A Century of Service

Booz Allen Hamilton serves and supports our nation’s military, Veterans and
their Families, as well as the organizations that stand ready to assist them.
We are honored to join in celebrating the centennial anniversary of the
82nd Airborne Division.
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
1

2

PUBLISHER’S
FOREWORD
The year was 1917, President Woodrow Wilson begins his second term and asks
the U.S. Congress for a Declaration of War on Germany. The selective service act
passes the U.S Congress giving the President the power of Conscription. The very
first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded. The Danish West Indies are purchased by the United State
becoming what is now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands. The enactment of the Jones Act
grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
The same year the All-American division was constituted, originally as the 82nd
Division, in the National Army on 5 August 1917, shortly after the American entry
into World War I. It was organized on 25 August 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia and
later served with distinction on the Western Front in the final months of World War
I. Since its initial members came from all 48 states, the division acquired the nickname
All-American, which is the basis for its famed “AA” shoulder patch. The division later
served in World War II where, in August 1942, it was reconstituted as the first airborne
division of the U.S. Army and fought in numerous campaigns during the war, gaining an
excellent reputation.
The 82nd trains for airborne assault operations into enemy-denied areas, with a
specialization in airfield seizure. Currently under the command of the XVIII Airborne
Corps, the 82nd is the nation’s Global Response Force. Once ordered, it can mobilize,
load, and land anywhere in the world in less than 36 hours to perform combat operations,
assist U.S. allies, and provide humanitarian assistance.
Famous soldiers of the division include: Sergeant Alvin C. York; General James M.
Gavin; General of the Army Omar Bradley; Senator Strom Thurmond (325th Glider
Infantry Regiment in World War II); Senator Jack Reed; R&B singer Lou Rawls; actor
William Windom; country music singer Craig Morgan; to name a few.
We at Choctaw Press welcome this opportunity to pay special tribute to the All
Americans past, present & future whose tireless efforts & sacrifices have made America’s
Guard of Honor, the 82nd Airborne Division an essential part of our countries military
global response force. So, from the veterans at Choctaw Press. Company, Attention!
Present Arms! Order Arms! Thank you from a grateful nation. All The Way!
3

We Salute the 82nd Airborne Division
“All the way!”
As you celebrate your century of heroic service to our great Nation,
we thank you for allowing us to serve you.
4

CONTENTS
Publisher’s Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
A Century of Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
The United States Army Medal of Honor . . . . . . . . .47
The Nation’s Highest Medal for Valor
Fury from the Sky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
The 75th Anniversary of the 508th Infantry Regiment
St. Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Patron Saint of the Paratroopers
“H-Minus”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
The 75th Anniversary of the 505th Infantry Regiment
UAVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Unmanned and Undetected
JUMP School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Earn Your Wings and Become Part of an Elite Family
The 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group . . . . . . . .65
Willing, Able, Ready. Deploying Airborne Forces Around the World
Maroon Beret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
5

6

A Defense Special Projects Publication
A Division of Choctaw Press, LLC
A Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business
Headquarters 2347 East Latoka St. Springfield, MO 65804
PUBLISHER
Jason Franklin
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Mike Horne
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Damon Vermillion
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Mark Logsdon, Jay Cusimano,
Alfredo Cruz, Alexander Ingram
ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER
Dixie Lee
IT / WEBSITE
MudbugHosting.com
PRESIDENT
Trish Franklin
VP of MARKETING
Mark Logsdon
SALES MANAGER
Jay Cusimano
ART DIRECTOR
Michelle M. White
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
& PROJECT MANAGER
Jason Franklin
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
Parker Sue
SPECIAL THANKS TO
LTC. Joseph Buccino, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs Officer,
Mr. John Aarsen, Director 82nd Airborne War Memorial Museum/Historical Society
and Mr. Ralph Alvarez, Museum Technician
Copy Right Choctaw Press LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of editorial content in whole or in part
without written permission is prohibited. Choctaw Press LLC does not assume any responsibility for the advertisements,
nor any representations made therein, nor the quality or deliverability of the products themselves.
Reproduction of articles and photographs in whole or in part, contained herein is prohibited without the
expressed written consent of the publisher, with the exception of reprinting for news media use. None of the advertising
herein implies U.S. Government, Department of Defense endorsement of any private entity or enterprise.
This is not a publication of the Department of Defense, U.S. Government or the 82nd Airborne.
Printed in The United States of America.
7

Our Congratulations
To The
82nd Airborne Division
As your home state
grocery store,
we look forward to
serving you for
the next 100 years.
8
www.foodlion.com

9

10
geico.com/Fayetteville | 910-487-0037 | cblue@geico.com
Caesar Blue | 6415 Brookstone Lane | Fayetteville
Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance
Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. © 2017 GEICO

Need
Pic
11

12

Need
Pic
13

A CENTURY OF SERVICE
His Majesty, King George V, smiled broadly with
approval as the gallant men marched spiritedly
through the streets of London. The cheering
crowd tossed flowers and cigarettes at the
marching men and shouted “God bless you!”
The date was May 11, 1918. England fighting
with her allies against Germany for 3½ years-was wildly
applauding the arrival of the 325th Infantry Regiment
of the U.S. Army’s 82nd Division.
Less than a year earlier-on August 25, 1917,
the 82nd had been activated at Camp Gordon,
Georgia, where raw recruits and draftees learned
basic infantry tactics. World War I combat that
awaited them, the 82nd’s resolute courage proved
to be as important as their intensive training.
14

World War I
On that day in May, the 82nd
Soldiers were in route to the
bloody trenches and foxholes of
“No Man’s land.” They were headed for
the western front in France to join the
“doughboys” of other U.S. Army division.
They were going there, as the London
Times wrote, “…to crush forever the evil
spirit of Prussian Militarism.”
Prophetically, the English press wrote
of the parade: “In the tread of these men
has to be heard the football of fate.” Just
six months later, on November 11, 1918,
the war ended after a humbled Kaiser Wilhelm
II of Germany fled to Holland.
In those combat-filled six months,
the 82nd fought campaigns of unparalleled
passion through the poisonous gas,
the skin slashing wire, and the machine
gun nests of Lorraine, St. Mihiel and
Meuse-Argonne. When all was finally
quiet on the western front, the 82nd’s
3254th, 326th, 327th, and 328th Infantry
Regiment and other attached units
had paid bravely but dearly for victory:
nearly one-fourth of the division’s
28,000 men had been killed or injured in
the fight to protect their allies’ freedom.
The United States entered World
War I on April 6, 1917, after the sinking
of American merchant ships and indications
that Germany hoped to entice
Mexico into its campaign of colonial
conquest. Those actions promoted U.S.
President Woodrow Wilson to ask the
nation to “… make the world safe for
democracy.”
Kaiser Wilhelm II was unimpressed.
He predicted, “America is a democracy
whose people are incapable of the iron
discipline necessary to win victory in the
battlefield.”
Four months after America declared
war, the 82nd-one of the U.S. divisions,
which would riddle the Kaiser’s theory
with bullets-was busy training at Camp
Gordon near Atlanta under the command
of Major General Eben Swift.
Soon after the 82nd was formed on,
August 25, 1917-it was discovered the
division members hailed from all 48states.
This lead to the 82nd’s fabled nickname
of the “All America,” still proudly carried
today on the division’s red, white and blue
“AA” patches.
Under the tutelage of American, British,
and French officers at Camp Gordon,
the All American-from Oregon lumbermen
to southern cotton growers-received
thorough instruction in the tenacious
trench warfare that waited ahead. Slowly
but surely, the team spirit needed to rout
the emerged.
As per General John J.
Pershing, “The greatest
civilian soldier of the
War,” Sgt. Alvin York
of the 82nd Infantry
Division.
Photo Credit: 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum
15

Recording artist,
voice actor,
songwriter, and
record producer.
In 1955, Rawls
enlisted in the 82nd
Airborne Division.
Sworn in as the 56th
Governor of Louisiana
on January 11, 2016,
the governor
commanded a rifle
company in the
82nd Airborne
Division.
Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff
from 1997 to 2001.
Following the Gulf
War, GEN Shelton
commanded the 82nd
Airborne Division
at Fort Bragg in his
home state of North
Carolina.
On April 25, 1918-exactly eight months after the 82nd was formed the
first of the division’s men sailed from New York. Brigadier General William
P. Burnham, the division’s third commander, who had succeeded Brigadier
General James B. Erwin, led them.
Behind the lines in France, the 82nd continued to train with hand grenades
and a variety of small arms. Bayonet warfare training received special
attention; the soldiers attacked targets shouting, “In-Out-On Guard!” On
May 30, General Pershing inspected their training.
Early in June, small groups of 82nd officers and noncommissioned
officers went on details to the British front lines near Albert and Amiens.
While straining barbed wire with British troops, Captain Jewett Williams,
326th Infantry, became the first 82nd member to give his life in combat.
German machine gunners killed Captain Williams, From Athens, Georgia,
on the night of June 9, 1918.
On June 25, the 82nd received its first combat orders, directing one
battalion from each regiment to the Lagny Sector, where they relieved the
26th U.S. Division. Through August 10, the 82nd doughboys learned about
life in and between the trenches of the Lorraine region, which Captain William
Sirmon, 326th Infantry, described in his diary:
“It was my night to tour the trenches. In
The middle of the night, I leaned over the
Parapet and gazed into the darkness that
Shrouded that mysterious waste-No Man’s
Land. . . Out there the spirits of heroic
Souls, whose brave flesh perished for the
Cause of freedom, in the high grass and wire,
With eyes strained in the gloom for a glimpse
Or sound of the enemy.”
In Lorraine, the 82nd soldiers maintained and advanced their ground.
During daring nighttime “over-the- top” forays deep into the German lines,
they inflicted numerous enemy casualties. However, those stealthy raids
took a grim toll: 44 All American dead and 327 wounded.
On September 12, the St. Mihiel offensive began the AEF’s first big
operation. The 82nd, forming the right flank of the AEF, pushed forward at
0500-zero hour-to make contact with the enemy. They were successful in
their mission. They found the enemy, inflicted many casualties, and gained
valuable information about the Germans’ supporting troops.
Before the St. Mihiel offensive ended, an 82nd officer-Lieutenant Colonel
Emory J. Pike earned the division’s first Medal of Honor. During the 328th
Infantry’s taking of Vandieres, divisional machine gun officer Pike had been
on frontline reconnaissance. When enemy shellfire disorganized advancing
infantrymen, he reorganized the men-at great risk to himself-and secured
their position. However, he was not finished. He then dashed to the aid of
a wounded infantryman at an outpost. There, a shell struck Lieutenant
16

Colonel Pike, suffering fatal injuries. Lieutenant
Colonel Pike, in his daring deed of
September 15, was not alone in that ultimate
sacrifice. The 82nd’s key role in the
bloody drive of St. Mihiel offensive from
September 11 through the 20th left 950 of
their men dead or injured.
On September 30, division records
showed the embattled All American’s
numbers 25,489 men, including members
of support units. The division’s final major
mission-the Meuse-Argonne Campaign
from September 29 through October 30
would claim the lives of many of those
brave men.
Two days into their ferocious attack on
the eastern edge of the Argonne Forest,
the division had suffered 1,782 casualties.
In all, the campaign produced 6,009
divisional casualties and claimed the lives
of 903 gallant men. Nevertheless, under
newly named commander, Major General
George B. Duncan, the drive into the
Argonne Forest, through Marcq, across
the Aire River and into St. Juvin broke he
supply lines-and the will of the enemy.
A brief October 7 communication
between a company officer and his battalion
headquarters reflected the 82nd’s
ever-growing success in the Argonne:
“Going good, captured 39 prisoners and
three machine guns. No casualties yet.”
Elsewhere, the enemy began to “fall like
ten pins,” as an 82nd officer later described
the furious action.
A day later, one of the many 82nd
soldiers who fought gloriously in the
Meuse-Argonne performed what General
Pershing later called the greatest individual
feat performed by an American fighting
man in World War I. His name was Alvin
Cullum York, a tall corporal in Company
G, 328th Infantry, known for an expert
shooting eye honed from Turkey hunting
near his home in Mountainous Fentress
County, Tennessee.
ON October 8, Corporal York was
the point man in the 17-man patrol that
82nd Soldiers cross
Moselle River in
Lorraine, France.
17

WWI: 82nd Soldiers
firing at German line
in Lorraine, France on
July 1918
ventured into enemy territory near Chatel-Chenery
in a perilous attempt to silence
machine gunners who had cut many other
All Americans to ribbons. Mimicking
the Tennessee woodsman’s nearly silent
passage into the forest, the men miraculously,
advanced 400 yards without
drawing gunfire. Suddenly, they saw two
German Soldiers and gave chase. Within a
short distance, the chase ended when they
stumbled on to a behind-the-line German
command post. The startled Germans
dropped their weapons. However, in another
moment, Machine gunners spewed
a torrent of bullets at the All American
cutting down ten of York’s fellow soldiers.
Only seven privates and one corporal-Alvin
C. York – were not wounded or killed.
Two of the privates scurried behind a tree,
three hurled themselves into the bush and
two dropped behind the prisoners and
held them at gunpoint. Corporal York also
dove for the ground but refused to yield
him position. Using his German captive as
a shield, the sharp shooting corporal killed
18 machine gunners as they popped their
heads up to get a clear view of him. But
just as the machine gun fire began to stop,
six German soldiers and an Officer, who
were crouching in a gun pit 20 yards away
rushed Corporal York. He killed those
men with unerring blasts from his pistol.
According to the American soldiers
who witnessed the stunning feat, a German
officer on the ground then asked
Corporal York, “What are you?”
“I’m an American,” was the corporal’s
bunt response along with a firm order
for the officer to blow a retreat whistle to
draw remaining Germans from the woods.
Holding a pistol to the German
Officer’s head, Corporal York ordered
the Germans to carry the All Americans
wounded. York then led his captive, a
18

