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101st Airborne Division

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101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
U.S. 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Shoulder Sleeve Insignia.
ActiveAugust 15 1942–November 30 1945
1948–1950
1954–present
AllegianceFederal
BranchRegular Army
TypeDivision
RoleAir Assault Infantry
Part ofXVIII Airborne Corps
Garrison/HQFort Campbell
Nickname(s)“Screaming Eagles”
Motto(s)“Rendezvous With Destiny”
Mascot(s)Bald Eagle a.k.a. "Old Abe"
EngagementsWorld War II
Vietnam War
Desert Shield
Desert Storm
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Current
commander		MG Jeffrey J. Schloesser
Notable
commanders		William C. Lee
Maxwell D. Taylor
Anthony C. McAuliffe
William C. Westmoreland
Richard A. Cody
David H. Petraeus
"101st Division" and "101st" redirect here. For other uses, see 101st Division (disambiguation).

The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. During the Vietnam War, the 101st was redesignated an airmobile division, and later as an air assault division. For historical reasons, it keeps the identifier “airborne”, but does not conduct parachute operations at a division level. Many modern members of the 101st are graduates of the U.S. Army Air Assault School, and wear the Air Assault Badge, but it is not a prerequisite to be assigned to the division. The division is headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is the only division in the U.S. Army that has two aviation brigades.

History

World War II

Eisenhower speaks with paratroops of the 502d Parachute Infantry Regiment, on the evening of June 5, 1944.
101st Airborne troops posing with a captured Nazi flag, 2 days after landing at Normandy

The division was activated on August 15, 1942 at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. On August 19, 1942, its first commander, Major General William C. Lee, promised his new recruits that the 101st had a "rendezvous with destiny."

General Order Number Five, which gave birth to the division, reads:

The 101st Airborne Division, activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, has no history, but it has a rendezvous with destiny. Like the early American pioneers whose invincible courage was the foundation stone of this nation, we have broken with the past and its traditions in order to establish our claim to the future.

Due to the nature of our armament, and the tactics in which we shall perfect ourselves, we shall be called upon to carry out operations of far-reaching military importance and we shall habitually go into action when the need is immediate and extreme.

Let me call your attention to the fact that our badge is the great American eagle. This is a fitting emblem for a division that will crush its enemies by falling upon them like a thunderbolt from the skies.

The history we shall make, the record of high achievement we hope to write in the annals of the American Army and the American people, depends wholly and completely on the men of this division. Each individual, each officer and each enlisted man, must therefore regard himself as a necessary part of a complex and powerful instrument for the overcoming of the enemies of the nation. Each, in his own job, must realize that he is not only a means, but an indispensable means for obtaining the goal of victory. It is, therefore, not too much to say that the future itself, in whose molding we expect to have our share, is in the hands of the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division.

During World War II, the Pathfinders of the 101st Airborne Division led the way on D-Day in the night drop prior to the invasion. They left from RAF North Witham having trained there with the 82nd Airborne Division

On August 25 1944 the division became part of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the First Allied Airborne Army. As part of this formation, the division took part in Operation Market Garden.

During the Battle of the Bulge the 101st, as one of the few forces available to contain the German advance was rushed forward by truck to defend the vital road junction of Bastogne. Famously, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe answered the German demand for surrender with the reply "To the German Commander: NUTS! -The American Commander" and the division fought on until the siege was lifted and the German advance halted.

On 1 August 1945, the 101st Airborne Division left Germany for Auxerre, France, to begin training for the invasion of Japan. When Japan surrendered two weeks later, the operation became unnecessary. The 101st deactivated on 30 November at Auxerre.

For their efforts during World War II, the 101st Airborne Division was awarded four campaign streamers and two Presidential Unit Citations. The division suffered 1,766 Killed In Action; 6,388 Wounded In Action; and 324 Died of Wounds during World War II.

