused highly scattered drops and units were widely dispersed across the battlefront. The ensuing action bore little resemblance to their briefing, but because the soldiers were well prepared, the regiment and the division accomplished its multiple missions, but none of them as rehearsed. The success was credited to the initiative, stamina, and daring of individual parachutists, who decided how best to accomplish some part of the overall mission. The capture of a key causeway from Utah Beach at Pouppeville by a scratch force of about 100 officers and men, formed around a nucleus from the 3rd Battalion (division reserve) of the 501st, was typical. Members of this ad hoc force included both General Maxwell Taylor and Assistant Division Commander Gerald Higgins. General Taylor later quipped that, "Never were so few led by so many." Shoulder sleeve insignia of the 101st Airborne Division. The 501st was assigned to 101st Airborne during World War II and Vietnam. Fierce fighting in Normandy by no means ended with D-Day, but continued with important results in assisting the amphibious landings and joining the beach at Utah to that at Omaha. The efforts of the 501st came at high cost: the regiment lost 898 men killed, wounded, missing, or captured. The 501st returned to its base in England in mid-July, slowly regaining its pre-D-Day capabilities with many replacements and another round of intensive training. They received a presidential citation for their action in Normandy. They were briefed on several planned air assaults into France, each aborted when the allies overran planned objectives. In the early fall of 1944 they began preparing for an airborne assault into the occupied Netherlands. Code-named "Market Garden," it combined a deep airborne thrust through the west of the Netherlands by the 1st Allied Airborne Army, with an overland drive by the British 2nd Army. The plan visualized airborne forces seizing key bridges over rivers and canals so 2nd Army could move very deep and fast over a distance of more than 100 miles (160 km), past the Rhine River, the last major water obstacle short of Berlin. This airborne assault would be made in daylight. The 101st Airborne Division was assigned the southernmost bridges at Eindhoven, Son, Sint Oedenrode and Veghel, with the 501st assigned the Veghel Bridges. The airborne assault went as scheduled on 17 September 1944, with an improved performance by troop carrier units. Most drop zones were hit with good drop patterns. Former headquarters of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment 'Klondike' in Veghel. The insignia of the 101st Airborne Division can still be seen on the top of the facade 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, however, was dropped some 5 miles (8.0 km) east of its planned drop zone. In spite of this, the four bridges in Veghel were captured intact. Then began the really difficult part of the operation, keeping open the highway over which 2nd Army must pass to reach the British 1st Airborne Division, which was fighting for its life at the northern end of the airborne corridor. The fatal flaw in the plan became more evident each day as the forces proved too few to both keep open the key highway and also fight on to a linkup with the British Airborne across the Rhine. The 1st Airborne Division paid the full price for this flaw as they went down fighting against overwhelming odds; less than two thousand men escaped death or capture. The 501st, with the rest of the division, moved from initial objective areas to positions on "the island" between the Waal and Rhine Rivers; it became clear that they would not be withdrawn from the Netherlands after a few days, as they had been told; their combat skills were too much needed by the British. The prolonged fighting on "the island" was anything but the way to use an airborne unit. After the initial hard fighting it became a static war of patrolling and attrition, principally by artillery and mortars. One such mortar attack, near Heteren, on 8 October 1944, fatally wounded Colonel Johnson. Colonel Johnson was the best-known loss, but with him they lost 661 other fine soldiers. LTC Julian Ewell, a taciturn West Pointer, succeeded COL Johnson. Much less an extrovert than Johnson, he more than made up for any lack of "flash and dash" with a keen mind, tactical prescience and all around professional competence. After 72 days of combat in the Netherlands the division returned to a new staging area in Mourmelon, France, for what everyone thought would be a long, well-deserved rest. Accordingly, many men were on leave or pass, the Division Commander was in the United States, the Assistant Division Commander was in England (leaving the Artillery Commander, General McAuliffe, in command), and there still were major shortages of equipment and supplies that had not been replaced after the Netherlands. The division was ill-prepared for the word they received in the late evening of 17 December. The Germans had launched a major offensive at dawn on 16 December through the Ardennes in the lightly held sector of VII Corps. At that time SHAEF's Reserve consisted of the 101st and the 82nd. The 101st was ordered to move "truckborne" to Bastogne, the hub town of a major radial road net, to stem the oncoming Germans. General McAuliffe ordered the move by regimental combat teams without waiting for any absentees. The 501st was the lead combat team in the division move, and after a grueling truck ride, reached Bastogne at about 2230 hrs. Thus, by midnight, the 501st was the only regiment combat team ready for action. Ewell asked McAuliffe for a definite assignment and was ordered to move out on the eastern road through Longvilly and seize and hold a key road junction beyond Longvilly. The 501st was the first to fight at Bastogne when one of its battalions ran into the enemy near Neffe, a few kilometers out of Bastogne. Thus began the defense of Bastogne in which the 501st gave up not one foot of ground, and in which the division, and its comrades in arms, stopped cold everything the Germans could throw at them, ruined Hitler's offensive time table and eventually won the 101st the first presidential unit citation ever awarded to a full division. Once again, the 501st paid a dear price of 580 killed, wounded or captured. One casualty was Colonel Ewell, who was badly wounded and relinquished command to LTC Robert Ballard, who had commanded 2nd Battalion from the beginning. Bob Ballard was a quiet Floridian who was not a professional soldier like Johnson or Ewell, but a fine officer who had learned how to command quietly and effectively while winning the admiration and respect of his men. Ballard continued in command of the 501st until the end of World War II. Operations after Bastogne would have been anticlimactic under most any circumstances, except for the light skirmishing in Alsace, and the drive into Germany's last redoubt, Bavaria, truly seemed like a cakewalk. The living in Germany after V-Day was good indeed, but rudely interrupted by orders to move back to billets in Joigny and Auxerre, France. Troops were advised not to take any captured cars or loot with them. Once in France the 501st began training for an invasion of Japan. On 20 August 1945, the 501st was disbanded, ahead of the inactivation of the 101st Division in November 1945. Cold War The 501st was reconstituted on 1 August 1946 at Fort Benning, GA, as the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion but was inactivated there on 23 November 1948. Between 1951 and 1956 the 501st served with the 101st as a Regular Army non-Airborne training unit on two occasions, once at Camp Breckinridge, KY., and once at Fort Jackson, SC. In the spring of 1956, the 501st and the 101st moved (less personnel and equipment) to Fort Campbell, KY, where they were activated as a provisional organization to test the "Pentomic concept. The word pentomic referred to the five battle groups, which were in lieu of regiments and to the division's organic atomic weapon capability. One of the five battle groups was the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry. Its first commander was COL Harry Kinnard, who had been a member of the World War II regiment and also G-3 of the division from the Netherlands. As to matters on lineage, on 25 April 1957, the 501st Regiment ceased to exist as a tactical unit and was re-designated as the 501st Infantry, a parent regiment under the combat arms regimental system. Simultaneously, on the same date, Company A, 501PIR was reorganized and re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry, and remained assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (organic elements were concurrently constituted and activated). Believe it or not, an element of the 501st actually served with the 82nd Airborne Division when the 82nd reconfigured in the pentomic format. On 1 September 1957, Company B, 501PIR was reorganized and re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry as an organic element of the 82nd Airborne Division, and activated at Fort Bragg, NC (concurrently, organic elements constituted and activated at Fort Bragg). When the pentatonic concept gave way to the Reorganization Objective Army Division (ROAD), with brigades and battalions instead of battle groups, the 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry was reorganized and re-designated as the 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry. On 1 February 1964, its colors were relieved from assignment to the 82nd and assigned to the 101st at Fort Campbell, KY. The 101st was also reorganized as a ROAD airborne division, and the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry became the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, of the 101st. Vietnam When the 101st deployed to South Vietnam in 1967, it included the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 501st. The division participated in twelve campaigns and was decorated by the Republic of Vietnam on three occasions. The 2nd Battalion, 501st, while attached to the 3rd Brigade, 101st received a Presidential Unit Citation for their actions during the Battle of Hamburger Hill in May 1969; the unit's battle streamer is embroidered Dong Ap Bia Mountain. The 2nd Battalion, 501st participated in Operation Texas Star, which culminated in the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord in July 1970. The entire 101st participated in Operation Dewey Canyon II, in support of the ARVN attack on the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos in February–March 1971. In May 1968 the 101st's jump status was terminated and it was reorganized as an Airmobile division. Post Vietnam As part of the post-Vietnam reorganization, the 2nd Bn, 501st Infantry was inactivated on 31 July 1972, and in the restructuring to the U.S. Army regimental system, the 1st Bn, 501st Infantry was inactivated at Fort Campbell on 5 June 1984. In October 1989 the 501st Regiment was reorganized under the U.S. Army Regimental System with headquarters at Fort Richardson, Alaska. Simultaneously, 1st Bn (Abn), 501st Infantry was assigned to the 6th Infantry Division and activated at Fort Richardson. The 6th, formed when the 172nd Infantry Brigade was expanded to a division, was inactivated during the post-Cold War draw down and reverted again to the 172nd Infantry Brigade (United States). The 1st Bn (Abn), 501st Inf was made a separate battalion combat team for a short period of time, around which the 4th Brigade (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division was constructed, where it serves to this day. Of the three original parachute regiments organic or attached to the 101st Airborne Division in World War II, the 501st remains as the only unit on jump status. Operation Enduring Freedom FOB Salerno. A forward operating base near the city of Khowst, Afghanistan. OEF IV-V: TF 1–501 deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan from October 2003 until August 2004 under the direct command of CJTF-180 and 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. The unit was based in the city of Khost at FOB Salerno near the eastern border with Pakistan. The 501st played a significant role in disrupting enemy communications and infiltrations across the border in their Area of Operation. Commanded by LTC Harry C. Glenn, the 501st conducted coordinated searches and patrolled the mountains on Operations Avalanche and Blizzard, and Storm, on which its mission was to root out Taliban and Al Qaeda loyalists in Khost Province and Paktia Province. The natives of the region, the Pashtun, were, more often than not, both enemies and allies to the 501st, making the mission that much more difficult. Many enemy were killed and even more were captured as a result of the unit's time in-country. Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF VI-VIII: The 501st deployed as part of its parent brigade in September 2006 till October 2007, and the final elements returned in December 2007 as part of a 14-month tour in north Babil Province, Iraq, 35 miles (56 km) south of Baghdad. The unit was the tenant organization at FOB Iskandariyah and conducted full-spectrum operations in the area's major population centers: Bahbahani, Jurf as Sakhr, Musayyib and Tahrir. Scouts from 1–501st Infantry Regiment (Airborne) conducting amphibious operations from FOB Iskandariyah in 2007. The 501st was also responsible for support to operations in the city and province of Karbala and provided paratroopers for additional contingency operations in Anbar Province, An Najaf and Hillah. For six months, the 501st with attachments was also responsible for the cities of Iskandariyah and Haswah as well as surrounding rural communities. Paratroopers from 1–501st Infantry Regiment (Airborne) conduct an air insertion as part of Operation Gecko north of Jurf as Sakhr, Iraq in 2007. Through the combined use of ground, air and amphibious operations, the unit was credited with the capture or neutralization of multiple ranking insurgents and bringing a strong measure of security to the area, as well as bolstering the capabilities of Iraqi security and defense forces. The 501st served under the divisional control of both the 1st Cavalry Division as part of Multi-National Division-Baghdad and the 3rd Infantry Division as a component of Multi-National Division-Central. The unit was awarded the Valorous Unit Award, the second highest unit award in the US Army, for its efforts during the 2006–2007 deployment. Operation Enduring Freedom OEF IX-X: In February 2009, just 14 months after returning from its 15-month deployment to Iraq, the 501st deployed for the second time to eastern Afghanistan as a part of Regional Command East, International Security Assistance Force. The battalion’s area of combat operations included Khost and Paktika provinces, all on the border with Pakistan; brigade headquarters was at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost. Known as Task Force Yukon. 