U.S. 82nd Airborne Division
Encyclopedia
The 82nd Airborne Division is an active airborne
infantry
division
of the United States Army
specializing in parachute landing
operations. Based at Fort Bragg
, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps.
The 82nd Division was constituted in the National Army on 5 August 1917, and was organized on 25 August 1917, at Camp Gordon
, Georgia
. Since its initial members came from all 48 states, the unit acquired the nickname “All-American", which is the basis for its famed “AA” shoulder patch. Famous soldiers of the division include Sergeant Alvin C. York
, General James M. Gavin
, Dave Bald Eagle (grandson of Chief White Bull
), Senator Strom Thurmond
(325GIR in World War II), Senator Jack Reed and Congressman Patrick Murphy
(the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress
.) State Representative Bryan Lentz
(PA-161) attempted to become the second member of the 82nd Airborne to join Congress, but was not elected.
soldiers. When commanders discovered that the division contained draftees from the forty-eight US states
that existed at the time, they nicknamed it "the All American division."
The bulk of the division was two infantry brigade
s, each commanding two regiments. The 163rd Infantry Brigade commanded the 325th Infantry Regiment and the 326th Infantry Regiment. The 164th Infantry Brigade commanded the 327th Infantry Regiment and the 328th Infantry Regiment. Also in the division were the 157th Field Artillery Brigade, a divisional troops contingent, and a division train
. It sailed to Europe to join the American Expeditionary Force
in fighting World War I.
In early April, the division embarked from the ports in Boston, New York and Brooklyn
to Liverpool
, England, where the division fully assembled by mid-May 1918. From there, the division moved to mainland Europe, leaving Southampton
and arriving at Le Havre
, France, and then moved to the British-held region of Somme
on the front lines, where it began sending small numbers of troops and officers to the front lines to gain combat experience. On 16 June it moved by rail to Toul
, France to take position on the front lines in the French sector. Its soldiers were issued French weapons and equipment to simplify resupply. The division was briefly assigned to I Corps before falling under the command of IV Corps
until late August. It was then moved to the Woëvre
front, in the Lagney
sector, where it operated with the French 154th Infantry Division.
on 25 June. Though Lagney was considered a defensive sector, the 82nd Division actively patrolled and raided in the region for several weeks, before being relieved by the 89th Division. From there it moved to the Marbache
sector in mid-August, where it relieved the 2nd Division under the command of the newly-formed First United States Army. There it trained until 12 September, when the division joined the St. Mihiel offensive.
Once the First Army jumped off on the offensive, the 82nd Division engaged in a holding mission to prevent German forces from attacking the right flank of the First Army. On 13 September, the 163rd Infantry Brigade and 327th Infantry Regiment raided and patrolled to the northeast of Port-sur-Seille
, toward Eply
, in the Bois de Cheminot, Bois de la Voivrotte, Bois do la Tête-d'Or, and Bois Fréhaut. Meanwhile, the 328th Infantry Regiment, in connection with the attack of the 90th Division against the Bois-le-Prêtre, advanced on the west of the Moselle River
, and, in contact with the 90th Division, entered Norroy
, advancing to the heights just north of that town where it consolidated its position. On 15 September, the 328th Infantry, in order to protect the 90th Division's flank, resumed the advance, and reached Vandières
, but withdrew on the following day to the high ground north of Norroy.
On 17 September, the St-Mihiel Operation stabilized, and the 90th Division relieved the 82nd's troops west of the Moselle River. On 20 September, the 82nd was relieved by the French 69th Infantry Division, and moved to the vicinity of Marbache
and Belleville
, then to stations near Triaucourt and Rarécourt
in the area of the First Army. During this operation, the division suffered heavy casualties from enemy artillery. The operation cost the division over 800 men. Among them was Colonel
Emory Pike, the first member of the 82nd to be awarded the Medal of Honor
. The division was then moved into reserve until 3 October, when it assembled near Varennes-en-Argonne
prior to returning to the line. During this time, the division trained and prepared for the war's final major offensive at Meuse-Argonne
.
to La Forge
, along the eastern bank of the Aire River
. The 163rd Infantry Brigade remained in reserve. On 7 October, the division, minus the 163rd Infantry Brigade, attacked the northeastern edge of the Argonne Forest, making some progress toward Cornay
, and occupied Hill 180 and Hill 223. The next day it resumed the attack. Elements of the division's right flank entered Cornay, but later withdrew to the east and south. The division's left flank reached the southeastern slope of the high ground northwest of Châtel-Chéhéry
. On Octobet 9 the division continued its attack, and advanced its left flank to a line from south of Pylône to the Rau de la Louvière.
For the rest of the month, the Division turned to the north and advanced astride the Aire River to the region east of St-Juvin. On the 10th it relieved troops of the 1st on the right, north of Fléville
, as far as a new boundary extending north and south through Sommerance
. It then attacked and captured Cornay
and Marcq
, and established the front just to their south. On 11 October, the right flank of the division occupied Sommerance and the high ground north of la Rance Rau while the left advanced to the railroad south of the Aire. The next day, the 42nd relieved the 82nd's troops in and near Sommerance, allowing it to resume the attack. The 82nd passed through part of the Hindenburg
defensive position, and reached a line just north of the road from St-Georges to St-Juvin.
On 18 October, the division relieved elements of the 78th as far to the left as Marcq and Champigneulle
. Three days later it advanced to the Ravin aux Pierres. On 31 October, the 82nd, except the artillery, was relieved by the 77th Division and the 80th Division, and assembled in the Argonne Forest near Champ-Mahaut. On 2 November, the division concentrated near La Chalade and Les Islettes
, and, on 4 November, moved to training areas in Vaucouleurs
. On the 10th it moved again to training areas in Bourmont
, where it remained until the 11 November armistice
. During this campaign the division suffered another 7,000 killed and wounded. A second 82nd soldier, Alvin C. York, won the Medal of Honor during this campaign.
, where it remained through February 1919. It returned to the United States in April and May, and was demobilized and deactivated at Camp Mills, New York on 27 May.
For the next 20 years the 82nd Division existed only as a unit of the Organized Reserve. It was reconstituted on 24 June 1921 establishing headquarters at Columbia
, South Carolina, in January 1922. The 82nd formed part of the Organized Reserves, and elements of the Division were located in South Carolina
, Georgia
, and Florida.
, Louisiana
, under the command of Major General Omar N. Bradley. During this training period, the division brought together four officers who would ultimately steer the US Army during the following two decades: Matthew B. Ridgway, Matthew D. Query, James M. Gavin
, and Maxwell D. Taylor
. Under General Bradley, the 82nd Division's Chief of Staff was George Van Pope.
On 15 August 1942, the 82nd Infantry Division became the Army's first airborne division, and was redesignated the 82nd Airborne Division. In April 1943, its paratroopers deployed to North Africa under the command of Major General Matthew B. Ridgway to participate in the campaign to invade Italy
. The Division's first two combat operations were parachute
assaults into Sicily on 9 July and Salerno
on 13 September. The initial assault on Sicily, by the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
, was the first regimental-sized combat parachute assault conducted by the United States Army. The first glider assault did not occur until Operation Neptune
as part of D-Day. Glider troopers of the 319th and 320th Glider Field Artillery and the 325th Glider Infantry instead arrived in Italy by landing craft at Maiori (319th) and Salerno (320th, 325th).
In January 1944, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
, which was temporarily detached to fight at Anzio
, adopted the nickname "Devils in Baggy Pants," taken from an entry in a German officer's diary. While the 504th was detached, the remainder of the 82nd moved to the United Kingdom in November 1943 to prepare for the liberation of Europe. See RAF North Witham
and RAF Folkingham
.
, the invasion of Normandy
. The Division conducted Operation Boston, part of the airborne assault phase of the Operation Overlord
plan.
In preparation for the operation, the division was reorganized. To ease the integration of replacement troops, rest, and refitting following the fighting in Italy, the 504th did not rejoin the division for the invasion. Two new parachute infantry regiments, the 507th
and the 508th, provided it, along with the 505th, a three-parachute infantry regiment punch. On 5 and 6 June, these paratroopers, parachute artillery elements, and the 319th and 320th, boarded hundreds of transport planes and glider
s to begin history's 2nd largest airborne assault, the biggest being Operation Market Garden. Its 325th Glider Infantry Regiment would later arrive by glider on 7 June to provide a division reserve.
By the time the All-American Division was pulled back to England, it had seen 33 days of bloody combat and suffered 5,245 troopers killed, wounded, or missing. Ridgway's post-battle report stated in part, "...33 days of action without relief, without replacements. Every mission accomplished. No ground gained was ever relinquished."
Following Normandy, the 82nd became part of the newly organized XVIII Airborne Corps, which consisted of the U.S. 17th, 82nd, and 101st Airborne Divisions
. Ridgway was given command, but was not promoted to Lieutenant General
until 1945. His recommendation for succession as commander was Brigadier General
James M. Gavin
. Ridgway's recommendation met with approval, and upon promotion Gavin became the youngest two-star general since the Civil War
to command a US Army division.
On 2 August 1944 the division became part of the First Allied Airborne Army
. In September, the 82nd began planning for Operation Market Garden
in the Netherlands
. 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, was reassigned to the 82nd, while the 507th was assigned to the 17th Airborne. On 17 September, the 82nd conducted its fourth World War II combat assault. Fighting off 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 the Battle of Arnhem
. After a period of duty on the Arnhem front, the 82nd was relieved by Canadian troops, and sent to France.
On 16 December, the Germans launched a surprise offensive through the Ardennes Forest which became known as the Battle of the Bulge
. Two days later the 82nd joined the fighting and blunted General Gerd von Rundstedt
's northern penetration of American lines. During this campaign, PFC
Martin, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, told a sergeant in a retreating tank destroyer to, "...pull your vehicle behind me—I'm the 82nd Airborne, and this is as far as the bastards are going!" After helping to secure the Ruhr
, the division ended the war at Ludwigslust
past the Elbe River, accepting the surrender of over 150,000 of Lieutenant General Kurt von Tippelskirch
's 21st Army
. General Bradley's reaction is worth an aside; he claimed in a 1975 interview with Gavin that Montgomery told him German opposition was too great to cross the Elbe. When Gavin's division crossed it, it moved 36 miles in one day and captured over 100,000 troops, causing great laughter in Bradley's 12th Army Group headquarters.