Units

File:Bastogne 101 troops.jpg
101st Airborne troops retrieving air dropped supplies during the siege of Bastogne.
  • Division Headquarters
  • 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, attached 1 May 1944 – past 9 May 1945
  • 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment
  • 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, assigned 1 March 1945, previously attached 15 September 1943 - 1 March 1945
  • 327th Glider Infantry Regiment
  • 401st Glider Infantry Regiment, disbanded 1 March 1945 in France; assets to 327th GIR
  • HHB, Division Artillery
    • 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion (75mm)
    • 463rd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (75mm)
    • 907th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (75mm)
    • 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion (75mm)
  • 81st Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion
  • 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion
  • 326th Airborne Medical Company
  • 101st Parachute Maintenance Company
  • 101st Signal Company
  • 101st Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment
  • Headquarters, Special Troops
    • 801st Airborne Ordnance Maintenance Company
    • 426th Airborne Quartermaster Company
    • Headquarters Company, 101st Airborne Division
    • Military Police Platoon
    • Reconnaissance Platoon
    • Band (assigned in 1 Mar 45 reorganization)

Source: Order of Battle: U.S. Army World War II by Shelby Stanton, Presidio Press, 1984. Im in iraq right now with the 101st.

Helmet insignia

The 101st is distinctive partly by their helmet decorations. The soldiers used card suits (diamonds, spades, hearts, and clubs) to indicate the regiment to which they belonged.

  • These insignias were first seen in World War II, and can still be seen on 101st Division soldiers today.

Reactivation

File:Little Rock Nine Escorting.jpg
Paratroopers from the 101st escorting students into Little Rock High School in Arkansas

The 101st Airborne Division was reactivated as a training unit at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky, in 1948 and again in 1950. It was reactivated again in 1954 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and in March 1956, the 101st was transferred, less personnel and equipment, to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to be reorganized as a combat division. In place of its World War II structure that featured regiments, the 101st was reactivated as a "pentomic" division with five battle groups in place of regiments and battalions. The reorganization was in place by late April 1957 and the division's battle groups were:

  • 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 187th Infantry
  • 1st Airborne Battle Group, 327th Infantry
  • 1st Airborne Battle Group, 501st Infantry
  • 1st Airborne Battle Group, 502nd Infantry
  • 1st Airborne Battle Group, 506th Infantry

Division artillery consisted of the following units:

  • Battery D, 319th Artillery (Abn)
  • Battery A, 321st Artillery (Abn)
  • Battery B, 321st Artillery (Abn)
  • Battery C, 321st Artillery (Abn)
  • Battery A, 377th Artillery (Abn)

Other supporting units were also assigned.

Civil rights

From September through November 1957 elements of the division's 1st Airborne Battle Group, 327th Infantry (bearing the lineage of the old Company A, 327th Glider Infantry Regiment) were deployed to Little Rock, Arkansas, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to enforce Federal court orders during the Little Rock Crisis.

Vietnam War

Men of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, fire from old Viet Cong trenches.

In the mid-1960s, the 1st Brigade and support troops were deployed to the Republic of Vietnam, followed by the rest of the division in late 1967. In almost seven years of combat in Vietnam, elements of the 101st participated in 15 campaigns. Notable among these were the Battle of Hamburger Hill in 1969 and Firebase Ripcord in 1970. The 101st was deployed in the northern I Corps region operating against the NVA infiltration routes through Laos and the A Shau Valley. Elements of the division supported the ARVN Operation Lam Son 719, the invasion of southern Laos, in 1971, but only aviation units actually entered Laos. In the seven years that all or part of the division served in Vietnam it suffered 4,011 Killed In Action and 18,259 Wounded In Action.

It has been said that most North Vietnamese had never seen a bald eagle, so they called the 101st soldiers "Chicken Men" or "Rooster Men." Viet Cong commanders would regularly include in their briefings that they were to avoid confrontation with the "Chicken Men" at all costs, as they were sure to lose. Supposedly this remained a source of fierce pride among veterans who served in Vietnam under the 101st.[1]

Such claims must be balanced against the reality of combat losses. Casualties for the 101st in Viet Nam were twice those suffered in World War II, and its total number of Killed in Action (4,022) was the third highest of all U.S. Army ground units, behind the 1st Cavalry Division (5,464) and the 25th Infantry Division (4,561). Had the entire division arrived in 1965, as did the 1st Cav and 25th, its total casualties would have undoubtedly been even higher.