1–501 IN BN (ABN) was called Task Force 1 Geronimo and conducted counterinsurgency operations for 12 months in partnership with Afghan National Security Forces and supervised governance, development, and agriculture projects in coordination with the Afghan government. The battalion redeployed to Fort Richardson in March 2010. The welcome home ceremony was held on 25 March 2010 at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage with Alaska Governor Sean Parnell in attendance. Seven soldiers were killed in action during the deployment; they are honored with a large stone memorial located in front of the battalion headquarters at Fort Richardson. For its efforts in Afghanistan in 2009–2010, the battalion was, once again, awarded the Valorous Unit Award for their actions. OEF XII-XIII: After 18 months of dwell time at their home station Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 1–501 IN (ABN) deployed once again to Operation Enduring Freedom XII-XIII in December 2011. As one of the three maneuver battalions of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division – Task Force Spartan – 1–501 IN (ABN), known operationally as Task Force Blue Geronimo, assumed authority of central and eastern Khost province. Task Force Spartan, with a higher headquarters at Regional Command East, International Security Assistance Force, was arrayed across Khost and Paktia Provinces to combat Taliban and Haqqani Network elements. Both the battalion and brigade headquarters were located at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost city. For ten months, through October 2012, the 501st aggressively countered Taliban and Haqqani Network infiltrations into and through Khost province. At the same time, the task force trained two battalions of Afghan National Army, two zones of Afghan Border Police, and the entire contingent of Afghan Uniformed Police (Khost) to conduct security operations with lessening dependence on ISAF assistance. Elements of the task force were sent into Paktia and Paktika provinces on various week-long operations to supplement 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) and 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) from 4/25 ABCT as well as 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. Eight soldiers of Task Force Blue Geronimo were killed in action in Khost province; they are memorialized on a stone monument in front of battalion headquarters at Fort Richardson, where their names are transplanted among other fallen paratroopers of the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment (Airborne). Motto The unit's motto is "Geronimo," a phrase that has become synonymous with paratroopers and parachutists in general. The motto dates from 1940 and the lead up to World War II. The night before their first attempt to prove the feasibility of a mass jump, some U.S. paratroopers at Fort Benning watched the film Geronimo (1939). While drinking with fellow paratroopers after the show, Private Aubrey Eberhardt announced he would shout the name "Geronimo" when he jumped to prove he was not scared. He followed through with his promise and the practice soon caught on within the unit, becoming its unofficial motto. When the 501st was created the name was confirmed as the unit's official motto with the permission of the real Geronimo's family. The Black Diamonds During World War II, the 101st Airborne Division undertook steps to identify paratroopers from each divisional element visually. As a result, a suit from a deck of cards was painted on the helmets of the division's four infantry regiments. The helmets of the members of 501st were therefore emblazoned with a white diamond and each respective battalion was indicated with a white tick mark. During the Vietnam War the Diamond as well as the Spade, Heart and Club were used on the helmet by units of the 101st Airborne Division but instead of white it was black and most of the time a black permanent marker was the only thing needed to apply it. Post Vietnam the tradition carried on through the late 1970's. The modern day members of the 501st resurrected the tradition in 2003 prior to deployment to Afghanistan with two black cloth patches sewn to each side of their helmet covers. The tradition was carried over after the switch to the Army Combat Uniform as part of the Rapid Fielding Initiative in 2006 and again worn in Iraq. The emblem has entered common usage among members of the current battalion outside of helmet insignia, appearing on unit clothing, challenge coins and other souvenirs. A similar insignia has been recently appropriated for use by the current 101st Aviation Brigade to match that of other elements within the 101st Airborne Division which chose to use their original World War II regimental helmet markings. Despite their use of the diamond patches, there is no historical connection between the use of the insignia in World War II and the 101st Aviation Brigade. The brigade links their current use with the use of color-coded diamonds on UH-1s by the unit during Vietnam, when it carried the designation of 101st Aviation Battalion. Although helmet markings are commonly worn by units throughout the Army, The Institute of Heraldry has confirmed they are not authorized by the Army's uniform regulations. Lineages of the 1st and 2nd Bn The 501st jumps in Alaska. Activated 15 November 1942 at Camp Toccoa, GA (101st Airborne Division) Disbanded 20 August 1945 at Camp Toccoa, GA (ahead of inactivation of 101st Airborne in November 1945) Activated 1 August 1946 at Fort Benning, GA Inactivated on 23 November 1948 at Fort Benning, GA Active 1951–1956 at Camp Breckinridge, KY and Fort Jackson, SC, as a non-Airborne training unit Moved to Fort Campbell, KY in spring 1956. (Pentomic concept) Redesignated on 25 April 1957 as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System. On 1 September 1957 Company A, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was re-designated as HHC, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division; Company B, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was re-designated as HHC (Headquarters and Headquarters Company), 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry and assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division. 1 February 1964, 2nd ABG, 501st INF was reorganized and re-designated as 2nd Bn, 501st INF, relieved from assignment from 82nd Airborne and assigned to 101st Airborne Division (administrative move of unit colors only). 2nd Bn, 501st INF inactivated on 31 July 1972. (Part of Post Vietnam Reorganization) 1st Bn, 501st INF inactivated on 5 June 1984 at Fort Campbell, KY under the U.S. Army Regimental System. 1st Bn, 501st Inf activated 1 October 1989 at Fort Richardson, AK under the U.S. Army Regimental System. Assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, on 14 July 2005. 2nd Bn, 501st INF activated 15 October 2013 and assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Honors 1st/501st PIR soldiers parachute from a C-130 over Donnelly Drop Zone on Ft. Greeley, AK. Campaign participation World War II: Normandy (with arrowhead) Operation Market Garden Ardennes-Alsace Central Europe Vietnam: Defense Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase II Counteroffensive, Phase III Tet Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase IV Counteroffensive, Phase V Counteroffensive, Phase VI Tet 69/Counteroffensive; Summer-Fall 1969 Winter-Spring 1970 Sanctuary Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase VII Operation Enduring Freedom: Consolidation, Phase I Consolidation, Phase III Transition, Phase I Operation Iraqi Freedom: National Resolution Iraqi Surge Decorations Device Award Year Conflict Location Notes Streamer PUC Army.PNG Presidential Unit Citation 1944 World War II Normandy, France Operation Overlord Streamer PUC Army.PNG Presidential Unit Citation 1944 World War II Bastogne, Belgium Siege of Bastogne Streamer PUC Army.PNG Presidential Unit Citation 1969 Vietnam War Dong Ap Bia, Vietnam 2-501st Infantry, Battle of Hamburger Hill Streamer VUA Army.PNG Valorous Unit Award 1969 Vietnam War Vietnam C/2-501st Infantry 17 April – 7 May 1969 VUA Streamer.jpg Valorous Unit Award 2007 Iraq Babil Governorate Operation Iraqi Freedom VUA Streamer.jpg Valorous Unit Award 2010 Afghanistan Paktika Province Operation Enduring Freedom IX-X FCDG WWII NORMANDY.gif French Croix de Guerre with Palm 1944 World War II Normandy, France Operation Overlord BCDG WWII.png Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm 1944 World War II Bastogne, Belgium Siege of Bastogne VGCP Streamer.jpg Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm 1968 Vietnam War Vietnam 19 April – 15 August 1968 VGCP Streamer.jpg Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm 1968–69 Vietnam War Vietnam 15 August 1968 – 14 May 1969 VGCP Streamer.jpg Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm 1971 Vietnam War Vietnam 1 March – 9 October 1971 Streamer RVMUCCA.PNG Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation First Class with Palm 1968–70 Vietnam War Vietnam 18 March 1968 – 2 May 1970 Notable Geronimo Captain Joe Ronnie Hooper (2-501) he received the Medal of Honor (21 February 1968 outside of Hue) SPC 4 Santiago J. Erevia (1-501) Medal of Honor Recipient Staff Sergeant Clifford C. Sims (2-501) he received the Medal of Honor (21 February 1968 outside of Hue)
Alaskan Infantry Battalions sometimes had
a Company on Jump Status . These were always designated as the Cco of the
Battalion and referred to as "Charlie Airborne" Some of the Charlie
Airborne Units that served in Alaska were: C 4-9 / C 1-17 / C 2-17 / C
4-327 / C 5-327 / C 6-327 / C 4-23 / C 5-9 / C 1-60
Other Airborne Units were - Oco 75th Infantry and then the 1-501 PIR
1-507th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Airborne History Perhaps no military development has been so
revolutionary as the employment of paratroopers. Certainly, none has been so
spectacular! Shortly after World War I, General Billy Mitchell proposed that
parachuting troops from aircraft into combat could be effective. During
the demonstration of his concept at Kelly Field at San Antonio, Texas, six
soldiers parachuted from a Martin Bomber, safely landed, and in less than
three minutes after exiting the aircraft had their weapons assembled and
were ready for action. Although the U.S. observers dismissed the
concept, not all of the observers arrived at the same conclusion. The
Soviets and Germans were impressed with the demonstration. In the USSR,
static line parachuting was introduced as a national sport and the
population was encouraged to join the Russian Airborne Corps. The German
observers eagerly grasped the idea and planners worked quickly to develop an
effective military parachute organization. For the first time, in August
1930 at Veronezh, Russia, Soviet paratroopers participated in military
maneuvers. Their actions were so effective that a repeat performance was
given in Moscow one month later. The Germans effectively developed
their airborne forces and, at the start of World War II, used parachute
troops in their spearhead assaults. Spurred by the successful employment of
airborne troops by the Germans in their invasion of the Low Countries,
U.S. military branches began an all-out effort to develop this new form of
warfare. Controversy surrounded the effort and the various branches made
several colorful proposals. The Air Corps made the most unique proposal.
Its staff proposed that the Air Infantry be called "Air Grenadiers" and be
members of the "Marines of the Air Corps." In April 1940, following the
controversies, the War Department approved plans for the formation of a test
platoon of Airborne Infantry to form, equip, and train under the
direction and control of the Army's Infantry Board. In June, the Commandant
of the Infantry School was directed to organize a test platoon of volunteers
from Fort Benning's 29th Infantry Regiment. Later that year, the 2d
Infantry Division was directed to conduct the necessary tests to develop
reference data and operational procedures for air-transported troops.
In July 1940, the task of organizing the platoon began. First Lieutenant
William T. Ryder from the 29th Infantry Regiment volunteered and was
designated the test platoon's Platoon Leader and Lieutenant James A. Bassett
was designated Assistant Platoon Leader. Based on high standards of
health and rugged physical characteristics, forty-eight enlisted men were
selected from a pool of 200 volunteers. Quickly thereafter, the platoon
moved into tents near Lawson Field, and an abandoned hanger was obtained
for use as a training hall and for parachute packing. Lieutenant Colonel
William C. Lee, a staff officer for the Chief of Infantry, was intently
interested in the test platoon. He recommended that the men be moved to
the Safe Parachute Company at Hightstown, NJ for training on the parachute
drop towers used during the New York World's Fair. Eighteen days after
organization, the platoon was moved to New Jersey and trained for one
week on the 250-foot free towers. The training was particularly
effective. When a drop from the tower was compared to a drop from an
airplane, it was found that the added realism was otherwise impossible to
duplicate. The drop also proved to the troopers that their parachutes
would function safely. The Army was so impressed with the tower drops that
two were purchased and erected at Fort Benning on what is now Eubanks Field.
Later, two more were added. Three of the original four towers are still in
use training paratroopers at Fort Benning. PLF training was often
conducted by the volunteers jumping from PT platforms and from the back of
moving 2 1/2 ton trucks to allow the trainees to experience the shock of
landing. Less than forty-five days after organization, the first jump
from an aircraft in flight by members of the test platoon was made from a
Douglas B-18 over Lawson Field on 16 August, 1940. Before the drop, the test
platoon held a lottery to determine who would follow Lieutenant Ryder
out of the airplane and Private William N. (Red) King became the first
enlisted man to make an official jump as a paratrooper in the United States
Army. On 29 August, at Lawson Field, the platoon made the first platoon
mass jump held in the United States. The first parachute combat unit
to be organized was the 501st Parachute Battalion. It was commanded by Major
William M. Miley, later a Major General and Commander of the 17th Airborne
Division, and the original test platoon members formed the battalion
cadre. The Civilian Conservation Corps cleared new jump areas and three new
training buildings were erected. Several B-18 and C-39 aircraft were
provided for training. The traditional paratrooper cry "GERONIMO" was
originated in the 501st by Private Aubrey Eberhart to prove to a friend that
he had full control of his faculties when he jumped. That cry was adopted by
the 501st and has been often used by paratroopers since then. The
502d Parachute Infantry Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel William
C. Lee with men from the 501st as cadre, was activated on 1 July, 1941. The
502d was far below strength, and 172 prospective troopers from the 9th
Infantry Division at Fort Bragg, NC were needed. The response to
Lieutenant Colonel Lee's call for volunteers was startling: more than 400
men volunteered, including many noncommissioned officers who were willing to
take a reduction in rank ("take a bust") to transfer to the new
battalion. Airborne experimentation of another type was initiated on
10 October, 1941 when the Army's first Glider Infantry battalion was
activated. This unit was officially designated as the 88th Glider Infantry
Battalion and was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Elbridge G. Chapman,
Jr. Lieutenant Colonel Chapman later became a Major General and commanded
the 13th Airborne Division. As more airborne units were activated, it
became apparent that a centralized training facility should be established.
Consequently, the facility was organized at Fort Benning on 15 May, 1942.
Since that date, the U.S. Army Parachute School has been known by a
variety of names: The Airborne School (1 January, 1946); Airborne
Army Aviation Section, The Infantry School (1 November, 1946); Airborne
Department, The Infantry School (February, 1955); Airborne-Air Mobility
Department (February, 1956); Airborne Department (August 1964);
Airborne-Air Mobility Department (October, 1974); Airborne Department
(October, 1976); 4th Airborne Training Battalion, The School Brigade
(January, 1982); 1st Battalion (Abn), 507TH Parachute Infantry, The
School Brigade (October, 1985); and the 1st Battalion (Abn), 507TH
Infantry, 11th Infantry Regiment (July, 1991). Although several
types of headgear insignia have been worn by parachute and glider
organizations since 1942, an insignia peculiar to the Airborne was not
authorized until 1949 and did not appear in Army Regulations until 1956. The
authorization was first mentioned in AR 670-5 (dated 20 September,
1956), which stated, "Airborne insignia may be worn when prescribed by
commander...The insignia consists of a white parachute and glider on blue
disk with a red border approximately 2 1/4 inches in diameter overall."
In December, 1943, the all black "555th Parachute Infantry Company
(Colored)", later redesignated Company A, 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
(and remembered by many as the "Triple Nickel"), arrived at Fort Benning for
airborne training. This training event marked a significant milestone
for black Americans in the combat arms. The first troops in the unit were
volunteers from the all-black 92d Infantry Division stationed at Fort
Huachuca, Arizona. After proving their skills, the battalion was not
sent overseas, but was deployed to the western United States for "Operation
Firefly," dropping in to fight forest fires set by Japanese incendiary
balloons in the Pacific Northwest. During this mission, the 555th earned
the nickname the "Smoke Jumpers." In 1948, after full integration of the
Armed Forces was finally effected, black Americans were finally given their
full rights as American combat paratroopers and made their first combat
jump while attached to the 187th Regimental Combat Team during the Korean
War. On 14 December, 1973 another milestone in Airborne history was
established when Privates Joyce Kutsch and Rita Johnson became the first
women to graduate from the Basic Airborne Course. Following graduation from
a modified, but rigorous, airborne course the two women successfully
completed the U.S. Army Quartermaster School Parachute Rigger Course and
were assigned to Aerial Delivery Companies at Fort Bragg, NC. Since then,
women do not attend a modified airborne course, but complete the full
course and meet the same standards as their male counterparts.
