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173rd Airborne Brigade

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173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the 173rd Airborne Bde
Active1917-08-05 – January 1919
1921-06-24 – 1945-09-24
1947-05-12 – 1951-12-01
1963-03-12 – 1972-01-14
2000-10-16 – Present
CountryUnited States
BranchInfantry
TypeAirborne Infantry
RoleUSAREUR quick response force
Sizebrigade
Part of7th Army
Garrison/HQCaserma Ederle (Vicenza, Italy)
Nickname(s)Sky Soldiers
EngagementsWorld War I
World War II:

Vietnam War:

Iraq War:

Operation Enduring Freedom VI
Commanders
Current
commander
  • COL Charles Preysler
  • CSM Isaia T. Vimoto
Notable
commanders
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

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The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team is an airborne infantry brigade of the United States Army, based in Vicenza, Italy.[1] It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe.[2]

Activated in 1915, the 173rd Airborne Brigade saw service in both World War I and World War II, but is best remembered for its actions during the Vietnam War. The brigade was the first major United States ground formation deployed in Vietnam, and served there for six years, incurring losses of almost 1,800 soldiers. Well noted for its roles in Operation Hump and Operation Junction City, the soldiers of the 173rd received over 7,700 decorations, including more than 6,000 Purple Hearts. The brigade eventually returned to the United States, when it was deactivated in 1972.

The brigade was reactivated in 2000, proceeding to serve three tours of the Middle East. The 173rd participated in the initial invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, and two tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; one in 2005–2006, and another that began in 2007. The brigade is currently serving in the eastern provinces of the country.

A decorated unit, the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team has received 20 campaign streamers and several unit awards, including the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the Battle of Dak To.

Organization

The 173rd Airborne Brigade currently consists of six prime component battalions. The unit's two paratrooper infantry battalions are the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 503rd Infantry Regiment,[3] an association that can be traced back to the unit's World War II service. The 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment serves as the brigade's mechanized reconnaissance unit.[4] The 173rd Airborne Brigade also has a detachment of field artillery; the 4th Battalion of the 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment.[4]

In support of the regular combat forces are the 173rd Special Troops Battalion[4] and the 173rd Support Battalion.[5] All of these units are airborne qualified, making the 173rd Airborne Brigade one of the largest airborne formations in the United States Army, behind the 82nd Airborne Division.

History

World Wars

The 173rd Infantry Brigade was constituted on August 5, 1915 as an infantry brigade and organized on August 25 at Camp Pike, Arkansas, as an element of the U.S. 87th Infantry Division.[6] The brigade deployed to France in 1918 as part of the Division, but it did not participate in any named campaigns. Indeed, the brigade – like the rest of the 87th Division – was tasked to perform labor details similar to those performed by Combat Service and Combat Service Support units in World War II. After its return to the United States, the brigade was demobilized in January 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey.[6]

On June 24, 1921 the unit was reconstituted as Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 173rd Infantry Brigade,[7] and was assigned to the Organized Reserve Corps and the 87th Division at Shreveport, Louisiana. It was reorganized in December 1921 at Mobile, Alabama, redesignated March 23, 1925 as HHC 173rd Brigade, and redesignated August 24, 1936 as HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade.[7]

During World War II, brigades were eliminated from divisions. Consequently, HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade was designated as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop in February 1942 and activated December 15, 1942.[6] It entered combat in 1944 and fought in three European campaigns in the Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe areas. The maneuver battalions of the Vietnam era 173rd trace their lineage to the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, which successfully assaulted the fortress island of Corregidor in the Philippines by parachute and waterborne operations earning the nickname "The Rock".[6] After the war, the troop reverted back to reserve status and was posted at Birmingham, Alabama from 1947 through to 1951. On December 1, 1951, the 173rd was inactivated and released from its assignment to the 87th Infantry Division.[6]

Vietnam War

Structure 173rd Airborne BCT

On March 26, 1963, the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) was allotted to the Regular Army and activated on Okinawa. Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson took command of the unit, which was chartered to serve as the quick reaction force for the Pacific Command.[4] Under Williamson, the unit trained extensively, making mass parachute jumps. They earned the nickname Tien Bien, or Sky Soldiers, from the Chinese Nationalist paratroopers.[4][6]

The brigade's deployment in May 1965 made it the first major ground combat unit of the United States Army to serve in Vietnam.[8] The brigade was the first unit sent into War Zone D to destroy enemy base camps and introduced the use of small Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols. On November 8, 1965, the 173rd took part in Operation Hump, just north of Bien Hoa on the outskirts of Saigon, capital of South Vietnam.[8] They were ambushed by approximately 1,200 Viet Cong fighters, suffering 48 deaths. On February 22, 1967, the 173rd conducted Operation Junction City, the only combat parachute jump of the Vietnam War.[9] Throughout their six years in Vietnam, they served under the command of the II Field Force, Vietnam.[10] Template:FixBunching