Following Germany's surrender, the 82nd entered Berlin for occupation duty, lasting from April until December 1945. 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-American" became also known as "America's Guard of Honor." The war ended before their scheduled participation in the invasion of Japan. During the invasion of Italy
in World War II, Ridgway considered Will Lang Jr.
of TIME Magazine
an honorary member of the Division.
The division returned to the United States on 3 January 1946. The division returned on the . In New York City it got a Ticker-tape parade
. In 1947 the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
was assigned to the 82nd and was reflagged as the 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
. Instead of being demobilized, the 82nd found a permanent home at Fort Bragg
, North Carolina, designated a Regular Army division on 15 November 1948. The 82nd was not sent to the Korean War
, as both Presidents Truman and Eisenhower chose to keep it in strategic reserve in the event of a Soviet ground attack anywhere in the world. Life in the 82nd during the 1950s and 1960s consisted of intensive training exercises in all environments and locations, including Alaska
, Panama, the Far East and the continental United States.
Within the United States, in 1967, the 82nd was sent to deal with the massive 1967 Detroit riot. Within two days of their deployment, the riots ended, with 43 people dead.
, in which more than 3,000 Dominicans died. Spearheaded by the 3rd Brigade, the 82nd deployed in Operation Power Pack
.
A year later, the 82nd went into action in Vietnam
. During the Tet Offensive, which swept across the Vietnam in January 1968, the 3rd Brigade was en route to Chu Lai
within 24 hours of receiving its orders. The 3rd Brigade performed combat duties in the Huế
– Phu Bai area of the I Corps sector. Later the brigade moved south to Saigon, and fought in the Mekong Delta
, the Iron Triangle
and along the Cambodia
n border, serving nearly 22 months.
and Vietnam
on more than 180DBT (Days Bad Time) for exercises in potential future battlegrounds. The division received three alerts. One was for Black September 1970. Paratroopers were on their way to Amman, Jordan when the mission was aborted. War in the Middle East in the fall of 1973 brought the 82nd to full alert. In May 1978, the division was alerted to a possible drop into Zaire
. In November 1979, the division was alerted for a possible operation to rescue the American hostages in Iran
. The division formed the nucleus of the newly created Rapid Deployment Forces, a mobile force at a permanently high state of readiness.
On 25 October 1983, elements of the 82nd provided support to the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalion
s in the invasion of Grenada
. The first 82nd unit to deploy was a task force of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (Airborne), 325th Infantry. On 26 October and 27, the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 505th Infantry, and the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry, deployed to Grenada
with support units. 2/505 deployed as well. Military operations ended in early November. Note that 2/325 did not deploy one COHORT company which was not "ARTEP'd". Each proceeding battalion (Bn) pushed a single company forward with A-2/504 (led by then Captain Howard F. Humble, 1SG Thomas Ingram, and Lt John A. Schatzel (Weapons Platoon Leader) deploying only one company out of the entire Bn). The Operation was critically flawed in several areas. Newly issued BDU's were not designed for the tropical environment. Communication between services (Army, Navy and Airforce) was a noticeable weak-link, without interoperability. This was the first time MRE
's were mass issued to paratroopers.
The operation tested the Division's ability to act as a rapid deployment force. The first aircraft carrying troopers from the 2/325th touched down at Point Salinas 17 hours after notification, commanded by Jack L.Hamilton with Alpha company as Initial Ready Company.
In March 1988, a brigade task force made up of two battalions from the 504th Infantry Regiment and 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 505th Infantry, conducted a parachute insertion and air/land operation into Honduras
as part of Operation Golden Pheasant
. The deployment was billed as a joint training exercise, but the paratroopers were ready to fight. The deployment caused the Sandinistas to withdraw to Nicaragua
. Operation Golden Pheasant prepared the paratroopers for future combat in an increasingly unstable world.
On 20 December 1989, the "All-American," as part of the United States invasion of Panama
, conducted their first combat jump since World War II onto Torrijos International Airport
, Panama. The goal of the 1st Brigade task force, which was made up of the 1/504 and 2/504 as well as 4/325 and A Company, 3/505, was to oust Manuel Noriega
from power. They were joined on the ground by 3/504, which was already in Panama. After the night combat jump and airport seizure, the 82nd conducted follow-on combat air assault missions in Panama City
and the surrounding areas. The paratroopers returned to Fort Bragg on 12 January 1990.
Seven months later the paratroopers were again called to war. Six days after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
on 2 August 1990, the 82nd became the vanguard of the largest deployment of American troops since Vietnam as part of Operation Desert Shield
. The first unit to deploy to Saudi Arabia
was a task force including the division's 2nd Brigade. Soon after, the rest of the division followed. There, intensive training began in anticipation of desert fighting against the heavily armored Iraqi Army
.
On 16 January 1991, Operation Desert Storm
began when Allied war planes attacked Iraqi targets. As the air war began, elements of the 82nd initially deployed in the vicinity of the Aramco oil facilities outside Abqaiq
, Saudi Arabia. Coinciding with the start of the air war, three National Guard Light-Medium Truck companies, the 253rd (NJARNG), 1122nd (AKARNG), and the 1058th (MAARNG) joined 2nd BDE of the 82nd. In the coming weeks using primarily the 5-Ton cargo trucks of these truck companies, the 2nd BDE moved north to "tap line road" in the vicinity of Rafha
, Saudi Arabia. Eventually, these National Guard truck units effectively "motorized" the 2/325, providing the troop ground transportation required for them to keep pace with the 6th French Light Armored Division
during the incursion. The ground war began almost six weeks later. On 23 February, 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 battalion-task force (2/325) 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 82nd drove deep into Iraq and captured thousands of Iraqi soldiers and tons of equipment, weapons, and ammunition. During that time, the 82nd's Band and MP Company processed 2,721 prisoners. After the liberation of Kuwait
, the 82nd redeployed to Fort Bragg mostly by the end of April.
In August 1992, the division deployed a task force to the hurricane-ravaged area of South Florida to provide humanitarian assistance following Hurricane Andrew
. For more than 30 days, troopers provided food, shelter and medical attention to the Florida population.
On 16 September 1994, the 82d Airborne Division joined Operation Restore Democracy
. The 82nd Airborne Division was scheduled to make combat parachute jumps into Pegasus Drop Zone and Papia Airport, in order to help oust the military dictatorship of Raoul Cédras
, and to restore the democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide
. At the same time that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell
were negotiating with Cédras to restore Aristide to power, the 82nd's first wave was in the air, with paratroopers waiting at Green Ramp to Air Land in Haïti once the airfields there had been seized. When the Haïtian military verified from sources outside Pope Air Force Base
that the 82nd was on the way, Cédras stepped down, averting the invasion.
Former Vice President Al Gore would later travel to Fort Bragg to personally thank the paratroopers of the 82nd for their actions, noting in a speech on 19 September 1994, that the 82nd's reputation alone was enough to change Cédras' mind:
In December 1994, the 2/505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, deployed as part of Operations Safe Haven and Safe Passage
. The battalion deployed from Fort Bragg while on Division Ready Force 1 to restore order against hundreds of Cuban refugees who had attacked and injured a number of Air Force personnel while protesting their detainment at Empire Range along the Panama Canal
. The Battalion participated in the safeguarding of the Cuban Refugees and the active patrolling in and around the refugee camps for two months, returning to Fort Bragg in February 1995.
In December 1995, battalions of the 82nd prepared for a possible parachute jump to support elements of the 1st Armored Division
which had been ordered to Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of Operation Joint Endeavor. Only after engineers of the 1st Armored Division bridged the Sava River
on 31 December 1995 without hostilities did the 82nd begin to draw down against plans for a possible Airborne operation there.
In March 1999 the 2/505 deployed to Albania
and forward deployed along the Albania/Kosovo
border in support of Operation Allied Force
, NATO's bombing campaign against Serbia
n forces in the Former Yugoslav
Republic. In September 1999, 3/504 deployed in support of Operation Joint Guardian, replacing 2/505. 3/504 was replaced in March 2000 by elements of the 101st Airborne Division
.
On 1 October 1999, the 1–508th made a combat jump in "Operation Rapid Gaurdian": 500 foot altitude jump near Pristina.
After the 11 September attacks on the United States, the 82nd's 49th Public Affairs Detachment deployed to Afghanistan
in October 2001 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom along with several individual 82nd soldiers who deployed to the Central Command Area of Responsibility to support combat operations.
In June 2002, elements of the Division Headquarters and 3rd Brigade deployed to Afghanistan
. In January 2003 1st Brigade relieved 3rd Brigade. During 1st Brigade's tour in Afghanistan, 70 soldiers from B Company, 3/504
, in conjunction with A Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
, jumped into western Afghanistan
, an operation that remained classified for over a year.
In March 2003, 2–325 and 3-325 Airborne Infantry of the 2nd BCT was attached to the 75th Ranger Regiment as part of a Special Operations
Task Force to conduct a parachute assault to seize Saddam International Airport in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On 21 March 2003, D Company crossed the Saudi Arabia-Iraqi border as part of Task Force Hunter to escort heavy rocket artillery indirect fire systems to destroy Iraqi artillery batteries in the western Iraqi desert. Upon cancellation of the parachute assault to seize the airport, the Battalions returned to their parent 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment at Talil Airfield near An Nasariyah, Iraq.
The brigade returned to the US by end-February 2004.