Airborne unit combat records tell stories of extreme valor. From the first
combat jump during World War II in North Africa, paratroopers have fought
with a spirit, determination, and tenacity that captured the respect of the
world. Future events will continue to find the American paratrooper in
the forefront of hostilities. 4th Brigade Combat Team
(Airborne), 25th Infantry Division The 4th Brigade Combat Team
(Airborne), 25th Infantry Division is an airborne infantry brigade combat
team of the United States Army. The unit is stationed at Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska and is the only airborne
brigade combat team in the Pacific Theater. It is also the newest airborne
brigade combat team and one of only six in the United States Army; the
others are the four brigade combat teams of the 82nd Airborne Division and
the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. United States Army Alaska is
the brigade's next higher command, not the 25th Infantry Division which is
headquartered in Hawaii. The brigade, along with 1st Brigade Combat Team
(Stryker), 25th Infantry Division, which is also stationed in Alaska,
share in the history of the 25th Infantry Division, but are not subordinate
to the division; the chain of command goes direct from United States Army
Alaska to United States Army Pacific. The 4th Brigade Combat Team
(Airborne), 25th Infantry Division is an airborne infantry brigade combat
team of the United States Army. The unit is stationed at Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska and is the only airborne
brigade combat team in the Pacific Theater. It is also the newest airborne
brigade combat team and one of only six in the United States Army; the
others are the four brigade combat teams of the 82nd Airborne Division and
the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. United States Army Alaska is
the brigade's next higher command, not the 25th Infantry Division which is
headquartered in Hawaii. The brigade, along with 1st Brigade Combat Team
(Stryker), 25th Infantry Division, which is also stationed in Alaska,
share in the history of the 25th Infantry Division, but are not subordinate
to the division; the chain of command goes direct from United States Army
Alaska to United States Army Pacific. Operation Iraqi Freedom In
late September and early October the brigade began deployment in support
Operation Iraqi Freedom V for a 12-month rotational deployment. Initially,
the brigade was subordinate to Multi-National Division-Baghdad under the 1st
Cavalry Division and was responsible for an area of operations
comprising north Babil Governorate, Karbala Governorate and Najaf
Governorate. However in January 2007, a battalion task force headed by 3rd
Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) was detached for service
in Anbar Governorate with the II Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit would
not return to brigade control until June 2007. In March 2007, the brigade
deployment was extended for a period of 90 days and the brigade was
placed under the divisional command of the then new Multi-National
Division-Central under the command of 3rd Infantry Division. During this
period, the geographic disparity of 1st Squadron (Airborne), 40th Cavalry
Regiment located just eight miles south of Baghdad brought about their
detachment from the brigade and attachment to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd
Infantry Division for the duration of the deployment. Over 14 months of
combat and civil operations in the brigade area of operations resulted in
improvement of the security situation, a period that coincided with the Iraq
Surge and Sons of Iraq movement. Although the brigade had trained in
conventional and direct action missions prior to deployment, the brigade
conducted many traditionally unconventional operations, specifically the
training of foreign internal defense forces and the support and utilization
of irregular forces in combat and intelligence operations. The brigade
also boasted the highest rate of re-enlistment of any brigade in the US Army
during fiscal year 2007. Under Multi-National Division-Central, the
brigade took part in several major operations including Black Eagle, Gecko,
Geronimo Strike III, Marne Avalanche, Marne Torch, LaGuardia, and Washing
Machine. The brigade also successfully returned Karbala Governorate to
Iraqi provincial control. Elements of the brigade took part in the search
for downed F-16 pilot MAJ Troy Gilbert and the soldiers abducted in the May
2007 ambush of a patrol from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain
Division, successfully recovering the remains of PFC Joseph Anzack. Soldiers
from the brigade were also involved in the 20 January 2007 Karbala
provincial headquarters raid. During the 15-month deployment, the brigade
lost 53 soldiers who are commemorated on a black stone memorial at
Pershing Field on Fort Richardson. The brigade began redeployment to Fort
Richardson beginning in November 2007 and was completely redeployed by
December. The brigade conducted a redeployment ceremony attended by Governor
Sarah Palin and other dignitaries on 19 December 2007 at Sullivan Arena
in Anchorage. In June 2008, COL Michael Garrett relinquished command to LTC
Stephen Hughes as the unit began the process of undergoing rest and refit in
advance of future deployments. Operation Enduring Freedom IX-X COL
Michael L. Howard assumed command in July 2008. With the brigade already
identified for deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom IX-X, COL Howard led a rapid train-up including a month-long
rotation at the National Training Center in October–November 2008. In
February 2009, just 14 months after returning from its 15-month deployment
to Iraq, the brigade deployed to eastern Afghanistan as a part of Regional
Command East, International Security Assistance Force. The brigade's area of
combat operations included Khost, Paktia, and Paktika provinces, all on
the border with Pakistan; brigade headquarters was at Forward Operating Base
Salerno in Khost. Known as Task Force Yukon, the brigade was augmented with
eight battalion- sized units: a military police battalion from United
States Army Europe augmented with an infantry company, B Co, 2/151 INF from
the Indiana Army National Guard, an infantry battalion (1/151)from the
Georgia Army National Guard, an aviation battalion from the 101st
Airborne Division (replaced mid-tour with an aviation battalion from the 3rd
Infantry Division), three Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and two Army
National Guard Agri-Business Development Teams. Total task force
strength was approximately 5,500 personnel. Serving under the 101st Airborne
Division, then the 82nd Airborne Division, the brigade conducted
counter-insurgency operations for 12 months in partnership with Afghan
National Security Forces and supervised governance, development, and
agriculture projects in coordination with the Afghan government. The
brigade redeployed to Fort Richardson in February–March 2010. The welcome
home ceremony was held on 25 March 2010 at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage
with Alaska Governor Sean Parnell in attendance. Thirteen brigade Soldiers
were killed in action during the deployment; they are honored with a
black granite memorial located in front of the brigade headquarters at Fort
Richardson. SPC Bowe Bergdahl, assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 501st
Infantry Regiment (Airborne), was captured by the Taliban in June 2009
and remains missing (as of December 2010). On 1 July 2010, COL Howard
relinquished command to LTC Shanon Mosakowski, the brigade's deputy
commander. MG William Troy, commanding general of United States Army Alaska,
hosted the change of command ceremony, which included a traditional pass
and review with the brigade's six battalions represented by large formations
on the field. COL Howard's next assignment was with NATO headquarters in
Belgium. LTC Mosakowski served as commander until August 2010 when COL
Morris T. Goins assumed command. Operation Enduring Freedom
XII-XIII The brigade deployed to Afghanistan again in December 2011 for
Operation Enduring Freedom XII-XIII. As with its previous deployment to
Afghanistan, the brigade was headquartered at Forward Operating Base
Salerno. The brigade returned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in
October 2012 after 10 months. During the deployment, eight soldiers from the
brigade lost their lives. Lineage The brigade was constituted
on 14 July 2005 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat
Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division. Note: On 6 January 1969, 4th
Brigade, 25th Infantry Division was activated at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
as a regional strategic reaction force while the remainder of the division
was deployed to Vietnam. This unit was inactivated upon the return of
the division on 15 January 1970 and provided personnel and equipment to 1st
Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. The unit does not share in the established
lineage of the new 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne). Subordinate
units 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment 3rd
Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment 1st Squadron (Airborne),
40th Cavalry Regiment 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 377th Field Artillery
Regiment 725th Support Battalion (Airborne) Special Troops Battalion
Honors Campaign participation credit Operation Iraqi
Freedom, Iraq Campaign Medal Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan
Campaign Medal and NATO Medal for service with the International Security
Assistance Force Past Commanders COL Michael X. Garrett
2005–2008 COL Michael L. Howard 2008–2010 COL Morris T. Goins
2010-2012 COL Matthew McFarlane 2012-Present The 501st
Airborne Infantry Regiment is the first airborne unit by designation in the
United States military. It has been assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team
(Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, and is located in Fort
Richardson, Alaska, to serve as a strategic front to the Department of
Defense's Pacific Command. Only the 4th Brigade Combat Team is on airborne
status, not the entire 25th Infantry Division. History The
following history was provided by 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th
Infantry Division, Public Affairs Office. World War II The 501st
Parachute Infantry Regiment was activated at Camp Toccoa, Georgia on 15
November 1942. The 501st was part of the 101st Airborne Division during
World War II and the Vietnam War. Camp Toccoa, GA, c. 1942 The
famous test platoon, the prime ancestor of all American parachute units,
provided the nucleus of the 1st Parachute Battalion, which in turn provided
part of the cadre, the unit number, the genealogical lineage and the
heraldic background of the 501st Parachute Regiment. Its initial group
of officers were hand picked by its first commander, Colonel Howard R.
Johnson. Colonel Howard R. Johnson. The first commander of the
501st PIR Known by his peers as "Skeets", he was very much in the
swashbuckling mold of most of the original parachute regimental commanders,
of whom the popular saying was "To command a parachute unit, you don't have
to be nuts, but it helps!" An Annapolis graduate who had boxed while a
midshipman, Johnson had transferred to the Army on graduation and had most
recently been at the tank destroyer center before volunteering for parachute
duty. To say that he took to parachuting is a gross understatement: he
ate, slept, and breathed it, and jumped whenever he possibly could, often
jumping many times in a single day. His nickname among his men became
"Jumping Johnson." He was a zealot on physical conditioning, for himself
and everyone in his regiment, and personally led calisthenics, running and
all other physical activities. He set a record for running up Currahee
Mountain (which loomed over Camp Toccoa) and challenged anyone in the
regiment to beat his time. A heavy punching bag hung outside his
quarters, and when not punching that, Johnson could often be seen throwing
his huge knife at hanging plywood replicas of Hitler and Hirohito. All
members of the regiment were parachute volunteers, but only a minor fraction
were actually qualified jumpers during training at Camp Toccoa, GA. So, when
that very arduous training was over in March 1943, the unit marched to
Atlanta, GA, a distance of 105 miles (169 km). They then moved to Fort
Benning, GA, to jump train all members not previously qualified.With jump
training over, the regiment was assigned to the Airborne Command at Camp
MacKall, NC. This was its home base during prolonged maneuvers in North
Carolina, Tennessee, and Louisiana, and until January 1944, when the
regiment deployed to England, by way of Camp Myles Standish, MA. Once in
England the 501st became a permanent attachment of the 101st Airborne
Division and was a vital part of that famous unit for the duration of World
War II. 1–501 PIR in formation 1942 In England, training was
hard, realistic and became increasingly oriented toward an airborne assault
into German-held Europe. Although none of the soldiers knew this initially,
the regiment was training for Operation Overlord, the secret allied plan
for the combined air, naval, amphibious, and airborne operations to breach
Hitler's "Atlantic Wall." As D-Day drew closer, a few key commanders and
staff were briefed on the part the 101st would play in Operation Overlord.
Then with D-Day just days away, the 501st with the rest of the division
was sequestered in well guarded marshaling camps where every man finally
learned his own mission and the overall mission of the 501st and the 101st
Airborne Division. These very extensive and intensive briefings were to
later prove vital during actual operations. The 501st (less 3rd
Battalion) took off from Merryfield Airport at 2245, 5 June 1944, while the
3rd Battalion departed at the same time from Welford. All units flew across
the English Channel and were set to drop into Normandy, five hours prior
to the seaborne landing. The 501st drop zones were north and east of
Carentan. Two battalions were to seize key canal locks at La Barquette and
destroy bridges over the Douve River, while the third battalion was in
division reserve. The troop aircraft formations were widely
scattered due to a combination of low clouds, poor visibility and enemy
anti-aircraft fire. This caused highly scattered drops and units were widely
dispersed across the battlefront. The ensuing action bore little
resemblance to their briefing, but because the soldiers were well prepared,
the regiment and the division accomplished its multiple missions, but none
of them as rehearsed. The success was credited to the initiative,
stamina, and daring of individual parachutists, who decided how best to
accomplish some part of the overall mission. The capture of a key causeway
from Utah Beach at Pouppeville by a scratch force of about 100 officers and
men, formed around a nucleus from the 3rd Battalion (division reserve)
of the 501st, was typical. Members of this ad hoc force included both
General Maxwell Taylor and Assistant Division Commander Gerald Higgins.
General Taylor later quipped that, "Never were so few led by so many."
Fierce fighting in Normandy by no means ended with D-Day, but continued
with important results in assisting the amphibious landings and joining the
beach at Utah to that at Omaha. The efforts of the 501st came at high cost:
the regiment lost 898 men killed, wounded, missing, or captured.
The 501st returned to its base in England in mid-July, slowly regaining its
pre-D-Day capabilities with many replacements and another round of intensive
training. They received a presidential citation for their action in
Normandy. They were briefed on several planned air assaults into France,
each aborted when the allies overran planned objectives. In the early fall
of 1944 they began preparing for an airborne assault into occupied Holland.
Code-named "Market Garden," it combined a deep airborne thrust through
western Holland by the 1st Allied Airborne Army, with an overland drive by
the British 2nd Army. The plan visualized airborne forces seizing key
bridges over rivers and canals so 2nd Army could move very deep and fast
over a distance of more than 100 miles (160 km), past the Rhine River, the
last major water obstacle short of Berlin. This airborne assault would be
made in daylight. The 101st Airborne Division was assigned the
southernmost bridges at Eindhoven, Son, Sint Oedenrode and Veghel, with the
501st assigned the Veghel Bridges. The airborne assault went as scheduled on
17 September 1944, with an improved performance by troop carrier units.
Most drop zones were hit with good drop patterns. 1st Battalion,
501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, however, was dropped some 5 miles (8.0
km) east of its planned drop zone. In spite of this, the four bridges in
Veghel were captured intact. Then began the really difficult part of the
operation, keeping open the highway over which 2nd Army must pass to reach
the British 1st Airborne Division, which was fighting for its life at the
northern end of the airborne corridor. The fatal flaw in the plan became
more evident each day as the forces proved too few to both keep open the
key highway and also fight on to a linkup with the British Airborne across
the Rhine. The 1st Airborne Division paid the full price for this flaw as
they went down fighting against overwhelming odds; less than two
thousand men escaped death or capture. The 501st, with the rest of
the division, moved from initial objective areas to positions on "the
island" between the Waal and Rhine Rivers; it became clear that they would
not be withdrawn from Holland after a few days, as they had been told;
their combat skills were too much needed by the British. The prolonged
fighting on "the island" was anything but the way to use an airborne unit.
After the initial hard fighting it became a static war of patrolling and
attrition, principally by artillery and mortars. One such mortar attack,
near Heteren, on 8 October 1944, fatally wounded Colonel Johnson. As he was
being evacuated, his last words to LTC Ewell were, "Take care of my boys."
Colonel Johnson was the best-known loss, but with him they lost 661
other fine soldiers. LTC Julian Ewell, a taciturn West Pointer, succeeded
COL Johnson. Much less an extrovert than Johnson, he more than made up for
any lack of "flash and dash" with a keen mind, tactical prescience and
all around professional competence. After 72 days of combat in Holland the
division returned to a new staging area in Mourmelon, France, for what
everyone thought would be a long, well-deserved rest. Accordingly, many
men were on leave or pass, the Division Commander was in the United States,
the Assistant Division Commander was in England (leaving the Artillery
Commander, General McAuliffe, in command), and there still were major
shortages of equipment and supplies that had not been replaced after
Holland. The division was ill-prepared for the word they received in
the late evening of 17 December. The Germans had launched a major offensive
at dawn on 16 December through the Ardennes in the lightly held sector of
VII Corps. At that time Shears Reserve consisted of the 101st and the
82nd. The 101st was ordered to move "truckborne" to Bastogne, the hub town
of a major radial road net, to stem the oncoming Germans. General McAuliffe
ordered the move by regimental combat teams without waiting for any
absentees. The 501st was the lead combat team in the division move, and
after a grueling truck ride, reached Bastogne at about 2230 hrs. Thus, by
midnight, the 501st was the only regiment combat team ready for action.
Ewell asked McAuliffe for a definite assignment and was ordered to move out
on the eastern road through Longvilly and seize and hold a key road junction
beyond Longvilly. The 501st was the first to fight at Bastogne when one
of its battalions ran into the enemy near Neffe, a few kilometers out of
Bastogne. Thus began the defense of Bastogne in which the 501st gave
up not one foot of ground, and in which the division, and its comrades in
arms, stopped cold everything the Germans could throw at them, ruined
Hitler's offensive time table and eventually won the 101st the first
presidential unit citation ever awarded to a full division. Once
again, the 501st paid a dear price of 580 killed, wounded or captured. One
casualty was Colonel Ewell, who was badly wounded and relinquished command
to LTC Robert Ballard, who had commanded 2nd Battalion from the beginning.
Bob Ballard was a quiet Floridian who was not a professional soldier
like Johnson or Ewell, but a fine officer who had learned how to command
quietly and effectively while winning the admiration and respect of his men.
Ballard continued in command of the 501st until the end of World War II.
Operations after Bastogne would have been anticlimactic under most any
circumstances, except for the light skirmishing in Alsace, and the drive
into Germany's last redoubt, Bavaria, truly seemed like a cakewalk. The
living in Germany after V-Day was good indeed, but rudely interrupted by
orders to move back to billets in Joigny and Auxerre, France. Troops were
advised not to take any captured cars or loot with them. Once in France
the 501st began training for an invasion of Japan. On 20 August 1945, the
501st was disbanded, ahead of the inactivation of the 101st Division in
November 1945. Cold War The 501st was reconstituted on 1 August
1946 at Fort Benning, GA., but was inactivated there on 23 November 1948.
Between 1951 and 1956 the 501st served with the 101st as a regular army
training unit on two occasions, once at Camp Breckinridge, KY., and once
at Fort Jackson, SC. In the spring of 1956, the 501st and the 101st moved
(less personnel and equipment) to Fort Campbell, KY, where they were
activated as a provisional organization to test the "Pentatonic"
concept. The word pentatonic referred to the five battle groups, which were
in lieu of regiments and to the division's organic atomic weapon capability.
One of the five battle groups was the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 501st
Infantry. Its first commander was COL Harry Kinnard, who had been a
member of the World War II regiment and also G-3 of the division from
Holland. As to matters on lineage, on 25 April 1957, the 501st Regiment
ceased to exist as a tactical unit and was re-designated as the 501st
Infantry, a parent regiment under the combat arms regimental system.
Simultaneously, on the same date, Company A, 501PIR was reorganized and
re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Airborne Battle
Group, 501st Infantry, and remained assigned to the 101st Airborne Division
(organic elements were concurrently constituted and activated). Believe it
or not, an element of the 501st actually served with the 82nd Airborne
Division when the 82nd reconfigured in the pentomic format. On 1 September
1957, Company B, 501PIR was reorganized and re-designated as Headquarters
and Headquarters Company, 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry as an
organic element of the 82nd Airborne Division, and activated at Fort
Bragg, NC (concurrently, organic elements constituted and activated at Fort
Bragg). When the pentatonic concept gave way to the Reorganization Objective
Army Division (ROAD), with brigades and battalions instead of battle
groups, the 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry was reorganized and
re-designated as the 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry. On 1 February 1964, its
colors were relieved from assignment to the 82nd and assigned to the
101st at Fort Campbell, KY. The 101st was also reorganized as a ROAD
airborne division, and the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry became
the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, of the 101st. Vietnam Thus,
when the 101st fought again, this time in South Vietnam, it included the 1st
and 2nd Battalions of the 501st. The division participated in twelve
campaigns and was decorated by the Republic of Vietnam on three occasions.