German Major, three lieutenants, and 128
German soldiers back to American lines.
IT was in deed that stood up to the
scrutiny of scores of disbelieving U.S.
Army officers and journalists: An American
soldier, nearly single handedly, had
dismantled a German camp and machine
gun battalion, captured 132 men and killing
about 25 foes in the process. This deed
earned Corporal York the Medal of Honor.
Alvin York’s heroic action foreshadowed
the end of the German Army in France.
On November 11th-12 days after the end
of the decision Argonne captain Sirmon’s
diary entry for that long awaited day ends
World War II
The 82nd Infantry Division was
called to active duty on March 25, 1942,
at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, under
the command of Major General Omar
N. Brandley. On August 15, 1942, the
division took wings as the 82nd Airborne-becoming
the U.S. Army’s first
airborne division-now commanded by
Major General Mathew B. Ridgway. At
the same time, half of 82nd Soldiers were
used in the formation of a second airborne
division-the “Screaming Eagles” of the
101st Airborne Division.
In October, the 82nd was sent to Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, to conduct airborne
training. On October 14, the 82nd
absorbed the 504th Parachute Infantry
Regiment, which had formed May 1
at Fort Bragg. By the time they went
overseas, the 82nd would consist of 325th
Glider Infantry Regiment and the 504th
and 505th Parachute Infantry Regiments.
At Fort Bragg, the All Americans
trained vigorously. General Ridgway
vowed his division would become the
best division in the Army, airborne or
with this sentence: “thank God for this
night that the world rests again in peace!”
After their triumphant trip home, the
82nd was inactivated at Camp Mills, New
York, on May 27, 1919. The All Americans
had earned 2 Medals of Honor, 3
Distinguished Service Medals and 85 Distinguished
Service Crosses. Nevertheless,
the casualty count read 1,035 killed and
6,387 wounded.
From 1921 until 1942, the 82nd Division
was part of the Organized Reserves,
with a headquarters in Columbia, South
Carolina. The small reserve component
would form the cadre for the division of
World War II.
otherwise. Later, on V-E Day,
many observers agreed the 82nd
had met their leaders challenge.
While the pioneering paratroopers
stood up, hooked up
and leaped from a C-47 transport
planes, glider borne troops
were at work in the 15-man
WACO-CG4A glider-towed by
the transport planes. Half of the
division troops went into battle
by glider.
In the spring of 1943, the
82nd All Americans became
the first airborne division sent
WWII Holland Landing
COL Tucker boarding aircraft
for jump into Sicily
19

Gavin in Sicily
overseas landing in Casablanca, North
Africa, on May 10, 1943. From there, they
moved by rail to Oujda and then by truck
to Kairouan, Tunisia. That would be their
departure point for the Division’s first
combat drop-the invasion of Sicily.
Sicily
Poised in the Mediterranean after the
successful North African campaign, the
Allied forces hoped to give Italy a kick in
the boot by attacking Sicily in the mission
code-named “HUSKY!” The Sicilian
strategy had been planned in January
1943at the high-level conference in Morocco
attended by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston
Churchill. Confident of success in Africa
and cognizant that a cross-channel invasion
of Europe was more that a year off,
the conference targeted
Sicily as a stepping-stone
to Italy, whose troops had
been performing Axis occupational
duties in their
country and the Balkans.
With Italy weakened,
Germany would be forced
to spread its troops more
thinly.
“HUSKY” called for
four separate airborne
operations, two by the
British and two by the
“All American.” To ensure
surprise and to guard the
paratroopers from antiaircraft
activity, the operations
would occur during
the pre-dawn hours of July 10. With the
aid of a nearly full moon, airborne troopers
would begin landing before midnight
on July 9 to be in place before the arrival
of amphibious forces in the morning.
Approximately 200,000 Allied troops
were scheduled to participate in the initial
assault-comparable in size to what the
Axis forces were estimated to have serving
in Sicily.
The 82nd’s objective, HUSKY I, was
led by paratroopers from the 505th, under
the capable leadership of Colonel James
M. “Jumping Jim” Gavin. Organized as
a Regimental Combat Team, the 505th
was to parachute into an egg-shaped area
around Gela on the southern shore. They
would then close off the roads leading
to beaches and secure the drop zone for
future use. Especially important near the
DZ was enemy-held “Objective Y” – a series
of 16 concrete “pillboxes” from which
German gunners controlled movement on
nearby roads.
The 82nd’s second task, Called “HUS-
KY II,” would involve delivering the 504th
Combat Team, lead by Colonel Reuden
Tucker, a night later to the DZ secured by
the 505th.
The All Americans trained intensively
day and night for the mission. Exactly one
month before the airborne assault was to
begin; a party led by Colonel Gavin flew
to the Southern coast of Sicily, where the
flight checkpoints came into view on the
moonlit night. It was assumed the same
checkpoints would be readily visible a
month later when the moon was in the
same phase.
To avoid “friendly fire” from the
hundreds of Allied ships heading toward
Sicily, the pilots of the airborne assault
were to fly a long, circuitous route from
Africa. They would first go to Malta, then
to the southwest corner of Sicily, then
back out to sea to avoid shore batteries.
Upon reaching the mouth of the Acate
River, they were to head inland to the DZ.
All this- 415 miles rather then a straightshot
250-at 200 feet about water, to avoid
detection, before rising to 600 feet for the
final approach to the DZs.
20

Once over land, Colonel Gavin’s plane
banked to the right to correct the line of
fight. To the pilots behind, this appeared
to be the pre-arranged signal to release
their troops. On came the green jump
signal lights.
When Colonel Gavin and the men in
formation with him jumped, they landed
about 20 miles east of the DZ. Many
of the others, further off course, landed
in the British zone, about 60 miles east
of the DZ. Only about 15 percent of the
combat team had been delivered to the
correct DZ, and even they were widely
spread apart. Nonetheless, considerable
successes were achieved on the ground by
small of lost paratroopers. They cut every
telephone line they found, devastating the
communications that would be required by
the enemy to devise a counterattack. Small
groups of paratroops conducted ambushes.
A hundred brave paratroopers of the
1-505th, whose other comrades had in the
British sector, secured even Objective Y,
the deadly pillboxes.
Gavin’s paratroopers repulsed German
counterattacks by the Hermann Goering
Panzer Division, elite German Unit. At
Biazza Ridge, the 505th troopers fought
courageously against German tanks and
Infantry. Though losses were high, the
paratroopers held their ground. Later
Mark VI Tiger tanks, made of four-inch
thick steel, attacked. The American bazookas
could penetrate only three inches
of steel, but with determination and again,
albeit at high cost.
The Sicilian campaign closed to mixed
reviews. General D. Eisenhower, commander
of U.S. troops, was concerned
about unpredictable landings of airborne
troopers who initially were not together
on land in sufficient numbers to prevent
significant movement by enemy tanks.
He and other critics noted that the 2,800
paratroopers landed over a 65-mile area.
General George S. Patton, however,
reported that he gained 48 hours in his
ground advance as the far-flung paratroopers
scurried to their positions.
Years later, someone who knew best-
General Kurt Student- Chief of staff of
all German parachute forces from 1943-45
spelled out the importance of the 82nd’s
blocking action. Student noted that the
82nd Airborne Division had prevented
the German Panzers from reaching the
beachhead in Sicily, thus denying the Axis
troops the opportunity of driving the
Allies back into the sea. He testified, “I
attribute the entire success of the Allies Sicilian
operation to the delaying of German
reserves until sufficient forces had been
landed by the sea to assist the counterattacks
of our defending forces.”
Salerno
If the Sicily campaign proved how well
the 82nd Airborne could perform when
things were awry, the Salerno proved the
division could perform even better when
external forces were cooperative.
To gain the accuracy of night drops, the
division experimented with radar sets to
guide planes to their drop zones and with
the krypton lamp, which could produce a
brilliant one-second flash of light visible
from 10,000 feet. These devices would be
WWII Market Garden
21

22
One of the most
decorated United
States Army soldiers
of World War I. He
received the Medal
of Honor for leading
an attack on a
German machine
gun nest.
American actor. He
was perhaps best
known for his work on
television, including
two episodes
of The Twilight Zone.
The highly
distinguished senior
officer of the United
States Army during
and after World War
II. Bradley was the
first Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff
and oversaw the U.S.
military’s policymaking
in the Korean
War.
put operation at the drop zones of Salerno by small pathfinder units that
jumped ahead of the main force, a practice that would always be used by
airborne units.
By September 13, 1943, General Mark Clark’s Fifth Army had held tenaciously
to the Salerno beachhead for four days but needed quick assistance.
He sent a message to Major General Ridgway requesting a drop that night.
A plan was immediately set for the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
to jump several miles from Clark’s embattled troops, then be driven
in trucks to the front lines. Pathfinder teams would arrive first to mark
the DZ. In addition, ground troops would set ablaze cans filled with sand
and gasoline, arranged in a “T” shape. This time, it all worked. Except for
one company that landed ten miles off target, all the paratroopers landed
within 200 years of the DZ. No troopers or planes were lost in the jump,
and no “friendly fire” was experienced. It went just as smoothly the next
night, when Colonel Gavin and 1,900 of his 505th All Americans arrived. A
day later, the beachhead was declared secure-a feat that could not have been
attained without the 82nd’s assistance. Indeed, General Clark felt that the
82nd had saved the beachhead by its quick and effective response.
With Salerno secure, General Ridgway led his division, with other 5th
Army units, on the key seaport of Naples. There, the 82nd troopers enjoyed
the experience of liberating that famous city. In November, after sharp fight
in mountains around Naples, the 82nd withdrew to England to prepare for
the invasion of France. General Clark kept the 504th PIR in Italy where
they fought at Anzio, returning to the 82nd in April 1944. It was at Anzio
that the 504th earned its famous nickname “Devils in Baggy Pants.”
Normandy
With Italy in good hands, Allied eyes focused on France. Operation
“Overlord,” the invasion of Normandy, would be the greatest military
operation in history. The massive plans for D-Day included Operation
“Neptune,” an all-important airborne phase of Overlord. Ridgway’s All
Americans would play an integral part in Neptune. Joined by the 507th and
the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments, the 82nd was prepared to assault
Normandy with 12,000 Parachute and Glider troops. Their mission: Destroy
vital Germany supply bridges and capture causeways leading inland
across the flooded areas behind the Normandy beaches where seaborne
forces would land to gain control of roads and communications.
On June 6, D-Day, it must indeed have seemed as though the 82nd
Airborne was “everywhere,” as a German officer wrote in his diary. This
perception of paratroopers being “everywhere” was vital, for in actuality the
All Americans engaged enemy forces of four to ten times their number.
At H-hour, the early morning darkness and low-hanging clouds diminished
visibility causing many of the pathfinder’s aircraft to miss their
designated drop zone. In the 82nd Airborne area, only 505th’s pathfinders
were accurately dropped into the DZ.

Compounding the landing problems
were thousands of physical barriers.
Hedgerows-earthen dikes about four
feet high, coved with thick hedges, and
bushes-crisscrossed the farmers’ fields
that formed the battle area. In addition,
German troops had sown the field with
hundreds of thousands of wooden poles
with mines on top, providing hazards for
glider borne warriors from the 325th
Regiment and other glider units. In addition,
much of the countryside had been
purposely flooded and many of the daring
jumpers drowned under the weight of
their equipment.
Nonetheless, one of D-Day’s major
objectives- the town of Ste Mere Eglise
was captured by dawn. The 505th’s 3rd
Battalion had the honor of liberating this
first town on the western front.
Meanwhile a platoon from the 2nd Battalion,
47 men in all, encountered a large
enemy force moving toward Ste Mere
Eglise from north. A four-hour battle
ensured before the Germans withdrew,
thinking mistakenly they were outnumbered.
Only 15 paratroopers survived, but
they saved the division’s position around
Ste Mere Eglise.
Two key bridges on the Merderet
River, La Fiere and Chef-du-Pont proved
difficult to take. Brigadier General Gavin,
who led the 82nd’s assault contingent into
Normandy as assistant division commander,
gathered about 500 paratroopers
from various regiments and split them
in half to secure the bridges. After much
fighting, the bridge at Chef-du-Pont was
taken. The La Fiere Bridge was taken
once, and then reoccupied by the Germans,
and then the Americans controlled
became the scene of two more days of
battle before it again.
A German battalion stopped a group
from the 508th, whose mission was to
seize a bridge over the Douve River at
Pont L’Adde, just before reaching the
town. Realizing they were vastly outnumbered,
the 508th group withdrew to
Hill 30, where for two days Lieutenant
Colonel Thomas J.B. Shanley and his men
fought off strong German units trying to
overrun the main paratrooper landings.
This action has been considered decisive
in helping the airborne meet its objectives
at Normandy.
Also on D-Day, the 325th Glider Infantry
Regiment departed from England,
WWII, Normandy:
508th Chuting up
in England
23

WWII Holland: Gen.
Gavin preparing to
board plane
towed by troop carriers to land in the
Normandy Beach DZ secured by the paratroopers.
The Glidermen who avoided the
steady “ack-ack” fire of enemy guns landed
quickly reinforcing the paratroopers.
On June 9th, three days after the
invasion, Private First Class Charles N.
DeGlopper of Company C, 325th Glider
Infantry Regiment, became the first 82nd
Division member to win the Medal of
Honor in World War II. Weighting 240
pounds and standing six feet seven inches
tall, he allowed himself to become a
target for a large force of Germans while
other platoon members broke free and
formed the first Bridgehead across the
Merederet River at La Fiere. PFC De-
Glopper, of Grand Island, New York, was
already wounded several times when he
made his gallant move. He mowed down
many Germans before he died.
The airborne troops continued their
ferocious fight as infantrymen for 33
days after landing at Normandy. When
relieved to go to England, tallies showed
nearly half of the
82nd’s Soldiers
had been wounded,
captured or killed.
But, they had cost
the Germans many
more men and
had destroyed 62
enemy tanks and
44 anti-tank guns
and artillery pieces.
Most importantly,
they had choked off
reinforcements for
the Axis forces defending
the French
coast preventing
some 35,000 to
40,000 enemy
troops from rushing
to the sea where
they were needed.
In preparing for the arrival of amphibious
troops, the airborne had done a magnificent
job. By the end of D-Day alone,
20,000 troops and 1-700 vehicles had come
ashore at Utah Beach with virtually no opposition.
Only 12 men were killed and 46
wounded or injured at Utah Beach. By contrast,
at Omaha Beach, where no airborne
troops had been sent, the Allied casualties
were heavy. The Germans killed many infantrymen
before they got to shore. There
every bit of land gained required great
sacrifice. At the end of D-Day, troops had
moved inland just ½ miles, and 2,374 men
had been killed or wounded.
Holland
The 82nd’s next mission, after recuperating
and adding troops to their depleted
ranks in England, was code-name Operation
“Market Garden” the invasion of
German held Holland by air.
Just as the Germans had done four
years earlier, the Allied plan of September
17, 1944 using the 82nd and 101st U.S.
Airborne Divisions and England’s first
Airborne Division was to be launched by
dropping paratroopers and Glidermen
into Holland. If successful, it would speed
up the process for reaching the final target
of the war- Hitler’s headquarters in Berlin.
MARKET GARDEN was to be the
first major daylight air assault attempted
by any military power since Germany’s attack
on Crete. The airborne Allied troops
were to seize roads, bridges, and the key
communications centers of Eindhoven,
Nijmegen, Arnhem, forming, and airborne
carpet over which the British Second
Army would roll on the way to Germany.
By weather standards for that time of
year, September 17, 1944, proved to be
good day for flying. Under clear skies,
bombers and troop transports rose from
Britain, flew across the English Channel
and over Belgium and Holland, now
relatively clear of German fighter planes.
24