Post-Vietnam

A member of the 101st Airborne Division, armed with an M60 machine gun, participates in a field exercise in 1972. M16A1 rifle in background with each soldier wearing a M1 Helmet

In 1968, the 101st took on the structure and equipment of an airmobile division. In 1974, the training of the 101st was recognized with the creation of the Air Assault Badge, now a service wide badge of the United States Army. At the same time the division was renamed 101st Airborne (Air Assault) after a reorganization of the division where one brigade was airborne qualified and the remaining two brigades were airmobile. Before the reorganization, non Airborne qualified division soldiers were not allowed to wear the 'Airborne' tab but after the renaming all soldiers wore the Airborne tab. In 1974 soldiers of the division wore a blue beret but the headgear was later banned following a purge of non regulation headgear that the 1970s All-Volunteer Army brought in to encourage unit morale. The division also was authorized to wear a full color (white eagle) shoulder patch insignia instead of the subdued green eagle shoulder patch that was worn as a combat patch by soldiers who fought with the 101st in Vietnam.

Tragedy struck the division on December 12, 1985. A civilian aircraft, Arrow Air Flight 1285, chartered to transport some of the division from peacekeeping duty with the Multinational Force Observers on the Sinai Peninsula to Kentucky, crashed near Gander, Newfoundland. All eight air crew members and 248 US servicemen died, most were from the 3d Battalion, 502d Infantry. The crash was the worst in Canadian aviation history. President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy travelled to Fort Campbell to comfort grieving family members. Then on March 8, 1988, tragedy befell the 101st again when two U.S. Army helicopters collided in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, killing 17 servicemen.

Persian Gulf War

In January 1991, the 101st once again had its "Rendezvous with Destiny" in Iraq during the combat air assault into enemy territory. The 101st sustained no soldiers killed in action during the 100-hour war and captured thousands of enemy prisoners of war. General Richard A. Cody, then lieutenant colonel, commander of the 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, fired the first shots of the war [citation needed] from his AH-64 Apache.

The division has supported humanitarian relief efforts in Rwanda and Somalia, then later supplied peacekeepers to Haiti and Bosnia.

  1. ^ Straub, Bill (2003-04-09). "101st Airborne Division has storied past". Scripps Howard News Service. Retrieved 2007-05-21.

Montana Forest Fires

In August and September of 2000, the 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, helped fight fires on the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana. Designated Task Force Battle Force and commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jon C. Lehr, the battalion fought fires on the Valley Complex near Darby, Montana.

Reference: Military Support in Wildland Fire Suppression 1988 - 2003, National Interagency Fire Center, http://www.nifc.gov/pres_visit/military.html

Operation Enduring Freedom

File:Rakkasans in Operation Anaconda.jpg
Rakkasans of the 187th Infantry Regiment return from Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan.

The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) was the first conventional unit to deploy in support of the American War on Terrorism.[citation needed] The Division quickly deployed its 3rd Brigade "Rakkasans" as the first conventional unit to fight as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.[citation needed] After an intense period of combat in rugged Shoh-I-Khot Mountains of eastern Afghanistan during Operation Anaconda, the Rakkasans redeployed to Fort Campbell only to find the 101st awaiting another deployment order.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment alongside Task Force 20 at Uday and Qusay Hussein's hideout.

In 2003, Major General David H. Petraeus ("Eagle 6") led the Screaming Eagles to war during the 2003 invasion of Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom). General Petraeus led the division into Iraq saying, "Guidons, Guidons. This is Eagle 6. The 101st Airborne Division's next Rendezvous with Destiny is North to Baghdad. Op-Ord Desert Eagle 2 is now in effect. Godspeed. Air Assault. Out." The division was in V Corps, providing support to the 3rd Infantry Division by clearing Iraqi strongpoints which that division had bypassed. The Division then went on to a tour of duty as part of the occupation forces of Iraq, using the city of Mosul as their primary base of operations. 1st and 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment (1st Brigade) oversaw the remote airfield Qayyarah West 30 miles south of Mosul. The 502nd Infantry Regiment (2nd Brigade) and 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment were responsible for Mosul itself while the 187th Infantry Regiment (3rd Brigade) controlled Tal Afar just north of Mosul.

