25th Infantry Division (United States)

25th Infantry Division shoulder badge

The 25th Infantry Division ( German  25th US Infantry Division , nickname Tropic Lightning , German tropical lightning) is a large unit of the US Army with a staff of around 17,000 men. It is the US Pacific Command assumed (PACOM) and in various places in Pacific dislocated . The commanding general is currently Major General Bernard S. Champoux. The divisional headquarters are located in the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii . The division has participated in all United States military conflicts in the Pacific and Southeast Asian regions since its formation in 1941 .

history

Lineup

Location of the Schofield Barracks in Honolulu on the island of Oahu in the US state of Hawaii

The division was set up in Hawaii on October 1, 1941 (only about two months before the attack on Pearl Harbor ) and has been in existence ever since. The installation was part of the American preparations for entering the war . Although no one in American government circles had expected a surprise attack on Hawaii, it became apparent that the Second World War would also extend to the Pacific region, because in addition to the fact that Japan was one of the Axis powers , there was also an escalation in the Competition with Japan for hegemony in the region is obvious.

Second World War

The division consisted of the following units:

• 27th Infantry Regiment , (27th Infantry Regiment)
• 35th Infantry Regiment , (35th Infantry Regiment)
• 298th Infantry Regiment , (298th Infantry Regiment)
• 161st Infantry Regiment , (161st Infantry Regiment)
• 34th Infantry Regiment , (34th Infantry Regiment)
• 8th Field Artillery Battalion , ( 8th Field Artillery Battalion )
• 64th Field Artillery Battalion , ( 64th Field Artillery Battalion )
• 89th Field Artillery Battalion , ( 89th Field Artillery Battalion )
• 90th Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm) , ( 90th Field Artillery Battalion with 155 mm guns)
• 25th Signal Company , (25th Telecommunication Company )
• 725th Ordnance Company , (725th Munitions and Equipment Company )
• 25th Quartermaster Company , (25th replenishment company )
• 25th Reconnaissance Troop , (25 reconnaissance troop )
• 65th Engineer Battalion , (65th engineer battalion )
• 25th Medical Battalion , (25th Medical Battalion)
• 25th Counter Intelligence Detachment , (25th counterintelligence company )

After the Japanese air strike, which also hit the Schofield Barracks, the division was deployed near the coast in anticipation of an eventual invasion to defend Honolulu and Ewa Point , an air base of the US Marines west of Pearl Harbor.

Battle for Guadalcanal

Battle for Guadalcanal , 1943

In 1942 the Japanese army built an airfield on the island of Guadalcanal (later renamed Henderson Field by the Americans ) that would have made it possible to bomb the sea route between Australia and the United States. Therefore, on August 7, 1942, the first US offensive of the Pacific War began against this strategically important island, which was initially unsuccessful.

On November 25, 1942, the 25th Infantry Division was relocated to Guadalcanal to relieve the distressed Marines near Henderson Field and thus intervene in the battle for Guadalcanal . In December 17, 1942, the first units reached the Tenaru (river) and the division intervened in the fighting on January 10, 1943. The bitter fighting, in which the US forces had to withdraw because of the danger of a Japanese encirclement , led to the capture of Cape Esperance, the northernmost point of the island of Guadalcanal, and thus to the union with the associations of the American Division . This union of the various US forces ended the organized resistance of the Japanese armed forces and resulted in their surrender on February 5, 1943.

This first victory was followed by a period of rest during which the division was used as a garrison on the main island of the Solomon Islands . On July 21, 1943, the rest phase ended when the first advance detachments of this division landed on the island of New Georgia as part of the Battle of New Georgia , the 35th Infantry Regiment, part of the Northern Landing Force , was able to interact with other units on September 15 take the island of Vella Lavella . In the meantime, other units managed to land elsewhere in the New Georgia Archipelago , take Zieta and, after a 19-day march through the jungle , capture Bairoko Harbor. Further troops cleared Arundel Island on September 24 and Kolombangara Island on October 6 with the strategically important airport Vila Airport. On August 25, 1943, the organized resistance of the Japanese collapsed and the division moved to New Zealand for refresher courses and later to New Caledonia for further training , where it was stationed until March 14, 1944.