1944 WWII,
Holland:
Parachute
assault. Photo
from captured
German
Camera
It would be the fourth and final World
War II combat drop for the All Americans.
Their objective: Capture and hold
the key bridges at Grave and Nijmegen
as well as some subsidiary bridges over a
canal to the east of Grave.
The 82nd successfully dropped and
assembled at the Maas River Bridge at
Grave and secured the structure within
an hour.
Before dark, brigadier General Gavin,
who became 82nd commander on August
28, led his men in bloody fighting in the
Nijmegen region, secured the approach to
the bridge at Nijmegen, the second longest
span in Holland, and heavily fortified
by the enemy.
On the night of September 19, British
and American Allied leaders mapped their
strategy for taking the bridge. However, at
the same time, a German Panzer Grenadier
division was being ferried to Nijmegen
to bolster the vital span.
On September 20, the 3-504th Regiment
performed the death-defying feat of
reaching the enemy held bridge by boating
across the fast flowing Waal River. The
first wave of paratroopers who launched in
the assault boats lost half of their members
to the fierce enemy gunfire and the
raging river. But 200 men charged ashore,
smashing the Germans and opening the
way to the Rhine River at Arnhem. It was
in extraordinary action, one of the most
valiant of the war.
When the British Second Army’s
commander, Lieutenant General Sir
Miles Dempsey, greeted Brigadier General
Gavin in the battle zone, he said, “I
am proud to meet the commander of the
greatest division in the world today.” It
was an assessment shared by many other
British officers who was the 82nd in action
in Holland, where about 800 All Americans
were killed.
WWII: Market
Garden
25

504th moves toward
Herresbach, Belgium
28 Jan 1945
While serving in Holland, a second
82nd Airborne trooper gained the Medal
of Honor. Private Towle of Cleveland,
Ohio, Company C, 504th Infantry, earned
that distinction in combat near Oosterhout,
Holland, on September 21, 1945.
Armed with a rocket launcher, he single
handedly, without orders moved into an
exposed position, and broke up a German
counterattack force of 100 infantrymen,
two tanks and half-track. He was finally
stopped by a fatal wound from a mortar
shell.
Battle of the Bulge
In November, the 82nd moved out to
Holland in order to rest and refit. However,
while many of the troopers were
catching their breath in France, Adolph
Hitler was planning a final desperate
offensive through the Ardennes Forest
aimed at capturing the key Belgian seaport
of Antwerp. Once that offensive began, the
82nd Airborne Division again was ordered
into combat on December 17, 1944 in the
battle of the Bulge.
In bitter cold and snow, the 82nd
fought against tanks, assault guns, and
motorized infantry, blunting field Marshal
Karl R. Von Rundstedt’s northern salient
in Germany’s last big push. That put the
U.S. Army in good position for major
attacks inside Germany. By February 17,
1945, Jim Gavin and his airborne troopers
were in Germany.
Of the 82nd’s performance in Belgium,
Major General Gavin wrote in his official
report:
“Men fought, at times, with only rifles,
grenades and knives against German
armor. They fought with only light weapons
in waist deep snow, in blizzards, in
near zero temperature and in areas where
heavy forestation and almost total lack of
roads presented problems which only men
of stout hearts and iron determination
could overcome. The Battle of Bulge also
proved again that planes and material are
important but most important essential of
all in a fighting heart, a will to win.”
Belgium was site of a particularly
remarkable action, which, on January 29,
1945, earned a Medal of Honor for a third
26

All American in World War II, First Sergeant
Leonard Funk, of Braddock Township,
Pennsylvania, and Company C, 508th
Infantry. After Leading his unit in capturing
80 Germans, First Sergeant Funk, walking
around a building into their midst, had a
machine pistol thrust into his stomach by a
German Officer. Pretending to comply wit
the demand to surrender, he slowly un-slung
his Thompson sub machine gun and with
lighting fast action riddled the officer and
led his men resisting the enemy, 21 of whom
were killed in the process.
Central European Campaign
After regrouping in Sissonne, France,
following the Ardennes Campaign, the
82nd again was ordered into action on
March 30, 1945, with orders to move to
the area of Bonn, Germany, and the Rhine
River. In early April, the All Americans
conducted a successful assault river crossing
at the Rhine north of Cologne, throwing
back the numerous counterattacks by
the enemy.
At the end of April, the paratroopers
repeated their performance in moving out
northeast from Cologne to cross the Elbe
River, in the final attack of the war.
On May 12, 1945, the 82nd received the
unconditional surrender of the 21st Germany
Army 146,000 men at Ludwigstlust.
After the Allies victory on May 7, 1945
V.E. Day with Germany’s unconditional
surrender, and in July, the 82nd was sent
to patrol the American sector of Berlin.
There, the division got its nickname
of “American’s Guard of Honor” when
General George Patton told them, “In all
my years in the Army, and of all the honor
guards I have ever seen, the 82nd honor
guard is undoubtedly the best.”
The 82nd wound up being one of the
most highly decorated U.S. Army divisions
in the war. The 82nd paratroopers
earned three Medals’ of Honor, 79 Distinguished
Services Crosses, 894 Silver
Stars, 2,478 Bronze Stars, numerous
foreign decorations.
After twenty years overseas and 442
days in combat, the most by any airborne
division the 82nd returned to the United
States January 3,
1946, to a roaring
reception in
New York City.
But there was a
somber side to the
war’s conclusion:
The 82nd’s casualty
count showed
3,228 dead, 106
missing and
12604 wounded.
COL Bolling salutes
one last time prior to
loading
Post War Preparedness
While several Army airborne units
were inactivated after the war, the highly
decorated 82nd returned to Fort Bragg
to vigorously and pride fully maintain the
high state of readiness it showed during
its long service in World War II.
Since then, the All Americans’ work
has never stopped… In 1947, some 82nd
elements participated in Operation Combine,
a mock air to ground assault “invading
Forces” from Florida. That winter,
it was off to New York State dressed in
white winter outfits to the freezing snow
linden fields of Camp Drum for Operation
Snowdrop.
In 1948, there was a massive mock
invasion exercise at Fort Campbell, Kentucky,
and a joint exercise in Florida with
the members of the Navy, Air Force and
Marines.
Since the end of World War II, the
82nd Airborne Division has gone through
27

numerous changes of equipment and weapons
as well as organizational adjustments.
Within a half-dozen years the demise
of the Axis forces, the strategic reserve
quality of the 82nd America’s most experienced
division of paratroopers was crystallizing.
That can be seen in documents
detailing the fact that during the Korean
Conflict, Commanding General Douglas
A. MacArthur sought to utilize the All
American in a combat drop during the
crucial Inchon landing. However, superiors
nixed that idea, apparently signifying
a desire to keep the All Americans for any
other uprisings in other locations where
freedom was in jeopardy. The 82nd was
the only strategic reserve unit ready to
move in the states.
In 1958, that “first strike” policy was
more formally expressed when the XVIII
Airborne Corps under which the 82nd
Division serves, was designated as the
strategic Army Corps command for rapid
strike “first-in” mission trouble sports
worldwide. With that, readiness training
and joint exercises with other military
units continued at an even greater pace.
The need for a rapid deployment force
was further underscored because of the
Cuban crisis of 1962. Three years later,
when a power keg erupted in the Caribbean,
the 82nd was ready.
Strategic Reaction, 1965-1992
Since the mid-1960’s the 82nd Airborne
Division has had to fulfill its
primary strategic reaction mission three
times in the Caribbean region: Dominican
Republic (1965), Grenada (1983),
and Panama (1989) and once in Vietnam
(3rd Brigade, 1968-1969). Each of these
actions demonstrated the combat readiness
of the division. In every instance, the
division was able to move on short notice
straight into combat.
Dominican Republic
In April 1965, the All Americans
were doing their normal rigorous
training when elements were alerted
in response to a civil war raging in the
Dominican Republic. Spearheaded by
elements of the 3rd Brigade, the 82nd
deployed to the Caribbean in Operation
Power Pack. Peace and stability were
restored by Jun 17, when the rebel
guns were silenced. The paratroopers
spent the rest of their time performing
security and humanitarian returned to
Fort Bragg.
Vietnam
Although the 82nd Airborne Division
was the nation’s primary ready strategic
reserve, the uproar caused by the Tet
Offensive, which swept across the Republic
of Vietnam in January 1968, forced the
depletion of even the 82nd in attempt to
avert a perceived disaster in Vietnam. The
3rd Brigade was alerted and within 24
hours, the brigade was in route to Chu Lai.
The 3rd Brigade performed combat duties
in the Hue-Phu Bai area of the I Corps
sector; later the brigade moved south to
defend Saigon, fighting battle in the Delta,
the Iron Triangle, and along the Cambodian
border. After serving nearly 22 months
in Vietnam, 3rd Brigade troopers returned
to Fort Bragg in December 1969.
Tet Counteroffensive;
15 February 1968- 1 April 1968
OPERATION CARENTAN I
8 -31 March
The 3rd Brigade was quickly sent
into the fight after it is arrival. The
entire Brigade arrived in 10 days and the
28

attalions completed training, within
five days of arrival.
At Hue, eight enemy battalions infiltrated
the city and fought the three U.S.
Marine Corps and eleven South Vietnamese
battalions defending it.
The fight to expel the enemy lasted a
month. The 2-505th Infantry was quickly
deployed there to bolster the friendly
forces. The rest of the Brigade joined them
and they defended the city to the South.
The Brigade was placed in the operational
control of the 101st Airborne Division
for OPERATION CARENTAN I where
the it was given the mission to secure the
approaches to Hue. The 1-505 Infantry
deployed southeast of Hue, 1-508 Infantry
south of Hue and 2-505 Infantry further
south of the two sister battalions. Each
Infantry Battalion established forward
operating presence and conducted patrols
and operations. The 2-321 Artillery
conducted harassing fire in support of the
infantry battalions.
The biggest battle was The Candy
Stripe from 18-22nd March 1968. The
Candy Stripe was Highway 552; here the
Brigade fought North Vietnamese Army
(NVA) troops. The NVA built a trench and
bunker complex along a canal zone south
of the highway. After several days of contact,
the NVA units abandoned the line of
defense and retreated from the area.
Counteroffensive, Phase IV;
2 April 1968 - 30 June 1968
OPERATION CARENTAN II
During this period, friendly forces
conducted a number of battalion-size
attritional operations against the enemy.
BG Dickerson
Vietnam
29

BG Dickerson
Vietnam
CARENTAN II to block NVA supply
routes from the rice fields on the coast to
the mountain bases. 3rd Brigade moved
from east of Hue to northwest to conduct
economy of force operations . The 1-505
Infantry was east of Hue and air assaulted
to an area of northwest of Hue. The 1-508
Infantry secured an area north of Hue and
2-505 Infantry moved southwest of Hue
on Highway 547. The 2-505 and 1-508
Infantry began a pacification operation,
while the 1-505 Infantry conducted a recon
in force which began a battle known as
the Lazy W along the Song Bo River, 5-16
April 1968.
The battle occurred between the river
and the Highway 1, as the units forced the
NVA back to the river fighting became
intense. During this phase, Sergeant
Ronnie Harrell earned the Distinguished
Service Cross while serving with Company
B, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 505th
Infantry. His squad, point element for his
platoon, maneuvered against well-fortified
enemy positions, which had pinned down
the rest of the company. Sergeant Harrell
advanced through a hail of fire, entered
the enemy trench system and killed two
North Vietnamese soldiers. Hurling
grenades, he continued to expose himself
to enemy fire as he moved down the
trench to eliminate a North Vietnamese
Army position inside a nearby house. He
destroyed the emplacement and began to
return to his platoon’s position. As he did
so, he found four wounded comrades in the
trench. He deployed three of them into a
hasty defensive position and dragged the
severely wounded fourth man to cover.
He then returned to the other wounded,
led them to a protected friendly position,
and integrated them into the company’s
defenses. Upon returning to his platoon,
Sergeant Harrell relayed timely information
concerning the location of enemy
positions to his officers, allowing them to
better deploy their troops.
Following these operations, the 1-505
and 1-508 Infantry moved to fire support
bases along Highway 547 in support of
the 2-505 Infantry efforts to secure the
route into Hue and block NVA movements
through the area. The brigade conducted
operations that trapped an NVA K10
30

Battalion of the 22nd Regiment and eliminated
the force.
Counteroffensive, Phase V;
1 July 1968- 1 November 1968
OPERATION NEVEDA
EAGLE.
During this period, a countrywide effort
started to restore government control
of territory lost to the enemy since the Tet
offensive. The enemy attempted another
such offensive on 17-18 August but his
efforts were comparatively feeble and were
quickly overwhelmed by Allied forces. The
3rd Brigade operated near Hue conducting
cordon and search operations in the area.
2-505 and 1-508 Infantry operated near
Chau Chu.
During this time, it was Brigade S-2
determine that the 22nd NVA Regiment
and its commander Colonel Mot was in
the area. The 1-508 Infantry was given
the assault mission, and on 23 August the
assault began. The 1-505 Infantry supported
by conducting a combat assault and
established Fire Support Base (FSB) Brick
to fix the enemy. The
2-505 Infantry secured
FSB Panther II to allow
the 1-321 to send harassing
fire into the operation
area. The operations
successfully captured the
NVA regimental headquarters
and provided a
treasure trove of documents.
Following OPERA-
TION MOT, the Brigade
was moved to an area
near Saigon. The Brigade
moved to Phuc Vin in the
III Corps area, northwest
of the Capital. It was
reassigned to the Capital
Military Assistance
Command. The Brigade’s
mission was to bolster the defense of
Saigon and Tan Son Nhut Airbase. The
Brigade now fought a different enemy in
this area; they no longer were fighting
the NVA but the Viet Cong (VC). General
Bolling changed the focus as in North near
Phu Bai, “Take the night away from Charlie.”
This required different techniques.
During the day they conducted, cordon
and search mission. At night, they conducted
roving patrols and ambushing.
The Brigade headquartered at Camp
Red Ball just north of the airbase. The
Battalion established fire support bases in
their area of operations. The 1-505 Infantry
established FSB All-American Northwest
of the airbase. The 2-505 Infantry
was further way in the same direction at
FSB Harrison. The 1-508 Infantry was
at FSB Hardcore established in Vinh Loc
Village area. The 2-321th Field Artillery
was established at FSB Copperhead, which
supported the entire Brigade Area with
supporting and harassing fires.
The operations in this area were small
unit actions, which NCOs and Lieutenants
BG Dickerson
Vietnam
31

