Veterans Appreciation Week

[pc747]

We appreciate all you guys do to preserve our freedoms. I don't think you get enough credit and love for what you do. Both of my parents are military and I can say that we need to demand they do a better job taking care of our veterans. Though I can not single-handedly change what is going on now, I can do my part to acknowledge our veterans who have given their lives and body just so I can enjoy my freedoms. And for that I thank you. Each day I will write a piece on a different military base. People from that area feel free to share with us. This thread belongs to our veterans so feel free to sound off.

 

[pc747]

101st
Airborne
Division

The German successes with airborne assaults lead the United States and Allied Forces to form their own airborne units. A U.S. Army Test Platoon was established in June 1940. The name of this platoon was later changed to the 501st Parachute Battalion, when it was reorganized as the first permanent US Army airborne infantry unit in September 1940.​

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As the airborne program expanded the 82nd Airborne Division was activated. Airborne units, at this time, usually consisted of one parachute infantry regiment (PIR) and two glider infantry regiments (GIR) when first activated. The 82nd Airborne Division was first organized with 17,000 men, but later half of these men would remain in the 82nd and the other half would become the 101st Airborne Division.​

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There were several different types of units that made up the 101st when first formed; there were the glider infantry regiments the 401st and the 327th and a parachute infantry regiment the 502nd. At first the 101st was organized as a reserve unit, but on August 15, 1942 the division was disbanded and reconstituted as part of the active duty Army, at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. The first division commander, Major General William C. Lee, was quoted saying "The 101st has no history but it does have a 'Rendezvous with Destiny'."​

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The 101st was moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in October 1942. At Fort Bragg they started training for their future missions. During the training, at Fort Bragg, a rivalry between the parachute and glider elements developed. The paratroopers received extra pay or "parachute pay" for their dangerous duties while the glider troops had equally dangerous duties, but received no extra pay.​

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The division participated in the first test of their abilities at Fort Bragg when they participated in local maneuvers. Closely following these maneuvers, the 101st left for Tennessee to take part in the Tennessee Maneuvers. At the same time as these maneuvers, the 506th PIR was attached to the division. During the impressive performance by the "Screaming Eagles", MG Lee was injured in a glider incident. He would later remark " Next time I'll take a parachute." These maneuvers also showed the true capabilities of the U.S. Airborne Forces, and proved that the glider troops deserved and would receive extra pay for their hazardous duty.​

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In 1944, the 101st was then ordered to deploy overseas to England to continue training. Later in January 1944 the division received the attachment of yet another parachute regiment, the 501st. The 101st then went through another change when MG Lee, their first Commanding General, had a heart attack. In February 1944, he was sent back to the States and former commander of the 82nd, Brigadier General Maxwell D. Taylor, took command of the 101st. Then in the early months of 1944, the division lost the 401st GIR to the 82nd, when they were permanently transferred.. The 101st Airborne Division then continued its training until June 6,1944 when the division joined their first campaign, the invasion of Normandy in​

The 101st was moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in October 1942. At Fort Bragg they started training for their future missions. During the training, at Fort Bragg, a rivalry between the parachute and glider elements developed. The paratroopers received extra pay or "parachute pay" for their dangerous duties while the glider troops had equally dangerous duties, but received no extra pay.​

​

The division participated in the first test of their abilities at Fort Bragg when they participated in local maneuvers. Closely following these maneuvers, the 101st left for Tennessee to take part in the Tennessee Maneuvers. At the same time as these maneuvers, the 506th PIR was attached to the division. During the impressive performance by the "Screaming Eagles", MG Lee was injured in a glider incident. He would later remark " Next time I'll take a parachute." These maneuvers also showed the true capabilities of the U.S. Airborne Forces, and proved that the glider troops deserved and would receive extra pay for their hazardous duty.​

​

In 1944, the 101st was then ordered to deploy overseas to England to continue training. Later in January 1944 the division received the attachment of yet another parachute regiment, the 501st. The 101st then went through another change when MG Lee, their first Commanding General, had a heart attack. In February 1944, he was sent back to the States and former commander of the 82nd, Brigadier General Maxwell D. Taylor, took command of the 101st. Then in the early months of 1944, the division lost the 401st GIR to the 82nd, when they were permanently transferred.. The 101st Airborne Division then continued its training until June 6,1944 when the division joined their first campaign, the invasion of Normandy in 1944.​

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The Division was active in three major campaigns. The first campaign was D-Day or the invasion of France. Operation Market-Garden in Holland was their second campaign. Their third and most notable campaign of WWII was the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest.​

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In the Siege of Bastogne the 101st Airborne Division was holding within the Belgian town of Bastogne, as part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. The goal of the German offensive was the harbor at Antwerp. In order to reach it before the Allies could regroup and bring their superior air power to bear, German mechanized forces had to seize the roadways through eastern Belgium. Because all seven main roads in the Ardennes mountain range converged on the small town of Bastogne, control of its crossroads was vital to the German attack. The siege lasted from December 20 to December 27 when the besieged 101st forces were relieved by elements of General Patton's Third Army.​

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On 1 August 1945, the 501 PIR was moved to France while the rest of the division was based around Zell am See and Kaprun in the Austrian alps. The division was deactivated 30 November 1945.