Recapture of the Philippines

The Philippines

On January 11th, the 25th Infantry Division landed at San Fabian in the Luzon area to intervene in the struggle for the liberation of the Philippines under the command of General Douglas MacArthur . They bypassed the plains of Central Luzon and placed the Japanese troops at Binalonan on January 17, 1945 , and occupied Umingan , Lupao, and San Jose . She succeeded in destroying large quantities of Japanese weapons and equipment near Luzon. The mission in the Caraballo Mountains began on February 21. Despite fierce resistance, Digdig, Putlan and Kapintalan were captured and on May 13th the strategically important Balete Pass was brought under control, which opened access to the Cagayan Valley and made the occupation of San Jose possible on June 30, 1945. On July 1, the division moved to Tarlac for refresher and further training until it was stationed in Japan on September 20, where it served as part of the American occupation forces for five years.

Nickname Tropic Lightning

The unusually fast performed operations during their missions earned the division the nickname Tropical Lightning .

Six soldiers in the division were awarded the Medal of Honor , the highest military distinction in the United States, during World War II .

The US 25th Infantry Division lost a total of 5,432 soldiers who were killed, wounded or still missing in World War II.

Korea

→ Main article : Korean War

On June 25, 1950, war broke out again in the Southeast Asian region when the Korean People's Army crossed the 38th parallel and attacked South Korea without a declaration of war. As part of the United Nations command , the division relocated entirely to South Korea from July 5 to 18. Under the command of Major General William B. Kean, she managed in her first mission to successfully bring the North Korean advance to Pusan to a standstill. For this mission, the unit was awarded its first Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation . But it was the battles that followed that established the division's excellent reputation for effectiveness in combat. It participated in the eruption from the Pusan ​​basin and penetrated North Korean territory in October 1950. Together with the 89th Tank Battalion and Task Force Dolvin under LTG Dolvin, the North Korean armed forces were thrown back to the Yalu River on the border with the People's Republic of China by November 24 . But Chinese troops with the "volunteer army" comprising over 300,000 soldiers unexpectedly intervened in the fighting, crossed the border and repulsed the United Nations troops. Nevertheless, an orderly retreat succeeded and on November 30, the occupation of reception positions on the southern bank of the Ch'ongch'on River . In the end, however, this line of defense also fell in the face of the Sino-North Korean superiority. Ultimately, after further territorial losses, a continuous line of defense was set up south of Osan.

Course of war

After a month and a half of planning and reorganization, the UN troops launched a well-prepared offensive on January 15, 1951 and were able to recapture Inchon and the important Kimpo Air Base by February 10 . This was the first of several other successful advances that turned the course of the war back in favor of the UN troops . The 25th Infantry Division managed to repel opposing troops as part of Operation Ripper along the Hangang , which formed a natural barrier between Ganghwado Island at the mouth of the Imjin River and the city of Seoul . This operation was followed in the spring of 1951 by the Dauntless , Detonate and Piledriver operations , which enabled UN troops to occupy the strategically favorable position of the iron triangle . The first peace talks began in Kaesŏng in the summer of 1951, and during this time the division carried out security tasks on the front line with occasional small defensive battles. This period lasted until winter and ended when it became apparent that the peace negotiations would fail. Then the 25th Infantry Division was transferred to the leading role in the renewed offensive on May 5, 1953 in the direction of Seoul.

On May 28, the division faced a heavy counterattack, which it was able to repel. Between May and July 1953, the division managed to repel another heavy attack on Seoul, whereupon it was awarded a second Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation . The peace negotiations were then resumed and led to the armistice on July 27, 1953. The division was relocated to Camp Casey and placed on reserve.