BG Dickerson
Vietnam
led. They successfully slowed the flow of
VC intelligence and weapons around the
approaches to Saigon.
Counteroffensive,
Phase VI; 2 November 1968 -
22nd February 1969
OPERATION TOAN THANG II
consisted of ground operations throughout
III Corps’ Tactical Zone. This was a
multi-division operation involving allied
forces. OPERATION SEA LORDS was a
coast and riverine operation.
On 12 November 1968, the 1-508 Infantry
moved to area that the 9th Infantry
Division had operated; this area required
riverine operation in Navy Landing Craft.
The mission was a denial mission with
combat assaults, reconnaissance in force
and cordon and search operations. The
battalion also conducted Eagle flights,
small infantry air assaults into areas of
enemy sightings.
The rest of the Brigade continued pacification
operations and gained control of
the area. Most successful was the operation
to pacify the Vinh Loc village hamlet.
Medical assistance proved to be the most
successful tactic in providing support to
the villages. As this was done, II Field
Force used the battalions to reinforce and
support operations throughout the III
Corps area.
On 6 December, OPERATION GIANT
SLINGSHOT started to disrupt enemy
infiltration of materials from the “Parrot’s
Beak” area of Cambodia. Air operations
continued to be important with over
32

60,000 sorties flown. 2-505 Infantry was
attached to the 3rd Brigadeth Cavalry Division
for OPERATION SHERIDAN-SA-
BER. They moved to an area 25 km north
of Phuc Vinh to block an infiltration route
that the 5th NVA Division used. Once the
battalion patrolled and found no enemy
units, it was moved another 20 Kilometers
north and on 17 January 1969 it discovered
regular NVA units operating in the
area. During a four day running battle, the
battalion found and taped a telephone line.
They soon learned they infiltrated an area
of several NVA base camps. The Battalion
continued operations in this area for weeks
conducting a cat and mouse game until the
NVA left the area and on 5 February, the
Battalion returned to the Brigade.
Tet 69/Counteroffensive:
23 February 1969 - 8 June 1969
From Tet 1969 through the month of
June, the enemy again tried to sustain an offensive.
His inability to do so can be largely
attributed to aggressive allied ground
operations. Between 23 February and 8
June 1969, 70 significant named ground operations
were executed resulting in heavy
enemy loss of life and materiel.
The Brigade continued OPERATION
TOAN THUNG PHASE III ,conducting
its operations to keep the enemy off balance
in its area. It was so successful that
during the 23 February attack of Saigon
no rocket or mortar fire came from the
Brigade’s area of operation.
The 2-505th Infantry conducted its
operations in the Hoc Mon, Phu Hoa,
and Cu Chi Districts. They entered an
area that was a historic staging arena for
the NVA. They conducted Bushmaster
operations, combined aerial and riverine
operations to deny the NVA the ability to
use the area.
The 2-321st Field Artillery conducted
pacification operations during this period.
The most effective was its agricultural
program. This operation was done in the
Gia Dinh Province. The Battalion analyzed
the farmer’s field soil and helped
determine proper crops and fertilizer and
lime needed to increase yields.
In March, the Brigade once again lost
a maneuver battalion, this time the 1-505
Infantry was attached to the 1st Cavalry
Division for operations along the Song
Vam Co Doung River. Its areas were
between the Angels Wing and Parrot
Beak and areas used by the VC as a route
to Saigon. The area had a huge number
of mines and booby traps and movements
were slow and deliberate through the area.
The battalion’s command and control
changed again when 2nd Brigade of the
25th Infantry Division took control of the
area from the 1st Cavalry.
Summer-Fall 1969:
9 June 1969 - 31 October 1969
To open this campaign the Brigade’s
operational area was extended west into
terrain once controlled by the 199th
Infantry. The lands west of Saigon to the
Vam Go Dong River was a place known
for pineapple plantations, nicknaming it
the “Pineapple” The area was full off cannels
and low flooded fields. It was also full
of booby traps, because it was a commonly
used VC route. The area was so large that
the Brigade used PPS -5 radar units to
assist monitoring and Navy Patrol Rubber
Boats to extend the Brigade’s capability to
deny the area to the enemy.
During the summer and fall of 1969,
the conduct of operations was increasingly
turned over to Vietnamese; US troops
withdrew in greater numbers amid
reaffirmations of support for the Republic
of South Vietnam government. President
Nixon announced the reduction of the
U.S. military presence in South Vietnam,
which would be demonstrated initially
by the withdrawal of 25,000 troops by 31
August 1969.
33

LBJ sees 3rd BDE
load aircraft
The Brigade’s part of this transition
was to train the 5th Army of the Republic
of Viet Nam (ARVN) Ranger Group and
1st and 3rd Airborne in combat operations.
They trained the ARVN units in airmobile
assaults, cache finding sweeps and
night ambushes. They conducted these
operations and trained the ARVN in the
Brigade’s area of operation from May until
they turned the area west of Saigon over
to the ARVN on 5 September 1969. The
ARVN 1st Airborne received operations in
The Pineapple on 15 October.
September 1969 began what was going
to be the last combat operation for the
Brigade, “Yorktown Victor”. This operation
was to help the South Vietnamese
win their freedom. . It was launched to
get the enemy dislodged from his logistical
train, the 83rd Rear Service Force.
The Brigade deployed to a new area in
the southern Phu Ko District and the
Iron Triangle starting 10 September
1969. The 1-505th Infantry was sent
into the Iron Training and found huge
numbers of underground supply depots.
The 1-508 Infantry was sent to Phu Hoa
in the southern tip of the Iron Triangle,
and they conducted daily joint ARVN
and US operations. The operations built
the capability of the ARVN to function
independently. They fought both VC and
NVA units up to Company size.
Airborne Alerts In The 1970’s
During the 1970’s the All Americans
continued their cycle of training, support
and readiness. Division units deployed to
the Republic of Korea and Turkey and to
Greece for exercises in potential future
battlegrounds.
The division was also alerted three
times. War in the Middle East in the fall of
1973 brought the 82nd to full alert. Then
in May of 1978, the division was alerted
for a possible drop into Zaire, and again in
November of 1979, the division was alerted
for a possible operation to rescue the
American hostages in Iran. In each case
political consideration prevented military
intervention.
In 1982, as the Army’s most combat
ready fighting division, elements of the
82nd were assigned as peacemakers in the
volatile Sinai region. The division also
participated in the Operation Bright Star
in Egypt and other training exercises in
Europe.
Grenada
On October 25, 1983, as the Army’s
most combat ready fighting division,
elements of the 82nd were called back to
the Caribbean, this time to the tiny island
of Grenada. The first 82nd unit to deploy
in Operation Urgent Fury was a task force
of the 2-325th Infantry. The troops were
rigged for an airborne insertion, but two
hours out of Pope Air Force Base, they
would be air landed since the airfield had
already been secured.
On October 26th and 27th respectively,
the 1-505th Infantry and the 1-508th
Infantry, with support units deployed to
Grenada. Military operations on Grenada
ended in early November.
Operation Urgent Fury tested the
division’s ability to deploy as a rapid
34

deployment force. The first aircraft carrying
division troopers touched down at
Grenada’s Point Salines 17 hours after
notification.
Panama
On December 20, 1989, the All Americans
conducted their first combat since
World War II onto Torrijos International
Airport, Panama, to oust a ruthless
dictator and restore the duly elected
government to power. The 1st Brigade
comprising the 1st and 2nd Battalion
along with the 4-325th Infantry, joined
the 3-504th Infantry, already propositioned
in Panama.
After the night combat jump and seizure
of the international airport, the 82nd
conducted follow on combat air assault
missions in Panama City and in the surrounding
areas.
The victorious paratroopers returned
to Fort Bragg on January 12, 1990, in
style, conducting a mass jump onto Sicily
Drop Zone.
Persian Gulf
With the 82nd celebrating and congratulations
still fresh in the minds of
most paratroopers, the 82nd Airborne
Division was called upon once again to
perform a rapid deployment mission ... this
time it was to draw a line in the sand.
Six days after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait
on August 2, 1990, the 82nd became the
vanguard of the largest deployment of
American troops since Vietnam.
The first unit to deploy to Saudi Arabia
on August 8 was a task force comprising
of the 2nd Brigade. Soon after, the rest of
the division followed. Their intense training
began in anticipation of paratroopers
fighting it out in the desert with the heavily
armored Iraqi army.
Their training concentrated on chemical
defense, anti-armor tactics and live-fire
maneuver exercises. The troopers of the
Division were rarely more combat ready.
The adage, or battle cry, picked up by the
paratroopers was “The road home ... is
through Baghdad.”
2nd Brigade Combat
Team
35

On January 16, 1991, Operation DES-
ERT STORM began when an armada of
Allied warplanes pounded Iraqi targets.
The ground war began six weeks later,
when on February 23, the 82nd, as part
of the XVIII Airborne Corps, conducted
flanking movements deep inside Iraq. A
2nd Brigade task force was attached to
the 6th French Light Armored Division
becoming the far left flank of the XVIII
Airborne Corps. The 82nd’s 1st and 3rd
Brigades followed as support and reinforcements.
In the short 100-hour ground war, the
vehicle-mounted 82nd drove seep into
Iraq capturing thousands of Iraqi soldiers
and tons of equipment, weapons and
ammunition.
After the liberation of Kuwait, the 82nd
began deployment back to Fort Bragg,
with most of division returning by the end
of April.
Following the division’s return and
victory parades, the troopers began to
reestablish some of the systems that
had became dormant during their eight
months in the desert. On top of the list
was the regaining of individual and unit
airborne proficiency, the continuation of
tough realistic training, and reinstalling
the go-to-war mentality in new and old
paratroopers.
In July 1993, the 82nd Airborne Division
began planning for possible operation
in Haiti. Early in the evening of September
18, 1994, nearly 3,000 paratroopers,
who would form the initial assault force
of Operation Restore Democracy, were
in rout to Haiti. Aviation elements were
already deployed to the nearby inland of
Great Inauga. Elements of the 3/73rd
Armor were waiting aboard ships. When
Haitian leaders heard the 82nd was on the
way, a peace agreement was reached and
the division was recalled. From September
26 to October 25, elements of the 3/73rd
Armor supported XVIII Airborne Corps
peacekeeping operations in Haiti.
Kosovo Defense Campaign
82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers
were among the first ground troops sent
into the war-torn Kosovo region of the
Balkans in summer 1999, when the 2-505th
Infantry moved in from neighboring Macedonia.
The 3-504th Infantry, who would be
followed by the 1-325th Infantry in January
2001 as part of regular peacekeeping operation
rotations, followed them shortly.
Paratroopers move out to their next objective
after an airborne operation during Swift
Response 16, in Hohenfels, Germany, June
15, 2016. The Paratroopers are assigned to
1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne
Division and are participating in exercise
Swift Response 16. The exercise is designed
to enhance the readiness of the combat core of
the U.S. Global Response Force—currently the
82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat
Team—to conduct rapid-response, joint-forcible
entry and follow-on operations alongside
Allied high-readiness forces in Europe. Swift
Response 16 includes more than 5,000 Soldiers
and Airmen from Belgium, France, Germany,
Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal, Spain and the United States and
takes place in Poland and Germany, May 27-
June 26, 2016.
36
U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Juan F. Jimenez/Released

Global War on Terrorism
Operation Enduring Freedom
“We’re always ready to go out; we know it’s
serious every time we leave the wire. It’s our
job, I believe our mission (in Afghanistan)
is very important, we are not only taking
out the terrorist threat to those around the
world, we are making the country better, we
are sharing our democracy and helping to
improve their way of life.”
Specialist Robert Monroe,
B Company, 3rd Battalion
504th Infantry
When America was attacked on 11
September 2001, President George W.
Bush called upon the American military
to fight global terrorism. Soldiers of the
82nd Airborne Division quickly answered
this call, when the 49th Public Affairs
Detachment deployed to the Afghanistan
area to support combat operations as early
as November 2001. Other Division units
prepared for missions that might come.
Those missions did come, on 27 June
2002 when the Headquarters, 3rd Brigade
deployed to Afghanistan to replace the
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in
July 2002. Task Force Panther as it was
called was comprised of 3rd Battalion and
1st Battalion, 505th Infantry, 1-504th Infantry,
and elements from 307th Engineer
Battalion, 17th Cavalry Squadron, 1-319th
Field Artillery, 82nd Aviation Brigade
and 82nd Support Battalion. All three
infantry battalions executed combat operations
throughout the country in order to
prevent the reemergence of the Taliban
and to deny sanctuary to terrorist groups
operating in the region. The Task Force
carried out a mission in mid-September
2002 called Operation Mountain Sweep
and established Forward Operating Base
Salerno, located just north of Khowst.
While operating out of Forward Operating
Base Salerno, Task Force Panther
conducted 27 air assaults and more than
30 combat missions. The unit recovered
roughly 214 tons of munitions and managed
to send 12 detainees to the detention
facilities at Guantanamo Bay. Fellow
All-Americans replaced this task force.
Task Force Devil constituted of the 1st
Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division with 2nd
and 3rd Battalions of the 504th Infantry
and 2-505th Infantry and elements from
307th Engineer Battalion, 17th Cavalry
Squadron and 3-319th Field Artillery.
This Task Force replaced the 3rd Brigade,
82nd Airborne Division in January
2003. Task Force Devil stayed in Afghanistan
until August 2003. They conducted
several combat missions to eliminate
the Taliban and terrorist holdouts from
Afghanistan’s mountainous regions. Some
of these missions were named Operations
Viper and Valiant Strike. These operations
pitted soldiers from the 2nd and 3rd Battalions,
504th Infantry against southern
Afghanistan’s rough terrain and elements.
Their goal was to seek out enemy forces,
weapons and tactical intelligence. The
missions removed tons of rockets, rifles
and launchers. Such stockpiles resulted in
a handful of Taliban and terrorists being
taken into custody for questioning.
The Division Headquarters and
Commanding General John Vines were
deployed to Afghanistan to be the controlling
headquarters for all conventional
units in Afghanistan. The Task Force was
known as Task Force All-American and
was headquartered in Bagram from September
2002 to April 2003.
This is different than typical combat missions
because we’ll get to see the difference
we’re making in people’s lives firsthand. I’m
hoping the elections go through so that the
Afghan people can enjoy the same freedoms
that we do.”
1st Lt. Dan Coulter, 1st Battalion,
325th Infantry (Airborne)
37