File:M60andsoldierwithammoinnam.jpg
A soldier manning a gun in 1967, Vietnam

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Lawrence Joel, a famous soldier from the 173rd Brigade, receiving a Medal of Honor

Template:FixBunching The unit fought in the Iron Triangle and saw many engagements with enemy forces during that time. The unit participated in Operation Crimp in 1966, fighting within the Củ Chi tunnels in a failed attempt to root out enemy forces. The unit later blocked North Vietnamese Army incursions at Dak To during some of the bloodiest fighting of the war in the summer and fall of 1967, which culminated in the capture of Hill 875.[6] Elements of the brigade conducted an amphibious assault against North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces as part of an operation to clear the rice-growing lowlands along the Bong Song littoral.[8][11]

The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 503rd Infantry were the first Army combat units from the 173rd sent to the Republic of South Vietnam, accompanied by the 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery.[4] They were supported by the 173rd Support Battalion, 173rd Engineers, Troop E, 17th Cavalry and Company D, 16th Armor.[11] The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and the 161st Field Battery of the Royal New Zealand Artillery were later attached to the brigade during the first year. Late in August 1966, the 173rd received another infantry battalion, the 4th battalion, 503rd Infantry from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The 3rd battalion, 503rd joined the brigade at Tuy Hoa in September 1967 following the former's reactivation and training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The 173rd was also assigned Company N, 75th Ranger Regiment. At its peak in Vietnam, the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) comprised nearly 3,000 soldiers.[6]

The intense fighting during the Battle of Dak To in November of 1967 cost heavy casualties within the 173rd, and several of its units, including the 2/503rd and A/3/319th were ordered to Tuy Hoa to repair and refit, the unit was transferred to the An Khe and Bong Son areas through 1968, seeing very little action that year while the combat ineffective elements of the unit were rebuilt.[11] The unit would serve in An Khe until mid-1969, seeing little in the way of heavy fighting. In May of 1969, the Brigade conducted its 50th Operation of the Vietnam War, Operation Darby Punch II, encountering several enemy booby traps. Although they suffered several wounded soldiers, there were no allied or enemy casualties from the operation.[11]

From April 1969 until its withdrawal from Vietnam in 1971, the Brigade served in Binh Dinh Province, participating in four more missions, Operation Washington Greene, Operation Greene Lightning, Operation Greene Storm, and Operation Greene Sure. From April until August of 1971, the unit underwent the process of redeployment back to Fort Campbell, Kentucky.[11]

During more than six years of continuous combat, the brigade earned 14 campaign streamers and four unit citations. Sky Soldiers serving in Vietnam received 13 Medals of Honor, 32 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1,736 Silver Stars and more than 6,000 Purple Hearts.[8] There are more than 1,790 Sky Soldiers' names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., with a reported 1,748 soldiers of the brigade killed in action, and more than 8,700 being wounded. The losses incurred by the unit surpassed that of many of the division sized units that served in the war.[8] The brigade was deactivated on January 14, 1972 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.[12] Assets from the brigade were used to form the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, a parachute component within the helicopter-landed 101st. The 3rd Brigade went off jump status on April 1, 1974, the same date on which the Airmobile Badge (Air Assault as of October 4, 1974) was introduced.[6]

Reactivation and the War on Terror

Battle plan for the Iraq War, with the 173rd attacking the northern areas of the country
173rd soldiers detain suspected Iraqi insurgents.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was reactivated on June 12, 2000 at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy, where it now serves.[4] It was previously designated the SETAF Infantry brigade. On March 26, 2003, 954 soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, commanded by Colonel William C. Mayville, conducted a combat jump into Northern Iraq onto Bashur Airfield as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, in an assault known as Operation Northern Delay.[4][13] They were dropped from aircraft of the 62d Airlift Wing and the 728th Airlift Squadron along with the 786th Security Forces Squadron.

The unit then advanced to the city of Kirkuk, seizing oil fields and military airfields in and around the city during Operation Option North. During the operation, elements of the unit also discovered at least two caches of Iraqi gold, totaling more than 2,000 bars.[14] The Unit then took part in Operation Peninsula Strike, putting down Ba'ath party members and other subversive groups.[15] Comprising the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry under the command of then-Lieutenant Colonel Dominic Caraccilo; 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry under the command of then-Lieutenant Colonel Harry Tunnell; 173rd Combat Support Company; 74th Infantry Detachment; Delta Battery, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (later expanded to the 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment), and 501st Forward Support Company (now the 173rd Support Battalion); the brigade served mainly in Kirkuk until February 21, 2004.[4] During its service, the brigade was involved in what later became known as the "Hood Event", in which soldiers from the 173rd arrested 11 Turkish special forces soldiers, believing them to be plotting attacks against local civilian officials in the northern sections of the country.[16] The Turkish soldiers were eventually released. The brigade also participated in Operation Bayonet Lightning in 2003, capturing weapons and materials dangerous to coalition forces.[17]