During the Korean War, the Turkish Brigade was subordinate to the 25th Infantry Division.

During the Korean War, 14 soldiers from this unit received the Medal of Honor .

This made the 25nd ID the most highly decorated combat unit of the Korean War.

The division initially remained in Korea until it was moved back to Hawaii in the fall of 1954 after an absence of more than twelve years.

Vietnam

→ Main article : Vietnam War

In the spring of 1963, 100 helicopter gunmen were relocated from Hawaii to South Vietnam at the request of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) . In August 1965, another unit of the 25th Infantry Division was sent to the Vietnam conflict when the 3rd Company of the 65th Engineer Battalion was called to South Vietnam to help build the port of Cam Ranh Bay . By mid-1965, a total of 2,200 members of this division were deployed in the Vietnamese theater of war.

Mid-1965 was a complete brigade of Tropic Lightning with about 4,000 men and 9,000 tons of equipment as part of the hitherto largest and longest aerial installation (Operation Blue Light ) in a battle field of military history, directly from the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam , Honolulu, in the north-west sector of South Vietnam.

This brigade began on December 24, 1964 in the central highlands near Plei Cu with the establishment of a main base of the division, which should serve as the starting point for all subsequent operations and transfers. In mid-January 1965 the transport was completed and opened up new options for the MACV in its military planning.

Saigon during the Tet Offensive

Between 1966 and 1971 this division was involved in fierce fighting throughout the Southeast Asian region.

During the Tet offensive of the Viet Cong from 1968 to 1969, the 25th Infantry Division took part in the defense of the besieged South Vietnamese capital Sàigón . Due to its particular successes in the defensive battle in cooperation with the South Vietnamese allies , the Tropic Lightning was then withdrawn from conventional combat operations and mainly used in the so-called Vietnamization program (Nixon doctrine), the gradual handover of military responsibility to the army of the republic Vietnam , with the 25th Infantry Division taking on training and acting as a military liaison body.

This took them from May to June 1970 together with other units of the MACV Special Operations Command as part of a covert operation far into Cambodia . The aim of the mission was to stop the infiltration of the Viet Cong into South Vietnam, to disturb its areas of retreat and to interrupt its supply routes (parts of the Ho Chi Minh Trail ). She succeeded in severely disrupting supplies to the Viet Cong and stealing large quantities of supplies and weapons.

After her return to South Vietnam, she continued her work in the Vietnamization program until the end of 1970.

In early 1971, the division began withdrawing to Hawaii. The 2nd Infantry Brigade was the last formation of the Tropic Lightning , which arrived in the Schofield Barracks on Oahu, in the US state of Hawaii, in early May 1971.

During the Vietnam War, 22 soldiers from the Tropic Lightning Division received the Medal of Honor .

The losses of the 25th US Infantry Division totaled 4,561 dead in the Vietnam War.

Reorganization into light infantry

One of the consequences of the Vietnam War, among many others, was a general demobilization of the armed forces, which went far beyond normal disarmament in a post-war phase. Rather, it was also an expression of a political change of direction, which was still due to economic ( recession ) under Gerald Ford , but also politically after Jimmy Carter took office, since he turned more to domestic political issues.

In this phase the division was thinned out to a brigade with approx. 4,000 men. In March 1972 it was reactivated, made up with a second brigade, and balanced with the incorporation of a (third) Army National Guard brigade , which brought the following units, the 2nd Battalion of the Hawaiian Army National Guard's 299th Infantry, the 100th Battalion of the 442nd Infantry of the US Army Reserve and the 1st Battalion of the 184th Infantry of the Army Reserve. In the next few years, the refilled division experimented with different deployment concepts, with different combinations of individual combat units and participated in joint maneuvers with the armed forces of the Fiji Islands and in the annual large-scale exercise with the South Korean armed forces .

1985 began the restructuring of the division from a regular to a light infantry division ( Light Infantry ) after the political situation had changed fundamentally since Ronald Reagan took office and the defense budget had increased significantly since then.