Col. Colin P. Tuley, commander of the 1st
Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division
out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, recovers his
parachute as he watches soldiers with the 1st BCT
descend to the ground in a multinational airborne
training event as part of the Joint Multinational
Readiness Center’s Exercise Swift Response at
U.S. Army Garrison Hohenfels, Germany, June
15, 2016. Exercise Swift Response is one of the
premier military crisis response training events for
multinational airborne forces in the world. Their
exercise is designed to enhance the readiness of the
combat core of the U.S. Global Response Force—
currently the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade
Combat Team—to conduct rapid response, joint
forcible entry and follow-on operations alongside
allied high-readiness forces in Europe. Swift
Response 16 includes more than 5,000 Soldiers and
Airmen from Belgium, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
Spain and the United States and takes place in
Poland and Germany, May 27-June 26, 2016.
U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Sgt. Michael Giles/Released
The first 82nd Airborne Division units
deployed to Afghanistan were Infantry
Battalions supporting the Afghan National
Elections during unplanned rapid deployments.
They were sent when the Central
Command (CENTCOM) commander felt
additional troops were needed to protect
the election process. The 1-505th Infantry
(Airborne) was deployed for eight weeks
to provide additional security for the 2004
elections. During the 2005 elections, 1st
Battalion, 325th Infantry (Airborne) deployed
for five months to provide additional
security and distribute election materials
to polling places.
Meanwhile, the 82nd Airborne Division
Brigades conducted planned rotation
to Afghanistan. First Brigade supported
Operation Enduring Freedom 6 in 2005. It
deployed with its supporting slice units, the
3-319th Field Artillery and 307th Support
Battalion. During the deployment, the Brigade
Task Force supported the Combined
Joint Task Force 76. The Brigade conducted
counter-insurgency operations against
Taliban and Al-Qaeda throughout Afghanistan’s
mountainous regions.
Afghanistan: Consolidation II
1 October 2006—30 November 2009
The most significant deployment to
Afghanistan was that of Maj. Gen. David
M. Rodriguez and the 82nd Airborne
Division headquarters in February 2007.
Combined Joint Task Force-82 (CJTF-82)
was the U.S.-led subordinate command of
NATO’s International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF) until 10 April 2008, shortly
after the division headquarters arrived.
CJTF-82 served as both the National
Command Element for U.S. forces in
Afghanistan, reporting directly to the U.S.
Central Command commander, and as
International Security Assistance Force’s
Regional Command – East reporting to
former Division Commander General Dan
38

McNeil, ISAF Commander. As ISAF-East
Commander Major General Rodriquez
supervised 32,000 soldiers in 14 provinces
in eastern Afghanistan, bordering
Pakistan. CJTF-82 was headquartered at
Bagram Airfield; they served in this role
until April 10, 2008
The 4th Brigade Combat Team (BCT)
deployed to Afghanistan for the first
combat tour in its history. Along with the
173rd Infantry Brigade, they formed the
major infantry units for Combined Joint
Task Force 82. The 4th Brigade Combat
Team performed most of the infantry
mission in their area of operation, including
raids, cordon and search and humanitarian
assistance. The 4th Brigade Combat
Team presented the Silver Star Medal
to SPC Monica Brown, the second female
since World War II to receive the
award, for her actions as a combat medic
during an ambush in April 2007. The
Brigade Combat Team was deployed for
over 15 months, and returned to Fort
Bragg on April 13, 2008.
The 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade
deployed to support the 82nd with its
mission in November 2006. It deployed
with its organic 2nd and 3rd Battalions,
82nd Aviation. Together, they flew more
than 80,000 hours in support of CJTF-82
ground commanders. They transported
more than 50,000 passengers throughout
Afghanistan, moving more than seven million
pounds of cargo and using more than
6 million gallons of fuel while conducting
combat operations, medical evacuations,
logistical resupply, reconnaissance, and
surveillance target acquisition in support
of the Combined Joint Task Force 82
ground commanders.
Afghanistan: Consolidation III
1 December 2009—30 June 2011
On 2 March 2009, the 82nd Airborne
Division received orders from
U.S. Army Forces Command to prepare
for deployment in support of Operation
Heading to the DZ
Pfc. Akintunde L. Ola loads a
84mm round to the Carl Gustav
M3 84mm recoilless rifle during
a live-fire on Fort Bragg,
N.C., March 9, 2016. Ola, an
infantryman, is assigned to D. Co.,
2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade
Combat Team, 82nd Airborne
Division. The gun is breech-loaded
and can be fired from the standing,
kneeling, sitting or prone positions.
39

ENDURING FREEDOM. They departed
in May 2009 for Regional Command East
(RC East) and accepted the transition of
authority from the 101st Airborne Division
(Air Assault) on 3 June.
The 82nd’s 4th Brigade Combat Team,
along with 700 additional training and
support personnel, arrived in August,
taking up positions in RC West and RC
South. Its mission was to neutralize
the insurgency in order to support the
government of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan in rebuilding security forces
and social institutions while enhancing
governance, the economy, and infrastructure.
This task was not easy because RC
East’s operational area was 124,675 square
kilometers and included 570 miles of the
porous border with Pakistan.
Afghanistan: Transition I 1 July 2011–
31 December 2014
The 1st Brigade Combat Team
(BCT) took the leading role in the last
major clearing operation of the war in
the eastern province of Ghazni. In a
six-month deployment along the main
thoroughfare between Kabul and Kandahar,
the1st Brigade conducted nearly 3,500
patrols, killed or captured 400 enemy
combatants, found nearly 200 roadside
bombs and weapons caches, and engaged
the enemy more than 170 times.
In February 2012, the 4th BCT deployed
to Afghanistan for a third time—
to Kandahar Province, birthplace of the
Taliban—to combat the core of Afghan
insurgency and to aid Afghan security
forces to gain a stronghold as part of Operation
RIGHTEOUS ENDEAVOR. The
4th BCT redeployed to Fort Bragg that
September.
The division headquarters returned
from its yearlong deployment to Afghanistan
in October 2012. It served
as the Regional Command South headquarters
with nearly 10,000 paratroopers
throughout Afghanistan, from
Kandahar in the south to Afghanistan’s
eastern border.
Paratroopers prepare
to fire the Carl
Gustva M3 84mm
recoilless rifle during
a certification livefire
on Fort Bragg,
N.C., March 9, 2016.
The Paratroopers
are assigned to the
2nd Battalion, 504th
Parachute Infantry
Regiment, 1st Brigade
Combat Team, 82nd
Airborne Division.
The purpose of the
MAAWS is to engage
lightly armored t
argets at ranges up
to 700 meters and
soft targets at up to
1,000 meters.
40

Operation Iraqi
Freedom
The 82nd Airborne Division
and its subordinate units were
continuously deployed to the
Iraqi Theater from February
2003 to May 2004. The initial
units that deployed were the
Headquarters, 2nd Brigade. The
brigade was comprised of 1st,
2nd and 3rd Battalions of the
325th Infantry with its divisional
slice attachments. It also
included a core element from
the Division Headquarters with the Commander
Major General Charles Swannack.
Their mission was to prepare for an
airborne assault into Baghdad. However,
the war moved faster than the plan and the
82nd Airborne Division would not make
the airborne assault, but they were given a
new equally important mission.
The 2nd Brigade was given the mission
to secure As Samawah and the main
road from An Nasiriyah to Karbala. The
Brigade secured As Samawah after a
tough battle with the Saddam Fedayeen
and other Saddam loyalists. Once major
combat operation ended, 2nd Brigade was
ready for new missions. The Division
Headquarters went home and the 2nd
Brigade secured portions of Baghdad and
Ar Ramadi.
The Division Headquarters redeployed
to Iraq as a whole with the 3rd Brigade
in June 2003. They formed Task Force
All-American. This Task Force included
1st and 3rd Battalion of the 505th Infantry
and 1-504th Infantry. It also included
elements of the 82nd Aviation Brigade,
313th Military Intelligence Battalion,
319th Field Artillery, 82nd Soldier Support
Battalion, 307th Engineer Battalion,
82nd Signal Battalion, 3rd Battalion of
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod)
the 4th Air Defense Battalion and Division
Support Command. The Task Force’s
mission was to secure the western portion
of Iraq from Baghdad, including Fallujah
to the Syrian Border. The Division also
commanded the 2nd Armored Cavalry
Regiment. These units did combat operations
to deny Saddam loyalist and terrorist
groups the ability to operate within
the region. They conducted raids to seek
out intelligence, capture enemy personnel,
destroy and capture weapons caches.
These caches contained small arms, rocket
propelled grenades (RPGs), mortars,
rockets, tons of ammunition, mines and
material to construct improvised explosive
devises.
Transition of Iraq
In addition to the combat missions, the
82nd Airborne Division performed many
civil-military missions in support of Coalition
Provisional Authority. They included
training elements of the Iraqi Police, Facilities
Protection Service, Iraqi Civil Defense
Corps and New Iraqi Army; and set the
conditions for democracy by bringing peace
and stability to the people of Iraq.
The 1st Brigade was ordered to Iraq
in January 2004 to serve as a transition
A paratrooper with
the 82nd Airborne
Division’s 1st Brigade
Combat Team passes
before the rising sun
during a patrol into a
village May 4, 2012,
Ghazni Province,
Afghanistan. The
equipment on his
back is used to block
remotely detonated
improvised explosive
devices.
41

Army Sgt. Jim
McKinzie, squad
leader, Headquarters
and Headquarters
Company, 4th Brigade
Combat Team, 82nd
Airborne Division,
helps secure a drop
zone in Afghanistan.
force between 1st Armored Division and
the 81st Infantry Brigade until May 2004.
The Brigade was comprised of 2nd and
3rd Battalions, 504th Infantry and 2-505th
Infantry and its divisional slice attachments.
82nd Airborne Division units have continued
to support the operations in Iraq
through 2004 to 2008, with Battalion and
Brigade Combat Team deployments varying
in length from four to fifteen months.
The Battalion sized deployments have
occurred with little notice and for specific
missions. The initial deployments were for
Iraqi Elections when the Central Command
Commander decided he needed more
forces to provide security for the election
process. The 1-17d Cavalry deployed in
support of the 2004 Iraqi National elections
in northern and central Iraq, they
provided combat security and surveillance.
Additionally for the 2004 Elections the
2nd Battalion, 325th Infantry and 3rd Battalion,
504th Infantry both deployed.
These same units were recalled to Iraqi
to provide a safe and secure environment
for the 2005 Iraqi National Referendum
and National Parliamentary Elections.
The 2-325th Infantry was assigned an
area near Tal Afar and facilitated the social,
economic and political reconstruction
of region, enabling peaceful and successful
elections. Task Force 3-504th Infantry
was assigned the same mission in the Anbar
Province Region.
Iraqi Governance
The 82nd Airborne Division spent
more than $40 million to fund 2,436 projects.
Within Al Anbar Province, the division
concentrated on generating energy,
health care, education, water and sanitation.
To help gain support in the unstable
city of Al Fallujah, the division commander
directed the purchase of water purification
units and had the engineer units
set them up in the city. Beside Elections,
Battalions were sent to support full range
operations. These include humanitarian
42

assistance, presence patrols, raids and
cordon and search operation. In October
2005, the 1-504th Infantry deployed to the
Kurdish area, northern Iraq. They worked
aside a multinational and inter-agency
Task Force.
The 1-17th Cavalry, the 2nd Brigade,
325th Infantry, and the 3rd Brigade, 504th
Infantry, were sent to Iraqi to provide
safety and security during the 2005 Iraqi
national referendum and national parliamentary
elections. The 2nd Brigade, 325th
Infantry, was assigned an
area near Tal Afar and facilitated
the social, economic,
and political reconstruction,
enabling peaceful and
successful elections. Task
Force 3-504th Infantry was
assigned the same mission
in the Al Anbar Province
region. The 1-17th Cavalry
deployed to northern
Iraq in January 2005 and
supported aerial combat
operations in that area.
In October 2005, the 1st
Brigade, 504th Infantry, and
the 82nd Military Police
Company, deployed to
northern Iraq and worked
alongside a multinational and interagency
task force to establish a theater internment
facility to hold up to 2,000 detainees.
National Resolution
The 82nd Airborne Division also supported
operations in Iraqi with Brigade
Combat Team–sized deployments. These
were the first deployment for the new
modular Brigade Combat Teams composed
of six battalions. In August 2006,
the 82nd Sustainment Brigade deployed
to provide logistics support to combat
units in Iraq. They provided command
and control of logistics and support units
from the Army Reserve and National
Guard. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team
deployed to Diyala Province, where it
conducted cordon-and-search operations
to secure the Iraq-Iran border to prevent
the flow of weapons into Iraq. It also took
responsibility for Salah ad Din Province
north of Baghdad. The mission was threefold:
sustain and collaborate with the Iraqi
security forces, with special emphasis on
the police force; conduct counterinsurgency
operations; and work with the State
Department’s Provincial Reconstruction
Team to improve the governance, rule
of law, and the economy in the province.
In July 2006, the 1st Squadron, 17th
Cavalry, was sent into northwest Iraq
near Lake Tar. At the same time, the 1st
Battalion, 325th Infantry, deployed to
conduct full range operation in support of
an interagency task force to combat Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi’s network. Both units
returned in December 2006. The 1-82nd
Aviation deployed to support attack operations
with its Apache Helicopters; they
were attached to the 25th Combat Aviation
Brigade.
Sgt. Richard Hays,
right, and Spc. Ethan
Cizauskas observe
mortar impacts during
a mission supporting
the Iraqi army’s 9th
Division near Tarab,
Iraq.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull
43

The Surge
In January 2007, the 2nd Brigade Combat
Team, 82nd Airborne Division was
the first brigade deployed to support the
“surge.” It supported operations in the city
of Bagdad and its immediate surrounding
areas. The plan began with a major operation
to secure Baghdad. These operations
focused on dismantling illegal support
networks and capabilities that would allow
the enemy to move personnel and weapons
into the city and stage attacks. This effort
has also proven successful in the killing or
capture of key leaders and cell members
who belong to extremist groups.
In addition, the 1st Brigade, deployed
in July 2007 to provide theater security
force in Iraq. The brigade was headquartered
in Tallil in southern Iraq and conducted
operations in and around Al Basrah
for 14 months.
Relief Efforts for Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita
Hurricane Katrina was the most destructive
hurricane ever to strike the United
States. It first struck southern Florida
on 25 August 2005 as a Category 1 storm
on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It quickly
reintensified once it moved west into the
warm Gulf waters. Katrina continued to
strengthen as it turned toward the northwest
and eventually north toward Louisiana
and Mississippi.
Katrina’s sustained winds reached 175
mph. The storm’s intensity diminished
slightly as it approached the central Gulf
Coast, but Katrina remained a strong
Category 4 storm until landfall along
the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts
on August 29. Although its intensity at
landfall was less than that of Hurricane
Camille, which devastated coastal Mississippi
in August 1969, the size of Katrina,
with hurricane force winds extending 120
miles from its center, was much larger
and the destruction more widespread
than Camille.
The associated storm surge reached as
far east as Mobile, Alabama. The combination
of strong winds, heavy rainfall and
storm surge led to breaks in the earthen
Warrant Officer
Casimir A. Droleski
fires an M240B
machine gun during
an ambush operation
part of the Mungadai
training mission at
Fort Bragg, N.C.
44
Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull.