The 173rd Airborne Brigade deployed to Afghanistan in March 2005 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,[8] under the command of Colonel Kevin Owens. TF Bayonet, as it was called, assumed control of Regional Command-South (RC South), comprising Zabol, Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimruz Provinces. The 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment ("The Rock") conducted combat operations in Zabol Province under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Stammer. The 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment provided humanitarian assistance in eastern Afghanistan while under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Timothy McGuire. The 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery of the 82nd Airborne Division, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bert Ges, was attached to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, organized as a maneuver Task Force and conducted combat operations in Kandahar Province. The 173rd Support Battalion (under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia Fox) and 173rd CSC provided logistical support from Kandahar, while sending individual soldiers to assist at other Forward Operating Bases.[18] The Brigade returned to Italy in March 2006.

Soldiers of the 173rd during Operation Bayonet Lightning in Iraq, 2003

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was redesignated the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) on October 11, 2006,[7] as part of the Army's "Unit of Action" modularized unit force restructuring.[4] This is a significant new role as the "Combat Team" signifies the ability for the Brigade to deploy its forces and sustain itself with its newly integrated support teams. By integration of these support MOSs the unit will now be able to maintain its fighting forces with everything needed to keep the Soldiers on the ground supplied and moving.[4] While most of the Brigade remains in Vicenza, Italy, three battalions have been stood up in Bamberg and one battalion in Schweinfurt, Germany until additional facilities are constructed in the Vicenza area; The 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry was reflagged as 1st Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry to resume the Vietnam-era lineage of the 503rd Infantry battalions under the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry colors were moved to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.[7]

In the spring of 2007, the 173rd ABCT deployed yet again to Afghanistan, as Task Force Bayonet, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF 07-09).[8] This is their first deployment as a fully transformed brigade combat team. The brigade is dispersed throughout the eastern regions of the country, with units currently operating in Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, and Laghman Provinces (N2KL) in eastern Afghanistan. The 173rd ABCT officially took over for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division on June 6, 2007. They have participated in various operations with goals of security and subduing combatants in the mountainous regions of the country's border with Pakistan, one of these being Operation Rock Avalanche near the Hindu Kush Mountains.[19]

Honors

Unit Decorations

Ribbon Award Year Notes
Presidential Unit Citation (Army) 1967 for fighting in the Battle of Dak To
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 1965–1967 for service in Vietnam
File:GallantryCrossRibbon.jpg Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm 1965–1970 for service in Vietnam
File:VNCivilActionsRibbon.jpg Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class 1969–1971 for service in Vietnam
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 2003–2004 for service in Iraq[20]

Campaign Streamers

Conflict Streamer Year(s)
World War I (no inscription) 1918
World War II Rhineland Campaign 1944–1945
World War II Ardennes-Alsace Campaign 1944–1945
World War II Central Europe Campaign 1945
Vietnam War Vietnam Defense 1965
Vietnam War Counteroffensive, Phase I 1965–1966
Vietnam War Counteroffensive, Phase II 1966–1967
Vietnam War Counteroffensive, Phase III 1967–1968
Vietnam War Tet Counteroffensive 1968
Vietnam War Counteroffensive, Phase IV 1968
Vietnam War Counteroffensive, Phase V 1968
Vietnam War Counteroffensive, Phase VI 1968–1969
Vietnam War Tet 69/Counteroffensive 1969
Vietnam War Summer–Fall 1969 1969
Vietnam War Winter–Spring 1970 1970
Vietnam War Sanctuary Counteroffensive 1970
Vietnam War Counteroffensive, Phase VII 1970–1971
Vietnam War Consolidation I 1970
Operation Iraqi Freedom Iraq 2003–2004
Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan 2005–2006

Legacy

Alfred Rascon, a Medal of Honor recipient from the 173rd Airborne Brigade

The legacy of the 173rd's service, particularly in Vietnam, has been noted in several instances in popular culture. The most prominent of these is the 2006 single released by the country music duo Big & Rich, entitled "8th of November". The song was based on the story of Niles Harris, a member of the 173rd, during Operation Hump. On July 1, 2006, a documentary inspired by the song and based on the brigade's actions during the operation premiered on the GAC Channel.[21]