The 2nd Battalion, 501st, while attached to the 3rd Brigade, 101st
received a presidential unit citation for the heroic actions of all elements
of that brigade in the bloody fight at Hill 937 in the Ashau Valley in May
1969. The soldiers called it "Hamburger Hill," but the battle streamer
is embroidered: Dong Ap Bia Mountain. In all this unusual and difficult
combat, both 501st units performed as bravely as their predecessors had in
World War II. In May 1968 the division's jump status was terminated and
the 101st was reorganized as an Airmobile division. As part of the
post-Vietnam reorganization, the 2nd Bn, 501st Infantry was inactivated on
31 July 1972, and in the restructuring to the U.S. Army regimental
system, the 1st Bn, 501st Infantry was inactivated at Fort Campbell on 5
June 1984. In October 1989 the 501st Regiment was reorganized under the U.S.
Army Regimental System with Headquarters at Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Simultaneously, 1st Bn (Abn), 501st Infantry was assigned to the 6th
Infantry Division and activated at Fort Richardson. The 6th, formed when the
172nd Infantry Brigade was expanded to a division, was inactivated during
the post-Cold War draw down and reverted again to the 172nd Infantry
Brigade. The 1st Bn (Abn), 501st Inf was made a separate battalion combat
team for a short period of time, around which the 4th Brigade (Airborne),
25th Infantry Division was constructed, where it serves to this day. Of
the three original parachute regiments organic or attached to the 101st
Airborne Division in World War II, the 501st remains as the only unit on
jump status. Operation Enduring Freedom FOB Salerno. A forward
operating base near the city of Khowst, Afghanistan. OEF IV-V: TF 1–501
deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan from October 2003 until
August 2004 under the direct command of CJTF-180 and 1st Brigade, 10th
Mountain Division. The unit was based in the city of Khost at FOB
Salerno near the eastern border with Pakistan. The 501st played a
significant role in disrupting enemy communications and infiltrations across
the border in their Area of Operation. Commanded by LTC Glenn and CSM
Turnbull, the 501st conducted coordinated searches and patrolled the
mountains on Operations Avalanche and Blizzard, and Storm, on which its
mission was to root out Taliban and Al Qaeda loyalists in Khost Province and
Paktia Province. The natives of the region, the Pashtun, were, more
often than not, both enemies and allies to the 501st, making the mission
that much more difficult. Many enemy were killed and even more were captured
as a result of the unit's time in-country. Operation Iraqi Freedom
OIF VI-VIII: The 501st deployed as part of its parent brigade in
September 2006 and the final elements returned in December 2007 as part of a
14-month tour in north Babil Province, Iraq, 35 miles (56 km) south of
Baghdad. The unit was the tenant organization at Forward Operating Base
Iskandariyah and conducted full-spectrum operations in the area's major
population centers: Bahbahani, Jurf as Sakhr, Musayyib and Tahrir.
The 501st was also responsible for support to operations in the city and
province of Karbala and provided paratroopers for additional contingency
operations in Anbar Province, An Najaf and Hillah. For six months, the 501st
with attachments was also responsible for the cities of Iskandariyah and
Haswah as well as surrounding rural communities. Through the combined
use of ground, air and amphibious operations, the unit was credited with the
capture or neutralization of multiple ranking insurgents and bringing a
strong measure of security to the area, as well as bolstering the
capabilities of Iraqi security and defense forces. The 501st served under
the divisional control of both the 1st Cavalry Division as part of
Multi-National Division-Baghdad and the 3rd Infantry Division as a component
of Multi-National Division-Central. The unit was awarded the Valorous
Unit Award, the second highest unit award in the US Army, for its efforts
during the 2006–2007 deployment. Operation Enduring Freedom OEF
IX-X: In February 2009, just 14 months after returning from its 15-month
deployment to Iraq, the 501st deployed for the second time to eastern
Afghanistan as a part of Regional Command East, International Security
Assistance Force. The battalion’s area of combat operations included
Khost and Paktika provinces, all on the border with Pakistan; brigade
headquarters was at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost. Known as Task
Force Yukon. 1–501 IN BN (ABN) was called Task Force 1 Geronimo and
conducted counterinsurgency operations for 12 months in partnership with
Afghan National Security Forces and supervised governance, development, and
agriculture projects in coordination with the Afghan government. The
battalion redeployed to Fort Richardson in March 2010. The welcome home
ceremony was held on 25 March 2010 at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage with
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell in attendance. Seven soldiers were killed in
action during the deployment; they are honored with a large stone
memorial located in front of the battalion headquarters at Fort Richardson.
For its efforts in Afghanistan in 2009–2010, the battalion was, once again,
awarded the Valorous Unit Award, the second highest unit award in the US
Army. OEF XII-XIII: After 18 months of dwell time at their home
station Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, 1–501 IN (ABN) deployed
once again to Operation Enduring Freedom XII-XIII in December 2011. As one
of the three maneuver battalions of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th
Infantry Division – Task Force Spartan – 1–501 IN (ABN), known operationally
as Task Force Blue Geronimo, assumed authority of central and eastern Khost
province. Task Force Spartan, with a higher headquarters at Regional
Command East, International Security Assistance Force, was arrayed across
Khost and Paktia Provinces to combat Taliban and Haqqani Network elements.
Both the battalion and brigade headquarters were located at Forward
Operating Base Salerno in Khost city. For ten months, through October
2012, the 501st aggressively countered Taliban and Haqqani Network
infiltrations into and through Khost province. At the same time, the Task
Force trained two battalions of Afghan National Army, two zones of
Afghan Border Police, and the entire contingent of Afghan Uniformed Police
(Khost) to conduct security operations with lessening dependence on ISAF
assistance. Because of the successes borne by the Task Force, elements were
sent into Paktia and Paktika provinces on various week-long operations
to supplement 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) and 1st
Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment (Airborne) from 4/25 ABCT as well as 1st
Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st
Infantry Division. Eight soldiers of Task Force Blue Geronimo were killed in
action in Khost province; they are memorialized on a stone monument in front
of battalion headquarters at Fort Richardson, where their names are
stoically transplanted among other fallen paratroopers of the 1st Battalion,
501st Infantry Regiment (Airborne). Motto Geronimo; The basis for
the unit's motto and slogan. The unit's motto is "Geronimo," a phrase
that has become synonymous with paratroopers and parachutists in general.
The motto dates from 1940 and the lead up to World War II. The night before
their first attempt to prove the feasibility of a mass jump, some U.S.
paratroopers at Fort Benning watched the film Geronimo (1939). While
drinking with fellow paratroopers after the show, Private Aubrey
Eberhardt announced he would shout the name "Geronimo" when he jumped to
prove he was not scared. He followed through with his promise and the
practice soon caught on within the unit, becoming its unofficial motto.
When the 501st was created the name was confirmed as the unit's official
motto with the permission of the real Geronimo's family. The
Black Diamonds The modern cloth diamonds of the 501st sewn to the
Army Combat Uniform helmet cover, as seen in Iraq. An additional patch is
sewn to the opposing side out of view. During World War II, the 101st
Airborne Division undertook steps to identify paratroopers from each
divisional element visually. As a result, a suit from a deck of cards was
painted on the helmets of the division's four infantry regiments. The
helmets of the members of 501st were therefore emblazoned with a white
diamond and each respective battalion was indicated with a white tick mark.
The modern day members of the 501st resurrected the tradition in 2003 prior
to deployment to Afghanistan with two black cloth patches sewn to each
side of their helmet covers. The tradition was carried over after the switch
to the Army Combat Uniform as part of the Rapid Fielding Initiative in 2006
and again worn in Iraq. The emblem has entered common usage among
members of the current Battalion outside of helmet insignia, appearing on
unit clothing, challenge coins and other souvenirs. A similar insignia has
been recently appropriated for use by the current 101st Aviation Brigade
to match that of other elements within the 101st Airborne Division which
chose to use their original World War II regimental helmet markings. Despite
their use of the diamond patches, there is no historical connection
between the use of the insignia in World War II and the 101st Aviation
Brigade. The Brigade links their current use with the use of color-coded
diamonds on UH-1s by the unit during Vietnam, when it carried the
designation of 101st Aviation Battalion. Note: Although helmet markings are
commonly worn by units throughout the Army, The Institute of Heraldry has
confirmed they are not authorized by the Army's uniform regulations.
Lineages of the 1st and 2nd Bn Activated 15 November 1942 at Camp Toccoa,
GA (101st Airborne Division) Disbanded 20 August 1945 at Camp Toccoa, GA
(ahead of inactivation of 101st Airborne in November 1945) Activated 1
August 1946 at Fort Benning, GA Inactivated on 23 November 1948 at Fort
Benning, GA Active 1951–1956 at Camp Breckinridge, KY and Fort Jackson,
SC, as a non-Airborne training unit Moved to Fort Campbell, KY in spring
1956. (Pentomic concept) Redesignated on 25 April 1957 as a parent
regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System. On 1 September 1957
Company A, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was re-designated as HHC, 1st
Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry and assigned to the 101st Airborne
Division; Company B, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment was re-
designated as HHC (Headquarters and Headquarters Company), 2nd Airborne
Battle Group, 501st Infantry and assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.
1 February 1964, 2nd ABG, 501st INF was reorganized and re-designated as 2nd
Bn, 501st INF, relieved from assignment from 82nd Airborne and assigned to
101st Airborne Division (administrative move of unit colors only). 2nd
Bn, 501st INF inactivated on 31 July 1972. (Part of Post Vietnam
Reorganization) 1st Bn, 501st INF inactivated on 5 June 1984 at Fort
Campbell, KY under the U.S. Army Regimental System. 1st Bn, 501st Inf
activated 1 October 1989 at Fort Richardson, AK under the U.S. Army
Regimental System. Assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne),
25th Infantry Division, on 14 July 2005. Honors Campaign
participation World War II: Normandy (with arrowhead) Operation
Market Garden Ardennes-Alsace Central Europe Vietnam: Defense
Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase II Counteroffensive, Phase
III Tet Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase IV
Counteroffensive, Phase V Counteroffensive, Phase VI Tet
69/Counteroffensive; Summer-Fall 1969 Winter-Spring 1970 Sanctuary
Counteroffensive Counteroffensive, Phase VII Operation Enduring
Freedom: Consolidation, Phase I Consolidation, Phase III
Transition, Phase I Operation Iraqi Freedom: National Resolution
Iraqi Surge In mid-2004, after nearly 60 years, 1-509th deployed to
Iraq. Alpha and Bravo companies were deployed to the areas surrounding
Baghdad. With the expansion of the airborne force from a single battalion
(1-501st) at Fort Richardson, Alaska to a brigade (4th Brigade Combat Team,
25th Infantry Division), the lineage of 3-509th was reactivated on 16
September 2005 as 3-509th and assigned to Fort Richardson. The battalion
deployed with the 4th BCT in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in October
2006. The following is a media release from 10 November 2007, dealing with
the battalion's work during OIF: “ALSU, Iraq — Paratroopers from the 3rd
Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry Regiment based at Fort Richardson,
Alaska have returned home after being deployed in Iraq since early October
2006. After conducting numerous combat operations to include patrols,
raids, and air assault operations with the Iraqi Army and Police, these
Paratroopers are ready to stand down for some well-deserved rest, relaxation
and getting re- acquainted with their families and friends. Since
October 2006, the "Geronimos" from 3-509th Airborne have performed
magnificently. During this deployment, the Geronimos were based out of
Forward Operating Base Kalsu, located approximately 40 miles (64 km)
south of Baghdad in Babil Province. On Christmas Day of 2006, part of the
Battalion moved west of Baghdad to Al Anbar Province where they fought with
the 1st and 2nd Marine Expeditionary Forces (Forward) against Al Qaeda
in Iraq. While providing protection to the local citizens of the area, they
were quite effective in helping the local populations create their own civil
defense organizations, something that has become a model for success in
stemming violence countrywide. During this time, the remaining Paratroopers
also operated out of FOB Kalsu and FOB Iskandariyah to achieve similar
goals. The Battalion consolidated in June at FOB Kalsu and began concerted
efforts to stabilize their area of operation in Babil Province. In the
months following, the Geronimos took on the role as a strike force, where
they made great strides in fostering reconciliation between Sunnis and Shias
in the cities of Haswah and Iskandariyah, and the surrounding areas.
Operating “outside the wire”, the paratroopers encountered many obstacles,
including firefights with insurgents, improvised explosive devices, car
bombs and explosively formed projectiles. They also captured numerous
suspects, extremists, and terrorists considered to be high value targets,
found a myriad of weapons caches, IED making facilities, al-Qaeda safe
houses, and facilities used for detaining and torturing Iraqi citizens
by performing countless operations, day and night, on the ground and by air
assault. Throughout their deployment, many of the Paratroopers received
decorations for valor, achievement, and combat wounds. The 3- 509th is
part of the 4th BCT (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division also known as the
“Spartan Brigade.” After doing a most remarkable job as part of Operation
Iraqi Freedom, these “Spartans” are looking forward to some quiet time and
enjoying the safety and freedom that they have worked so very hard to
keep for all American citizens. ” In February 2009
the Geronimo battalion deployed as a part of the 4th BCT (Airborne), 25th
Infantry Division in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A portion of the
Valorous Unit Award citation is below. For extraordinary heroism in
action against an armed enemy. During the period 1 July 2009 to 30 November
2009, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 509th Infantry
Regiment and its subordinate units displayed extraordinary heroism in
action against an armed enemy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in
the vicinity of East Paktika. The unit conducted a total of 302 combat
patrols, and was responsible for 398 enemies killed, as well as the capture
of 34 detainees. The company was also responsible for the safety of the
populace of East Paktika during Afghan national elections. The unit’s
unrelenting perseverance and coordination allowed the unit to advance the
struggle against the Taliban and contribute to the political and
economic growth and development of the region. Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 3d Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment’s outstanding performance of
duty is in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and
reflects distinct credit upon the unit, the 25th Infantry Division, and the
United States Army. The 725th Support Battalion (Airborne) is
a primer support battalion which is a unit of the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry
Division (United States) located in Alaska. The unit provides support for
the infantry, artillery and cavalry units assigned to the division. The
725th consists of eight support companies. The 725th is formerly known as
the 167th Support Battalion. The unit's motto is "Service To The Line".