levee system that separates New Orleans
from surrounding lakes and canals,
leaving large parts of New Orleans under
20 feet of water
Following less than a month after
Hurricane Katrina devastated large parts
of the central Gulf Coast region; Hurricane
Rita was the second hurricane of
the season to reach Category 5 status
in the Gulf of Mexico. This marked the
first time on record that two hurricanes
reached Category 5 strength in the Gulf
of Mexico in the same season.
Weakening occurred during the 36
hours prior to landfall Hurricane Rita
made landfall with wind speeds of 120
mph along the Texas and Louisiana
border early on 24 September 2005.
Although the region was well prepared
for the storm, the devastation across the
Louisiana and Texas border region was
widespread. There were few reports of
injuries or deaths as a direct result of the
storm, unlike the large loss of life from, a
massive evacuation effort likely saved much
loss of life.
“The 82nd has been like a godsend. They
have been able to get us whatever we need
to complete our mission.”
Melissa Bowers, a civilian volunteer
from Bremerton, Wash
The 82nd Airborne Division deployed
on 3 September 2005 to provide search
and rescue, evacuation, humanitarian
assistance and presence patrols in New
Orleans and Southwest Louisiana. Within
six hours of notification, the Division was
en route to New Orleans. Shortly upon
arrival, the Division’s units secured the
New Orleans Convention Center and the
Superdome. They began rescue missions
and evacuated the displaced.
The Division was the core element
of Task Force All American, which later
became Joint Task Force All American.
This Joint and Interagency Task Force
was made up of more than 6,900 soldiers
that included 3,600 Paratroopers from
Fort Bragg. Other elements came from
the National Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast
Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation,
U.S. Air Force, Drug Enforcement Agency,
EMS, state, and local police. Additionally,
two Military Police companies from
the California and Puerto Rico National
Guard were placed under the Division’s
operational direction so that they always
had “embedded” National Guard troops in
all of the patrols and movements to perform
police functions if required.
As Hurricane Rita made landfall, the
Division moved units to areas outside of
New Orleans. After landfall, Joint Task
Force All American forces rapidly deployed
back into city and deployed to
South West Louisiana to Cameron, Calcasieu,
Iberia and Vermilion Parishes. The
Task Force then conducted search and
rescue missions and rescued 30 people, 47
pets and 1 dolphin from the flooded areas.
After the conclusion of the operation, the
Division redeployed back to Fort Bragg
with the last ground convoys back at Fort
Bragg on 8 October 2005.
Staff Sgt. Christopher
King, a section
leader assigned to D
Co., 2nd Battalion,
325th Airborne
Infantry Regiment,
2nd Brigade, 82nd
Airborne Division,
talks on the radio
and pulls security
with his Paratroopers
along a route in
Baghdad on Nov. 18.
Paratroopers with D
Co. are responsible
for securing the route
for convoys traveling
south to Kuwait. The
2nd Brigade is the last
brigade in Baghdad
and is facilitating the
withdrawal of U.S.
military forces from
Iraq. King is a native
of Tacoma, Wash.
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kissta M. Feldner, 2/82 PAO.
45

Army Pfc. Kyle
Canamore, of the 82nd
Airborne Division’s 2nd
Platoon, Company B,
2nd Battalion, 325th
Airborne Infantry
Regiment, pulls security
during a patrol through
Baghdad’s Shaab
neighborhood.
Paratroopers with the
82nd Airborne board a
C-17 Globe Master at
Pope Army Airfield
Task Organization
HHC, 82nd Airborne Division
82nd Signal Battalion
313th Military Intelligence Battalion
3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division
2-505th Infantry
3-505th Infantry
307th Engineer Battalion
82nd Military Police Company
82nd Airborne Division Divisional
. Artillery
1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field
. Artillery Battalion
2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field
. Artillery Battalion
82nd Aviation Brigade
2-82nd Aviation
82nd Airborne Division Support
. Command
782nd Support Battalion
1st Corps Support Command
Iraqi Sovereignty
The forces deployed during this time
assisted by training the Iraqi Security
Forces to allow them to operate and secure
their own government. The brigades
assisted the U.S. State Department–led
transition teams in building administrative
capacity in provincial and local governments.
In December 2008, the 3rd Brigade
Combat Team deployed to Baghdad, Iraq,
and redeployed to Fort Bragg in November
2009. The 3rd supported Iraqi police
units that oversaw Iraqi election sites.
In August 2009, the 1st Brigade Combat
Team deployed once again to Iraq to Al
Anbar Province and redeployed late July
2010. The 1st Brigade conducted operations
to limit the ability of al-Zarqawi’s
network to operate.
New Dawn
In May 2011, the 2nd Brigade Combat
Team deployed to Iraq in support of Operation
NEW DAWN. It was the last brigade
combat team to pull out of Iraq and
successfully relinquished responsibility of
Al Anbar Province to the Iraqi government.
The 2nd Brigade returned home to
Fort Bragg in December 2011.
(See references on page 68.)
46

The United States Army
MEDAL OF HONOR
The Nation’s Highest Medal for Valor
Lt. Col. Emory J. Pike
Colonel Pike earned his Medal of Honor for the events that happened on
Sept. 18, 1918 while serving as a machine gun officer in the 82nd Infantry
Division while serving near Vandieres, France during World War I.
Cpl. Alvin C. York
Cpl. York was the second Soldier from the 82nd Inf. Div. to earn the Medal of Honor
during World War I. On Oct. 8, 1918, while serving with Company G, 328th Infantry
near Chatel-Chehery, France, York assumed command of the company after his
platoon suffered heavy casualties and three other noncommissioned officers became
casualties. Fearlessly leading seven men, he charged a machinegun nest that was
pouring deadly and relentless fire on his platoon. In this heroic feat the machinegun
nest was taken, together with 4 officers and 128 men and several guns.
Pfc. Charles N. DeGlopper
Pfc. DeGlopper was the first World War II Soldier/Gliderman to receive the Medal of Honor
while serving with the newly renamed 82nd Airborne Division. Deglopper earned his MOH for
the events that happened on June 9, 1944, as a member of Company C, 325th Glider Infantry.
Pvt. John R. Towle
Pvt. John R. Towle was a member of Company C, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
when he earned his MoH for the events that took place near Oosterhout, Holland.
1st Sgt. Leonard Funk Jr.
1st Sgt. Funk Jr. earned his medal of honor for his actions that took
place on Jan. 29, 1945 in Holzheim, Belgium while serving as the first
sergeant of Company C, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
47

48

FURY FROM THE SKY
The 75th Anniversary
of the 508th Infantry Regiment
The 508th Infantry Regiment (“Red Devils” or “Fury from the
Sky”) is an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army,
first formed in October 1942 during World War II. The 508th
is a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System,
and two battalions from the regiment are currently active: the
1st Battalion (1-508 PIR) is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat
Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and the 2nd Battalion (2-508 PIR)
is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne
Division. The regiment served in combat during World War II, and
regimental elements have served in combat in the Dominican
Republic, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan.
49

Country music artist
and veteran of
the 82nd Airborne
Division. Craig Morgan
has charted seventeen
times on the Billboard
country charts.
Hall of Fame football
coach at Syracuse
University, where he
trained future National
Football League stars
such as Jim Brown, Larry
Csonka, Floyd Little and
Ernie Davis.
The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment was activated during World
War II on 20 October 1942 at Camp Blanding, Florida. Lieutenant Colonel
Roy E. Lindquist formed the unit and remained its commander throughout
the war.
After extensive training and maneuvers the 508th embarked on 19
December 1943 in New York City, New York and sailed on 28 December
1943 for Belfast, Northern Ireland, arriving there on 8 January 1944. After
additional training at Cromore Estate in Portstewart, the regiment was
moved by ship to Glasgow in Scotland and by train on 13 March 1944 to
Wollaton Park in Nottinghamshire, England, where they became part of
the veteran 82nd “All American” Airborne Division, commanded by Major
General Matthew Ridgway, which had seen distinguished service in Sicily
and Italy. A sister unit, the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment (later to
become attached to the 17th Airborne Division), who were part of the 2nd
Airborne Brigade with the 508th, were camped less than ten miles away
at a former country hotel called Tollerton Hall, Nottinghamshire. During
training in England Brigadier General James M. Gavin, the Assistant
Division Commander (ADC), was particularly impressed with the regiment,
noting that the 508th “looks as good as any new outfit that I have ever seen,
if they cannot do it it cannot be done by green troops.”
The 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment participated in Operation Overlord,
jumping into Normandy at 2:15 a.m. on 6 June 1944. Their immediate
objectives were to capture Sainte-Mère-Église, secure crossings at the
Merderet River near laFiere and Chef-du-Pont, and establish a defensive
line north from Neuville-au-Plain to Breuzeville-au-Plain. There they were
to tie in with the 502nd Parachute Infantry, of Major General Maxwell
Taylor’s 101st Airborne Division. Like most paratroop units involved in
Overlord, the 508th were dropped in the wrong locations and had extraordinary
difficulty linking up with each other. During the assault on June 6, a
Specialist Matt Schultz advises while commanding and
controlling air strikes to clear the village of Bakhaira, Iraq.
50
American model and
choreographer. He
modeled for Kenzo,
Issey Miyake, Hermиs
and Calvin Klein in
Paris, Milan, Tokyo
and New York.
Photo by U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Timothy Irish

Photo by Staff Sgt. Alex Manne
A paratrooper
jumps from a UH-
60 Black Hawk
helicopter during an
airborne operation for
Operation Toy Drop
over Nijmegan drop
zone, Ft. Bragg, N.C.
U.S. Army
platoon leader of the 508th, First Lieutenant
Robert Mathias, of Company E of
the 2nd Battalion, was the first American
officer killed by German fire on D-Day.
For its gallantry and combat action
during the first three days of fighting, the
unit was awarded the Distinguished Unit
Citation (later re-designated as the Presidential
Unit Citation), quoted in part below:
“The 508th Parachute Infantry is cited
for outstanding performance of duty
in action against the enemy between 6
and 9 June 1944, during the invasion
of France. The Regiment landed by
parachute shortly after 0200 hours,
6 June 1944. Intense antiaircraft and
machine-gun fire was directed against
the approaching planes and parachutist
drops. Enemy mobile antiairborne
landing groups immediately engaged
assembled elements of the Regiment
and reinforced their opposition with
heavily supported reserve units. Elements
of the Regiment seized Hill 30,
in the wedge between the Merderet
and Douve Rivers, and fought vastly
superior enemy forces for three days.
From this position, they continually
threatened German units moving in
from the west, as well as the enemy
forces opposing the crossing of our
troops over the Merderet near La
Fiere and Chef-du-Pont.
“They likewise denied the enemy opportunity
to throw reinforcements to
the east where they could oppose the
beach landings. The troops on Hill 30
finally broke through to join the airborne
troops at the bridgehead west
of La Fiere on 9 June 1944. They had
repelled continuous attacks from infantry,
tanks, mortars, and artillery for
more than 60 hours without resupply.
Other elements of the 508th Parachute
Infantry fought courageously in
the bitter fighting west of the Merderet
River and in winning the bridgeheads
across that river at La Fiere and
Chef-du- Pont. The regiment secured
its objectives through heroic determination
and initiative. Every member
performed his duties with exemplary
aggressiveness and superior skill. The
courage and devotion to duty shown
by members of the 508th Parachute
Infantry are worthy of emulation and
reflect the highest traditions of the
Army of the United States.”
51

ST. MICHAEL
Patron Saint of the
Paratroopers
Globally recognized as the patron saint
of the airborne troops. St. Michael was
chosen for his portrayal in the book
of Daniel where he was victorious
over Satan and his comrades in
the legendary battle in heaven
or airborne.
Joe Natalie a champion for airborne
units at World War II created a St.
Michael’s airborne society for Catholics
using a drawing from an unknown soldier
of Saint Michael wearing jump boots and
vanquishing the devil as there symbol. The
fraternal organization soon excepted membership
from airborne troops of all denominations.
A soldier’s airborne qualification must be submitted in order to join
the airborne society and the unit Will usually give of its members a St.
Michael medallion to wear and certificate signifying membership.
52

“H-MINUS”
The 75th Anniversary
of the 505th Infantry Regiment
Throughout its long and storied history,
the 505th Infantry Regiment has maintained
a proud legacy within the U.S. Army and upheld
the fighting spirit established by its first commander,
James Gavin. Today, as it was then, the 505th Infantry
represents an elite force of soldiers dedicated
to fighting tyranny and upholding its motto “H-Minus,”
one that truly reflects an a combat unit ready
to spring into action, always prepared for any mission.
53