The four main characteristics of light infantry in the Army were flexibility of use, quick relocation, high combat readiness and optimal adaptation to the geographic features of the Pacific basin. A third infantry brigade was set up and each brigade was assigned a battalion of artillery for direct fire support. In addition, the army aviation departments were increased to the size of a brigade. The 25th US Infantry Division was fully operational in October 1986. The division's restructuring was complete.

The concept of light infantry includes the classic operational concept, which is also followed by airborne troops and special operations forces . As a quickly deployable unit, they are often the first troops at the front and usually have to hold their position against a superior enemy until relief with heavy weapons can be brought to the scene. This places an increased level of demands on the level of training of those troops that would previously have been dubbed an elite association, but which, according to the official army diction, is avoided. This led to an expansion and tightening of the training and to a higher density of exercises.

In 1988, the 1st Battalion was the first Tropical Lightning unit to go through a training cycle at the Joint Readiness Training Center , Fort Polk , Louisiana . This training facility is the most modern cross -armed forces training center for infantry combat and close quarter battle , urban warfare and combat in confined spaces, for the US armed forces.

A regular maneuver program with combined and cross-armed forces exercises in Thailand (Cobra Gold) , in Australia (Kangaroo) and in Japan (Orient Shield) and in the Philippines have led to a considerable improvement in the level of training and thus in combat strength. The annual large-scale exercise in Korea known as Operation Team Spirit remains the most important maneuver of the year in which more than half of the division is involved.

The second Gulf War

Oil field set on fire by Iraqi soldiers in March 1991

Due to their function as a rapid reaction force for the PACOM and the worsening political situation with North Korea, very few units were involved in Operation Desert Storm . Nevertheless, three platoons, the first from each company of the 4th Battalion of the 27th Infantry Regiment (Wolfhounds) , were moved to Saudi Arabia and placed under the US Central Command (CENTCOM). Originally only intended as a reserve, however, because of their high level of training in desert warfare, they were deployed by the deputy commander of the 3rd US Army to protect the forward army headquarters in Kuwait City . In this role, they not only secured the command post, but were also involved in maintaining public order and clearing mines. The first platoon was then separated from this task and, together with the Delta Force, provided the military and personal protection of General Norman Schwarzkopfs during the entire campaign up to the armistice agreement on March 1, 1991. On March 20, the three platoons returned to the without losses Home base in Hawaii.

Operations and restructuring

In early January 1995 the Tropic Lightning took part in brigade strength (approx. 3900 men) in Operation Uphold Democracy , the US invasion of Haiti . After the successful completion, the majority of the deployed troops returned to their home base, but a contingent of around 500 men from the 2nd Brigade remained on site as part of the United Nations Force to maintain peace. In the same year, an airborne brigade was set up in Ford Richardsen, Alaska, and the 25th Infantry Division was subordinated to the fourth brigade. It was deployed in Iraq in 2006 to stabilize the country as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom .

Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division during a training exercise

A soldier of the division in Halabja, Iraq

In 1995 the first brigade, including its support components, was relocated to Ford Lewis, Washington, and demobilized, where it was later reactivated and placed under the Tropic Lightning . Until then, the 25th Infantry Division was the only division of the Army that was never even partially stationed on the mainland of the United States ( CONUS ; continental United States ).

From April to September 2002 a battalion of the 25th Infantry Division , about 1000 men, was subordinated to the US European Command (EUCOM) in support of peacekeeping measures in Bosnia-Herzegovina . As part of Stabilization Force IX , it was used for mine clearance, reconstruction and weapon destruction. During the action, a total of 849 rifles, 182 machine guns, 187 rocket launchers and 389,000 cartridges of ammunition were confiscated and made unusable.

On the Iraq war in 2003 and the war in Afghanistan which took 25th Infantry Division is not part of a closed dressing. Only a few smaller units of this unit were subordinated to the 3rd US Infantry Division, operating in the Iraq and Afghanistan area, and the 101st US Airborne Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom , the so-called war on terror .

