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, and is best known for its actions during the Vietnam War. The brigade was the first major United States ground formation deployed in Vietnam, serving there for six years and losing almost 1,800 soldiers. 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 returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in 1972.

Since its reactivation in 2000, the brigade has served 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 from 2005 to 2006, and a current deployment that began in 2007. The brigade is currently serving in eastern Afghanistan.

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 during the Vietnam War.

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 87th Division.[6] The brigade deployed to France in 1918 as part of the 87th Division, but it did not participate in any named campaigns. Like the rest of the 87th Division, the brigade was tasked with performing labor details similar to those performed by Combat Service and Combat Service Support units in World War II. After returning 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 the 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 on March 23, 1925 as the HHC 173rd Brigade, and redesignated as HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade on August 24, 1936.[7]

During World War II, brigades were eliminated from divisions. Consequently, the HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade was designated as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop in February 1942 and activated on December 15, 1942.[6] It entered combat in 1944 and fought in three European campaigns in central Europe, the Rhineland and Ardennes-Alsace. 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, thereby earning the nickname "The Rock".[6] After the war, the troop reverted back to reserve status and was posted at Birmingham, Alabama from 1947 until 1951. On December 1, 1951, the 173rd was inactivated and released from its assignment to the 87th Infantry Division.[6]

Vietnam War

On March 26, 1963, the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) was assigned to the regular army and activated on Okinawa. Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson took command of the unit,[8] 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 Taiwanese paratroopers.[4][6][8] During their time in Okinawa, they prided themselves as the "toughest fighting men in Okinawa, if not the entire US Armed Forces".[8] They took their theme song from the television series Rawhide.[8]

Structure 173rd Airborne BCT

The brigade's deployment in May 1965 made it the first major ground combat unit of the United States Army to serve in Vietnam.[9] Williamson boldly predicted on arrival that his men would defeat the Viet Cong quickly and that they "would be back in Okinawa by Christmas".[8] The brigade was the first unit sent into War Zone D to destroy enemy base camps, introducing 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,[10] the capital of South Vietnam.[9] They were ambushed by approximately 1,200 Viet Cong fighters, suffering 48 deaths. Throughout their six years in Vietnam, they served under the command of the II Field Force, Vietnam.[11] The unit fought in the Iron Triangle, a Viet Cong stronghold north of Saigon,[10][12] seeing many engagements with enemy forces during that time. They participated in Operation Crimp in 1966, a failed attempt to root out enemy forces from the Cu Chi tunnels.[13]

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1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade battle soldiers battle for Hill 882, southwest of Dak To.

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

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The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 503rd Infantry were the first Army combat units from the 173rd sent to the 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.[14] The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment[10] and the 161st Field Battery of the Royal New Zealand Artillery were later attached to the brigade in 1965.[15] 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 Province 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 of its deployment in Vietnam, the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) comprised nearly 3,000 soldiers.[6][8]

On February 22, 1967, the 173rd conducted Operation Junction City, the only combat parachute jump of the Vietnam War.[16][17] During the summer and fall of 1967, the unit blocked North Vietnamese Army incursions at Dak To during some of the bloodiest fighting of the war, culminating in the capture of Hill 875.[6][18] 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.[9][14]

The intense fighting during the Battle of Dak To in November of 1967 took a heavy human toll on the 173rd. While several of its units, including the 2/503rd and A/3/319th were ordered to Tuy Hoa to repair and refit,[18][19] the 173rd was transferred to the An Khe and Bong Son areas during 1968, seeing very little action while the combat ineffective elements of the brigade were rebuilt.[14] The unit then served in An Khe until mid-1969, seeing little in the way of heavy fighting. In May 1969, the brigade conducted Operation Darby Punch II, its 50th of the year, encountering several enemy booby traps. Although several soldiers were wounded, there were no allied or enemy casualties from the operation.[14]

From April 1969 until its withdrawal from Vietnam in 1971, the brigade served in Binh Dinh Province, participating in four more missions: Washington Greene, Greene Lightning, Greene Storm, and Green Sure. From April until August of 1971, the unit underwent the process of redeployment back to Fort Campbell, Kentucky.[14]

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.[9] More than 1,790 Sky Soldiers' names are 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 those of many division sized units that served in the war.[9] The brigade was inactivated on January 14, 1972 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.[4] 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

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 onto Bashur Airfield in Northern Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, in an assault known as Operation Northern Delay.[4][20] They jumped from aircraft of the 62d Airlift Wing and the 728th Airlift Squadron along with the 786th Security Forces Squadron.