A United States Army sergeant and
medic who became the first woman
during the War in Afghanistan and
only the second woman since World
War II to receive the Silver Star, the
United States military’s third-highest
medal for valor in combat.
The 505th Infantry Regiment, originally the 505th
Parachute Infantry Regiment (505th PIR), is an airborne
infantry regiment of the United States Army, one
of four infantry regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division
of the United States Army, with a long and distinguished
history.
Activated in July 1942 during World War II, the
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment participated in the
Allied invasion of Sicily, later landing at Salerno, the
Battle of Normandy, the Netherlands and the Battle of
the Bulge. During the 1960s, the 505th was one of the
units which played a role in Operation Power Pack in
the Dominican Republic and later assisted local authorities
during the civil disturbances which occurred
within the United States. The regiment was sent to the
Republic of Vietnam in 1968 during the Vietnam War.
After the Vietnam War, the 505th participated in various
military operations. Among them were Operation
Urgent Fury, Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert
Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Restore
Hope, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation
Iraqi Freedom. The regiment’s most recent engagement
has been in OEF in Afghanistan. Currently its 1st and
2nd battalions are active. Both battalions are assigned to
the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division
at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved
for the 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment on 24 January
1952. It was redesignated for the 505th Infantry on
20 May 1958.
The 505th PIR distinctive unit insignia is, according
to the U.S Army Institute of Heraldry
“A Silver color metal and enamel device 1 5/16
inches (3.33 cm) in height overall, consisting of a shield
blazoned: Argent, four bendlets Azure surmounted by a
winged Black panther salient inverted Proper, that part
on the bendlets fimbriated of the first. On a wreath Argent
and Azure, a winged arrowhead point down Gules,
in front of a cloud Proper. Attached below the shield a
Blue scroll turned Silver and inscribed “H-MINUS” in
Silver.”
The colors blue and white are used to symbolize
Infantry. The black panther symbolizes stealth, speed
and courage, all characteristics of a good Paratrooper.
The wings are added to represent entry into combat
via air, and the bendlets symbolize the unit’s parachute
drops into combat. The winged red arrowhead is used
54

to represent the regiment’s first combat
attack in Sicily during World War II. The
phrase “H-Minus” signifies the Regiment’s
readiness prior to the start of the operation,
or “H-Hour”.
The official insignia is in fact not the
insignia first designed by the men of the
unit, which was simply a black panther on
a shield, with the original motto, “Ready”
inscribed below it. However, the Institute
of Heraldry refused to approve the crest
known by the men of the World War II
505th and replaced it with the above-referenced
insignia.
Paratroopers from the
1st Battalion, 505th
Parachute Infantry
Regiment, Ft. Bragg,
N.C., board a C-130J
Super Hercules
Photo by Sgt. Deja Borden, CJTF-OIR Public Affairs
Cpl. Keegan A. Merlino, an
infantryman with the 2nd
Battalion, 505th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade
Combat Team, 82nd Airborne
Division, guides Iraqi army
soldiers of the 75th Brigade,
16th Division, to their next
bounding location during a
breaching assault and building
clearance lane at Besmaya
Range Complex, Iraq, April 18,
2015. Infantrymen of 2-505th
PIR conducted training with the
Iraqi army’s 16th Division to
better prepare them for combat
against the Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant.
55

Kissin Close!
Every Episode
Saturdays, 9am
56
January - April
April - September

For all the sailors, pilots, and soldiers on dangerous missions far from home. For anyone who ever
worried whether a loved one was safe, prepared, and protected. For the difference one company
can make by giving back to the community. For everything that can be achieved through hard work
and perseverance. For every chance we’ve had to provide the most innovative, mission-critical
equipment solutions. For all this and more, we are grateful for twenty years.
SERVING THE BEST CUSTOMERS IN THE WORLD.
WE ARE ADS.
OUR PURPOSE.
YOUR MISSION.
ADSINC.COM | 800.948.9433
57

UAVS:
Unmanned and Undetected
BY DAVID MORTON
C4ISR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
ADS, Inc. works diligently to identify the most cutting-edge equipment and technology available to continuously
mitigate customers’ real-world challenges. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have proliferated
the industry as their availability, affordability and technology have surged.
As accessibility to drones has substantially increased — in
both public and private sectors — so has the threat posed
to innocent civilians, first responders and our military.
The battlefield is where most would expect drones to be
weaponized or used to gather data. The reality is drones
have become ubiquitous in a multitude of roles for adversary
individuals, groups and countries. Recently, ISIS weaponized
a small drone and carried out a bombing run killing
an Iraqi soldier. Combating constant Russian surveillance,
Ukraine has pressed civilian drones and their operators into
service to monitor Russian separatist artillery employment.
Accompanying this growth in usage is the need to develop
countermeasures. State and local law enforcement, federal government agencies and even commercial venues,
such as sports stadiums and airports, are also looking at methods of combating obtrusive UAVs. Even prisons
have seen drones used to deliver drugs to inmates.
The threat has access to similar, but less capable sUAV technology. As we’ve seen from Iraq to Ohio to Ukraine,
counter-drone solutions are urgently needed. ADS has marshalled
a variety of countermeasure solutions for this problem
— portable drone-grabbing systems that snatch drones out of
the air and systems that electronically attack drones, causing
them to fall out of the sky. Other counter-drone methods trap
them inside invisible fences or inside anti-drone nets.
Contact ADS, Inc. to learn more about the current drone and
counter-drone marketplace— specifically in the sUAV or small
UAV sector. We’ve got you covered.
58
WWW.ADSINC.COM

JUMP SCHOOL
Earn Your Wings and
Become Part of an Elite Family
Motivation, aggressiveness & fortitude
that’s what it takesto become an Airborne soldier.
Being Airborne is an honor & not a right. To be awarded the
coveted Silver Wings you have to earn them, they are not issued.
Airborne Soldiers have a long and distinguished tradition
of being an elite body of fighting men and women–
people who have always set the example
for determination and courage.
If you are preparing to become a member of
any Special Operations Group (Army SF, Rangers, Navy SEALs,
Marine RECON, Air Force PJs, EOD units, and others)
you must first be able to graduate from the Army Basic
Airborne Course (BAC) at Fort Benning (not everyone makes it) .
59

The United States Army Airborne School – widely known
as Jump School – conducts the basic paratrooper (military
parachutist) training for the United States armed forces. It
is operated by the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry,
United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia.
The Airborne School conducts the Basic Airborne Course,
which is open to troops of both genders from all branches
of the United States Department of Defense, Reserve
Officer Training Corps, and allied military personnel
All students must volunteer to attend the course.
Photo by Rachel L. Watkins
Becoming a paratrooper is a unique experience
requiring special dedication and a desire
to be challenged mentally and physically. This
three-week course, also known as Basic Airborne
Course, teaches Soldiers the techniques
involved in parachuting from airplanes and
landing safely. The final test includes a non-assisted
jump.
The purpose of the BAC is to qualify the
volunteer in the use of the parachute as a means
of combat deployment and to develop leadership,
self-confidence, and an aggressive spirit through
mental and physical conditioning.
Airborne Soldiers have a long and distinguished
tradition of being an elite body of fighting
men and women–people who have always
set the example for determination and courage.
When you volunteer for this training, you accept
the challenge of continuing this tradition. The
Airborne Soldiers of the past set high standards–it
is now up to you to maintain them!
SPC Bradley Chanady jumps from a 34-foot
tower at Mann Field, Fort Benning, Ga. Three
hundred Soldiers from the 173 Airborne Brigade
Combat Team traveled 10 hours from Bamberg and
Schweinfurt, Germany and Vicenza, Italy to go
through airborne school at Fort Benning.
60

Curriculum
GROUND WEEK
The first week of the Basic Airborne
Course is dedicated to teaching prospective
troopers how to land properly to minimize
the potential for injury and general
familiarization with the T-10D and T-11
parachute. The T-10D is a round-shaped
parachute, and the T-11 is a square-shaped
parachute both using static line extraction
with a descent rate of 18–23 ft/sec and
16–20 ft/sec respectively, dependent on
the weight and equipment outfitting of the
individual jumper. Prospective troopers
are taught how to wear the parachute harness
correctly and how to use the special
training gear. During Ground Week, prospective
troopers will spend the majority
of time learning, practicing, and perfecting
their Parachute Landing Fall (PLF) and
proper exit technique from the aircraft.
To practice the PLFs, soldiers will
jump from platforms of various heights
into sand or pebble pits, simulating the
final stage of parachute landing. This
maneuver teaches a soldier to transfer the
energy of his fall (landing) up the sides of
the lower legs and knees, all the way up to
side of the upper body. During this period
Black Hat instructors closely observe and
correct the prospective troopers body
position and technique making corrections.
This week culminates in practice
landings from the Lateral Drift Assembly,
a ‘zip line’ type assembly which simulates
making contact with the ground traveling
at speed and in various directions. In many
cases the first use of the 34-foot tower is
made at the end of this period of training.
To continue to week 2, prospective
troopers must pass all jump training test
as well as the standard Army Physical
Fitness Test (APFT) in the 17–21 year old
range, regardless of the prospective trooper’s
actual age. Ground week is the phase
of training in which the largest number of
personnel washout. Depending on circumstances
personnel who fail to advance are
either dismissed from the course outright
or less commonly recycled back to an earlier
class for additional training.
TOWER WEEK
The second week of Jump School concentrates
on the jump towers. Prospective
troopers will continue using the 34-foot
tower in addition to the swing-landing
trainer, a suspended harness trainer, and
occasionally the 250-foot tower. Soldiers
will become familiar with the mock door
trainer to simulate mass exit training (how
to exit an aircraft in flight). Additionally,
prospective troopers are taught the different
phases of parachute flight from aircraft
exit, through opening shock and chute
deployment, then onto the deployment of
the risers, steering the chute, and all the
way to landing. One critical skill learned
is how to identify a parachute malfunction
and deal with it. This may involve emergency
procedures including when and how
to deploy the reserve parachute. Soldiers
also learn about oscillation, landing falls,
and how to recover from drag. The T-10D
and T-11 parachutes are partially steerable
using the parachute risers and students
are taught the different techniques to steer
their chutes into the wind and aim for the
Point of Impact at the center of the Drop
82nd Airborne Division photo by Sgt. Eliverto V. Larios/Released
Paratroopers assigned
to the 2nd Brigade
Combat Team, 82nd
Airborne Division
and the British 16
Air Assault Brigade
conduct mock door
drills at Green Ramp
on Pope Army Airfield,
N.C., March 17, 2015.
The jump certified the
British paratroopers to
conduct a joint forcible
entry operation for
the Combined Joint
Operational Access
Exercise led by 2nd
BCT in April. The
CJOAX represents
a major milestone
in the division’s
interoperability
program, which seeks
to create a seamless
integration of a U.K.
brigade into the division
and build operational
compatibilities for a
multinational crisis
response options.
61

Photo by Ashley Cross/U.S. Army Photo
Fort Benning, GA:
A Soldier is dropped
from the 250 foot
tower with a T-10
Parachute during
Airborne School,
August 7, 2013 at Fort
Benning. Airborne
School consists of three
weeks of training,
ground week, tower
week, and jump week.
Zone. The second week completes a soldier’s
individual skill training and begins
building team effort skills. Once successfully
completing the skills required and
the physical fitness requirements, a soldier
progresses to jump week.
JUMP WEEK
Finally, soldiers get to practice their
new skills while jumping out of real aircraft
in flight. The C-130 or C-17 aircraft
pick up the paratrooper students in front
of the hangar at Lawson Army Airfield.
From there it is a very short flight to
Fryar Field (commonly referred to as
“Fryar Drop Zone”), where all of the training
jumps are accomplished. Fryar Field
is named after Private Elmer E. Fryar of
the United States Army’s 511th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, who posthumously received
the Medal of Honor for his actions
in World War II.
The Air Force aircraft fly at 1250
feet above the ground at an airspeed of
about 130 knots. After the flight crew
completes the pre-drop and slow-down
checklists, soldiers rise out of their seats
and move at the jumpmaster’s direction
to one of two paratroop doors (on each
side of the aircraft). At “green light” one
stick of soldiers exits the plane – jumpers
continue to move to the door until the
red light is illuminated. At that point the
aircraft will begin its racetrack maneuver
circling back to the beginning of the drop
zone and continue to do this until all
jumpers have jumped.
A soldier must complete 5 jumps, normally
including at least one night jump, to
graduate Airborne School. During jump
week, the schedule varies and soldiers will
jump in a variety of configurations from
unloaded Hollywood to fully equipped and
loaded Combat jumps . Jump week can
seem chaotic, with a large group of soldiers
gathered in the ready-room waiting
to be loaded onto the aircraft one chalk
at a time. Immediately after landing on
the Drop Zone (DZ), the soldiers collect
their parachutes and other gear and meet
back at the rally point on one side of the
DZ, where they wait for a bus to take
them back to Lawson Army Airfield to get
ready for their next jump.
The jump schedule varies greatly
based on class dynamics, weather, and
aircraft. Graduation is normally conducted
at 0900 on Friday of Jump Week
at the south end of Eubanks Field on
the Airborne Walk. However, if there is
inclement weather, or other factors delay
the scheduled jumps, graduation may be
conducted on Fryar Drop Zone following
the last jump. Guests and family members
are welcome to observe all of the jumps at
the DZ, attend the graduation ceremony,
and participate in awarding the parachutist
wings to the soldiers. On graduation
day, families typically spend only a few
minutes with their soldier, pinning on his
or her new airborne wings. The soldier
frequently departs Fort Benning that day
or the following day, to attend another
advanced military school or to report to
another duty station.
62

Congratulations on
100 Years of Service
Need
Pic
63

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT 43D AIR MOBILITY OF THE OPERATIONS AIR FORCE GROUP (AMC)
HEADQUARTERS POPE ARMY 43D AIRFIELD MOBILITY FORT BRAGG OPERATIONS NORTH CAROLINA GROUP (AMC)
POPE ARMY AIRFIELD FORT BRAGG NORTH CAROLINA
22 September 2017
22 September 2017
Colonel Kelly R. Holbert, USAF
Commander
Colonel Kelly R. Holbert, USAF
43d Air Mobility Operations Group
Commander
259 Maynard St
43d Pope Air Mobility Army Airfield Operations NC 28308 Group
259 Maynard St
Pope Major Army General Airfield Erik NC Kurilla, 28308USA
Commander
Major 82nd General Airborne Erik Division Kurilla, USA
Commander 1 All American Way
82nd Fort Airborne Bragg NC Division 28310
1 All American Way
Fort Dear Bragg General NC 28310 Kurilla and the men and women of the 82nd Airborne Division
Congratulations on celebrating 100 years of service to our great nation! The past century
Dear General Kurilla and the men and women of the 82nd Airborne Division
of distinguished heritage and acclaim from countless battles hard fought and won is only the
prelude. From the Western Front, the Battle of the Bulge, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf,
Kosovo,
Congratulations
and the War
on
on Terrorism,
celebrating
not
100
to
years
mention
of
countless
service to
humanitarian
our great nation!
and civil
The
crises,
past century
the
of distinguished 82nd has been heritage a bulwark and of acclaim America’s from defence. countless Your battles commitment hard fought and sacrifice and won over is the only last the 100
prelude. years From has not the gone Western unnoticed. Front, As the the Battle global of security the Bulge, environment Grenada, continues Panama, to be the unpredictable Persian Gulf,
Kosovo, and the and nation the War continues Terrorism, to ask you not to perform to mention your countless duties, there humanitarian is no doubt that and the civil 82nd crises, the
82ndAirborne has been Division a bulwark will of be America’s just as successful defence. in the Your next commitment 100 years. and sacrifice over the last 100
years has not gone unnoticed. As the global security environment continues to be unpredictable
and the nation The continues 43d Air Mobility to ask Operations you to perform Group your is proud duties, to be there your is Joint no doubt Partner that and the to 82nd facilitate
Airborne your ability Division to be will the be US just Army’s as successful most strategically in the next mobile 100 division. years. As stated in the 2015
National Military Strategy, “The execution of integrated operations requires a Joint Force
capable The of 43d swift Air and Mobility decisive Operations force projection Group around is proud the world”. to be your We Joint look forward Partner to and a continued to facilitate
close relationship as we push onward and continue to answer our nation’s call. Thank you for
your ability to be the US Army’s most strategically mobile division. As stated in the 2015
your continued selfless servitude and contributions to the world’s premiere combat force!
National Military Strategy, “The execution of integrated operations requires a Joint Force
capable of swift and decisive force projection around
Sincerely,
the world”. We look forward to a continued
close relationship as we push onward and continue to answer our nation’s call. Thank you for
your continued selfless servitude and contributions to the world’s premiere combat force!
Sincerely,
KELLY R. HOLBERT, Colonel, USAF
Commander
KELLY R. HOLBERT, Colonel, USAF
Commander
WILLING, ABLE, READY ... NOW!
WILLING, ABLE, READY ... NOW!
Need
Pic
64

