Charlie Airborne - Arctic Paratrooper - Alaska Airborne - US Ranger - Infantry

Description: HIGHLY DETAILED 4 HIGHLY DETAILED 3 3/4" X 5 3/4" US PARATROOPER MERROWED EDGE EMBROIDERED PATCH "CHARLIE AIRBORNE - ARCTIC PARATROOPER" "DEATH FROM ABOVE - AT 60 BELOW 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! 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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