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

The unit advanced to Kirkuk during Operation Option North, seizing oil fields and military airfields in and around the city. During the operation, some of the troops discovered at least two caches of Iraqi gold, totaling more than 2,000 bars.[21] The unit then took part in Operation Peninsula Strike, quelling Ba'ath party members and other insurgent groups.[22] Comprising the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Dominic Caraccilo; 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry under the command of 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", arresting Turkish special forces soldiers, believing them to be plotting attacks against local civilian officials in northern Iraq.[23] The Turks were eventually released. The brigade also participated in Operation Bayonet Lightning in 2003, capturing weapons and materials that the Department of Defense claimed were possibly for use against coalition forces.[24]

The 173rd Airborne Brigade deployed to Afghanistan in March 2005 under the command of Colonel Kevin Owens, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.[9] TF Bayonet, as it was called, assumed control of Regional Command-South (RC South), comprising Zabol, Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimruz Provinces in southern Afghanistan. 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 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. According to the US Army, 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.[25] 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 as 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 was a significant change as the "Combat Team" designation signifies the ability for the brigade to deploy its forces and sustain itself with its newly integrated support teams. By integrating these support MOSs, the unit became able to maintain its fighting forces with all that is required to keep the ground soldiers supplied and moving.[4] While most of the brigade remains in Vicenza, Italy, three battalions have been stood up in Bamberg and another 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 again deployed to Afghanistan, as Task Force Bayonet, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF 07–09),[9] their first deployment as a fully transformed brigade combat team. The brigade is dispersed throughout the east of the country, with units currently operating in Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, and Laghman Provinces (N2KL). The 173rd ABCT officially relieved the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division on June 6, 2007. They have participated in various operations with the objective of ensuring security and subduing insurgents in the mountainous regions along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, one of these being Operation Rock Avalanche near the Hindu Kush.[26]

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[27]

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 173rd's service, particularly in Vietnam, has been featured several times 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.[28]

Captain Willard, a character portrayed by Martin Sheen in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now was a member of the 173rd assigned to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group ("MACV-SOG" for short). He was depicted as being 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.[26] In the 1987 movie Lethal Weapon, the patch worn by Danny Glover's character Roger Murtaugh during a retrospective of his time in Vietnam was that of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.[29] In the 1998 movie The Siege, Major General William Devereaux, played by Bruce Willis, states that he was in the 173rd Airborne Brigade at the same time that SAIC Anthony Hubbard was in the 82nd Airborne Division.[30]

Numerous servicemen from the 173rd, mostly from the Vietnam era, gained notability after their military careers ended. These include Congressmen Duncan Hunter and Charlie Norwood,[31][32] Archbishop of Baltimore Edwin Frederick O'Brien,[33] Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert M. Kimmitt,[34] activist Stan Goff, and Sergeant Major of the Army Gene C. McKinney.[35]

Fifteen soldiers have been awarded the Medal of Honor for service with 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.[36]

Notes

  1. ^ "United States Army, Europe &7th Army". United States Army. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
  2. ^ "US Army Garrison Vicenza". United States Army. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
  3. ^ "Units". 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "173d Airborne Brigade "Sky Soldiers"". GlobalSecurity. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
  5. ^ "Newcomers". 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "History". 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  7. ^ a b c d "173D Airborne Brigade Combat Team". The Institute of Heraldry. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Ham, p. 132.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "History". 173d Airborne Brigade Association. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
  10. ^ a b c Ham, p. 131.
  11. ^ Stanton, Shelby (2003). Vietnam Order of Battle. Mechanichsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-89193-700-5.
  12. ^ Tucker, p. 65.
  13. ^ Tucker, p. 88.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Operations in Vietnam]". 173rd Airborne Brigade Association. 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
  15. ^ Tucker, p. 32.
  16. ^ Tucker, p. 199.
  17. ^ Tucker, p. 8.
  18. ^ a b Tucker, pp. 90–91.
  19. ^ Tucker, p. 153.
  20. ^ 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)
  21. ^ "U.S. forces find suspected gold cache in Iraq". CNN. 2003-05-28. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
  22. ^ "Operation Peninsula Strike". GlobalSecurity. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  23. ^ "U.S. releases Turkish troops". CNN. 2003-07-06. Retrieved 2008-01-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Enemy, Arms Captured During Operation Bayonet Lightning". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  25. ^ Caldwell, Jacob (2005-06-28). "'Diablo' weakens Taliban mountain stronghold". US Army News Service. Retrieved 2008-01-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ a b "Moving forward with the 173rd Airborne". Press-Republican. 2007-10-29. Retrieved 2008-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Meritorious Unit Citation". 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  28. ^ Rubin, Ronna (2006-06-26). "Big and Rich talk about inspiration behind their '8th of November'". Scripps Howard News Service. Retrieved 2008-01-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ Shane Black (1987). "Lethal Weapon". Warner Bros. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  30. ^ Lawrence Wright (1998). "The Siege". 20th Century Fox. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  31. ^ "Congressman Duncan Hunter". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  32. ^ "Office of the Clerk". United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  33. ^ "Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien". Archdiocese for the Military Services. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  34. ^ "Robert M. Kimmitt". United States Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  35. ^ "Gene C. McKinney". United States Army. Retrieved 2007-02-03.
  36. ^ "Medal of Honor Recipients". 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Retrieved 2008-01-18.

References

External links

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