The 3rd brigade deployed to Iraq
in the summer, redeploying to the U.S. in Spring 2004. The 1st brigade deployed in January 2004. The last units of the division left by the end of April 2004. The 2nd brigade deployed on December 7, 2004 to support the Free Elections and returned on Easter Sunday in 2005. During this initial deployment 36 soldiers from the division were killed and about 400 were wounded, out of about 12,000 deployed. On 21 July 2006, the 1/325 along with a platoon from A Battery 2/319 Airborne Field Artillery Regiment and a troop from 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment
deployed to Tikrit, Iraq returning in December 2006. Just days after returning home, the battalion join the rest of the 2nd Brigade in another deployment scheduled for the beginning of January 2007.
On 4 January 2007, 2nd BCT deployed once again to Iraq in support of OIF. On 6 June 2007, 1st Brigade deployed to Southern Iraq, returning on 18 March 2008.
The early days of the 82nd Airborne's participation in the deployment were chronicled by embedded journalist
Karl Zinsmeister
in his 2003 book Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq
.
In December 2008 3rd BCT deployed to Baghdad, Iraq and redeployed to Ft. Bragg In November 2009.
In August 2009 1st BCT deployed once again to Iraq and redeployed late July 2010.
In late September 2004 The National Command Authority
alerted 1/505 for an emergency deployment to Afghanistan in support of that October's (first free) elections.
Two infantry battalions from the 82nd Airborne deployed to Iraq before the scheduled 15 October referendum on the proposed constitution, and are expected to remain through the December national elections. The battalions involved are the 2nd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment.
The First Brigade of the 82nd deployed in April 2005 in support of OEF 6, and returned in April 2006.
The 2nd Brigade is currently deployed to Iraq and will return by the end of 2011.
The 82nd Airborne's 3rd Brigade Panthers and DIVARTY along with supporting units deployed to support search-and-rescue and security operations in New Orleans, Louisiana
after the city was flooded by Hurricane Katrina
in September 2005. About 5,000 paratroopers commanded by Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, operated out of New Orleans International Airport
.
Paratroopers from the US 82nd Airborne Division distributed water and food in the 2010 Haiti earthquake
relief.
. The 82nd Division Support Command (DISCOM) was redesignated as the 82nd Sustainment Brigade
. A pathfinder unit was reactivated within the 82nd when the Long Range Surveillance Detachment of the inactivating 313th MI Bn was transferred to the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment and converted to a pathfinder role.
, and the 43rd Area Support Group
. During the months of August and September 2009, 4th BCT deployed again to Afghanistan. They are slotted for returning to Fort Bragg in August 2010.
82nd Airborne Division Units:.
Units habitually aligned but assigned
Note: Divisional sustainment brigades support, but are not part of, the divisions they support. Sustainment brigades have their own shoulder patches to distinguish them. A shoulder patch for the 82nd Sustainment Brigade was approved effective 19 March 2008. Unlike the division, the 82nd Sustainment Brigade is not on jump status, with the exception of its three Aerial Delivery and Maintenance
companies, the 11th, 600th and 612th Quartermaster Companies. Since the brigade's formation, the 600th and 612th Quartermaster companies have been inactivated, and the 11th Quartermaster Company is being realigned.
, an annual Crossing of the Waal competition is staged on the anniversary of the operation at McKellars Lake near Fort Bragg. The winning company receives a paddle
. The paddle signifies that in the original crossing, many paratroopers had to row with their weapons because the canvas boats lacked sufficient paddles.
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
specializing in parachute landing
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
operations. Based at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps.
The 82nd Division was constituted in the National Army on 5 August 1917, and was organized on 25 August 1917, at Camp Gordon
Fort Gordon
Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in 1917. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps and Signal Center and was once the home of "The Provost Marshal General School" . The fort is located in Richmond, Jefferson, McDuffie,...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Since its initial members came from all 48 states, the unit acquired the nickname “All-American", which is the basis for its famed “AA” shoulder patch. Famous soldiers of the division include Sergeant Alvin C. York
Alvin York
Alvin Cullum York was one of the most decorated American soldiers in World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking 32 machine guns, killing 28 German soldiers and capturing 132 others...
, General James M. Gavin
James M. Gavin
James Maurice "Jumpin' Jim" Gavin was a prominent Lieutenant General in the United States Army during World War II...
, Dave Bald Eagle (grandson of Chief White Bull
White Bull
White Bull was the nephew of Sitting Bull, and a famous warrior in his own right. White Bull participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876. For years it was said White Bull boasted of killing Lt. George Armstrong Custer at the famous battle...
), Senator Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
(325GIR in World War II), Senator Jack Reed and Congressman Patrick Murphy
Patrick Murphy (politician)
Patrick Joseph Murphy is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
(the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.) State Representative Bryan Lentz
Bryan Lentz
Bryan Roy Lentz is a private attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the former Pennsylvania State Representative for the 161st legislative district , and he was the 2010 Democratic nominee for U.S. Representative for...
(PA-161) attempted to become the second member of the 82nd Airborne to join Congress, but was not elected.
History
The 82nd Division was first constituted on 5 August 1917 in the National Army. It was organized and formally activated on 25 August 1917 at Camp Gordon, Georgia. The division consisted entirely of newly conscriptedConscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
soldiers. When commanders discovered that the division contained draftees from the forty-eight US states
Contiguous United States
The contiguous United States are the 48 U.S. states on the continent of North America that are south of Canada and north of Mexico, plus the District of Columbia....
that existed at the time, they nicknamed it "the All American division."
The bulk of the division was two infantry brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s, each commanding two regiments. The 163rd Infantry Brigade commanded the 325th Infantry Regiment and the 326th Infantry Regiment. The 164th Infantry Brigade commanded the 327th Infantry Regiment and the 328th Infantry Regiment. Also in the division were the 157th Field Artillery Brigade, a divisional troops contingent, and a division train
Train (military)
In military contexts a train can refer to logistic elements of a force or organisation. In this context the term train usually does not mean a railway train.Historically and for land forces, this usually referred to troops that are endowed with horses...
. It sailed to Europe to join the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
in fighting World War I.
World War I
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England, where the division fully assembled by mid-May 1918. From there, the division moved to mainland Europe, leaving Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and arriving at Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, France, and then moved to the British-held region of Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
on the front lines, where it began sending small numbers of troops and officers to the front lines to gain combat experience. On 16 June it moved by rail to Toul
Toul
Toul is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Toul is located between Commercy and Nancy, and situated between the Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin....
, France to take position on the front lines in the French sector. Its soldiers were issued French weapons and equipment to simplify resupply. The division was briefly assigned to I Corps before falling under the command of IV Corps
IV Corps (United States)
The IV Corps replaced the VI Corps in the Fifth United States Army's order of battle in Italy after Allied forces liberated Rome in the summer of 1944 when VI Corps was withdrawn to take part in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. Initially the Corps had two divisions, U.S...
until late August. It was then moved to the Woëvre
Woëvre
The Woëvre is a natural region of Lorraine in northeastern France. It forms part of Lorraine plateau and lies largely in the department of Meuse....
front, in the Lagney
Lagney
Lagney is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.- See also :* Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine...
sector, where it operated with the French 154th Infantry Division.
St. Mihiel
The division relieved the 26th Division26th Infantry Division (United States)
The 26th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army. As a major formation of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, it was based in Boston, Massachusetts for most of its history...
on 25 June. Though Lagney was considered a defensive sector, the 82nd Division actively patrolled and raided in the region for several weeks, before being relieved by the 89th Division. From there it moved to the Marbache
Marbache
Marbache is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine...
sector in mid-August, where it relieved the 2nd Division under the command of the newly-formed First United States Army. There it trained until 12 September, when the division joined the St. Mihiel offensive.
Once the First Army jumped off on the offensive, the 82nd Division engaged in a holding mission to prevent German forces from attacking the right flank of the First Army. On 13 September, the 163rd Infantry Brigade and 327th Infantry Regiment raided and patrolled to the northeast of Port-sur-Seille
Port-sur-Seille
Port-sur-Seille is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department...
, toward Eply
Éply
Éply is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department...
, in the Bois de Cheminot, Bois de la Voivrotte, Bois do la Tête-d'Or, and Bois Fréhaut. Meanwhile, the 328th Infantry Regiment, in connection with the attack of the 90th Division against the Bois-le-Prêtre, advanced on the west of the Moselle River
Moselle River
The Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg, and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine, joining the Rhine at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our....
, and, in contact with the 90th Division, entered Norroy
Norroy
Norroy is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Despite an official name change, it still sometimes appears in official documents named as Norroy-sur-Vair.Inhabitants are called Nogarésiens.-Geography:...
, advancing to the heights just north of that town where it consolidated its position. On 15 September, the 328th Infantry, in order to protect the 90th Division's flank, resumed the advance, and reached Vandières
Vandières, Meurthe-et-Moselle
Vandières is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-People:Vandières was the birthplace of:* John of Gorze , monastic reformer and diplomat-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department...
, but withdrew on the following day to the high ground north of Norroy.
On 17 September, the St-Mihiel Operation stabilized, and the 90th Division relieved the 82nd's troops west of the Moselle River. On 20 September, the 82nd was relieved by the French 69th Infantry Division, and moved to the vicinity of Marbache
Marbache
Marbache is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine...
and Belleville
Belleville, Meurthe-et-Moselle
Belleville is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.- See also :* Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine...
, then to stations near Triaucourt and Rarécourt
Rarécourt
Rarécourt is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
in the area of the First Army. During this operation, the division suffered heavy casualties from enemy artillery. The operation cost the division over 800 men. Among them was Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Emory Pike, the first member of the 82nd to be awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
. The division was then moved into reserve until 3 October, when it assembled near Varennes-en-Argonne
Varennes-en-Argonne
Varennes-en-Argonne or simply Varennes is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.Population : 691.-Geography:Varennes-en-Argonne lies on the river Aire to the northeast of Sainte-Menehould, near Verdun.-History:...
prior to returning to the line. During this time, the division trained and prepared for the war's final major offensive at Meuse-Argonne
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, or Maas-Argonne Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire western front.-Overview:...