Operation Iraqi Freedom

The 2nd Brigade moved to Iraq in January 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II and was subordinated to the 1st US Infantry Division. The brigade's five battalions (1-14 Infantry, 1-21 Infantry, 1-27 Infantry, 2-11 Field Artillery and 225 Support Battalion) were divided into so-called task forces and carried out security and stabilization operations in and around Kirkuk . The brigade was given the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service in Iraq . In February 2005, the brigade returned to Hawaii and began its transformation from a light infantry brigade to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), an air-deployable light tank brigade fully equipped with Stryker wheeled armored vehicles.

After the 1st Brigade had completed its transformation into a Stryker Brigade Combat Team , it moved to Iraq in October 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III and was deployed in Mosul in northern Iraq . The brigade and its subordinate battalions received the Valorous Unit Award for their 12-month service . In September 2005, the brigade returned to Fort Lewis and was renamed the 2nd U.S. Cavalry Regiment (SBCT) on June 1, 2006 and relocated to Vilseck , Bavaria, while the 172nd U.S. Infantry Brigade on December 16, 2006 as the 1st. Brigade Combat Team (Stryker) was put back into service at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

In July 2006 the divisional headquarters, the 25th Army Aviation Brigade and the 3rd "Bronco" Brigade Combat Team moved to the north of Iraq to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08 . The 3rd Brigade was assigned to Kirkuk as an area of ​​operations and was stationed in Forward Operating Base Warrior. After 15 months of service, the brigade returned to the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii in October 2007 . The divisional headquarters and the 25th Army Aviation Brigade were the main elements of the Multinational Division-North and were stationed in Tikrit in the COB Spiecher and were responsible for the entire north of Iraq. They too returned to Hawaii after 15 months in Iraq.

After the 4th "Spartan" Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) was reactivated in Fort Richardson, Alaska on July 16, 2005 , the brigade relocated to Iraq in October 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08. The "Spartan Brigade" stayed in Iraq for 15 months, mainly in the Babil, Karbala and Najaf provinces, although parts were also deployed in the Anbar province and in Baghdad under the command of the Baghdad Multinational Division. The brigade also trained Iraqi security forces and was part of the tactical reserve of the 1st US Cavalry Division and the 3rd US Infantry Division (both units of the Multi-National Force Iraq ). The brigade returned to Fort Richardson in December 2007, 53 soldiers were killed during the operation.

In November 2007, after the 2nd Brigade had been reorganized into a Stryker Brigade Combat Team, it was relocated to Iraq under the command of the Baghdad Multinational Division. The brigade monitored northwest Baghdad from Camp Taji. In February 2009 the brigade returned to the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.

In the fall of 2008, large parts of the division moved to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-10. In September 2008 the 1st (Arctic Wolves) Stryker Brigade Combat Team moved from Fort Wainwright, Alaska to Iraq to the Forward Operating Base Warehouse and is responsible for Diyala Province. The 3rd "Bronco" Brigade Combat Team and the division headquarters followed in October 2008 for a 12-month deployment in northern Iraq.

Operation Enduring Freedom

The divisional headquarters and the 3rd "Bronco" brigade were relocated to Afghanistan in March 2004 . While the divisional headquarters was stationed as a staff element of the JTF 180 in Bagram, the 3rd Brigade was divided into so-called task forces and was stationed at Kandahar airport , responsible for security in the area of ​​Regional Command South. The first unit was the 2nd Battalion of the 74th Infantry Regiment (Wolfhounds) . She was accompanied by the 2nd battery of the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Field Artillery Regiment. The units were deployed for the first time on October 9, 2004 in the particularly unsafe Paktika province in southeastern Afghanistan on the border with Pakistan. Her mission was to fight the Taliban (group of Islamist fundamentalists) and al-Qaida ( network of jihadist groups) in the confusing and mountainous border region to Pakistan as part of a guerrilla war . After 12 months, the brigade moved back to Hawaii in April 2005.