History The 725th Support Battalion (Airborne) was constituted at
Schofield Barracks, Hawai'i on 26 August 1941 as the Maintenance Platoon,
Headquarters Company, 325th Quartermaster Battalion using the personnel and
equipment of the 11th Ordnance Company, Hawaiian Division; and activated
on 1 October 1941. On 1 August 1942 it was reorganized and redesignated as
the Ordnance Maintenance Platoon. On 1 November 1942 the platoon was
reorganized and redesignated as the 725th Ordnance Light Maintenance
Company, a separate company of the 25th Division. The primary mission of the
company was vehicle repair. The company accompanied the 25th Division to
Guadalcanal where it supported the division's units during that campaign
and subsequent campaigns in the North Solomon Islands and on Luzon. For its
service in the liberation of the Philippines the company was awarded the
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. On 20 March 1946 the company was
reorganized and redesignated as the 725th Ordnance Maintenance Company to
reflect additional ordnance maintenance capabilities. During the Korean War
the 725th participated in all ten campaigns with the 25th Division
receiving a Meritorious Unit Commendation and two Republic of Korea
Presidential Unit Citations. During the late stages of the war on 1 February
1953 the 725th was reorganized and redesignated as the 725th Ordnance
Battalion to meet the increased requirements for ordnance maintenance
support throughout the division. In the reorganization of the 25th
Division in 1963 the battalion was reorganized and redesignated as the 725th
Maintenance Battalion to perform maintenance support on a wide variety of
divisional equipment. The first unit of the 725th to arrive in Vietnam
was Company D which accompanied the 3rd Brigade to the Central Highlands in
December 1965. The rest of the battalion arrived on 1 April 1966 and was
based at C? Chi. During combat operations a mobile direct support
company of the battalion would accompany each brigade providing maintenance
and repair parts supply to the line units. The 725th Maintenance Battalion
served in twelve Vietnam campaigns receiving two Meritorious Unit
Commendations, two awards of the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry
with Palm and the Vietnam Civil Actions Medal. Additionally Company B
received a Valorous Unit Award and a Meritorious Unit Commendation; Company
C received a Valorous Unit Award and Company D received a Valorous Unit
Award and a Meritorious Unit Commendation. On 16 April 1992 the battalion
was redesignated as the 725th Support Battalion and was reorganized as a
main support battalion consisting of a headquarters and supply company, a
motor transport company, an ordnance maintenance company and a medical
company. Elements of the battalion supported the 2nd Brigade Combat Team in
Iraq from January 2004 – February 2005 as part of Logistics Task Force 225.
The reminder of the Battalion served in Afghanistan from February
2004–2005 and was based at Bagram Air Base. The battalion was organized as
Logistics Task Force 725 and included four non-25th Division combat service
support units. LTF 725 provided full-spectrum combat service support to 18
Forward Operating Bases in Regional Command East including maintenance
and medical support. On 16 November 2005 the battalion was temporarily
inactivated. On 16 September 2006 the 725th was reorganized and redesignated
as the 725th Support Battalion (Airborne) and assigned to the 4th Brigade
Combat Team of 25th Infantry Division with home station at Fort
Richardson, Alaska. THE AIRBORNE CREED I am an
Airborne trooper! A PARATROOPER! I jump by parachute from any plane
in flight. I volunteered to do it, knowing well the hazards of my choice.
I serve in a mighty Airborne Force--famed for deeds in war--renowned for
readiness in peace. It is my pledge to uphold its honor and prestige in all
I am--in all I do. I am an elite trooper--a sky trooper--a shock
trooper--a spearhead trooper. I blaze the way to farflung goals--behind,
before, above the foe's front line. I know that I may have to fight
without support for days on end. Therefore, I keep mind and body always fit
to do my part in any Airborne task. I am self-reliant and unafraid. I shoot
true, and march fast and far. I fight hard and excel in every art and
artifice of war. I never fail a fellow trooper. I cherish as a sacred
trust the lives of men with whom I serve. Leaders have my fullest loyalty,
and those I lead never find me lacking. I have pride in the Airborne!
I never let it down! In peace, I do not shrink the dullest of duty
not protest the toughest training. My weapons and equipment are always
combat ready. I am neat of dress--military in courtesy--proper in conduct
and behavior. In battle, I fear no foe's ability, nor under-estimate
his prowess, power and guile. I fight him with all my might and skills--ever
alert to evade capture or escape a trap. I never surrender, though I be the
last. My goal in peace or war is to succeed in any mission of the
day--or die, if needs be, in the try. I belong to a proud and
glorious team--the Airborne, the Army, my Country. I am its chosen pride to
fight where others may not go--to serve them well until the final victory.
I am the trooper of the sky! I am my Nation's best! In
peace and war I never fail. Anywhere, anytime, in anything, I AM
AIRBORNE!THE 82ND AIRBORNE
DIVISION
The 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
provides the ability to begin executing a strategic airborne forcible entry
into any area of the world within 18 hours of notification. Their primary
mission is airfield and seaport seizure. Once on the ground, they provide
the secured terrain and facilities to rapidly receive additional combat
forces. The division is the nation’s strategic offensive force, maintaining
the highest state of combat readiness.
On any day, a third of the division is on mission cycle, ready to respond
to any contingency. Another third is on a wartime training cycle, and the
rest of the division is on support cycle. These support units prepare
vehicles and equipment for deployment and support such other division and
post activities.
As the largest parachute force in the free world, the 82d Airborne
Division is trained to deploy anywhere, at any time, to fight upon arrival
and to win. From cook to computer operator, from infantryman or engineer,
every soldier in the 82d is airborne qualified. Almost every piece of
divisional combat equipment can be dropped by parachute onto the field of
battle.
As early as 1784, Benjamin Franklin foresaw the potential of parachutists
in combat. Though the concept of soldiers descending upon the enemy from
above would not become a reality for another one-hundred fifty years, the
half century since the introduction of the paratrooper has seen soldiers of
Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, Japanese soldiers in the Pacific, communist
infantry in Korea, Cuban "advisers" in Grenada, General Manuel Noriega in
Panama and General Cedras in Haiti all fall prey to the "vertical
envelopment" of the American paratrooper.
Today, no other military unit can respond more rapidly and effectively to
conflict anywhere in the world than the 82nd Airborne Division. Known as
"America’s Guard of Honor," the 82nd is widely recognized as one of the most
powerful forces in America’s military arsenal.
The role of the airborne division is to plan, coordinate, and execute a
rapid, combined arms, and forced entry operation employed alone or as part
of a joint task force across the depth and width of the battlefield. The
airborne division is unique in its ability to be deployed by parachute to
achieve objectives. The airborne force commander task organizes Army
elements within an airborne force into three echelons.
The assault echelon comprises those forces required to seize the assault
objective and the initial airhead, plus their immediate reserves and
essential logistics forces. The division readiness force and the division
readiness brigade, unique to the airborne division, are quick reaction
forces designed for airborne operations. A detachment of the quartermaster
airdrop equipment support company enters the objective area in the assault
echelon to advise the units in the recovery and evacuation of airdrop
equipment from the drop zone.
The airborne forces do not need the follow-on echelon in the objective
area during the initial assault but do need it for subsequent operations.
When needed, the follow-on echelon enters the objective area as soon as
possible by air, surface movement, or a combination of the two. It includes
additional vehicles and equipment from assault echelon units, plus more
combat, combat support, and combat service support units. The means of
transportation used influences the composition of the follow-on echelon.
The rear echelon includes part of the DISCOM force left in the departure
area that is not considered essential for initial combat operations. It has
administrative and service elements not immediately needed in the objective
area that can function more efficiently in the departure area. In long
duration operations, the rear echelon can be brought into the airhead to
support subsequent operations.
When a brigade is on Deployment Readiness Brigade 1 (DRB 1), it is
referred to as being on mission cycle. During this cycle, the brigade is at
its highest state of readiness. The brigade will be free of all outside
demands on its personnel and equipment and is poised for take off from Pope
AFB within 18 hours of being alerted. During this cycle, soldiers are on
short leashes, liable for recall in accordance with the schedule on the
previous page. To test the brigade’s "go to war" posture, emergency
deployment readiness exercises (EDREs) are often scheduled. An EDRE is
nothing more than a practice deployment which involves the DRF 1 Task Force
and possibly the DRF 2 and DRF 3 as well. When the EDRE is called, no one
knows if it is practice or real. The units go through the entire alert,
recall, and deployment procedures as if it is real. Many EDREs actually
involve having Task Forces jump into another US military base to conduct
short field training exercises (FTXs).
Training cycle, commonly referred to as intensified training cycle (or
ITC) occurs when the brigade is the DRB 2. This period provides the brigade
a period during which they can conduct uninterrupted training. Training
during this period sustains skills that are highly perishable. It is during
this period that your spouse will be gone the most. If the units of the
brigade are not deployed for an extended time here on Ft. Bragg, they may be
deployed to either the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Ft. Polk
LA; the National Training Center (NTC) at Ft. Irwin, CA; or the Jungle
Operations Training Center (JOTC) in Panama. Generally, no leaves are
granted during this cycle, as it is imperative that the brigade utilizes
this prime time training opportunity to hone its combat skills.
DRB 3 is when the brigade assumes support cycle. As the DRB 3, the
brigade’s primary wartime mission is to provide personnel and equipment
required to "push" the DRB 1 Task Force out of Ft. Bragg when they are
called out. The battalion that is the DRF 9 has the primary mission to do
this, and, so just as the DRF 1 is on a 2-hour string, so is the DRF 9.
Additionally, because outloading DRF 1 is such an inflexible requirement,
the DRF 7 and DRF 8 battalions must be prepared to provide support for
whatever the Division or Corps may require. Some examples of these details
include post support jobs such as providing life guards or parachute shake
out personnel, evaluator support for units training on Ft. Bragg as well as
National Guard/Reserve units, ROTC support, and training center support.
During some support cycles, soldiers attend on- and off-post schools and
enjoy leave.
The 82nd Airborne Division has had its share of famous soldiers from
Sergeant Alvin C. York to General James M. Gavin. But that's not what the
82nd is really about. The real story of the 82nd is the thousands of unnamed
paratroopers in jump boots, baggy pants and maroon berets, who have always
been ready and willing to jump into danger and then drive on until the
mission was accomplished.
The 82nd has become so well known for its airborne accomplishments, that
its World War I heritage is almost forgotten. The 82nd Infantry Division was
formed August 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Since members of the
Division came from all 48 states, the unit was given the nickname
"All-Americans," hence its famed "AA" shoulder patch. In the spring of 1918,
the Division deployed to France. In nearly five months of combat the 82nd
fought in three major campaigns and helped to break the fighting spirit of
the German Imperial Army.
The 82nd was demobilized after World War I. For more than 20 years the
"All-American Division" would live only in the memories of men who served in
its ranks during the Great War.
With the outbreak of World War II, the 82nd was reactivated on March 25,
1942 at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana under the command of Major General Omar N.
Bradley. On August 15, 1942, the 82nd Infantry Division became the first
airborne division in the U.S. Army. On that date, the All-American Division
was redesignated the 82nd Airborne Division. In April 1943, paratroopers of
the 82nd Airborne Division set sail for North Africa under the command of
Major General Matthew B. Ridgeway to participate in the campaign to puncture
the soft underbelly of the Third Reich.
The Division's first two combat operations were parachute and glider
assaults into Sicily and Salerno, Italy on July 9 and September 13, 1943. In
January 1944, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which was temporarily
detached from the Division to fight at Anzio, earned the nickname "Devils in
Baggy Pants." The nickname was taken from an entry made in a German
officer's diary. While the 504th was detached, the remainder of the 82nd was
pulled out of Italy in November 1943 and moved to the United Kingdom to
prepare for the liberation of Europe.
With two combat jumps under its belt, the 82nd Airborne Division was now
ready for the most ambitious airborne operation of the war, Operation
NEPTUNE-the airborne invasion of Normandy. The operation was part of
Operation OVERLORD, the amphibious assault on the northern coast of
Nazi-occupied France. In preparation for the operation, the division was
reorganized. Two new parachute infantry regiments, the 507th and the 508th,
joined the division, Due to its depleted state following the fighting in
Italy, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment did not take part in the
invasion.
On June 5-6, 1944, the paratroopers of the 82nd's three parachute
infantry regiments and reinforced glider infantry regiment boarded hundreds
of transport planes and gliders and, began the largest airborne assault in
history. They were among the first soldiers to fight in Normandy, France. By
the time the All-American Division was pulled back to England, it had seen
33 days of bloody combat and suffered 5,245 paratroopers killed, wounded or
missing. The Division's post battle report read, "...33 days of action
without relief, without replacements. Every mission accomplished. No ground
gained was ever relinquished."
Following the Normandy invasion, the 82nd became part of the newly
organized XVIII Airborne Corps, which consisted of the U.S. 17th, 82nd, and
101st Airborne Divisions. In September, the 82nd began planning for
Operation MARKET-GARDEN in Holland. The operation called for three-plus
airborne divisions to seize and hold key bridges and roads deep behind
German lines. The 504th now back at full strength rejoined the 82nd, while
the 507th went to the 17th Airborne Division.
On 17 September 1944, the 82nd Airborne Division conducted its fourth
combat jump of World War II into Holland. Fighting off ferocious German
counterattacks, the 82nd captured its objectives between Grave and Nijmegen.
Its success, however, was short-lived because the defeat of other Allied
units at Arnhem. The gateway to Germany would not open in September 1944,
and the 82nd was ordered back to France.
Suddenly, on December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a surprise offensive
through the Ardennes Forest which caught the Allies completely by surprise.
Two days later the 82nd joined the fighting and blunted General Von
Runstedt's northern penetration in the American lines.
Following the surrender of Germany, the 82nd was ordered to Berlin for
occupation duty. In Berlin General George Patton was so impressed with the
82nd's honor guard he said, "In all my years in the Army and all the honor
guards I have ever seen, the 82nd's honor guard is undoubtedly the best."
Hence the "All-Americans" became known as "America's Guard of Honor."
The 82nd returned to the United States January 3, 1946. Instead of being
demobilized, the 82nd made its permanent home at Fort Bragg, North Carolina
and was designated a regular Army division on November 15, 1948. Life in the
82nd during the 1950s and 1960s consisted of intensive training exercises in
all environments and locations to include Alaska, Panama, the Far East and
the continental United States.
In April 1965, the "All-Americans" were alerted for action in response to
the civil war raging in the Dominican Republic. Spearheaded by the 3rd
Brigade, the 82nd deployed to the Caribbean in Operation POWER PACK. Peace
and stability was restored by June 17, when the rebel guns were silenced.
Three years later, the 82nd Airborne Division was again called to action.
During the Tet Offensive, which swept across the Republic of Vietnam in
January 1968, the 3rd Brigade was alerted and within 24 hours, the brigade
was enroute to Chu Lai. The 3rd Brigade performed combat duties in the Hue-Phu
Bai area of the I Corps sector. Later the brigade was moved south to Saigon,
and fought battles in the Mekong Delta, the Iron Triangle and along the
Cambodian border. After serving nearly 22 months in Vietnam, the 3rd Brigade
troopers returned to Fort Bragg on December 12, 1969.
During the 1970s, Division units deployed to the Republic of Korea,
Turkey and Greece for exercises in potential future battlegrounds. The
Division was also alerted three times. War in the Middle East in the fall of
1973 brought the 82nd to full alert. Then in May 1978, the Division was
alerted for a possible drop into Zaire, and again in November 1979, the
Division was alerted for a possible operation to rescue the American
hostages in Iran.
On October 25, 1983 elements of the 82nd were called back to the
Caribbean to the tiny island of Grenada. The first 82nd unit to deploy in
Operation URGENT FURY was a task force of the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne
Infantry Regiment. On October 26 and 27, the 1st Battalion, 505th Infantry
and the 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry, with support units deployed to
Grenada. Military operations in Grenada ended in early November. Operation
URGENT FURY tested the Division's ability to deploy as a rapid deployment
force. The first aircraft carrying division troopers touched down at Point
Salinas 17 hours after notification.
In March 1988, a brigade task force made up of two battalions from the
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment conducted a parachute insertion and
airland operation into Honduras as part of Operation GOLDEN PHEASANT. The
deployment was billed a joint training exercise, but the paratroopers were
ready to fight. The deployment of armed and willing paratroopers to the
Honduran countryside caused the Sandinistas to withdraw back to Nicaragua.
Operation GOLDEN PHEASANT prepared the paratroopers for future combat in the
increasingly unstable world.