The character of "Captain Willard" portrayed by Martin Sheen in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now was a soldier in the 173rd assigned to MACV-SOG. He was supposedly in the "505th battalion", although no such unit was ever part of the 173rd. Throughout the movie, he wears the Vietnam era mustard yellow "subdued" Shoulder Sleeve Insignia worn by 173rd paratroopers on their BDUs throughout the Vietnam conflict.[19] The patch worn by Danny Glover's character Roger Murtaugh in the 1987 movie Lethal Weapon during a retrospective of his time in Vietnam was that of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.[22] More recently, in the 1998 movie The Siege, Major General William Devereaux, played by Bruce Willis, remarks he was in the 173rd Airborne Brigade at the same time that SAIC Anthony Hubbard was in the 82nd Airborne Division.[23]

Numerous servicemen from the 173rd, mostly from the Vietnam era, went on to gain notability after their military careers ended. These include Congressmen Duncan Hunter[24] and Charlie Norwood,[25] Archbishop of Baltimore Edwin Frederick O'Brien,[26] Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert M. Kimmitt,[27] activist Stan Goff, and Sergeant Major of the Army Gene C. McKinney.[28]

Fifteen soldiers have been awarded the Medal of Honor while serving in the 173rd Airborne Brigade; John A. Barnes III, Michael R. Blanchfield, Glenn H. English Jr., Ray E. Eubanks, Lawrence Joel, Terry T. Kawamura, Carlos J. Lozada, Lloyd G. McCarter, Don L. Michael, Charles B. Morris, Milton L. Olive III, Larry S. Pierce, Laszlo Rabel, Alfred Rascon, and Charles J. Watters.[29]

References

  1. ^ United States Army, Europe Homepage, United States Army. Retrieved 2008-01-18
  2. ^ US Army Garrison Vicenza homepage, United States Army. Retrieved 2008-01-17
  3. ^ 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Homepage: Units 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Staff. Retrieved 2008-01-22
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Global Security.org: 173rd Airborne Brigade "Sky Soldiers", John Pike. Retrieved 2008-01-18
  5. ^ Airborne Brigade Combat Team Homepage: Welcome to Newcomers, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Staff. Retrieved 2008-01-22
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Homepage: Unit History, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Staff. Retrieved 2008-01-22
  7. ^ a b c d The Institute of Heraldry: 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, The Institute of Heraldry. Retrieved 2008-01-18
  8. ^ a b c d e f g 173rd Airborne Brigade Association: Operational Unit History, 173rd Airborne Brigade Association. Retrieved 2008-01-18
  9. ^ 173rdairborne.com: Heraldry of the 173rd, James R. Bradley. Retrieved 2008-01-18
  10. ^ Stanton, Shelby, Vietnam Order of Battle. Stackpole Books. Mechanichsburg, Pennsylvania, 2003. ISBN 0-89193-700-5
  11. ^ a b c d e 173rd Airborne Brigade Association: Operations in Vietnam, 173rd Airborne Brigade Association. Retrieved 2008-01-18
  12. ^ Casper Platoon Aviation: Historical Recount, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Donald G. Charlton. Retrieved 2008-01-19
  13. ^ Schulte, Adrian (2004-03-23). "Paratroopers remember the jump into Iraq" (Press release). United States Army, Europe. Retrieved 2008-03-22. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ U.S. forces find suspected gold cache in Iraq, CNN. Retrieved 2008-01-18
  15. ^ Operation Peninsula Strike, GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2008-02-03
  16. ^ U.S. releases Turkish troops, CNN 2003-07-06. Retrieved on 2008-01-22
  17. ^ DefendAmerica.com News Article, DefendAmerica.net. Retrieved 2008-01-01
  18. ^ US Army News Service: June 28, 2005, Staff Sergeant Jacob Caldwell. Retrieved 2008-01-28. Cached on GlobalSecurity.net
  19. ^ a b Moving forward with the 173rd Airborne, PressRepublican.com. Retrieved 02-22-2008
  20. ^ 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Homepage: Meritorious Unit Citation, 173rd Airborne Brigade Staff. Retrieved 2008-01-22
  21. ^ Scripps Howard news Service: "Big and Rich talk about inspiration behind their '8th of November'", Ronna Rubin. Retrieved 2008-01-22
  22. ^ Lethal Weapon, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., 1987
  23. ^ The Siege, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 1998.
  24. ^ House of Representatives.gov: Biographies: Duncan Hunter, United States Government. Retrieved 2008-02-01
  25. ^ Office of the Clerk, United States House of Representatives, United States Government. Retrieved 2008-02-03
  26. ^ Archdiocese of the United States Military: Edwin O'Brien, Archdiocese for the Military Services. Retrieved 2008-02-03
  27. ^ Treas.gov: Biography: Robery M. Kimmitt, United States Government. Retrieved 2008-02-03
  28. ^ Army.mil: Gene McKinney, United States Army. Retrieved 2007-02-03
  29. ^ 173rd Airborne Brigade Medal of Honor Recipients, 173rd Airborne Brigade Staff. Retrieved 2008-01-18
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