In February 2009, the 4th "Spartan" Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) from Fort Richardson, Alaska received the order to make all preparations for a mission as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The brigade then moved to the operations room in Afghanistan in March.

assignment

The division represents the core of the US Army Pacific Command's land forces and is responsible for the implementation of US geostrategy within the area of ​​responsibility of the US Pacific Command (PACOM) regional command in the Asia-Pacific region. This includes the defense of Alaska, where a Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) and an Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) (Airborne) of the division are permanently stationed. Although the US 8th Army of US Forces Korea is responsible for Korea , the division can support them if necessary.

organization

Organization Chart of the 25th Infantry Division ( Military Symbols )

The 25th Infantry Division consists of the following units:

Combat Brigades

• 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Lancers , stationed in Fort Wainwright , Alaska.
  • Headquarters Company , ( Headquarters Company )
  • 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment , (1st Battalion of the 5th Infantry Regiment)
  • 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment , (3rd Battalion of the 21st Infantry Regiment)
  • 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment , (1st Battalion of the 24th Infantry Regiment)
  • 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment , (5th Squadron of the 1st Cavalry Regiment, reconnaissance unit)
  • 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment , (2nd Battalion of the 8th Field Artillery Regiment )
  • 70th Brigade Engineer Battalion , ( 70th Brigade Engineer Battalion )
  • 25th Support Battalion , ( 25th Support Battalion )

M1134 Stryker tank destroyers of 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment during an exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center prior to their deployment in Iraq in 2005

• 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Warriors , stationed in Schofield Barraks, Hawaii.
  • Headquarters Company , ( headquarters company )
  • 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment , (1st Battalion of the 21st Infantry Regiment)
  • 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment , (1st Battalion of the 27th Infantry Regiment)
  • 1st Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment , Indiana Army National Guard , (1st Battalion of 151st Infantry Regiment)
  • 2nd Squadron, 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment , (2nd Battalion of the 14th Cavalry Regiment)
  • 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment , (2nd Battalion of the 11th Field Artillery Regiment )
  • 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion , ( 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion )
  • 225th Support Battalion , ( 225th Support Battalion )
• 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Bronco , based in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
  • Headquarters Company , ( headquarters company )
  • 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment "Wolfhounds" , (2nd Battalion of the 27th Wolfhounds Infantry Regiment )
  • 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment "Cacti" , (2nd Battalion of the 35th Infantry Regiment Cacti )
  • 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment , Army Reserve , (100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment)
  • 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment , (3rd Battalion of the 4th Cavalry Regiment)
  • 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment , (3rd Battalion of the 7th Artillery Regiment )
  • 29th Brigade Engineer Battalion , ( 29th Brigade Engineer Battalion )
  • 325th Support Battalion , (325th Support Battalion )

Exercise of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in Alaska

• 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Spartan , stationed in Fort Richardson, Alaska.
  • Headquarters Company , ( headquarters company )
  • 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment "1 Geronimo" , (1st Battalion of the 501st Infantry Regiment 1 Geronimo )
  • 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment "3 Geronimo" , (3rd Battalion of the 509th Infantry Regiment 3 Geronimo )
  • 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment , (1st Battalion of the 40th Cavalry Regiment)
  • 2nd Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment , (2nd Battalion of the 377th Artillery Regiment )
  • 6th Brigade Engineer Battalion , ( 6th Brigade Engineer Battalion )
  • 725th Support Battalion , (725th Support Battalion )