On December 20, 1989, the "All-Americans," as part of Operation JUST
CAUSE, conducted their first combat jump since World War II onto Torrijos
International Airport, Panama. The paratroopers' goal was to oust a ruthless
dictator and restore the duly-elected government to power in Panama. The 1st
Brigade task force made up of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 504th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, parachuted into combat for the first time since World War
II. In Panama, the paratroopers were joined on the ground by 3rd Battalion,
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment which was already in Panama. After the
night combat jump and seizure of the airport, the 82nd conducted follow-on
combat air assault missions in Panama City and the surrounding areas. The
victorious paratroopers returned to Fort Bragg on January 12, 1990.
But seven months later the paratroopers were again called to war. Six
days after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, the 82nd became
the vanguard of the largest deployment of American troops since Vietnam. The
first unit to deploy to Saudi Arabia was a task force comprising the
Division's 2nd Brigade. Soon after, the rest of the Division followed.
There, intensive training began in anticipation of fighting in the desert
with the heavily armored Iraqi Army. The adage, or battle cry picked up by
the paratroopers was, "The road home...is through Baghdad." On January 16,
1991, Operation DESERT STORM began when an armada of Allied war planes
pounded Iraqi targets. The ground war began almost six weeks later. On
February 23, the vehicle mounted 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers
protected the XVIII Airborne Corps flank as fast-moving armor and mechanized
units moved deep inside Iraq. A 2nd Brigade task force was attached to the
6th French Light Armored Division becoming the far left flank of the Corps.
In the short 100-hour ground war, the vehicle mounted 82nd drove deep into
Iraq and captured thousands of Iraqi soldiers and tons of equipment, weapons
and ammunition. After the liberation of Kuwait, the 82nd began its
redeployment back to Fort Bragg with most of the Division returning by the
end of April.
Following the Division's return and subsequent victory parades, the
troopers began to re-establish some of the systems that had become dormant
during their eight months in the desert. On top of the list was the
regaining of individual and unit airborne proficiency and the continuation
of tough and realistic training. In August 1992, the Division was alerted to
deploy a task force to the hurricane-ravaged area of South Florida and
provide humanitarian assistance following Hurricane Andrew. For more than 30
days, Division troopers provided food, shelter and medical attention to a
grateful Florida population, instilling a sense of hope and renewed
confidence in the military.
On the 50th anniversary of the Operation MARKET-GARDEN, the 82nd again
answered the nation's call and prepared to conduct a parachute assault in
the Caribbean nation of Haiti to help restore democracy. With the troopers
aboard aircraft heading towards the island, the defacto regime capitulated,
and the Division was turned back to Fort Bragg.
82nd Airborne Division paratroopers were among the first ground troops
sent into the war-torn Kosovo region of the Balkans in Summer 1999, when the
2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment moved in from neighboring
Macedonia. They were followed shortly by the 3d Battalion, 504th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, who themselves will be followed by the 1st Battalion,
325th Airborne Infantry Regiment in January 2001 as part of regular
peacekeeping operation rotations.
THE 173RD
AIRBORNE BRIGADE
| The 173d Airborne
Brigade was constituted 5 August 1917 as an infantry brigade and organized
25 August 1917 at Camp Pike, Arkansas as an element of the 87th Division.
The Brigade deployed to France in 1918 as part of the Division, but did
participate in any named campaigns.
Returning to the United States the
Brigade was demobilized January 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey. Reconstituted
24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 173d Infantry Brigade, and assigned to the 87th Division at
Shreveport, Louisiana. Organized in December 1921 at Mobile, Alabama.
Re-designated 23 March 1925 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173d
Brigade. Re-designated 24 August 1936 as Headquarters and Headquarters
Company 173d Infantry Brigade. Converted and re-designated 13 February 1942
as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop and ordered into active military service 15
December 1942.
During World War II, when brigades
were eliminated from divisions, Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the
173d Infantry Brigade fought in three European campaigns as the 87th
Reconnaissance Troop. After the war, the troop reverted to reserve status
and was active from 1947 to 1951 at Birmingham, Alabama. It was inactivated
1 December 1951 at Birmingham, Alabama and released from assignment to the
87th Infantry Division.
In 1963 it was allotted to the Regular
Army and activated on Okinawa 26 March 1963 as the 173d Airborne Brigade
(Sep). Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson commanded the unit, which was
given the charter to serve as the quick reaction force for the Pacific
Command. Under Williamson the unit trained extensively making mass parachute
jumps and they earned the nickname “Tien Bien” or “Sky Soldiers,” from the
Nationalist Chinese paratroopers.
Deployed to Vietnam in May 1965, the
brigade was the first major ground combat unit of the United States Army to
serve there. They were the first to go into War Zone D to destroy enemy base
camps, introduced the use of small long range patrols, and conducted the
only combat parachute jump in the Vietnam conflict on 22 February 1967
(Operation Junction City). They fought in the Iron Triangle and blocked NVA
incursions at Dak To during some of the bloodiest fighting of the war in the
summer and fall of 1967, culminating in the capture of Hill 875. Elements of
the brigade conducted an amphibious assault against NVA and VC forces as
part of an operation to clear the rice-growing lowlands along the Bong Song
littoral.
The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 503d
Infantry were the first Army combat units from the 173d sent to the Republic
of South Vietnam, accompanied by the 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery. They
were supported by the 173d Support Battalion, 173d Engineers, Troop E, 17th
Cavalry and Co D, 16th Armor. The First Battalion of the Royal Australian
Regiment and the 161st Field Battery of the Royal New Zealand Army were
later attached to the Brigade during the first year. In late August 1966,
the 173d received another infantry battalion, the 4/503d from Fort Campbell,
Kentucky. The 3/503d joined the Brigade at Tuy Hoa in September 1967
following its reactivation and training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Another unit assigned was the Co N, 75th Infantry (Ranger). At its peak in
Vietnam, the 173d Airborne Brigade (Sep) had nearly 3,000 soldiers assigned.
The troopers of the 173d Airborne
Brigade wear their combat badges and decorations with pride. During more
than six years of continuous combat, the brigade earned 14 campaign
streamers and four unit citations. Sky Soldiers serving in Vietnam received
13 Medals of Honor, 32 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1736 Silver Stars and
over 6,000 Purple Hearts. There are over 1,790 Sky Soldiers' names on the
Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.
The brigade was deactivated on 14
January 1972 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The 173d Airborne Brigade was then
reactivated on 12 June 2000 on Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy, where it
serves as European Command’s only conventional airborne strategic response
force for the European Theater.
Today's Sky Soldiers continue the
distinction of honored service earned through service dating back to World
War I, and proudly represent the airborne fighting spirit with routine
training deployments to Bosnia, Kosovo, Hungary, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany,
Italy, Czech Republic, and more. These deployments are an important part of
CINCEUR’S theater engagement strategy, demonstrating both a commitment to
preserving stability in Europe and the ability to provide immediate response
to crisis situations throughout the theater.
THE 101ST AIRBORNE
DIVISION
Radio
callsign:"KANGAROO" In 1942, the 82nd Infantry Division at Camp Claiborne,
LA was split in two, to form two new Airborne Infantry Divisions. The 82nd
Airborne and the 101st Airborne. Both divisions were stationed at Ft Bragg,
N.C. before being shipped overseas.
The 82nd departed first, heading to
North Africa. The 101st absorbed one parachute regiment, the 502nd, which
had been originally activated as a battalion in 1941. This became the
original Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) on the Table of Organizations &
Equipment (TO&E) of the 101st Division. The division's original organic
units were artillery and support battalions. In early 1943, the 506th PIR
was attached to the division, which sailed for the UK in September aboard 3
different transport ships. A period of intense maneuvering and training,
including practice jumps, ensued in England. The division was preparing for
a landing on the Nazi occupied European continent, but the exact location
was still unknown. The 501st PIR, which like the 506th, had initially
trained seperately, was also attached to the 101st Division in January,
1944, in England. Although both regiments wore the 101st Airborne shoulder
patch in battle, the 501st and 506th were only members by attachment until
after WW2 ended. The 506th was accepted as a TO&E part of the division after
VE-Day. The 501st was deactivated in July, 1945, having never been an
official organic part of the division.
When the 101st was reactivated in
1956, the 501 was incorporated as part of the TO&E. In the spring of 1944,
General Bill Lee, the original commanding general of the 101st Airborne had
to relinquish command due to a heart ailment. His replacement was General
Maxwell D. Taylor, who would lead the 101st through combat until the end of
WW2. The 101st participated in Exercise Tiger at Slapton Sands on the south
coast of England in April. In June, the Division landed in Normandy on, and
behind the Utah Beach area. Paratroopers were dropped onto three landing
zones, and relatively few troops of the 101st landed by glider. The rest of
the division landed by sea. The three parachute regiments captured the four
elevated roads leading inland from Utah Beach and secured various key
terrain objectives behind the east coast of the Cotentin Peninsula. This was
done with great success, and a new objective was added to their agenda: the
taking of Carentan, France. This not only aided in linking the Utah and
Omaha beachheads, it helped prevent the Germans from driving through to the
coast in an area which would divide the Allied landings. One of the biggest
pitched battles pitted part of the 501 PIR against 1st Bn of the German 6th
Para Regiment on 7 June. This resulted in a great victory for Colonel
Johnson's regiment. The 502's 3rd battalion won particular honors in it's
costly battle to secure the road into Carentan from the north-this became
known as 'Purple Heart Lane', due to the many American casualties taken
there. A Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded to LTC Robert Cole for his
leadership in a bayonet charge at the south end of the causeway. This was
the first of only two CMH's awarded to 101st personnel in WW2.
The 101st took Carentan and the
506th, reinforced by CCA, 2d Armored Division, defended it against
counterattacks by the 17th SS division and the 6th Para Regiment. The 101st
was withdrawn from the lines in late June and sailed back to England on LSTs
in July. After several false alerts, they invaded by air again in the
Netherlands on 17 September 17, 1944. Their mission in Holland was to hold
open a corridor for British armor to drive north and relieve their
paratroops who had landed at Arnhem. Although the mission failed to achieve
it's long range objectives, the 101st as well as the 82nd Airborne Division
accomplished all missions assigned to them. Once again, fierce fighting
raged and another 101st man won the CMH. Pfc Joe Mann of H/502 laid on a
German grenade to save his buddies; the CMH was awarded posthumously.
Withdrawn from Holland at the end of November for recuperation, the 101st
was sent to Camp Mourmelon le Grand, France. Less than 3 weeks later, the
101st was rushed north into Belgium in trucks, to counter the German
Ardennes counteroffensive. Throwing a cordon around the key road and rail
center of Bastogne, the 101st Division was surrounded for a week by elements
of eight German divisions, but refused to yield the town to the enemy. Here,
General Anthony McAuliffe, the acting commander rejected a German surrender
ultimatum with a one word reply of "Nuts". The German ring around Bastogne
was broken on 26 December, 1944, when elements of Patton's 3rd Army shot
their way into the town. But even heavier fighting ensued, as the 101st
pushed north toward Houffalize for the first half of January, to help close
the Bulge.
The 463rd Parachute Field Artillery (PFA)
Bn. was attached to the 101st just before the Bulge and remained with the
division for the duration of WW2. That unit had prior combat experience at
Anzio, as well as in southern France, supporting the 1st Special Service
Force. The 101st left Bastogne in trucks in mid January, 1945, and the weary
Bastogne survivors were rushed to the 7th Army front in Alsace-Lorraine, to
reinforce the line along the Moder River. A month later, the 101st boarded
trains (40&8 boxcars) and returned to the Reims, France area, this time
Mourmelon le Petit, where they received a Presidential Unit Citation for
their defense of Bastogne. In April, the division, minus the 501 PIR,
boarded trucks and went to the Dusseldorf area. The Ruhr Pocket was closed
by numerous American units, trapping most of the German 15th Army. The 501st
stayed behind in the Reims area as a standby force, in case the Germans
decided to massacre Allied POWs in the Stalags. Since the war was almost
over and the outcome was a forgone conclusion, there were rumors that the
Germans planned to carry out such a last hateful act. This didn't happen,
and the anticipated jumps, to be guided-in by SAARF teams, did not
materialize. Elements of the 101st rode in DUKWs to Bavaria to check out the
possibility that Hitler had established an Alpine Redoubt for continued
resistance. This proved to be an overestimated threat, but elements of the
101st participated in the capture of Hitler's Obersalzberg complex. Elements
of the divison were sent from Berchtesgaden down into Austria, shortly after
VE Day, where they held towns from Krimml to Taxenbach, as occupation
forces. Despite rumors that the division would be rotated to fight in the
Pacific Theatre, the war ended in August. Jumping elements of the division
made one last pay jump at Auxerre, France in September, 1945. When it was
decided that the 101st would be inactivated and the 82nd retained as a
postwar airborne division, the 101st lost its chance to march in the New
York victory parade. By the time the victory parade took place in early
1946, most survivors of the heaviest fighting were already discharged under
the 'points' system. They had been back working at civilian jobs for months.
Some former Screaming Eagles (mostly rookies) were among the 82nd Airborne
troopers who marched down 5th Avenue. The 101st Airborne Division was
deactivated in late 1945, and ceased to exist as a U.S. Army unit until it
was reborn in 1956. It has continued ever since, with combat tours in
Vietnam and the Gulf War. Radio callsign:"KICKOFF" The 502nd
Parachute Infantry under Colonel George Van Horn Moseley was activated as a
battalion in 1941. The troops had already undergone significant training
when the 101st Division was activated in mid 1942. The 502 or five-oh-deuce,
as they became known, were increased in size to a regiment, and made the
original TO&E Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division.
Unlike other early Parachute Battalions, the 502 retained the same unit
number and personnel when increased in size. To them for artillery support,
was attached the only Parachute Field Artillery (PFA)battalion of the
division, the 377th PFA Bn. The 321st was assigned to support the 506th and
later, the 501 received support from the 907th,( both Glider Field Artillery
battalions.) When the 101st settled in at Ft Bragg, N.C., the 502 made many
practice jumps, becoming familiar with Maxton & Pope fields, and
participating in war games near Evansville, Indiana. The Deuce sailed to
England in September, 1943, with most of the divisional sub units. This
ill-fated voyage aboard the SS Strathnaver was soon aborted, with the ship
setting in to port at Newfoundland. There was salt water in the ship's fresh
water tanks. On attempting to set sail once again, the Strathnaver struck
rocks in the harbor and went to port again. Finally, another ship was
arranged, the SS John Erickson, which transported Moseley's regiment the
rest of the way to England. The total trip required six weeks. Meanwhile the
506th and much of the 327th GIR had already reached England on another
transport. The 502 settled in around the Chilton-Foliat and Hungerford areas, living in
a combination of Nissen huts, tents, and English houses. After seemingly
unending training in the cold, bleak English countryside, the Deuce finally
received its orders for the D-Day Invasion. Flying in the first serials to
depart from Membury and Greenham Common, the Deuce was primarily responsible
for securing the two northerly exits (each of them causeways across swampy
ground), behind Utah Beach. These were exits #4 (St Martin de Varreville),
and #3 (Audoville la Hubert). Southwest of St Martin was a field containing
four concrete blockhouses with German artillery pieces sited on the
shoreline near Exit #4. Taking this position became the prime concern of the
502 regiment, which was to be aided by the 377th PFA Bn. On 6 June 1944, the
Deuce had landed by parachute in France and discovered their primary
objective had already been neutralized by air bombardment. Roadblocks were
established to halt enemy traffic along Exit #4, and a makeshift force under
LTC Robert Cole, the 3rd Bn C.O., took Exit #3. The regimental C.O., Colonel
Moseley sustained a badly broken leg and would soon be forced to relinquish
command. The planned regimental C.P. at Loutres was discarded and a new one
at Objective 'W' at St Martin de Varreville, was opened by Moseley's
successor, the erstwhile EXO, Mike Michaelis. As the men of the Deuce
assembled, the groups headed past Division HQ at Hiesville and reformed at
la Croix Pan and Blosville, along the N-13, north of St Come du Mont. They
migrated south and received their toughest mission of the war: to spearhead
the drive south along the N13 Carentan Causeway. This attack, staged on
10-11 June, 1944 caused so many friendly losses that the 502 men dubbed the
Carentan Causeway "Purple Heart Lane". Day and night, the Deuce, with 2nd Bn
in reserve, fought along the single, elevated road, doggedly advancing even
as they were picked off like clay pigeons by Germans firing from the swamps
on either side of the road. After crossing the Madeleine River Bridge, known
as Bridge #4, LTC Cole ordered all present to fix bayonets and charge the
Ingouf farm. For leading this successful charge, Colonel Cole was later
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. All day fighting raged on 11 June,
near the Ingouf farm and south of it, in a cabbage patch, where 1st
battalion troops fought the 3rd Bn of the German 6th Parachute Regiment. The
Germans were finally swept away and Cole's surviving men went into reserve.