Once replaced by the first operational Stryker Brigade, the 101st was withdrawn in early 2004 for rest and refit. As part of the Army's modular transformation, the existing infantry brigades, artillery brigade, and aviation brigades were transformed. The Army also activated the 4th Brigade Combat Team, which includes the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 506th Infantry Regiment ("Currahee") and subordinate units. Both battalions were part of the 101st in Vietnam but saw their colors inactivated during an Army-wide reflagging of combat battalions in the 1980s, with 1-506th INF resurfacing in Korea, along with 1-503rd INF and 2-503rd INF (the latter later inactivated), as Air Assault units within the 2nd Infantry Division. The colors of the 506th have returned to the 101st and 1-503rd and 2-503rd are parachute infantry battalions of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Italy, just as they were when the 173rd was in Viet Nam.

The reconfiguration of 101st formed seven major units in the division (four infantry BCTs, two combat aviation brigades (CABs), and one sustainment brigade), making it the largest formation currently in the U.S. Army.

As of September 2007, 136 members of the Division have died while on service in Iraq. [1]

Second deployment to Iraq

File:Band of Brothers, 101st in Iraq.jpg
Soldiers from Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, pause at the end of a patrol near Wynot, Iraq.

The division's second deployment to Iraq began in the late summer of 2005. The division headquarters replaced the 42nd Infantry Division, which had been directing security operations as the headquarters for Task Force Liberty. Renamed Task Force Band of Brothers, the 101st assumed responsibility on November 1, 2005 for four provinces in north central Iraq: Salah ad Din, Kirkuk, Diyala and As Sulymaniyah. On December 30, 2005, Task Force Band of Brothers also assumed responsibility for training Iraqi security forces and conducting security operations in Ninevah and Dahuk provinces as the headquarters for Task Force Freedom was disestablished.

During the second deployment, 2nd and 4th Brigades of the 101st Airborne Division were assigned to conduct security operations under the command of Task Force Baghdad, led initially by 3rd Infantry Division, which was replaced by 4th Infantry Division. The 1st Battalion of the 506th Infantry (4th Brigade) was separated from the division and served with the Marines in Ramadi, in the Al Anbar province. 3rd Brigade was assigned to Salah ad Din and Bayji sectors and 1st Brigade was assigned to the overall Kirkuk province which included Hawijah, one of the deadliest cities in Iraq.

Task Force Band of Brothers' primary mission during its second deployment to Iraq was the training of Iraqi security forces. When the 101st returned to Iraq, there were no Iraqi units capable of assuming the lead for operations against Iraqi and foreign terrorists. As the division concluded its tour, 33 battalions were in the lead for security in assigned areas, and two of four Iraq divisions in northern Iraq were commanding and controlling subordinate units.

Simultaneously with training Iraqi Soldiers and their leaders, 101st Soldiers conducted numerous security operations against terrorist cells operating in the division's assigned, six-province area of operations. Operation Swarmer was the largest air assault operation conducted in Iraq since April 22, 2003. 1st Brigade conducted Operation Scorpion with Iraqi units near Kirkuk.

Developing other aspects of Iraqi society also figured in 101st operations in Iraq. Division commander MG Thomas Turner hosted the first governors' conference for the six provinces in the division's area of operations, as well as the neighboring province of Erbil.[2] Numerous civil affairs operations were directed by the division, including the construction and renovation of schools, clinics, police stations, and other important landmarks in civilian communities from Turkey to Baghdad and from the Syrian border to the Iranian border.

Accusations of misconduct in Iraq

On June 19, the US military announced that three soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Private First Class Corey R. Clagett, Specialist William B. Hunsaker and Staff Sergeant Raymond L. Girouard, are being charged in connection of the deaths of three male detainees in an operation near a canal north of Baghdad on May 9. On June 21, a fourth soldier was charged, but none were convicted.

In July 2006, five troopers were charged in connection with the rape and murder of a 14 year old Iraqi girl, and the murder of three of her family members. The incident took place in Mahmoudiya, south of Baghdad. Previously, an arrest in the case was also made in June of 2006 when former trooper Steven D. Green was apprehended in North Carolina. On November 17, 2006 Specialist James Barker was sentenced to life in prison for the incident. Friday February 23, 2007 saw the Sergeant, two specialists and two privates convicted with lengthy sentences.

General information

The most recent change of command within the division took place on November 10, 2006. During this change of command, MG Jeff Schloesser took command of the 101st from the division's previous commander, now-LTG Tom Turner. Turner left the 101st to command Fifth Army.