• 25th Infantry Division Artillery
  • Headquarters Company , ( headquarters company )
• 25th Combat Aviation Brigade , Army Aviation Brigade ,stationed at Wheeler Army Air Field , Oahu , Hawaii.
  • HHC, Combat Aviation Brigade , (headquarters company of the Army Aviation Brigade )
  • 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment , (2nd Battalion of the 6th Cavalry Regiment)
  • 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment , (1st Battalion of the 25th Army Aviation Regiment )
  • 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment (2nd Battalion of the 25th Army Aviation Regiment )
  • 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment , (3rd Battalion of the 25th Army Aviation Regiment )
  • 209th Aviation Support Battalion , (209th Army Aviation Support Battalion )
• 25th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade
  • Headquarters Company , ( headquarters company )
  • 25th Special Forces Battalion
  • 524th Combat Support Battalion

Headquarters troops

• Headquarters, 25th ID , (Headquarters of the 25th Infantry Division ), based in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
  • 25th Special Troops Battalion , ( 25th Special Troops Battalion )

badge

Since the 25th Infantry Division has a relatively young line of tradition in comparison to similar units, the degree of awareness of its badges is rather limited.

Shoulder badge

• Description: A red taro leaf, 7.30 cm high and 5.08 cm at its widest point with a framing yellow border and a yellow lightning bolt in the center, 4.60 cm high.
• Symbolism: The taro leaf is the distinctive feature of the Hawaiian descent of the 25th Infantry Division, while the lightning bolt represents the special way of solving the tasks assigned to it.
• History: The shoulder badge was officially approved on September 25, 1944.

Unity badge

• Explanation: In the center of an erupting volcano that ejects a golden cloud, there is a vertical lightning bolt that is divided into an upper red and a lower golden half. The whole thing is laterally enclosed by a pair of green palm fronds that cross in the lower center and limit the cloud on both sides at the top.
• Symbolism: The lightning bolt taken from the shoulder badge and the palm fronds are supposed to create the reference to the nickname Tropic Lightning . The erupting volcano is the reference to Hawaii as a home base and installation site.
• History: The unit insignia was officially approved on April 21, 1965. It was improved again on May 18, 1972 to better match the division's nickname.

Leadership and list of commanders

Leadership group

In 2010, the Command Group of the Division Staff consisted of Commander Major General Bernard S. Champoux , Colonel Bradley A. Becker (Logistics), Brigadier General Paul J. LaCamera (Operations), Chief of Staff Colonel Bjarne M. Iverson, and Command Sergeant Major Frank M. Leota.

List of commanders

No.	Surname	Beginning of the appointment	End of appointment
45.	Major General Bernard S. Champoux	2010	----
44.	Major General Robert L. Caslen, Jr.	2008	2009
43.	Major General Benjamin R. Mixon	2005	2008
42	Major General Eric T. Olson	2002	2005
41.	Major General James M. Dubik	2000	2002
40.	Major General William E. Ward	1999	2000
39.	Major General James T. Hill	1997	1999
38.	Major General John J. Maher	1995	1997
37.	Major General George A. Fisher	1993	1995
36.	Major General Robert L. Ord III.	1992	1993
35.	Major General Fred. A. Gorden	1990	1992
34.	Major General Charles P. Otstott	1988	1990
33.	Major General James W. Crysel	1986	1988
32.	Major General Claude M. Kicklighter	1984	1986
31.	Major General William H. Schneider	1982	1984
30th	Major General Alexander Weyand	1980	1982
29	Major General Otis C. Lynn	1978	1980
28.	Major General Williard W. Scott, Jr.	1976	1978
27.	Major General Harry W. Brooks, Jr.	1974	1976
26th	Major General Robert N. Mackinnon	1972	1974
25th	Major General Thomas W. Mellen	1971	1972
24.	Major General Ben Sternberg	1971	1971
23.	Major General Edward Bautz, Jr.	1970	1971
22nd	Major General Harris W. Hollis	1969	1970
21st	Major General Ellis W. Williamson	1968	1969
20th	Major General FK Mearns	1967	1968
19th	Major General John CF Tillison III.	1967	1967
18th	Major General Frederick C. Weyand	1964	1967
17th	Major General Andrew J. Boyle	1963	1964
16.	Major General Ernest F. Easterbrook	1962	1963
15th	Major General James L. Richardson	1961	1962
14th	Major General Jonathan O. Seaman	1960	1960
13.	Major General John E. Theimer	1958	1960
12.	Major General Archibald W. Stuart	1957	1958
11.	Major General Edwin J. Messinger	1956	1957
10.	Major General Herbert B. Powell	1954	1956
9.	Major General Leslie D. Carter	1954	1954
8th.	Major General Halley G. Maddox	1953	1954
7th	Major General Samuel T. Williams	1952	1953
6th	Major General Ira P. Swift	1951	1952
5.	Major General Joseph S. Bradley	1948	1951
4th	Major General William B. Kean	1948	1948
3.	Major General Charles L. Mullins	1943	1948
2.	Major General J. Lawton Collins	1942	1943
1.	Major General Maxwell Murray	1941	1942