The 2nd battalion came up on 13 June to aid the 506th near Bloody Gulch SW
of Carentan. After pulling security duties near Cherbourg in late June, the
502 sailed back to England on LSTs in July, to await another mission. On 17 September, 1944, the 502 landed by parachute on the Zon, Holland DZ.
Second Bn was in reserve near Wolfswinkel at first. First Bn went north to
capture and outpost St Oedenrode. Third Bn sent patrols through the Zonsche
forest, probing toward the town and bridge at Best. German troops denied
U.S. forces the bridge at Best by blowing it up. In fierce fighting just
short of the bridge, Pfc Joe Mann was killed when he laid on a German
grenade to save comrades who were in the same pit with him. Pfc Mann
received the second and only other CMH (both awarded posthumously), in the
WW2 101st division. Germans of the 15th Army, migrating east toward the
German border, were thrown into the fighting near Best in increasing
numbers. LTC Cole was fatally wounded by a sniper in the Zonsche Forest.
Second battalion was committed to the fighting there. With help from British
armor, the Deuce, minus 1st Bn, turned the tide and captured many hundreds
of German troops near the Zonsche Forest. The Third Bn EXO, Major John P.
Stopka assumed command of Cole's Battalion. On 22 September, LTC Michaelis
was WIA by an artillery shell and command of the 502 passed to erstwhile 2nd
Bn commander, Steve Chappuis. When the 101st migrated north to hold
positions on the 'Island', SW of Arnhem, the 502 was in reserve near
Dodewaard, where action was limited to patrolling. Some losses were
sustained there, mainly from landmines such as the German mercury tilt and
Riegle mines. After a brief rest period at Camp Mourmelon le Grand, France, the 502 rushed
north in trucks with the rest of the 101st to hold the crucial road and rail
junction of Bastogne Belgium. Surrounded there, the 502 held positions on
the north and northwest portion of the circle. Enemy probes began hitting
them after failing elsewhere in the circular defense line. A Christmas
morning fight at Champs, Belgium, followed by repulse of an armored attack
on the C.P. at Rolle, were memorable events. On 3 January, 1945, a heavy
engagement took place above Longchamps, Belgium involving 2nd Battalion of
the Deuce. The 19th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment of the Hohenstauffen
division was able to capture almost forty American parachutists there,
mostly members of F/502. The following week saw bloody fighting along the
railroad line running NE through the Bois Jacques forest. During this drive,
LTC John Stopka was KIA, and Cecil Simmons became the third and final
commander of 3/502. The objective, Bourcy, Belgium, was finally taken. (The
railroad line mentioned no longer exists-it was salvaged for steel in
1995-96). After Bastogne, the Deuce traveled to the 7th Army (Alsace) front with the
rest of the 101st Airborne in mid January. After holding a line along the
Moder River for over a month, they took 40&8 boxcars to Mourmelon le Petit,
France. April 1945 saw the Deuce in the vicinity of Dusseldorf, helping to
close the Ruhr Pocket along the Rhine River. In May, the Deuce arrived at
Berchtesgaden a bit later than the 506th, 327th and 321st, who led the
division advance into the Obersalzberg area. Members of the Deuce with high points sailed home in the summer of 1945,
while others, awaiting discharge were absorbed into the Deuce in the
interim. Returning to France, this time the Joigny-Auxerre area, the Deuce
made one final 'pay jump' in September, 1945. The regiment and the division
were deactivated in December, 1945. The unit would be resurrected with the
101st Airborne in 1956.
Radio callsign:"KIDNAP" U.S.
Paratrooper outfits have always been solely comprised of volunteers. In the
months following Pearl Harbor, many men entering the Army volunteered for
the Airborne, whether they had enlisted or were drafted via Selective
Service. In mid 1942, a new experiment was tried by the U.S. Army. A new
regiment was forming under Colonel Robert Sink at Camp Toombs (later Toccoa),
GA. The 506th began accepting recruits straight from civilian life, who had
volunteered for Parachute duty. They were given many weeks of intensive
physical training, intended to prepare them for successful completion of
jump school at Ft Benning. Runs to the top of local Mt Currahee and back
were part of the torturous training at Toccoa. This mountain became a symbol
of the 506th, providing it's motto and insignia. Also at Toccoa, a fiendish
obstacle course was developed. The various battalions began leaving for jump
school in November, 1942. It was decided that 2/3 of the regiment would
march there, to break the world's marching record, held up til then by the
Imperial Japanese Army. First battalion, for some reason was allowed to ride
to Benning on a train. The second Bn completed the march of over 120 miles,
and third Bn marched further, totalling almost 140 miles. After qualifying
the troops as jumpers, the 506th moved to Camp Mackall, N.C. substituting
their GHQ Reserve shoulder patches for Airborne Command patches. These
insignia were used by members of units not part of divisional organizations.
Soon after, the 101st patch was substituted as the 506th became members by
attachment of the Screaming Eagle division at Ft Bragg, N.C. In September,
the 506th sailed to the U.K. aboard the SS Samaria.
The troops were billeted in the Aldbourne-Ramsbury area, and reopened the
jump school started by the 509 Bn (before their drop in North Africa) at
Chilton Foliat. Also at Chilton Foliat, parachute riggers from the various
regiments set up their maintenance and repair shops. During the latter part
of 1943 and the first half of 1944, a continuous flow of parachutist
replacements arrived and were absorbed into the 506th and other regiments as
last minute reinforcements for the Normandy Invasion. On the night of 5
June, 1944, 1st and 2d battalions of the 506th departed their airfield at
Uppottery, England, with the mission of securing the two southerly exits
leading inland from Utah Beach. These were the causeways running through
Pouppeville (Exit #1), and St Marie du Mont (Exit#2). Company 'E' especially
distinguished itself in knocking out a four gun battery of 105mm artillery
near le Grand Chemin. The 3rd battalion had a totally seperate mission.
Departing from Exeter airfield, they were to land on Drop Zone 'D' above
Carentan, and capture two bridges across the Douve River near Brevands.
Despite horrible drop zone casualties, this mission was accomplished. 3rd Bn
commander LTC Robert Wolverton had been killed on the DZ along with his EXO,
Major George Grant. Only 120 of the 680 men of 3/506th who jumped on D-Day,
made it to their objective. Regrouping on 7 June, the 506th drove south to
Dead Man's Corner, during which LTC Billy Turner, the C.O. of 1st battalion
was killed by a sniper. The troops were withdrawn to Beaumont for the night
and on 8 June, once again took Dead Man's Corner, and in concert with 3/501,
captured St Come du Mont. Elements of the 506th held the line in such
diverse locations as les Quesnils and La Croix, before flanking Carentan,
France from the west and meeting the 501 at la Billonnerie to complete
encirclement of that city. Second battalion entered Carentan, and met the
401 Glider Infantry in the town to complete its liberation. 13 June, 1944
was an especially costly and difficult one for the 506th regiment. They
launched an A.M. attack which happened to coincide with a German attack by
the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division. This battle of 'Bloody Gulch' ended
when the SS were repulsed with welcome assistance from the 2/502 and the
Rose Task force from CCA, 2nd Armored Division. Late in June, the 506th
moved north from the Carentan area with the rest of the 101st division. They
spent two nights near St Saveur le Vicomte before moving into positions near
Cherbourg for security duties. In July, they sailed back to England on LSTs
to await another mission. On 17 September, the 506th parachuted onto DZ 'C' NW of Zon, Holland. The
Zon bridge was destroyed by the Germans before the 1st battalion could sieze
it. Many losses were suffered from direct 88mm fire. Most of the 506th
headed south to link up with British armor which was driving up along
'Hell's Highway'. Eindhoven was liberated on 18 September, and other 506
elements defended the 101st C.P. from armored probes back at Son. Later, the
506th leapfrogged north, to Veghel, then Uden. They helped hold Veghel
against numerous German attacks and went back south to Koevering, above St
Oedenrode, to reopen Hell's Highway when a British column was decimated
there. Passing up through the 82nd Airborne's sector, they crossed the
Nijmegen bridge in early October, staged at Zetten, then went into a
west-facing line at Opheusden. While 1st and 3rd Bn units fought off attacks
from the west, 2nd Bn secured the dike facing north across the Neder Rhine,
from Randwijk to Ophesuden. Relieved on the Opheusden line by elements of
the 327th GIR, the 506th held static positions and participated in the
rescue of Arnhem survivors one night in late October. Over 120 starved and
exhausted British paratroopers were successfully brought across the river.
Later,1st battalion was physically seperated from the regiment and held the
'Coffin Corner' area, east of Driel. There they stayed until the Germans
blew the dike just east of the railroad bridge,flooding the entire area. Withdrawn for rest and refitting like the rest of the 101st, the 506th
settled-in at Camp Mourmelon le Grand, France. Some men got passes to Paris,
but the vacation was over all too soon. The Ardennes offensive began on 16
December and the 101st Airborne rushed north in trucks, arriving in Bastogne,
Belgium on the night of the 18-19th of December. On the morning of the
19th,the 506th marched north from Bastogne, with 2nd and 3rd battalions
forming a line facing north. This line extended from the RR track which
crossed the Foy-Bizory road, to a point just SW of Recogne. The 501 was east
of the RR tracks and the 3/502 was west of Recogne. First battalion
continued north, joining Major Desobry's task force from the 10th Armored
division at Noville. For the rest of Dec.19th and part of Dec. 20th, this
group held out against overwhelming odds, and LTC Laprade, the Bn commander
of 1/506th was KIA in Novile before the order was received to withdraw. In
the next several weeks, the hamlet of Foy changed hands at least six times,
and elements of 1st Bn were rotated to the west perimeter, between Hemroulle-Champs.
Counterattacks to the north began in early January, and went as far as Cobru
and the Fazone woods. Heavy losses were sustained to direct artillery fire
from German tanks around 10 January. The bloody defense and counteroffensive
at Bastogne ended for the 101st in mid January, and the 506th went from
Bastogne to Alsace-Lorraine by trucks. Winter warfare continued along the 7th Army front near Hagenau. Withdrawn by
train to Mourmelon le Petit, the 506th marched in review for Generals
Eisenhower, Ridgeway, and Brereton along with the rest of the 101st, as the
entire division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for the Bastogne
campaign. This was the first such award to an entire division and was said
to be the equivalent of awarding every man in the division the Distinguished
Service Cross. The 506th joined the division in holding a line near Neuss,
along the Rhine River. Next, they boarded Ducks (DUKWs), and rode toward
Bavaria, passing through Mannheim and Landsberg enroute. Near Landsberg, the
506th liberated a concentration camp, which revealed that anti Nazi
propaganda had not been exaggerated. Continuing east along the autobahn, the
506th reached the only bridge giving access to the Obersalzberg area at
Piding. A Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division held up the 506th as well as
the French 2d Armored division for some hours, before the 3rd division
colonel granted passage across that bridge. The 506th with their
accompanying 321st Artillery Bn, were among the first Allied troops to enter
Hitler's Berghof as well as the Eagle's Nest on Kehlstein mountain. Shortly after VE-Day, the 506th was rotated south to hold a line from
Taxenbach/Rauris, west to Niedernsill, Austria. Colonel Robert Sink, 'Uncle
Bob' was still in command-the only regimental commander in the 101st who
remained in place throughout the war. In the summer of 1945, the 506th was
made an official TO&E member of the 101st Airborne Division on paper. But
this honor didn't last long, as the division was inactivated at the end of
1945. Photo of Kidnap HQ sign taken along Hell's Highway in September, 1944,
courtesy J. Reeder. Radio callsign:"KLONDIKE". In mid November, 1942, the 501 PIR was activated
at Camp Toccoa, GA, following the same idea that Colonel Sink's 506th had
utilized. Colonel Howard R. Johnson was the dynamic commander of the 501
regiment. Volunteers both drafted and Regular Army, who had joined the Army
to be paratroopers, arrived by trainloads, fresh from induction centers. For
them the 501 WAS the Army for the next several years. The 506th was
departing for jumpschool at Benning as the first volunteers for the 501
began to arrive at Toccoa. The 506 guys tossed cherry bombs into the
barracks of the 501ers the night they departed ("We thought they were a
rowdy bunch at the time", one 501 man recalled later). The recruits were
trained by a cadre, some of whom were already jump qualified. Putting the
troops through special pre-jumpschool Basic Training at Toccoa, many men who
were not capable of long distance running were weeded out of the 501.
Distance running was the main emphasis in Colonel Johnson's book. In spring,
1943, the 501 left Toccoa, one battalion at a time to attend the Parachute
School at Ft Benning, GA. The 511 and 517 regiments had arrived to train at
Toccoa in the same manner, (although they were destined for different
divisions.) Some 501 commanders, like Major "Big Red" Shelby of 3rd Bn, were
disappointed that the regiment rode to The Parachute School (TPS) on trains.
He had wanted to march there, as the 506th had done. The troops were not
disappointed and Shelby was shipped out before the 501 sailed for overseas.
After completing jump training, the troops received furloughs and then
settled-in for many months of large unit training at Camp Mackall, N.C. In
September-October, 1943, the 501 went to 2nd Army Maneuvers in Tennessee. In
December, 1943 another round of furloughs was granted. In January, 1944,
they sailed to England aboard the USS George W. Goethals, landed at Glasgow,
Scotland and took trains to camps at Newbury and Lambourne, England. They
became members by attachment only, of the 101st Airborne Division. This was
actually a disappointment in loss of identity for the original 501 members,
who believed Colonel Johnson's prediction that the 501 would make a name for
itself as the crucial element in winning WW2. On 6 June, 1944, departing from airfields at Merryfield and Welford, the 501
parachuted into Normandy behind Utah Beach. RHQ, and First Bn were to seize
the lock at la Barquette, over the Douve River. Second Battalion was to
destroy Bridge #2 over the Douve on the N-13 highway and secure the town of
St Come du Mont. Third Bn, jumping in "reserve" was to land on DZ 'C' and
provide security for 101 Div. HQ at Hiesville. Despite mis drops of some of
the units, some of these objectives were accomplished on D-Day, except for
the destruction of Bridge #2 and the capture of St Come du Mont. Both of
those events occurred on 8 June. The biggest pitched battle of the 501 in
Normandy took place at Hells Corners, Peneme, France near the Lock on 7
June, 1944. A force led by Col. Johnson wiped out the 1st Bn of the German
6th Parachute Regiment there, and Colonel Johnson received the Silver Star
Medal. The 501 re grouped at Vierville, 9 June, then crossed the Douve River
near Brevands, passed through Catz, and staged for the encirclement of
Carentan at St Hilaire Petit Ville. On 12 June, they attacked Hill 30, where
several 501ers won the D.S.C., and met elements of the 506th at la
Billonnerie. Carentan fell, with 2/506th and the 401 Glider Infantry
entering the town from opposite sides. On the following day, the 501
repulsed counterattacks by the 17th SS division south of Carentan. The 501
Regiment was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for their role in the
Normandy Invasion. Returning to England via LSTs, the regiment received replacements and on 17
September, 1944, parachuted into combat again in Holland. Elements of the
501 landed on DZA-1 near Heeswijk, and others on the DZ between Veghel and
Eerde. The mission was to secure the part of Hell's Highway which would
tie-in with the 82nd Airborne below Grave. Heavy fighting raged around
Veghel and Eerde, and the 501 was later reinforced by elements of the 506th
and other division sub units. Schijndel, Holland was briefly captured but
troops were soon withdrawn to keep the highway open for northbound British
armor. The Guards Armored Division was headed for Arnhem but arrived too
late to help their Airborne comrades. The 501 moved north in early October,
1944, with the rest of the division and took up positions facing the Neder
Rhine river along the 'Island', west of Arnhem. While across from Renkum,
Holland a six man patrol from 501 crossed the Neder Rhine and returned with
32 German POWs, including an SS captain. This epic called 'The Incredible
Patrol' was reported in LIFE Magazine, making the 501 world famous. Also
while on the dike positions on 8 October, 1944, Colonel H.R.'Jumpy' Johnson,
the unique and dynamic leader of the 501 was KIA by German artillery fire.