.
Meuse-Argonne
On the night of 6/7 October, the 164th Infantry Brigade relieved troops of the 28th Division, which were holding the front line from south of FlévilleFléville
Fléville is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
to La Forge
La Forge, Vosges
La Forge, Vosges is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-References:*...
, along the eastern bank of the Aire River
Aire (Aisne)
The Aire is a river in northern France, right tributary of the Aisne. Its source is near the village Saint-Aubin-sur-Aire. Its course crosses the départements of Meuse and Ardennes. It flows through the towns of Pierrefitte-sur-Aire, Clermont-en-Argonne, Varennes-en-Argonne and Grandpré, finally...
. The 163rd Infantry Brigade remained in reserve. On 7 October, the division, minus the 163rd Infantry Brigade, attacked the northeastern edge of the Argonne Forest, making some progress toward Cornay
Cornay
Cornay is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:...
, and occupied Hill 180 and Hill 223. The next day it resumed the attack. Elements of the division's right flank entered Cornay, but later withdrew to the east and south. The division's left flank reached the southeastern slope of the high ground northwest of Châtel-Chéhéry
Chatel-Chéhéry
Chatel-Chéhéry is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:-See also:*Communes of the Ardennes department-References:*...
. On Octobet 9 the division continued its attack, and advanced its left flank to a line from south of Pylône to the Rau de la Louvière.
For the rest of the month, the Division turned to the north and advanced astride the Aire River to the region east of St-Juvin. On the 10th it relieved troops of the 1st on the right, north of Fléville
Fléville
Fléville is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
, as far as a new boundary extending north and south through Sommerance
Sommerance
Sommerance is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:...
. It then attacked and captured Cornay
Cornay
Cornay is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:...
and Marcq
Enghien
Enghien is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Enghien had a total population of 11,980. The total area is 40.59 km² which gives a population density of 295 inhabitants per km²....
, and established the front just to their south. On 11 October, the right flank of the division occupied Sommerance and the high ground north of la Rance Rau while the left advanced to the railroad south of the Aire. The next day, the 42nd relieved the 82nd's troops in and near Sommerance, allowing it to resume the attack. The 82nd passed through part of the Hindenburg
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
defensive position, and reached a line just north of the road from St-Georges to St-Juvin.
On 18 October, the division relieved elements of the 78th as far to the left as Marcq and Champigneulle
Champigneulle
Champigneulle is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:...
. Three days later it advanced to the Ravin aux Pierres. On 31 October, the 82nd, except the artillery, was relieved by the 77th Division and the 80th Division, and assembled in the Argonne Forest near Champ-Mahaut. On 2 November, the division concentrated near La Chalade and Les Islettes
Les Islettes
Les Islettes is a commune in the Meuse department of Lorraine in north-eastern France....
, and, on 4 November, moved to training areas in Vaucouleurs
Vaucouleurs
Vaucouleurs is a commune in the Meuse department.Joan of Arc stayed in Vaucouleurs for several months during 1428 and 1429 while she sought permission to visit the royal court of Charles VII of France.* Distance from Paris: -External links:* *...
. On the 10th it moved again to training areas in Bourmont
Bourmont
Bourmont is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France....
, where it remained until the 11 November armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
. During this campaign the division suffered another 7,000 killed and wounded. A second 82nd soldier, Alvin C. York, won the Medal of Honor during this campaign.
Post-war
The division suffered 995 killed and 7,082 wounded, for a total of 8,077 casualties. Following the war's end, the division moved to training areas near PrauthoyPrauthoy
Prauthoy is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France....
, where it remained through February 1919. It returned to the United States in April and May, and was demobilized and deactivated at Camp Mills, New York on 27 May.
For the next 20 years the 82nd Division existed only as a unit of the Organized Reserve. It was reconstituted on 24 June 1921 establishing headquarters at Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, South Carolina, in January 1922. The 82nd formed part of the Organized Reserves, and elements of the Division were located in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and Florida.
Louisiana to Italy
The 82nd Division was redesignated on 13 February 1942 as Division Headquarters, 82nd Division. It was recalled to active service on 25 March 1942, and reorganized at Camp ClaiborneCamp Claiborne
Camp Claiborne was a U.S. Army military camp during World War II located in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. The camp was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Eighth Service Command, and included 23,000 acres ....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, under the command of Major General Omar N. Bradley. During this training period, the division brought together four officers who would ultimately steer the US Army during the following two decades: Matthew B. Ridgway, Matthew D. Query, James M. Gavin
James M. Gavin
James Maurice "Jumpin' Jim" Gavin was a prominent Lieutenant General in the United States Army during World War II...
, and Maxwell D. Taylor
Maxwell D. Taylor
General Maxwell Davenport "Max" Taylor was an United States Army four star general and diplomat of the mid-20th century, who served as the fifth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after having been appointed by the President of the United States John F...
. Under General Bradley, the 82nd Division's Chief of Staff was George Van Pope.
Allied invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied landing on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, by General Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group during the Second World War. The operation followed the successful invasion of Sicily during the Italian Campaign...
. The Division's first two combat operations were parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
assaults into Sicily on 9 July and Salerno
Allied invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied landing on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, by General Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group during the Second World War. The operation followed the successful invasion of Sicily during the Italian Campaign...
on 13 September. The initial assault on Sicily, by the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment is one of four infantry regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army.Activated in 1942, the regiment participated in the campaigns of Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, Holland and the Battle of the Bulge during World War II...
, was the first regimental-sized combat parachute assault conducted by the United States Army. The first glider assault did not occur until Operation Neptune
Operation Neptune
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 , beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time...
as part of D-Day. Glider troopers of the 319th and 320th Glider Field Artillery and the 325th Glider Infantry instead arrived in Italy by landing craft at Maiori (319th) and Salerno (320th, 325th).
In January 1944, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment is an airborne infantry regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1942 as part of the 82nd Airborne Division.-Organization:...
, which was temporarily detached to fight at Anzio
Anzio
Anzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...
, adopted the nickname "Devils in Baggy Pants," taken from an entry in a German officer's diary. While the 504th was detached, the remainder of the 82nd moved to the United Kingdom in November 1943 to prepare for the liberation of Europe. See RAF North Witham
RAF North Witham
RAF Station North Witham is a former World War II airfield in Lincolnshire, England. The airfield is located in Twyford Wood, approximately east-southeast of Cotgrave; about north-northwest of London...
and RAF Folkingham
RAF Folkingham
RAF Folkingham is a former World War II Royal Air Force flying station in Lincolnshire, England. The airfield is located south west of Folkingham and due east of Lenton village, approximately due south of county town Lincoln and north of London...
.
France to Germany
With two combat assaults under its belt, the 82nd Airborne Division was now ready for the most ambitious airborne operation of the war so far, as part of Operation NeptuneOperation Neptune
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 , beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time...
, the invasion of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. The Division conducted Operation Boston, part of the airborne assault phase of the Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
plan.
In preparation for the operation, the division was reorganized. To ease the integration of replacement troops, rest, and refitting following the fighting in Italy, the 504th did not rejoin the division for the invasion. Two new parachute infantry regiments, the 507th
507th Infantry Regiment
During World War II, the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment was a regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division and, later, 17th Airborne Division of the United States Army.The regiment was initially formed at Camp Toccoa, Georgia on 20 July 1942...
and the 508th, provided it, along with the 505th, a three-parachute infantry regiment punch. On 5 and 6 June, these paratroopers, parachute artillery elements, and the 319th and 320th, boarded hundreds of transport planes and glider
Military glider
Military gliders have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g...
s to begin history's 2nd largest airborne assault, the biggest being Operation Market Garden. Its 325th Glider Infantry Regiment would later arrive by glider on 7 June to provide a division reserve.
By the time the All-American Division was pulled back to England, it had seen 33 days of bloody combat and suffered 5,245 troopers killed, wounded, or missing. Ridgway's post-battle report stated in part, "...33 days of action without relief, without replacements. Every mission accomplished. No ground gained was ever relinquished."
Following Normandy, the 82nd became part of the newly organized XVIII Airborne Corps, which consisted of the U.S. 17th, 82nd, and 101st Airborne Divisions
101st Airborne Division (United States)
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
. Ridgway was given command, but was not promoted to Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
until 1945. His recommendation for succession as commander was Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
James M. Gavin
James M. Gavin
James Maurice "Jumpin' Jim" Gavin was a prominent Lieutenant General in the United States Army during World War II...
. Ridgway's recommendation met with approval, and upon promotion Gavin became the youngest two-star general since the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
to command a US Army division.
First Allied Airborne Army
The First Allied Airborne Army was an Allied formation formed on 2 August 1944 by the order of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. The formation was part of the Allied Expeditionary Force and controlled all Allied airborne forces in Western...
. In September, the 82nd began planning for Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. 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, was reassigned to the 82nd, while the 507th was assigned to the 17th Airborne. On 17 September, the 82nd conducted its fourth World War II combat assault. Fighting off 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 the Battle of Arnhem
Battle of Arnhem
The Battle of Arnhem was a famous Second World War military engagement fought in and around the Dutch towns of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17–26 September 1944....
. After a period of duty on the Arnhem front, the 82nd was relieved by Canadian troops, and sent to France.
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
. Two days later the 82nd joined the fighting and blunted General Gerd von Rundstedt
Gerd von Rundstedt
Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Army during World War II. He held some of the highest field commands in all phases of the war....
's northern penetration of American lines. During this campaign, PFC
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
Martin, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, told a sergeant in a retreating tank destroyer to, "...pull your vehicle behind me—I'm the 82nd Airborne, and this is as far as the bastards are going!" After helping to secure the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
, the division ended the war at Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. It was the capital of the former district of Ludwigslust, and is part of the district Ludwigslust-Parchim since September 2011.-History:...
past the Elbe River, accepting the surrender of over 150,000 of Lieutenant General Kurt von Tippelskirch
Kurt von Tippelskirch
Kurt Oskar Heinrich Ludwig Wilhelm von Tippelskirch was a general in the German Army during World War II.-Personal life:Kurt von Tippelskirch was born on 9 October 1891 in Berlin...