THE 43 RD AIR MOBILITY
OPERATIONS GROUP
Willing, Able, Ready
Deploying Airborne Forces
Around the World
The 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group is an active duty
air mobility unit at Pope Field, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
(formerly Pope AFB), and is part of the Air Mobility Command
(AMC) USAF Expeditionary Center. The unit is composed
of five squadrons, including one of the only two active Air
Force aeromedical evacuation squadrons based in the United
States. The group’s primary mission focuses on providing
enroute operations and enabling global response and
airborne support for Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division.
65

Members of the 82nd
Airborne Division
leap from C-17
Globemaster III
aircraft during a mass
tactical parachute
jump onto Sicily Drop
Zone at Fort Bragg,
S.C., July 12, 2016.
During mass-tactical
week the Army and
Air Force units work
together to improve
interoperability for
worldwide crisis,
contingency and
humanitarian.
The 43rd Operations Group was redesignated
the 43rd Airlift Group on 1 March
2011 after the inactivation of the 43rd
Airlift Wing. It was later redesignated the
43rd Air Mobility Operations Group on
14 June 2016.
The 43rd Air Mobility Operations
Group is part of the air force component of
United States Transportation Command.
It provides rapid strategic deployment of
forces assigned to Joint Special Operations
Command, the XVIII Airborne Corps and
82nd Airborne Division. It also provides
combatant commanders with Airborne
Joint Forcible Entry, combat airlift, aeromedical
evacuation, aerial port, command
and control, and other enabling capabilities.
The 43 AMOG comprises five squadrons:
• 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation
Squadron
• 43rd Air Base Squadron
• 43rd Air Mobility Squadron
• 43rd Medical Squadron
• 43rd Operations Support Squadron
The unit’s World War II predecessor
unit, the 43rd Bombardment Group,
operated primarily in the Southwest
Pacific Theater as a B-17 Flying Fortress,
and later a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber
unit assigned to
Fifth Air Force. It
was awarded two
United States Distinguished
Unit
Citations and the
Philippine Presidential
Unit Citation
for its combat
service in China;
Netherlands East
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ericka Engblom
Indies; New Guinea; the Bismarck Archipelago;
the Western Pacific; Leyte, Luzon,
and Okinawa.
In the postwar era, the 43rd Bombardment
Group was one of the first USAAF
units assigned to the Strategic Air Command
on 1 October 1946, prior to the establishment
of the United States Air Force
as a redesignation of the 444th Bombardment
Group due to the Air Force’s policy
of retaining only low-numbered groups on
active duty after the war.
It conducted long-range test missions,
including the first nonstop flight around
the world (26 February-2 March 1949),
accomplished in “Lucky Lady II”, a B-50A
(46–10) commanded by Capt James G
Gallagher.
The group became non-operational in
February 1951 when its squadrons were
attached to the 43rd Bombardment Wing
headquarters. The group was inactivated
in 1952 when the parent wing adopted the
Tri-Deputate organization and assigned
all of the group’s squadrons directly to the
wing.
Redesignated as the 43rd Operations
Group, and activated, in 1992 when the
43rd Air Refueling Wing adopted the
USAF Objective organization plan. From
1994 to 1997 the group was inactive when
the wing was reduced to group size. In
2011, the wing was inactivated, and, the
group received its current designation,
the 43rd Airlift Group. Later, in 2016, the
43rd Airlift Group was redesignated the
43rd Air Mobility Operations Group as it
discontinued airlift operations and reorganized
to inherit responsibilities of the
440th Airlift Wing.
66

MAROON BERET
The maroon beret in a military configuration
has been an international symbol of airborne
forces since the Second World War. It was
officially introduced in 1942, at the direction
of Major-General Frederick “Boy” Browning,
commander of the British 1st Airborne Division.
The color of the beret was reportedly chosen by
his wife, Daphne du Maurier. It was first worn
by the Parachute Regiment in action in North
Africa during November 1942. Although colored
maroon, the beret of the British Parachute Regiment
is often incorrectly called the “red beret.”
In 1943, during the Second World War, Lieutenant-General
Sir Frederick Browning, commander
of the British 1st Airborne Corps, granted
a battalion of the US Army’s 509th Parachute
Infantry Regiment honorary membership in the
British Parachute Regiment and authorized them
to wear British-style maroon berets. US Army
advisers to Vietnamese airborne forces wore the
Vietnamese French-style red beret during the
Vietnam War.
Headquarters, Department of the Army
(HQDA) policy from 1973 through 1979 permitted
local commanders to encourage morale-enhancing
distinctions. Airborne forces chose to
wear the maroon international parachute beret
as a mark of distinction. However, due to the
variety to headgear utilized at unit level, such
as the Stetson being used in cavalry units, this
permission was rescinded in 1979 when the
army introduced a policy of standardized headgear.
Exceptions were allowed for the continued
wearing of the black beret (changed to tan in
2001) for the 75th Ranger Regiment & Ranger
Training Brigade, and the green beret for Special
Forces. On 28 November 1980 permission
was given for airborne organizations to resume
wearing the maroon beret. Most American paratroopers
refer to it as a red
beret, which history and
tradition mandates, out
of respect for their World
War II British allies.
67

References
GENERAL
Covington, H.L. A Fighting Heart: An Unofficial History of the 82nd
Airborne Division. Fayetteville, NC: Davis, 1949.
U.S. Army War College. Hist Sect. Order of Battle of the United States
Land Forces in the World War: American Expeditionary Forces,
Divisions. Wash, DC: CMH, 1988. pp. 346-357.
Waddell, L.S. The Airborne Story. Reprint from Pegasus, a corporate
magazine, June August 1954. 48 p.
Wilson, John B., comp. Armies, Corps, Divisions and Separate Brigades.
In the official Army Lineage Series. Wash, DC: CMH, 1987. pp.
453-464
WORLD WAR I
American Battle Monuments Comm. 82nd Division Summary of
Operations in the World War. Wash, DC: GPO, 1944.
Mitchell, Gary A., Ed. 82nd Division, AEF: WWI Battle Citation General
Orders, 1918‐1919. US: Planchet Pr, 1984.
Service Record: Home‐Coming Souvenir Edition. Special issue periodical,
Atlanta, GA, 5 Jun 1919.
U.S. Army. 82nd Div. Official Camp Gordon Song Book. Augusta, GA:
82nd Div, Nat’l Army, no date M1628O34RareBook.
_____. Official History of the 82nd Division, American Expeditionary Forces:
“All American”
Division. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs‐Merrill, 1919.
WORLD WAR II
GENERAL
Blair, Clay. Ridgway’s Paratroopers: The American Airborne in World War II.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1985.
Dawson, W. Forrest. Saga of the All American. Nashville, TN: Battery Pr,
1978
Eaton, Ralph. Memoirs. Arch.
Gavin, James M. “Airborne Army’s First Test.” Inf Journal 62 (Jan
1948): pp. 22-30 & (Feb 1948): pp. 39-46. Per.
_____. Memorandum for General Farrell. Typescript, 21 Sep 54.
_____. On To Berlin: Battles of an Airborne Commander, 1943‐1946. NY:
Viking, 1978.
Jacobs, Bruce. Soldiers: The Fighting Divisions of the Regular Army. NY:
Norton, 1958. pp.251-263.
Lindquist, Roy. Papers. Five Boxes. Arch.
Linton, Leonard. Kilroy Was Here. n.p., 1997.
_____. Kilroy Was Here Too. n.p., 1999.
McNally, John V. As Ever, John: The Letters of Col. John V. McNally to his
Sister, Margaret McNally Bierbaum, 1941‐1946. Fairfield, CT: Roberts
Pr, 1985.
Members of the 82nd Airborne Division. n.p., n.d. List of members &
awards, 1944‐1945.
Mrozek, Steven J. The 82nd Airborne Division: America’s Guard of Honor.
Dallas, TX: Taylor,1987.
Ridgway, Matthew B. Papers and Oral History Transcript. Arch.
Stanton, Shelby L. Order of Battle, U.S. Army, World War II. Notato, CA:
Presidio, 1984. pp. 151-153.
Stars and Stripes. All American. Paris: Defosses‐Neogravure, 1945.
Thompson, Leroy. The All Americans: The 82nd Airborne. NY: Sterling,
1988.
U.S. Army. 82nd Abn Div. 82nd Airborne Division. n.p., 1972?
U.S. Army. ETO. Order of Battle of the United States Army, World War II:
European Theater of Operations, Divisions. Paris: 1945. pp. 278-288.
D767U52.
U.S. Dept of Army. Hist Div. Combat Chronicle: An Outline History of U.S.
Army Divisions. Wash, DC: 1948. p. 67.
U.S. War Dept. AGO. “Historical Documents World War II.” ca 130
reels.
MEDITERRANEAN THEATER
Breuer, William. They Jumped At Midnight: The “Crash” Parachute
Missions That Turned the Tide at Salerno. St. Louis, MO: Zeus, 1983.
Gavin, James M. “Airborne Plans and Operations in the Mediterranean
Theater.” Inf Journal 59 (Aug 1946): pp. 22-29. Per.
_____. “Paratroopers over Sicily.” Infantry Journal 57 9Nov 1945): pp.
25-33. Per.
Huston, James A. “The 82nd Airborne Division in Sicily.” Infantry (Jul/
Aug 1985): pp. 28-34. Per.
U.S. Army. 82nd Abn Div. 82nd Airborne Division in Sicily and Italy.
European Theater, 1945.
EUROPEAN THEATER
Anzuoni, Robert P. “I’m the 82nd Airborne Division!” A History of the All-
American Division in World War II after Action Reports. Atglen, PA:
Schiffer Military History, 2005.
Cornett, Jack G. “Airborne Invasion--Normandy.” Mil Rev 24 (Nov
1944): pp. 21-24. Per.
Gavin, James M. “Back Door to Normandy.” Inf Journal 59 (Nov 1946):
pp. 8-19. Per.
Marshall, S. L. A. Night Drop: The American Airborne Invasion of
Normandy. Nashville, TN: Battery Pr, 1982.
U.S. Army. 82nd Abn Div. After Action Report, 82nd Airborne Division,
April 1945. European Theater, 1945.
_____. 82nd Airborne Division Action in Central Europe, April May 1945;
Based on OfficialAfter Action Reports. European Theater, 1945.
_____. 82nd Airborne Division Action in Normandy, France in Four Sections.
European Theater, 1944.
_____. 82nd Airborne Division Operation Market Historical Data. European
Theater, 1944.
_____. The Story of the 82nd Airborne Division in the Battle of the Belgian
Bulge in the Siegfried Line And on the Roer River. European Theater,
1945.
SINCE 1945
GENERAL
U.S. Army. 82nd Abn Div. 82nd Airborne Division, 1952. n.p., 1952
_____. Exercise Assembly: The 82nd Airborne Division Staff Report, 1948.
Four vols. Ft. Bragg, NC: 1948. #05-82.1948.
Book I: Pre‐Operational Planning.
Book II: Phase I.
Book III: Phase II.
Book IV: [no title].
_____. The Story of the 82nd Airborne Division in the Year 1948, Fort
Bragg, North Carolina: Division Artillery. Phila, PA: Dorville, 1949
_____. The Story of the 82nd Airborne Division in the Year 1948, Fort
Bragg, North Carolina: Special Troops. Phila: Doraville, 1949.
_____. Support Group, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Baton Rouge, LA: Army & Navy Pub, 1958.
_____. Summary of Activities, 1963. Ft. Bragg, NC: 1964.
_____. Summary of Activities, 1964. Ft. Bragg, NC: 1965.
_____. Summary of Activities, 1965. Ft. Bragg, NC: 1966.
_____. Summary of Activities, 1966. Ft. Bragg, NC: 1967.
TRAINING EXERCISE REPORTS
Arctic Night: Final Report (1956).
Snow Chute: After Action, Report (1961) U253.2S62U54.1961.
Snow Storm: Final Report (Jan/Mar 1953).
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Barry, Robert F. Power Pack, Dominican Republic, 1965-1966. Portsmouth,
VA: Messenger, 1965.
Clingham, James H. “’All American’ Teamwork (Role of the 82nd
Airborne Division in the Dominican Republic from Apr 30,
1965‐ Sep 22, 1966). Army Dig 22 (Jan 1967): pp. 19‐23. Per.
VIETNAM
Pohlman, Stephen K., Ed. Vietnam II: 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division,
January 1969 to
December 1969. n.p., 1970?
Porter, William R. and Fairfaull, Thomas M. The History of the 3d
Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division: February 1968 to March 1969.
Toronto: Image, 1969?
Stanton, Shelby L. Vietnam Order of Battle. Milwood, NY: Kraus, 1981.
p. 83.
U.S. Army Command Info Unit. Scrapbook for Fighting Men Too Busy To
Keep Their Own. Wash, DC: 1969?
SINCE 1969
Blanchard, George S. Papers.
Elton, Robert M. “New Tactics, Training in the 82nd: The Airborne
Division in the ‘70s.” Army 22 (Sep 1972): pp. 16-20. Per.
Frost, Malcolm B., Jackson, John C. & Valdez, Michael A. “Merging
Technology and Training:The 82nd Airborne Division’s Master
Gunner Program.” Infantry (Spring 2002): pp. 32-35. Per.
U.S. Army. 82nd Abn Div. “82nd Airborne Division G2/S2 Handbook.”
By the Division, 1994.
Wildman, John Bennett. 1982: Year of the 82nd. Charlotte, NC: Delmar,
1982.
68