  • Commanding General: Major General Jeffrey J. Schloesser
  • Deputy Assistant Division Commander (Operations): Colonel (promotable) Mark A. Milley.[3]
  • Deputy Assistant Division Commander (Support): Brigadier General James C. McConville.[3]

Parachute Demonstration Team

The "Screaming Eagles" is also the nickname for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Command Parachute Demonstration Team. Its history goes as far back as the late 1950s, during the infancy of precision freefall. The command group decided to form a full time team in 1984.

See website: http://www.campbell.army.mil/PDT/pdt.htm

Current structure

OrBat of the 101st Airborne Division

101st Airborne Division:

  • 501st Special Troops Battalion
  • 1st Brigade Combat Team ("Bastogne")
    • 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment ("Above the Rest")
    • 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment ("No Slack")
    • 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment ("Balls of the Eagle")
    • 1st Squadron (RSTA), 32nd Cavalry Regiment ("Victory or Death")
    • 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion
    • 426th Brigade Support Battalion
  • 2d Brigade Combat Team ("Strike")
    • 1st Battalion, 502d Infantry Regiment ("First Strike")
    • 2nd Battalion, 502d Infantry Regiment ("Strike Force")
    • 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment ("Top Guns")
    • 1st Squadron (RSTA), 75th Cavalry Regiment
    • 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion
    • 526th Brigade Support Battalion
  • 3rd Brigade Combat Team ("Rakkasans")
    • 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment ("Leader Rakkasans")
    • 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment ("Iron Rakkasans")
    • 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment ("Red Knight")
    • 1st Squadron (RSTA), 33rd Cavalry Regiment("War Rakkasans")
    • 626th Brigade Support Battalion ("Assurgam")
    • 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion ("Rak Solid")
  • 4th Brigade Combat Team ("Currahee")
    • 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment
    • 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment
    • 1st Squadron (RSTA), 61st Cavalry Regiment
    • 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment
    • 801st Brigade Support Battalion
    • 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion
  • 101st Combat Aviation Brigade ("Wings of Destiny")
    • 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment ("Out Front")
    • 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment ("Expect No Mercy")
    • 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment ("Eagle Assault")
    • 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment ("Shadow of the Eagle")
    • 96th Aviation Support Battalion (Troubleshooters)
  • 159th Combat Aviation Brigade ("Eagle Thunder")
    • 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment
    • 3rd Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
    • 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment
    • 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment (General Support) (GSAB) ("Eagle Lift")
    • 563rd Support Battalion (Aviation) ("Keep Them Fighting")
  • 101st Sustainment Brigade ("Life Liners")
    • 106th Transportation Battalion
    • 129th Corps Support Battalion
    • 561st Combat Support Battalion
    • 101st Soldier Support Battalion
    • 101st Special Troops Battalion
    • 326th Engineer Battalion (CBT)

Note: 6-101st Aviation in the 101st Aviation Brigade and 7-101st Aviation in the 159th Aviation Brigade have pathfinder companies.

Lineage

Division

  • Constituted 23 July 1918 in the National Army as Headquarters, 101st Division
  • Organized 2 November 1918 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi
  • Demobilized 11 December 1918 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi
  • Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters, 101st Division
  • Organized 10 September 1921 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Redesignated 31 March 1942 as Division Headquarters, 101st Division
  • Disbanded 15 August 1942; concurrently, reconstituted in the Army of the United States as Headquarters, 101st Airborne Division, and activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana
  • Inactivated 30 November 1945 in France
  • Allotted 25 June 1948 to the Regular Army
  • Activated 6 July 1948 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Inactivated 27 May 1949 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Activated 25 August 1950 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Inactivated 1 December 1953 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Activated 15 May 1954 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina
  • Reorganized and redesignated 3 February 1964 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st Airborne Division

1st Brigade

  • Constituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters Company, 101st Division
  • Organized in November 1921 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Reorganized and redesignated 31 March 1942 as Headquarters and Military Police Company (less Military Police Platoon), 101st Division
  • Disbanded 15 August 1942; concurrently reconstituted in the Army of the United States as Headquarters Company, 101st Airborne *Division, and activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana
  • Inactivated 30 November 1945 in France
  • Allotted 25 June 1948 to the Regular Army
  • Activated 6 July 1948 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Inactivated 27 May 1949 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Activated 25 August 1950 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Inactivated 1 December 1953 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Activated 15 May 1954 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina
  • Reorganized and redesignated 1 July 1956 as Headquarters and Service Company, 101st Airborne Division
  • Reorganized and redesignated 25 April 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Command and Control Battalion, 101st Airborne Division
  • Reorganized and redesignated 3 February 1964 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division