's 21st Army
21st Army (Germany)
The 21st Army was also known as the Armee Norwegen .The 21st Army was formed on 19 December 1940. The units of the army were absorbed by the 20th Mountain Army on 18 December 1944....
. General Bradley's reaction is worth an aside; he claimed in a 1975 interview with Gavin that Montgomery told him German opposition was too great to cross the Elbe. When Gavin's division crossed it, it moved 36 miles in one day and captured over 100,000 troops, causing great laughter in Bradley's 12th Army Group headquarters.
Following Germany's surrender, the 82nd entered Berlin for occupation duty, lasting from April until December 1945. 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-American" became also known as "America's Guard of Honor." The war ended before their scheduled participation in the invasion of Japan. During the invasion of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in World War II, Ridgway considered Will Lang Jr.
Will Lang Jr.
William John Lang Jr. was an American journalist and a bureau head for Life magazine.- Early career :...
of TIME Magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
an honorary member of the Division.
- Casualties
- 1,619 Killed in Action
- 6,560 Wounded in Action
- 332 Died of Wounds
Post WWII
The division returned to the United States on 3 January 1946. The division returned on the . In New York City it got a Ticker-tape parade
Ticker-tape parade
A ticker-tape parade is a parade event held in a built-up urban setting, allowing large amounts of shredded paper to be thrown from nearby office buildings onto the parade route, creating a celebratory effect by the snowstorm-like flurry...
. In 1947 the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
555th Parachute Infantry Battalion
The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was an all-black airborne unit of the United States Army during World War II.-Activation:The unit was activated as a result of a recommendation made in December 1942 by the Advisory Committee on Negro Troop Policies, chaired by the Assistant Secretary of War,...
was assigned to the 82nd and was reflagged as the 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment is one of four infantry regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army.Activated in 1942, the regiment participated in the campaigns of Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, Holland and the Battle of the Bulge during World War II...
. Instead of being demobilized, the 82nd found a permanent home at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina, designated a Regular Army division on 15 November 1948. The 82nd was not sent to the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, as both Presidents Truman and Eisenhower chose to keep it in strategic reserve in the event of a Soviet ground attack anywhere in the world. Life in the 82nd during the 1950s and 1960s consisted of intensive training exercises in all environments and locations, including Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Panama, the Far East and the continental United States.
Within the United States, in 1967, the 82nd was sent to deal with the massive 1967 Detroit riot. Within two days of their deployment, the riots ended, with 43 people dead.
Dominican Republic & Vietnam deployments
In April 1965, the "All-Americans" entered the civil war in the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, in which more than 3,000 Dominicans died. Spearheaded by the 3rd Brigade, the 82nd deployed in Operation Power Pack
Operation Power Pack
The second United States occupation of the Dominican Republic began when the United States Marines Corps entered Santo Domingo on April 28, 1965. They were later joined by most of the United States Army's 82nd Airborne Division and its parent XVIIIth Airborne Corps...
.
A year later, the 82nd went into action in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. During the Tet Offensive, which swept across the Vietnam in January 1968, the 3rd Brigade was en route to Chu Lai
Chu Lai
Chu Lai is a sea port, urban and industrial area in Dung Quat Bay, Núi Thành district, Quang Nam province of Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai Airport.-Vietnam War:...
within 24 hours of receiving its orders. The 3rd Brigade performed combat duties in the Huế
Hue
Hue is one of the main properties of a color, defined technically , as "the degree to which a stimulus can be describedas similar to or different from stimuli that are described as red, green, blue, and yellow,"...
– Phu Bai area of the I Corps sector. Later the brigade moved south to Saigon, and fought in the Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...
, the Iron Triangle
Iron Triangle (Vietnam)
The Iron Triangle was a area in the Binh Duong Province of Vietnam, so named due to it being a stronghold of Viet Minh activity during the war...
and along the Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n border, serving nearly 22 months.
Past-Vietnam and operations in the 1980s
From 1969 into the 1970s, the 82nd deployed paratroopers to South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
on more than 180DBT (Days Bad Time) for exercises in potential future battlegrounds. The division received three alerts. One was for Black September 1970. Paratroopers were on their way to Amman, Jordan when the mission was aborted. War in the Middle East in the fall of 1973 brought the 82nd to full alert. In May 1978, the division was alerted to a possible drop into Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
. In November 1979, the division was alerted for a possible operation to rescue the American hostages in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. The division formed the nucleus of the newly created Rapid Deployment Forces, a mobile force at a permanently high state of readiness.
On 25 October 1983, elements of the 82nd provided support to the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion
2nd Ranger Battalion is the name of two distinct units of United States Army Rangers. The first was part of the six Ranger battalions of the Second World War...
s in the invasion of Grenada
Invasion of Grenada
The Invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, was a 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada, a Caribbean island nation with a population of about 100,000 located north of Venezuela. Triggered by a military coup which had ousted a four-year revolutionary government, the invasion...
. The first 82nd unit to deploy was a task force of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (Airborne), 325th Infantry. On 26 October and 27, the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 505th Infantry, and the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry, deployed to Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
with support units. 2/505 deployed as well. Military operations ended in early November. Note that 2/325 did not deploy one COHORT company which was not "ARTEP'd". Each proceeding battalion (Bn) pushed a single company forward with A-2/504 (led by then Captain Howard F. Humble, 1SG Thomas Ingram, and Lt John A. Schatzel (Weapons Platoon Leader) deploying only one company out of the entire Bn). The Operation was critically flawed in several areas. Newly issued BDU's were not designed for the tropical environment. Communication between services (Army, Navy and Airforce) was a noticeable weak-link, without interoperability. This was the first time MRE
MRE
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat — commonly known as the MRE — is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging bought by the United States military for its service members for use in combat or other field conditions where organized food facilities are not available...
's were mass issued to paratroopers.
The operation tested the Division's ability to act as a rapid deployment force. The first aircraft carrying troopers from the 2/325th touched down at Point Salinas 17 hours after notification, commanded by Jack L.Hamilton with Alpha company as Initial Ready Company.
In March 1988, a brigade task force made up of two battalions from the 504th Infantry Regiment and 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 505th Infantry, conducted a parachute insertion and air/land operation into Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
as part of Operation Golden Pheasant
Operation Golden Pheasant
Operation Golden Pheasant was an emergency deployment of U.S. troops to Honduras in 1988, as a result of threatening actions by the forces of the Nicaraguans.-History:...
. The deployment was billed as a joint training exercise, but the paratroopers were ready to fight. The deployment caused the Sandinistas to withdraw to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. Operation Golden Pheasant prepared the paratroopers for future combat in an increasingly unstable world.
On 20 December 1989, the "All-American," as part of the United States invasion of Panama
United States invasion of Panama
The United States Invasion of Panama, code-named Operation Just Cause, was the invasion of Panama by the United States in December 1989. It occurred during the administration of U.S. President George H. W...
, conducted their first combat jump since World War II onto Torrijos International Airport
Tocumen International Airport
Tocumen International Airport is an international airport located from Panama City, Panama. In 2006, it underwent a major expansion and renovation program in order to modernize and improve its facilities...
, Panama. The goal of the 1st Brigade task force, which was made up of the 1/504 and 2/504 as well as 4/325 and A Company, 3/505, was to oust Manuel Noriega
Manuel Noriega
Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno is a Panamanian politician and soldier. He was military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989.The 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States removed him from power; he was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the United States. Noriega was tried on...
from power. They were joined on the ground by 3/504, which was already in Panama. After the night combat jump and airport seizure, the 82nd conducted follow-on combat air assault missions in Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
and the surrounding areas. The paratroopers returned to Fort Bragg on 12 January 1990.
Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm: Iraq
Invasion of Kuwait
The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, which subsequently led to direct military intervention by United States-led forces in the Gulf...
on 2 August 1990, the 82nd became the vanguard of the largest deployment of American troops since Vietnam as part of Operation Desert Shield
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. The first unit to deploy to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
was a task force including the division's 2nd Brigade. Soon after, the rest of the division followed. There, intensive training began in anticipation of desert fighting against the heavily armored Iraqi Army
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
.
On 16 January 1991, Operation Desert Storm
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
began when Allied war planes attacked Iraqi targets. As the air war began, elements of the 82nd initially deployed in the vicinity of the Aramco oil facilities outside Abqaiq
Abqaiq
Abqaiq, or in Arabic Bqaiq , is a Saudi Aramco camp in the interior of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, located in the desert 60 km southwest of the Dhahran-Dammam-Khobar metropolitan area. The camp was built in the 1940s by ARAMCO...
, Saudi Arabia. Coinciding with the start of the air war, three National Guard Light-Medium Truck companies, the 253rd (NJARNG), 1122nd (AKARNG), and the 1058th (MAARNG) joined 2nd BDE of the 82nd. In the coming weeks using primarily the 5-Ton cargo trucks of these truck companies, the 2nd BDE moved north to "tap line road" in the vicinity of Rafha
Rafha
Rafha is a town in the north of Saudi Arabia, close to the border with Iraq. It is located at around ....
, Saudi Arabia. Eventually, these National Guard truck units effectively "motorized" the 2/325, providing the troop ground transportation required for them to keep pace with the 6th French Light Armored Division
Opération Daguet
Opération Daguet was the codename for French operations during the 1991 Gulf War...
during the incursion. The ground war began almost six weeks later. On 23 February, 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 battalion-task force (2/325) was attached to the 6th French Light Armored Division
Opération Daguet
Opération Daguet was the codename for French operations during the 1991 Gulf War...
becoming the far left flank of the Corps. In the short 100-hour ground war, the 82nd drove deep into Iraq and captured thousands of Iraqi soldiers and tons of equipment, weapons, and ammunition. During that time, the 82nd's Band and MP Company processed 2,721 prisoners. After the liberation of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, the 82nd redeployed to Fort Bragg mostly by the end of April.