Others

• In the film Platoon by director Oliver Stone , the fictional unit wears shoulder badges of the 25th Infantry Division .
• The shoulder badge is jokingly called The Electric Chili Pepper because of its shape reminiscent of a paprika and the lightning bolt in the center .
• The film Damn in All Eternity takes hold and a. the subjects of attack on Hawaii and defense of the beach by infantry .

literature

• Red thunder, tropic lightning: the world of a combat division in Vietnam / Eric M. Bergerud. - New York [u. a.]: Penguin Books, 1994, ISBN 978-0-14-023545-6

Web links

Commons : 25th Infantry Division  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website of the 25th Infantry Division (English)
• Awards of the 25th Infantry Division ( Memento from January 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
• The 25th Infantry Division (Light) at globalsecurity.org (English)
• 25th Infantry Division Society (English)
• The Tropic Lightning in the Korean War at history.army.mil (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Hawaii: Southern Oahu Island. In: airfields-freeman.com. Retrieved January 12, 2019 . 
2. ^ Tarlac, Philippines - Fly Philippines Travel Destinations - Guide to Philippine Travel and Hotels Guide. (No longer available online.) In: flyphilippines.net. Archived from the original on July 15, 2007 ; accessed on January 12, 2019 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b c} History of the 25th Infantry Division. (PDF; 161 kB) In: 25idl.army.mil. December 22, 2014, accessed January 12, 2019 . 
4. ↑ US Army Divisions of World War II: 25th Infantry Division, Casualties, Generals, Battles & Campaigns. (No longer available online.) In: historyshots.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010 ; accessed on January 12, 2019 . 
5. ↑ ^{a b} 25th Infantry Division. In: globalsecurity.org. Retrieved January 12, 2019 . 
6. ↑ Casualties - US vs NVA / VC. In: rjsmith.com. Retrieved January 12, 2019 . 
7. ↑ James Carter. In: whitehouse.gov. Retrieved January 12, 2019 . 
8. ↑ 25TH INFANTRY DIVISION. In: 25idl.army.mil. Retrieved January 12, 2019 . 
9. ↑ Military symbols at mapsymbs.com and at File. In: army.ca.  , accessed on May 17, 2008
10. ↑ 25th Infantry Division Association: The Division. (No longer available online.) In: 25thida.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009 ; accessed on January 12, 2019 . 
11. ^ Aviation Brigade. Welcome letter. (No longer available online.) In: www.25idl.army.mil. Archived from the original on February 1, 2007 ; accessed on January 13, 2019 . 
12. ↑ Tioh - Heraldry - 25th Infantry Division. (No longer available online.) In: www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012 ; accessed on January 13, 2019 . 
13. ↑ 25th Infantry Division. (No longer available online.) In: web.archive.org. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010 ; accessed on January 13, 2019 . 
14. ↑ 25th Infantry Division, Commanders Division. (No longer available online.) In: history.army.mil. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008 ; accessed on January 13, 2019 . 

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on February 23, 2008 .