He was initially buried at Nijmegen, Holland but has since been re interred
in Arlington National Cemetery. LTC Julian J. Ewell assumed regimental
command. The dike positions were held until late November, when the regiment
was sent to Mourmelon le Grand, France with the rest of the 101 division for
recuperation. The rest was short-lived, as the 101 was sent north to help stop the German
Ardennes breakthrough on 18 December. Arriving at the city of Bastogne,
Belgium, where seven roads converged, the 101st threw a cordon around the
town. Arriving on the night of 18-19 December, 1944, the entire division
found itself surrounded by Dec. 21st. The 501 was sent east on the morning
of the 19th, in the most direct path of the German attack. Contact was made
at Bizory, Neffe, and Mont, and much of company 'I' was lost in a battle
with Tiger Royal Tanks and Panzer Grenadiers of the Panzer Lehr Division, at
a town called Wardin. Establishing a C.P. in the Bastogne seminary, LTC
Julian J. Ewell commanded until WIA at Recogne on 9 January. Heavy attacks
against the east perimeter were fended off on 20-21 December, 1944. January
3-4 saw more heavy fighting as the 501 attacked north through the Bois
Jacques forest as part of the push to close the Bulge at Houffalize. When
LTC Ewell was WIA, LTC Robert A. Ballard took command of the 501 for the
duration of WW2. The 501 was awarded another Presidential Citation for the
defense of Bastogne. The 501 moved with the 101st Division to the 7th Army front in mid January,
and held a line along the Moder River, in Alsace-Lorraine, until relieved in
February. They rode 40 & 8 boxcars to Mourmelon le Petit, France, where they
lived in a tent city (M34 Pyramidal tents) for over two months. They
remained there when the rest of the 101st departed for the Ruhr Pocket near
Dusseldorf. The 501 was held in strategic reserve for possible deployment to
jump on enemy Stalags to avert last minute massacres by the Nazis. These
reprisals never occured, and the 501 eventually rejoined the division at
Berchtesgaden. The 501 was inactivated in July, 1945, and throughout its
existence was never a TO&E part of the 101st Division. This was changed in
1956, when the new 101st Airborne Division was activated.
| THE
AIRBORNE CREED
I am an
Airborne trooper! A PARATROOPER!
I jump by parachute from any plane in
flight. I volunteered to do it, knowing well the hazards of my choice.
I serve in a mighty Airborne
Force--famed for deeds in war--renowned for readiness in peace. It is my
pledge to uphold its honor and prestige in all I am--in all I do.
I am an elite trooper--a sky
trooper--a shock trooper--a spearhead trooper. I blaze the way to far-flung
goals--behind, before, above the foe's front line.
I know that I may have to fight
without support for days on end. Therefore, I keep mind and body always fit
to do my part in any Airborne task. I am self-reliant and unafraid. I shoot
true, and march fast and far. I fight hard and excel in every art and
artifice of war.
I never fail a fellow trooper. I
cherish as a sacred trust the lives of men with whom I serve. Leaders have
my fullest loyalty, and those I lead never find me lacking.
I have pride in the Airborne! I never
let it down!
In peace, I do not shrink the dullest
of duty not protest the toughest training. My weapons and equipment are
always combat ready. I am neat of dress--military in courtesy--proper in
conduct and behavior.
In battle, I fear no foe's ability,
nor under-estimate his prowess, power and guile. I fight him with all my
might and skills--ever alert to evade capture or escape a trap. I never
surrender, though I be the last.
My goal in peace or war is to succeed
in any mission of the day--or die, if needs be, in the try.
I belong to a proud and glorious
team--the Airborne, the Army, my Country. I am its chosen pride to fight
where others may not go--to serve them well until the final victory.
I am the trooper of the sky! I am my
Nation's best! In peace and war I never fail. Anywhere, anytime, in
anything--I AM AIRBORNE!
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AIRBORNE SCHOOL - FORT BENNING, GEORGIA The United States Army Airborne School — widely known as Jump
School — conducts the basic paratrooper (military parachutist) training for
the United States armed forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion
(Airborne), 507th Infantry, United States Army Infantry School, Fort
Benning, Georgia. The Airborne School conducts the Basic Airborne Course,
which is open to troops of both genders from all branches of the United
States Department of Defense and allied military personnel.
The purpose of the Basic Airborne
Course is to qualify the student in the use of the parachute as a means of
combat deployment and to develop leadership, self-confidence, and an
aggressive spirit through mental and physical conditioning. All students
must volunteer to attend the course, and may elect to quit at any time.
The course is three weeks long and
consists of three phases: "Ground Week", "Tower Week" and "Jump Week".
Rigorous physical training (PT) is emphasized throughout the entire course.
The initial entry PT test consists of the standard Army Physical Fitness
Test (APFT). All age groups must pass this test using the 17 – 21 age group
standards. The pullup requirement was lifted in October 2006.
History In 1940, the War Department
approved the formation of a test platoon of Airborne Infantry under the
direction and control of the Army's Infantry Board. A test platoon of
volunteers was organized from Fort Benning's 29th Infantry Regiment, and the
2d Infantry Division was directed to conduct tests to develop reference data
and operational procedures for air-transported troops.
First Lieutenant William T. Ryder
volunteered and was made the test platoon's platoon leader, Lieutenant James
A. Bassett was designated assistant platoon leader, and forty-eight enlisted
men were selected from a pool of 200 volunteers. The platoon moved into
tents near Lawson Field, and an abandoned hanger was obtained for training
and parachute packing.
Lieutenant Colonel William C. Lee, a
staff officer for the Chief of Infantry, recommended that the test platoon
be moved to the Safe Parachute Company at Hightstown, NJ and train using
parachute drop towers from the New York World's Fair. Eighteen days after
forming, the platoon was moved to New Jersey and trained for one week on the
250-foot free towers, which proved to be particularly effective - drops from
the tower added realism otherwise impossible to duplicate outside of an
airplane drop, and proved to the troopers that their parachutes would
function safely. Impressed, the Army purchased two and erected them on what
is now Eubanks Field at Fort Benning. Two more were later added, and today
three of the original four towers are still in use. Parachute landing
training was often conducted by the volunteers jumping from PT platforms and
from the back of moving trucks to allow the trainees to experience the shock
of landing.
Less than forty-five days after it was formed, members of the
test platoon made their first jump from a Douglas B-18 over Lawson Field on
16 August 1940. Lieutenant Ryder and Private William N. (Red) King became
the first officer and enlisted man to make an official jump as paratroopers
in the United States Army. On 29 August, the platoon made the first platoon
mass jump held in the United States.
Members of the original test platoon
formed the battalion cadre of the 501st Parachute Battalion, the first
parachute combat unit. The second, the 502d Parachute Infantry Battalion,
was activated on 1 July 1941. As more airborne units were activated, a
centralized training facility was organized at Fort Benning on 15 May 1942.
Over time, the U.S. Army Parachute School was known by a variety of names:
The Airborne School (1 January 1946); Airborne Army Aviation Section, The Infantry School (1
November 1946);
Airborne
Department, The Infantry School (February, 1955); Airborne-Air Mobility Department (February, 1956);
Airborne Department (August 1964); Airborne-Air Mobility Department (October, 1974);
Airborne Department (October, 1976); 4th Airborne Training Battalion,
The School Brigade (January, 1982); 1st Battalion (Abn), 507TH Parachute Infantry, The School
Brigade (October, 1985); and
1st Battalion (Abn), 507TH Infantry, 11th Infantry Regiment (July, 1991).
Ground Week
Before you get to jump out of a plane
you must first learn how to land on the ground safely. The T-10D
round-shaped parachute that static-line paratroopers use gives a descent
rate of 23.5 ft/sec for 250 pounds suspended (the equivalent of one 200
pound jumper, 35 pounds of combat equipment, and 15 pounds of reserve
parachute), which is the equivalent of jumping from a two-story building.
For the jumper's safety, they must learn the skills required to safely
transition to landing and dissipate the energy upon hitting the ground over
their entire body, preventing injury. Soldiers are taught how to wear the
parachute harness correctly and how to use the special training gear. During
Ground Week, soldiers will spend a lot of time learning, practicing, and
perfecting their Parachute Landing Fall (PLF). This maneuver teaches a
soldier to transfer the energy of your fall (landing) up the sides of the
lower legs and knees, all the way up to side of the upper body. The key is
landing with your feet and knees together. To practice the PLFs, soldiers
will jump from platforms of various heights into sand or pebble pits
simulating the final stage of parachute landing. All the while, the Black
Hat instructors observe and correct the soldier's body position and PLF
technique. Over and over a soldier will practice the PLF - expect a
soldier's body to become quite sore from the repetitive falling as well as
the uniform to get beat up. This week culminates in practice landings from
the Lateral Drift Assembly, in order to simulate landing while moving across
the ground. The 34-foot tower is also used to simulate exiting an aircraft
in flight. To continue to week 2, you must pass all jump training test as
well as the physical fitness requirements. Some students that are unable to
advance may require additional training or get "recycled" to another class
due to lack of progress or injury. Tower Week
The second week of Jump School
concentrates on the jump towers. Soldiers will continue using the 34-foot
tower and will also use the swing-landing trainer, the suspended harness,
and the 250-foot tower. Soldiers will become familiar with the mock door
trainer to simulate mass exit training (how to exit an aircraft in flight).
Parachute jumps from the 250-foot high tower culminate the second week of
training and are the final transition from ground training to actual
parachuting. Additionally, soldiers are taught the different phases of
parachute flight from aircraft exit, through opening shock and chute
deployment, then onto the deployment of the risers, steering the chute, and
all the way to landing. One critical skill learned is how to identify a
parachute malfunction and deal with it. This may involve emergency
procedures including when and how to deploy the reserve parachute. Soldiers
also learn about oscillation, landing falls, and how to recover from drag.
The T-10C parachute is partially steerable using the parachute risers and
soldiers are taught the different techniques to steer their chutes into the
wind and aim for the Point of Impact at the center of the Drop Zone. The
second week completes a soldier's individual skill training and begins
building team effort skills. Once successfully completing the skills
required and the physical fitness requirements, a soldier progresses to jump
week. Jump Week
Finally, soldiers get to practice
their new skills while jumping out of real aircraft in flight. The C-130 or
C-17 aircraft pick up the paratrooper students in front of the hangar at
Lawson Army Airfield. From there it is a very short flight to Fryar Field
(commonly referred to as "Fryar Drop Zone"), where all of the training jumps
are accomplished. Fryar Field is named after Private Elmer E. Fryar of the
United States Army's 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, who posthumously
received the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War II.
The Air Force aircraft fly at 1200
feet above the ground at an airspeed of about 130 MPH. After the flight crew
completes the pre-drop and slow-down checklists, soldiers rise out of their
seats and move at the jumpmaster's direction to one of two paratroop doors
(on each side of the aircraft). At "green light" one stick of soldiers exits
the plane - jumpers continue to move to the door until the red light is
illuminated. At that point the aircraft will begin its racetrack maneuver
circling back to the beginning of the drop zone and continue to do this
until all jumpers have jumped.
A soldier must complete 5 jumps,
including one night jump, to graduate Airborne School. During jump week, the
schedule varies and soldiers will jump in a variety of configurations from
no load (Hollywood style) all the way to a full combat load jump. Jump week
can seem chaotic, with a large group of soldiers gathered in the ready-room
waiting to be loaded onto the aircraft one chalk at a time. Immediately
after landing on the Drop Zone (DZ), the soldiers collect their parachutes
and other gear and meet back at the rally point on one side of the DZ, where
they wait for a bus to take them back to Lawson Army Airfield to get ready
for their next jump.
The jump schedule varies greatly based on class dynamics,
weather, and aircraft. Graduation is normally conducted at 0900 on Friday of
Jump Week at the south end of Eubanks Field on the Airborne Walk. However,
if there is inclement weather, or other factors delay the scheduled jumps,
graduation may be conducted on Fryar Drop Zone following the last jump.
Guests and family members are welcome to observe all of the jumps at the DZ,
attend the graduation ceremony, and participate in awarding the parachutist
wings to the soldiers. On graduation day, families typically spend only a
few minutes with their soldier, pinning on his or her new airborne wings.
The soldier frequently departs Fort Benning that day or the following day,
to attend another advanced military school or to report to another duty
station.
Instructors
The Airborne School instructors are
commonly referred to as "Black Hats", due to the distinguishing black
baseball cap with shiny brass rank insignia and parachutist badge that is
part of the instructor's uniform. However, all students at the school are
required to address them as "Sergeant (or Petty Officer in the case of a
Navy instructor) Airborne". A student's interaction with Black Hats consists
largely of shouting, "Yes Sergeant, Airborne!", and "No Sergeant,
Airborne!". Instructors may come from the United States Army, Marine Corps,
Navy or Air Force. The reasoning is that because students from four military
services attend, each service insists that they have at least one
representative to ensure quality instruction. The U.S. Coast Guard does not
usually participate in Airborne training as it does not directly relate to
the service's Homeland Security and daily search-and-rescue missions.
The battalion was organized into six
companies: Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) for administration
and command-and-control; four Line Companies (A, B, C, and D) execute the
Basic Airborne Course Program of Instruction (POI), and a parachute rigger
support Company (E). D company has since been disbanded, and a week-long
buffer occurs between class cycles. Students
The vast majority of students at
Airborne School come from the U.S. Army. These include soldiers headed for
assignments to the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, 4th BCT
25th Infantry Division, 16th Military Police Brigade, 173rd Airborne BCT,
75th Ranger Regiment, or the Special Forces Qualification Course. Also
Marine Recon units as well as ANGLICO Units attend. Recent BUD/S graduates,
USAF Combat Controllers, USAF Special Operations Weather Technicians, USAF
Pararescuemen and USAF Tactical Air Control Party also attend the school in
order to be jump-qualified. Summer cycles frequently include a substantial
numbers of cadets from ROTC and West Point.
During in-processing, each student is
given a roster number (with the prefix C, N, or A to identify a cadet, NCO,
or officer, respectively), which is applied to the student's assigned
equipment and used as identification throughout training.
All students are quartered in
gender-segregated company barracks for the entire course except for officers
and warrant officers, who are assigned to bachelor officer's quarters.
Upon satisfactory completion of the
course, the student is awarded the United States Army Parachutist Badge
(commonly referred to as "Jump Wings"), regardless of branch or MOS, a
certificate from the school, and copies of orders authorizing its wear. |
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