Hurricane Andrew
In August 1992, the division deployed a task force to the hurricane-ravaged area of South Florida to provide humanitarian assistance following Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...
. For more than 30 days, troopers provided food, shelter and medical attention to the Florida population.
Operation Restore Democracy: Haïti
On 16 September 1994, the 82d Airborne Division joined Operation Restore Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was an intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide...
. The 82nd Airborne Division was scheduled to make combat parachute jumps into Pegasus Drop Zone and Papia Airport, in order to help oust the military dictatorship of Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras
Raoul Cédras is a former military officer, and was de facto ruler of Haiti from 1991 to 1994.-Background:Cédras was educated in the United States and was a member of the US-trained Leopard Corps...
, and to restore the democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
. At the same time that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
were negotiating with Cédras to restore Aristide to power, the 82nd's first wave was in the air, with paratroopers waiting at Green Ramp to Air Land in Haïti once the airfields there had been seized. When the Haïtian military verified from sources outside Pope Air Force Base
Pope Air Force Base
Pope Field is a United States Army facility located 12 miles northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.-Units:...
that the 82nd was on the way, Cédras stepped down, averting the invasion.
Former Vice President Al Gore would later travel to Fort Bragg to personally thank the paratroopers of the 82nd for their actions, noting in a speech on 19 September 1994, that the 82nd's reputation alone was enough to change Cédras' mind:
Operations Safe Haven and Safe Passage: guarding Cuban refugees
In December 1994, the 2/505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, deployed as part of Operations Safe Haven and Safe Passage
Operations Safe Haven and Safe Passage
Operations Safe Haven and Safe Passage were operations by the United States Joint Task Force designed to relieve the overcrowded migrant camps at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Safe Haven established four camps on Empire Range, Panama to provide a safe haven for up to ten thousand Cuban migrants...
. The battalion deployed from Fort Bragg while on Division Ready Force 1 to restore order against hundreds of Cuban refugees who had attacked and injured a number of Air Force personnel while protesting their detainment at Empire Range along the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. The Battalion participated in the safeguarding of the Cuban Refugees and the active patrolling in and around the refugee camps for two months, returning to Fort Bragg in February 1995.
Operation Joint Endeavor: Bosnia
In December 1995, battalions of the 82nd prepared for a possible parachute jump to support elements of the 1st Armored Division
1st Armored Division (United States)
The 1st Armored Division—nicknamed "Old Ironsides"—is a standing armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Bliss, Texas. It was the first armored division of the U.S...
which had been ordered to Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of Operation Joint Endeavor. Only after engineers of the 1st Armored Division bridged the Sava River
Sava River
The Sava is a river in Southeast Europe, a right side tributary of the Danube river at Belgrade. Counting from Zelenci, the source of Sava Dolinka, it is long and drains of surface area. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia, along the northern border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and through Serbia....
on 31 December 1995 without hostilities did the 82nd begin to draw down against plans for a possible Airborne operation there.
Operation Allied Force: Kosovo
In March 1999 the 2/505 deployed to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and forward deployed along the Albania/Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
border in support of Operation Allied Force
Operation Allied Force
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
, NATO's bombing campaign against Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n forces in the Former Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
Republic. In September 1999, 3/504 deployed in support of Operation Joint Guardian, replacing 2/505. 3/504 was replaced in March 2000 by elements of the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division (United States)
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
.
On 1 October 1999, the 1–508th made a combat jump in "Operation Rapid Gaurdian": 500 foot altitude jump near Pristina.
2001–present
Operation Enduring Freedom: Afghanistan
After the 11 September attacks on the United States, the 82nd's 49th Public Affairs Detachment deployed to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in October 2001 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom along with several individual 82nd soldiers who deployed to the Central Command Area of Responsibility to support combat operations.
In June 2002, elements of the Division Headquarters and 3rd Brigade deployed to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. In January 2003 1st Brigade relieved 3rd Brigade. During 1st Brigade's tour in Afghanistan, 70 soldiers from B Company, 3/504
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment is an airborne infantry regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1942 as part of the 82nd Airborne Division.-Organization:...
, in conjunction with A Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
75th Ranger Regiment (United States)
The 75th Ranger Regiment , also known as Rangers, is a Special Operations light infantry unit of the United States Army. The Regiment is headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia with battalions in Fort Benning, Hunter Army Airfield and Joint Base Lewis-McChord...
, jumped into western Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, an operation that remained classified for over a year.
Operation Iraqi Freedom: Iraq
In March 2003, 2–325 and 3-325 Airborne Infantry of the 2nd BCT was attached to the 75th Ranger Regiment as part of a Special Operations
Special operations
Special operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
Task Force to conduct a parachute assault to seize Saddam International Airport in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On 21 March 2003, D Company crossed the Saudi Arabia-Iraqi border as part of Task Force Hunter to escort heavy rocket artillery indirect fire systems to destroy Iraqi artillery batteries in the western Iraqi desert. Upon cancellation of the parachute assault to seize the airport, the Battalions returned to their parent 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment at Talil Airfield near An Nasariyah, Iraq.
The brigade returned to the US by end-February 2004.
The 3rd brigade deployed to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in the summer, redeploying to the U.S. in Spring 2004. The 1st brigade deployed in January 2004. The last units of the division left by the end of April 2004. The 2nd brigade deployed on December 7, 2004 to support the Free Elections and returned on Easter Sunday in 2005. During this initial deployment 36 soldiers from the division were killed and about 400 were wounded, out of about 12,000 deployed. On 21 July 2006, the 1/325 along with a platoon from A Battery 2/319 Airborne Field Artillery Regiment and a troop from 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment
73rd Cavalry Regiment (United States)
The 73rd Cavalry Regiment is a Cavalry Regiment in the U.S. Army first formed in 1941.-History:The 4 squadrons of the 73rd Cavalry Regiment provide reconnaissance, surveillance, & target acquisition to the Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division...
deployed to Tikrit, Iraq returning in December 2006. Just days after returning home, the battalion join the rest of the 2nd Brigade in another deployment scheduled for the beginning of January 2007.
On 4 January 2007, 2nd BCT deployed once again to Iraq in support of OIF. On 6 June 2007, 1st Brigade deployed to Southern Iraq, returning on 18 March 2008.
The early days of the 82nd Airborne's participation in the deployment were chronicled by embedded journalist
Embedded journalist
Embedded journalism refers to news reporters being attached to military units involved in armed conflicts. While the term could be applied to many historical interactions between journalists and military personnel, it first came to be used in the media coverage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
Karl Zinsmeister
Karl Zinsmeister
Karl Zinsmeister is an executive, researcher, and writer. From 2006 to 2009 he served in the White House as President George W. Bush's chief domestic policy adviser, and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.-Biography:...
in his 2003 book Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq
Boots on the Ground (book)
Boots on the Ground: A Month with the 82nd Airborne in the Battle for Iraq is a book written by journalist Karl Zinsmeister, who was embedded with the storied 82nd Airborne Division during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom....
.
In December 2008 3rd BCT deployed to Baghdad, Iraq and redeployed to Ft. Bragg In November 2009.
In August 2009 1st BCT deployed once again to Iraq and redeployed late July 2010.
Support of 2004 elections in Afghanistan
In late September 2004 The National Command Authority
National Command Authority
National Command Authority is a term used by the Department of Defense of the United States of America to refer to the ultimate lawful source of military orders. The NCA comprises the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense jointly, or their duly deputized successors, i.e...
alerted 1/505 for an emergency deployment to Afghanistan in support of that October's (first free) elections.
Two infantry battalions from the 82nd Airborne deployed to Iraq before the scheduled 15 October referendum on the proposed constitution, and are expected to remain through the December national elections. The battalions involved are the 2nd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment.
The First Brigade of the 82nd deployed in April 2005 in support of OEF 6, and returned in April 2006.
The 2nd Brigade is currently deployed to Iraq and will return by the end of 2011.
Hurricane Katrina
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is a Class B public use international airport in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by the City of New Orleans and is located 10 nautical miles west of its central business district. The airport's address is 900 Airline Drive...
after the city was flooded by Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in September 2005. About 5,000 paratroopers commanded by Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, operated out of New Orleans International Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is a Class B public use international airport in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by the City of New Orleans and is located 10 nautical miles west of its central business district. The airport's address is 900 Airline Drive...
.
2010 Haiti earthquake
Paratroopers from the US 82nd Airborne Division distributed water and food in the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
relief.
Reorganization
In January 2006, the division began reorganizing from a division based organization to a brigade combat team based organization. Activated elements include a 4th Brigade Combat Team (1–508th INF, 2–508th INF, 4–73rd Cav (RSTA), 2–321st FA, 782nd BSB, and STB, 4th BCT) and the inactivation of the Division Artillery, 82nd Signal Battalion, and 313th Military Intelligence Battalion313th Military Intelligence Battalion (United States)
The 313th Military Intelligence Battalion traces its lineage back to 25 September 1942, with the activation of the 215th Signal Depot Company; the battalion was officially activated and assigned to the 82d Airborne Division on 16 October 1979...
. The 82nd Division Support Command (DISCOM) was redesignated as the 82nd Sustainment Brigade
82nd Sustainment Brigade (United States)
The 82nd Sustainment Brigade is a sustainment brigade of the United States Army based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It provides logistical support to all tenant units at the base, and is under the direct command of FORSCOM....
. A pathfinder unit was reactivated within the 82nd when the Long Range Surveillance Detachment of the inactivating 313th MI Bn was transferred to the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment and converted to a pathfinder role.