2nd Brigade

  • Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as Headquarters, 159th Infantry Brigade, an element of the 80th Division
  • Organized 27 August 1917 at Camp Lee, Virginia
  • Demobilized 1 June 1919 at Camp Lee, Virginia
  • Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 159th Infantry Brigade, an element of the 80th Division
  • Organized in September 1922 at Richmond, Virginia
  • Redesignated 23 March 1925 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 159th Brigade
  • Redesignated 24 August 1936 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 159th Infantry Brigade
  • Converted and redesignated 12 February 1942 as the 80th Reconnaissance Troop (less 3d Platoon), 80th Division (Headquarters and *Headquarters Company, 160th Infantry Brigade, concurrently converted and redesignated as the 3d Platoon, 80th Reconnaissance Company, 80th Division)
  • Troop ordered into active military service 15 July 1942 and reorganized at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, as the 80th Cavalry *Reconnaissance Troop, an element of the 80th Division (later redesignated as the 80th Infantry Division)
  • Reorganized and redesignated 12 August 1943 as the 80th Reconnaissance Troop, Mechanized
  • Inactivated 6 January 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey
  • Redesignated 15 July 1946 as the Reconnaissance Platoon, 80th Airborne Division
  • Activated 21 May 1947 at Richmond, Virginia, as the 80th Airborne Reconnaissance Platoon, an element of the 80th Airborne Division
  • (Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps; redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve)
  • Reorganized and redesignated 20 April 1948 as the Reconnaissance Platoon, 80th Airborne Division
  • Reorganized and redesignated 18 September 1950 as the 80th Airborne Reconnaissance Company
  • Reorganized and redesignated 10 May 1952 as the 80th Reconnaissance Company, an element of the 80th Infantry Division
  • Disbanded 29 March 1959 at Richmond, Virginia
  • Reconstituted (less 3d Platoon) 22 October 1963 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 159th Infantry *Brigade (3d Platoon, 80th Reconnaissance Company--hereafter separate lineage)
  • Redesignated 21 January 1964 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
  • Activated 3 February 1964 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky

3rd Brigade

  • Constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as Headquarters, 160th Infantry Brigade, an element of the 80th Division
  • Organized 27 August 1917 at Camp Lee, Virginia
  • Demobilized 7 June 1919 at Camp Lee, Virginia
  • Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 160th Infantry Brigade, an element of the 80th Division
  • Organized in September 1922 at Baltimore, Maryland
  • Redesignated 23 March 1925 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 160th Brigade
  • Redesignated 24 August 1936 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 160th Infantry Brigade
  • Converted and redesignated 12 February 1942 as the 3d Platoon, 80th Reconnaissance Troop, 80th Division (Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 159th Infantry Brigade, concurrently converted and redesignated as the 80th Reconnaissance Troop [less 3d Platoon], 80th Division)
  • Troop ordered into active military service 15 July 1942 and reorganized at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, as the 80th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, an element of the 80th Division (later redesignated as the 80th Infantry Division)
  • Reorganized and redesignated 12 August 1943 as the 80th Reconnaissance Troop, Mechanized
  • Inactivated 6 January 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey
  • Redesignated 15 July 1946 as the Reconnaissance Platoon, 80th Airborne Division
  • Activated 21 May 1947 at Richmond, Virginia, as the 80th Airborne Reconnaissance Platoon, an element of the 80th Airborne Division
  • (Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps; redesignated 9 July 1952 as the Army Reserve)
  • Reorganized and redesignated 20 April 1948 as the Reconnaissance Platoon, 80th Airborne Division
  • Reorganized and redesignated 18 September 1950 as the 80th Airborne Reconnaissance Company
  • Reorganized and redesignated 10 May 1952 as the 80th Reconnaissance Company, an element of the 80th Infantry Division
  • Disbanded 29 March 1959 at Richmond, Virginia
  • 3d Platoon, 80th Reconnaissance Company, reconstituted 22 October 1963 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 160th Infantry Brigade (remainder of the company - hereafter separate lineage)
  • Redesignated 21 January 1964 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
  • Activated 3 February 1964 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky

Division Artillery

  • Constituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 176th Field Artillery Brigade
  • Organized in 1923 in Wisconsin
  • Redesignated 30 January 1942 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 101st Division Artillery
  • Disbanded 15 August 1942; concurrently reconstituted in the Army of the United States as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 101st Airborne Division Artillery, and activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana
  • Inactivated 30 November 1945 in France
  • Allotted 25 June 1948 to the Regular Army
  • Activated 6 July 1948 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Inactivated 27 May 1949 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Activated 25 August 1950 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Inactivated 1 December 1953 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky
  • Activated 15 May 1954 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina
  • Reorganized and redesignated 1 July 1956 as Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Battery, 101st Airborne Division Artillery
  • Reorganized and redesignated 25 April 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 101st Airborne Division Artillery

159th Aviation Brigade

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division fly to Forward Operating Base Dagger near Tikrit, Iraq, aboard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

(Note: The lineage of the 159th Aviation Brigade is separate from that of the Viet Nam-era 159th Aviation Battalion and the later 159th Aviation Regiment.)

  • Before 9 October 1997, the 101st Arborne Division Aviation Brigade was the 160th Aviation Brigade. On that date, the Brigade was split into two brigades, the 101st Aviation Brigade and the 159th Aviation Brigade.

Honors

Campaign Participation Credit

  1. Hundred Days Offensive (also known as the Battle of Saint-Quentin or the Second Battle of the Somme);
  2. Meuse-Argonne Offensive;
  3. Picardy 1918
  1. Normandy (with arrowhead);
  2. Rhineland (with arrowhead);
  3. Ardennes-Alsace;
  4. Central Europe
  1. Defense (1st Brigade Only);
  2. Counteroffensive (1st Brigade Only);
  3. Counteroffensive, Phase II (1st Brigade Only)
  4. Counteroffensive, Phase III;
  5. Tet Counteroffensive;
  6. Counteroffensive, Phase IV;
  7. Counteroffensive, Phase V;
  8. Counteroffensive, Phase VI;
  9. Tet 1969/Counteroffensive;
  10. Summer-Fall 1969;
  11. Winter-Spring 1970;
  12. Sanctuary Counteroffensive;
  13. Counteroffensive, Phase VII;
  14. Consolidation I;
  15. Consolidation II
  • Southwest Asia (Except 159th Aviation Brigade):
  1. Defense of Saudi Arabia;
  2. Liberation and Defense of Kuwait

Decorations

  1. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for NORMANDY (Division and 1st Brigade Only)
  2. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for BASTOGNE (Division and 1st Brigade Only)
  3. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for DAK TO, VIETNAM 1966 (1st Brigade only)
  4. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for DONG AP BIA MOUNTAIN (3rd Brigade Only)
  5. Valorous Unit Award for THUA THIEN PROVINCE (3rd Brigade and DIVARTY Only)
  6. Valorous Unit Award for TUY HOA (1st Brigade Only)
  7. Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1965-1966 (1st Brigade Only)
  8. Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1968 (3rd Brigade Only)
  9. Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for SOUTHWEST ASIA (Except 159th Aviation Brigade)
  10. French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II for NORMANDY (Division and 1st Brigade Only)
  11. Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm for BASTOGNE (Division and 1st Brigade Only);
  12. cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at BASTOGNE (Division and 1st Brigade Only)
  13. Belgian Fourragere 1944 (Division and 1st Brigade Only)
  14. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in FRANCE AND BELGIUM (Division and 1st Brigade Only)
  15. Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1966-1967 (1st Brigade Only)
  16. Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1968 (2nd Brigade Only)
  17. Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1968-1969 (Except 159th Aviation Brigade)
  18. Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1971 (Except 159th Aviation Brigade)
  19. Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class for VIETNAM 1968-1970 (Except 159th Aviation Brigade)
  20. Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class for VIETNAM 1970 (DIVARTY only)

Division commanders

Notes

  1. ^ http://icasualties.org/oif/Divisions.aspx
  2. ^ "Iraq's new ambassador addresses Washington". Operation Iraqi Freedom website. 2006-04-13. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
  3. ^ a b "Ft Campbell Courier 19 July 07, p 1". Retrieved 2007-07-123. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ a b Acting division commanders.

See also

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