Back to Afghanistan
In January 2007, the Division Headquarters, 4th BCT (includes 1–508th and 2–508th) and the Aviation Brigade deployed to Afghanistan as Combined Joint Task Force-82 (CJTF-82) for Operation Enduring Freedom VIII. The 3rd BCT, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) was extended for 120 days to increase the troop strength against the Taliban Spring Offensive. In March 2008, 4th BCT began redeploying back to Fort Bragg after 15 months in Afghanistan. The 2–508th PIR worked to establish and maintain firebases in and around the Ghazni province while actively patrolling their operational area. The 1–508th PIR worked mostly out of the Kandahar province mentoring the Afghan National Security Forces. Supporting the Division are the 36th Engineer Brigade36th Engineer Brigade (United States)
The 36th Engineer Brigade is a combat engineer brigade of the United States Army based at Fort Hood, Texas. The brigade is a subordinate unit of III Corps....
, and the 43rd Area Support Group
43rd Sustainment Brigade (United States)
The 43rd Sustainment Brigade is a U.S. Army Forces Command combat service support unit stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. The Brigade motto is "Provide with Pride". The Brigade call sign is "Rough Riders"...
. During the months of August and September 2009, 4th BCT deployed again to Afghanistan. They are slotted for returning to Fort Bragg in August 2010.
Order of battle
82nd Airborne Division Units:.
-
1st Brigade Combat Team
- 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment504th Infantry Regiment (United States)The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment is an airborne infantry regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1942 as part of the 82nd Airborne Division.-Organization:...
- 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment504th Parachute Infantry RegimentThe 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment is an airborne infantry regiment in the United States Army, first formed in 1942 as part of the 82nd Airborne Division.-Organization:...
- 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment73rd Cavalry Regiment (United States)The 73rd Cavalry Regiment is a Cavalry Regiment in the U.S. Army first formed in 1941.-History:The 4 squadrons of the 73rd Cavalry Regiment provide reconnaissance, surveillance, & target acquisition to the Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division...
- 3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment
- 307th Brigade Support Battalion
- Special Troops BattalionSpecial Troops BattalionA Special Troops Battalion is an organic unit of a modular brigade, Division , corps or higher echelon United States Army organization...
- 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
-
2nd Brigade Combat Team
- 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment
- 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)319th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)The 319th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army which can trace its lineage back to 1917.-World War I:...
- 407th Brigade Support Battalion
- Special Troops BattalionSpecial Troops BattalionA Special Troops Battalion is an organic unit of a modular brigade, Division , corps or higher echelon United States Army organization...
- 3rd Brigade Combat Team
- 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment505th Parachute Infantry RegimentThe 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment is one of four infantry regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army.Activated in 1942, the regiment participated in the campaigns of Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, Holland and the Battle of the Bulge during World War II...
- 5th Squadron, 73d Cavalry Regiment
- 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment
- 82nd Brigade Support Battalion
- Special Troops BattalionSpecial Troops BattalionA Special Troops Battalion is an organic unit of a modular brigade, Division , corps or higher echelon United States Army organization...
-
4th Brigade Combat Team
- 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (Former 3-504)
- 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (Former 3-325)
- 4th Squadron, 73d Cavalry Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment (United States)321st Field Artillery Regiment (United States)The 321st Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army.-Lineage:Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 321st Field Artillery and assigned to the 82d Division...
- 782nd Brigade Support Battalion
- Special Troops BattalionSpecial Troops BattalionA Special Troops Battalion is an organic unit of a modular brigade, Division , corps or higher echelon United States Army organization...
-
18th Fires Brigade18th Fires Brigade (United States)The 18th Fires Brigade is the only fires brigade under XVIII Airborne Corps. It is currently based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and supports the 82nd Airborne Division and other Corps units...
(Formerly separate; assigned 16 July 2008)- Headquarters & Headquarters Battery (http://www.thefreelibrary.com/18th+Fires+Brigade+(Airborne).-a0214999501)
- 1st Battalion(Airborne), 321st Field Artillery Regiment (United States)321st Field Artillery Regiment (United States)The 321st Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army.-Lineage:Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 321st Field Artillery and assigned to the 82d Division...
(M777 HowitzerM777 howitzerThe M777 howitzer is a towed 155 mm artillery piece, successor to the M198 howitzer in the United States Marine Corps and United States Army. The M777 is also used by the Canadian Army, and has been in action in Afghanistan since February 2006 along with the associated GPS-guided Excalibur...
) - 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment (United States)321st Field Artillery Regiment (United States)The 321st Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army.-Lineage:Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 321st Field Artillery and assigned to the 82d Division...
(M777 HowitzerM777 howitzerThe M777 howitzer is a towed 155 mm artillery piece, successor to the M198 howitzer in the United States Marine Corps and United States Army. The M777 is also used by the Canadian Army, and has been in action in Afghanistan since February 2006 along with the associated GPS-guided Excalibur...
) - 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment (HIMARS)
- 188th Brigade Support Battalion
- D Battery, 26th Field Artillery Regiment (Target Acquisition)
- 206th Signal Company
- Combat Aviation BrigadeCombat Aviation BrigadeA Combat Aviation Brigade is a multi-functional brigade-sized unit in the United States Army that fields military helicopters, offering a combination of attack helicopters , reconnaissance helicopters , medium-lift helicopters , heavy-lift helicopters , and MEDEVAC capability.- History :Combat...
- Headquarters and Headquarters CompanyHeadquarters and Headquarters CompanyIn United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...
- 1st Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment82nd Aviation Regiment (United States)The 82nd Aviation Regiment is an aviation regiment of the U.S. Army.-Lineage:Constituted 1 September 1957 in the Regular Army as the 82nd Aviation Company, assigned to the 82d Airborne Division, and activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina...
(Attack Reconnaissance) AH-64D Apache LongbowAH-64 ApacheThe Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the... - 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment (Assault) UH-60M Black Hawk
- Company F (Pathfinder)
- 3rd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment (General Support)
- Command Aviation Company UH-60L Black Hawk
- Medium Lift Company CH-47F
- Medical Evacuation Company HH-60M Black Hawk
- 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (Attack Reconnaissance)17th Cavalry Regiment (United States)The 17th Cavalry is a historical organization within the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry after the Pancho Villa Expedition. The unit was constituted on 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 17th Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas and originally inactivated 26 September 1921 at the...
- 122nd Aviation Support Battalion
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
-
Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division
- Headquarters and Services Company (HSC)
- Operations Company (A Co)
- Intelligence and Sustainment Company (B Co)
- Division Signal Company (C Co)
- 82nd Airborne Division Band
- US Army Advanced Airborne School
Units habitually aligned but assigned
-
82nd Sustainment Brigade82nd Sustainment Brigade (United States)The 82nd Sustainment Brigade is a sustainment brigade of the United States Army based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It provides logistical support to all tenant units at the base, and is under the direct command of FORSCOM....
- Special Troops BattalionSpecial Troops BattalionA Special Troops Battalion is an organic unit of a modular brigade, Division , corps or higher echelon United States Army organization...
- Headquarters and Headquarters CompanyHeadquarters and Headquarters CompanyIn United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...
- 11th Quartermaster Company http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12874
- 21st Chemical Company
- 18th Human Resources Company
- 82nd Signal Company
- 82nd Financial Management Company
- 125th Mail Movement Team
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- 64th Support Battalion (Combat Sustainment)
- Headquarters and Headquarters CompanyHeadquarters and Headquarters CompanyIn United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...
- 59th Quartermaster Company
- 64th Quartermaster Company
- 600th Quartermaster Company http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12874
- 612th Quartermaster Company http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=12874
- 659th Maintenance Company
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- Special Troops Battalion
Note: Divisional sustainment brigades support, but are not part of, the divisions they support. Sustainment brigades have their own shoulder patches to distinguish them. A shoulder patch for the 82nd Sustainment Brigade was approved effective 19 March 2008. Unlike the division, the 82nd Sustainment Brigade is not on jump status, with the exception of its three Aerial Delivery and Maintenance
Parachute rigger
A parachute rigger is a person who is trained or licensed to pack, maintain or repair parachutes. A rigger is required to understand fabrics, hardware, webbing, regulations, sewing, packing, and other aspects related to the building, packing, repair, and maintenance of parachutes.- Military...
companies, the 11th, 600th and 612th Quartermaster Companies. Since the brigade's formation, the 600th and 612th Quartermaster companies have been inactivated, and the 11th Quartermaster Company is being realigned.
Traditions
To commemorate the 1944 Waal assault river crossing made by the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 307th Engineer Battalion (Airborne) during Operation Market GardenOperation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
, an annual Crossing of the Waal competition is staged on the anniversary of the operation at McKellars Lake near Fort Bragg. The winning company receives a paddle
Paddle
A paddle is a tool used for pushing against liquids, either as a form of propulsion in a boat or as an implement for mixing.-Materials and designs:...
. The paddle signifies that in the original crossing, many paratroopers had to row with their weapons because the canvas boats lacked sufficient paddles.
Campaign participation credit
- World War I
- St. Mihiel
- Meuse-Argonne
- Lorraine 1918
- World War II
- Sicily
- Naples-Foggia
- Normandy (with arrowhead)
- Rhineland (with arrowhead)
- Ardennes-AlsaceBattle of the BulgeThe Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
- Central Europe
- Armed Forces Expeditions
- Dominican Republic
- Grenada
- Panama
- Southwest Asia
- Defense of Saudi Arabia
- Liberation and Defense of Kuwait
- Operation Enduring Freedom
- Operation Iraqi Freedom
Decorations
- Presidential Unit CitationPresidential Unit Citation (US)The Presidential Unit Citation, originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after 7 December 1941...
(Army) for Sainte-Mère-ÉgliseSainte-Mère-ÉgliseSainte-Mère-Église is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-History:Founded in the eleventh Century, the earliest records include the name Sancte Marie Ecclesia, Latin for "Church of St. Mary", while a later document written in Norman-French mentions Saincte...
. - Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for Operation Market GardenOperation Market GardenOperation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
. - Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for Chiunzi Pass/Naples/Foggia awarded to the following units of the 82nd Airborne: 319th Glider Field Arty Bn,307th Engineer Bn (2nd), 80th Anti-aircraft Bn and Company H, 504 PIR
- Valorous Unit Citation (Army) for Operation Iraqi Freedom (3rd Brigade Combat Team, OIF 1)
- Meritorious Unit CommendationMeritorious Unit CommendationThe Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
(Army) for SouthWest Asia. - French Croix de GuerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
with Palm, World War II for Sainte-Mère-ÉgliseSainte-Mère-ÉgliseSainte-Mère-Église is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-History:Founded in the eleventh Century, the earliest records include the name Sancte Marie Ecclesia, Latin for "Church of St. Mary", while a later document written in Norman-French mentions Saincte...
. - French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II for Cotentin.
- French Croix de Guerre, World War II, Fourragère
- Belgian Fourragere 1940
- Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the Ardennes
- Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in Belgium And Germany.
- Military William Order, the highest and a very rare honor of the Kingdom of the NetherlandsKingdom of the NetherlandsThe Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
, for bravery and valiant service in battle at Nijmegen 1944 during Market Garden. (worn as an Orange LanyardLanyardA lanyard is a rope or cord exclusively worn around the neck or wrist to carry something. Usually it is used where there is a risk of losing the object or to ensure it is visible at all times. Aboard a ship, it may refer to a piece of rigging used to secure objects...
) - Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for the Battle of SamawahBattle of Samawah (2003)The Battle of Samawah took place during the 2003 invasion of Iraq as American troops fought to clear the city of Iraqi forces. The city had been bypassed during the advance on Baghdad, leaving the task of clearing it to American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division.-Before the battle:As the U.S...
, April 2003, awarded to the following unit of the 82nd Airborne: 2nd Brigade Combat Team (325th Airborne Infantry Regiment)
Units during WW II
The following are 82nd Airborne units during World War II.- Division Headquarters
- 325th Glider Infantry Regiment
- 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (assigned 15 August 1942; replaced 327th Inf Rgt relieved that same date)
- 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (assigned 10 February 1943; replaced 326th Inf Rgt which departed on 4 February 1943)
- 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment (attached 14 January 1944 – 1 March 1945)
- 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (attached 14 January 1944 – 21 January 1945; 23 January 1945 through 9 May 1945)
- 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment (attached 1–11 January 1945; 23–26 January 1945; 3–5 February 1945; 9–10 February 1945)
- 1st Battalion, 551st Parachute Infantry Regiment (attached 26 December 1944 – 13 January 1945; 21–27 January 1945)
- HHB, Division Artillery
- 319th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (75mm Normandy, Holland, Germany/105mm Italy)
- 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (75mm Italy/105mm Normandy, Holland, Germany)
- 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (75mm)
- 456th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (75mm)
- 80th Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion
- 307th Airborne Engineer Battalion
- 307th Airborne Medical Company
- 82nd Parachute Maintenance Company
- 82nd Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment
- Headquarters, Special Troops
- Headquarters Company, 82nd Airborne Division
- 782nd Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company
- 407th Airborne Quartermaster Company407th Forward Support BattalionOriginally designated the 307th Supply Train , the unit was activated on 5 August 1917 at Camp Gordon, Georgia as the country was building up for World War I. The unit was part of the 82d Infantry Division, which was assigned to the American Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in France. The...
- 82nd Airborne Signal Company
- Military Police Platoon
- Reconnaissance Platoon (assigned in 1 March 1945 reorganization)
- Band (assigned in 1 March 1945 reorganization)
- Honor Guard Platoon (post-war) provided honor guards at the Kleist Palace, Berlin and other locations. Capt. Howard A. Stephens commanding
Past commanders
Taken from 82nd Airborne Division past commanders
|
John R. Deane, Jr. John Russell Deane, Jr. was a United States Army general and served as commander of the United States Army Materiel Command.Deane was born in San Francisco, California on June 8, 1919. In 1937, he enlisted in the 16th Infantry. After one year, he entered the United States Military Academy... 14 October 1968 – 14 July 1970 George S. Blanchard George Samuel Blanchard was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, U.S. Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group from 1975 to 1979.-Military career:... 15 July 1970 – 16 July 1972 Roscoe Robinson, Jr. Roscoe Robinson, Jr. , was the first African American to become a four-star general in the United States Army.... 11 October 1976 – 1 December 1978 James J. Lindsay General James Joseph Lindsay is a retired United States Army four star general, and served as the first commander of the United States Special Operations Command.Military career=... 6 February 1981 – 24 June 1983 John W. Foss General John William Foss is a retired United States Army four star general, and former commander of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.-Military career:... 10 January 1986 – 10 October 1986 William M. Steele Lieutenant General William Michael Steele commanded the U.S. Army, Pacific from July 1996 to October 1998. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, he graduated from The Citadel in 1967 and earned a Master of Arts in Management from Webster University in St. Louis... 21 May 1993 – 10 March 1995 Dan K. McNeill Dan Kelly McNeill is a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He served Commander, Coalition Forces, Afghanistan from 2002 to 2003 and as Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command from 2004 to 2007... 31 July 1998 – 19 June 2000 John Vines Lieutenant General John Randolph Vines is the former commander of the U.S. Army's XVIII Airborne Corps and Multi-National Corps - Iraq.... August 2000 – May 2003 David M. Rodriguez David M. Rodriguez is a United States Army general who currently serves as the Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command. He previously served as Commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces - Afghanistan from March 2010 to July 11, 2011... 7 April 2006 – 21 July 2008 Curtis Scaparrotti Curtis Michael "Mike" Scaparrotti is a Lieutenant General in the United States Army, and is the current Commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan. He is the former commander of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord... 21 July 2008 – 5 August 2010 |
See also
- 82nd Airborne on Facebook
- 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum82nd Airborne Division War Memorial MuseumThe 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum is a museum located at Ardennes and Gela Streets on the Fort Bragg Army base. Established in 1945, the museum chronicles the history of the 82nd Airborne Division from 1917 to the present including World War I, World War II, Vietnam War, and Persian...
- British Parachute Regiment
- Maroon BeretMaroon beretThe maroon beret is a military beret and has been an international symbol of elite airborne forces since it was chosen for British airborne forces in World War II. This distinctive head dress was officially introduced in 1942, at the direction of General Frederick Browning, commander of the British...
- PathfindersPathfinders (military)A pathfinder is a paratrooper who is inserted or dropped into place in order to set up and operate drop zones, pickup zones, and helicopter landing sites for airborne operations, air resupply operations, or other air operations in support of the ground unit commander...
- Geneviève DuboscqGenevieve DuboscqGenevieve Duboscq is a French author who wrote the best selling My Longest Night - A twelve-year-old heroine's stirring account of D-Day and after. It was originally published in French under the title Bye bye, Genevieve!...
- Medal of Honor: AirborneMedal of Honor: AirborneMedal of Honor: Airborne is a World War II first-person shooter computer game and the 11th installment of the Medal of Honor series. It was developed by EA Los Angeles and was released worldwide on the PC and Xbox 360 in September 2007. A PS2 and Wii version was set to be released but was cancelled...
- Monica Lin BrownMonica Lin BrownMonica Lin Brown is a medic in the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division who became the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second woman since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the United States' third-highest medal for valor.After a roadside...
- World War II Combat Jump Airfields:
- RAF BaldertonRAF Baldertonthumb|Douglas C-47A of the 84th Troop Carrier Squadron.thumb|Douglas C-47A-80-DL Serial 43-15159 of the 94th Troop Carrier Squadron in Normady Invasion Markings.RAF Balderton was a World War II airfield in England...
- RAF Barkston HeathRAF Barkston HeathRAF Barkston Heath is a Royal Air Force station near Grantham, Lincolnshire.RAF Barkston Heath is the home of the Defence Elementary Flying Training School which, for a period between approximately 1995-2010 operated the Slingsby T67M260 Firefly two seat trainer. The school now operates the Grob...
- RAF Chalgrove
- RAF CottesmoreRAF CottesmoreRAF Cottesmore was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. The station housed all the operational Harrier GR9 squadrons in the Royal Air Force, and No 122 Expeditionary Air Wing...
- RAF FolkinghamRAF FolkinghamRAF Folkingham is a former World War II Royal Air Force flying station in Lincolnshire, England. The airfield is located south west of Folkingham and due east of Lenton village, approximately due south of county town Lincoln and north of London...
- RAF MerryfieldRAF MerryfieldRAF Station Merryfield is a former Second World War airfield at the village of Ilton near Ilminster in southwest Somerset, England. The name comes from the ruins of Merryfield House. The airfield is located approximately north of Chard, about southwest of London...
- RAF MemburyRAF MemburyRAF Station Membury is a former World War II airfield built in the civil parish of Lambourn in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately mi north-northwest of Hungerford, at the Membury services stop of the M4 motorway; about miles west-southwest of London...
- RAF North WithamRAF North WithamRAF Station North Witham is a former World War II airfield in Lincolnshire, England. The airfield is located in Twyford Wood, approximately east-southeast of Cotgrave; about north-northwest of London...
- RAF RamsburyRAF RamsburyRAF Station Ramsbury is a former World War II airfield in Wiltshire, England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Marlborough; about west of London. Opened in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force. During the war it was used primarily...
- RAF SaltbyRAF SaltbyRAF Station Saltby was a World War II airfield in Leicestershire, England. The airfield is located approximately northeast of Melton Mowbray; about north-northwestof London....
- RAF SpanhoeRAF Spanhoethumb|C-47s of the 310th TCS on a mission.RAF Station Spanhoe is a former World War II airfield in Northamptonshire, England. The airfield is located approximately east of Uppingham; about north-northwest of London...
- RAF Balderton
External links
- 82nd Airborne on Facebook
- 82nd Airborne Units
- GlobalSecurity.org: 82nd Airborne Division
- All American: The Story of the 82nd Airborne Division – World War II unit history booklet, 1945
- 82nd Airborne Combat Footage DVD WWII Normandy June 1944
- 82nd AB Combat Footage DVD WWII including Operation Market Garden September 1944