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.

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. The 101st was reactivated as a "pentomic" division with five battle groups in place of its World War II structure that featured regiments and battalions.

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. The 101st was deployed in the northern I Corps region operating against the Vietnam People's Army (NVA) infiltration routes through Laos and the A Shau Valley for most of the war.

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.

In 1968, the 101st took on the structure and equipment of an airmobile division. Following its return from Vietnam, the division was rebuilt with one brigade (3d) and supporting elements on jump status, using the assets of what had been the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The remaining two brigades and supporting units were organized as airmobile. With the exception of certain specialized units, such as the pathfinders and parachute riggers, in early 1974 the Army terminated jump status for the division.

Concurrently the 101st introduced the Airmobile Badge (renamed later that year as the Air Assault Badge), the design of which was based on the Glider Badge of World War II. Initially the badge was only authorized for wear while assigned to the division, but in 1978 the Army authorized it for service-wide wear. Soldiers continued to wear the garrison cap with glider patch, bloused boots, and the cloth wing oval behind their wings, as had division paratroopers before them. A blue beret was authorized for the division in the early 1970s until revoked at the end of 1978.

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, a distinction shared with the 1st and 5th Infantry divisions.

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. The 101st Aviation Regiment, fired the first shots of the war when eight AH-64 helicopters successfully destroyed two Iraqi early warning radar sites.

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

The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) was the first conventional unit to deploy in support of the American War on Terrorism. The 2d Brigade, "Strike", built around the 502d Infantry, was largely deployed to Kosovo on peacekeeping operations, with some elements of 3rd Battalion, 502nd, deploying after 9/11 as a security element in the U.S. CENTCOM AOR with the Fort Campbell-based 5th Special Forces Group. The Division quickly deployed its 3rd Brigade, the 187th Infantry's Rakkasans, as the first conventional unit to fight as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

After an intense period of combat in rugged Shoh-I-Khot Mountains of eastern Afghanistan during Operation Anaconda with elements of the 10th Mountain Division, the Rakkasans redeployed to Fort Campbell only to find the 101st awaiting another deployment order. In 2008, the 101st 4th BCT Red and White "Curraahee" including the 1st and the 2nd Battalions, 506th Infantry "Band of Brothers" were deployed to Afghanistan. The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade deployed to Afghanistan as Task Force Destiny in early 2008 to Bagram Air Base. 159th Combat Aviation Brigade deployed as Task Force Thunder to Afghanistan in early 2009.

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. 3rd Battalion 187 inf regt (3rd Brigade) was attached to 3rd Infantry Division and was the main effort in clearing Saddam International Airport.

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 2d Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment (1st Brigade) oversaw the remote airfield Qayarrah West 30 miles (48 km) south of Mosul. The 502d Infantry Regiment (2d Brigade) and 3d Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment were responsible for Mosul itself while the 187th Infantry Regiment (3d Brigade) controlled Tal Afar just north of Mosul.

The division's second deployment to Iraq began in the late summer of 2005. During the second deployment, 2d and 4th Brigades of the 101st Airborne Division were assigned to conduct security operations under the command of Task Force Baghdad, led initially by 3d Infantry Division, which was replaced by 4th Infantry Division. 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.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 101st is currently deployed in Iraq, in the Salah ad Din Province, northeast of Baghdad. The 2d Brigade Combat Team returned from a deployment in Northwest Baghdad, November 2008, and the 3d Brigade Combat Team is currently back from their most recent deployment in the Southern belt region southwest of Baghdad.

Since the attacks on September 11th, the 101st Airborne Division has remained one of the premier fighting forces of the Global War on Terrorism, and continues to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq as a part of OEF and OIF, respectively.






copied from: 101st Airborne Division Structure










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[UNC]

82nd baby! All American, ALL THE WAY!!!!

1st Battalion 504th PIR.

 

[furbearingmammal]

 

[pc747]

About the Base

Since September 1941, Camp Lejeune has been the home of “Expeditionary Forces in Readiness”, and throughout the years, it has become the home base for the II Marine Expeditionary Force, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Logistics Group and other combat units and support commands.

There are several major Marine Corps commands and one Navy command aboard Camp Lejeune. Some tenant commands include Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, II Marine Expeditionary Force, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, and the naval hospital to name a few. Marine Corps Base owns all the real estate, hosts entry-level and career-level formal schools and provides support and training for tenant commands; II Marine Expeditionary Force conducts operational planning for Fleet Marine Force commands; 2nd Marine Division is the ground combat element of II MEF; 2nd Marine Logistics Group is the combat service support element of II MEF; and 2nd Marine Air Wing, headquartered at Cherry Point, N.C., is the air combat element of II MEF. Additionally, the naval hospital provides primary medical care to service members and their families stationed at Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River.
Today, as in the past, Camp Lejeune's mission remains the same — to maintain combat-ready units for expeditionary deployment.
To help prepare warfighters for combat and humanitarian missions abroad, Camp Lejeune takes advantage of 156,000 acres, 11 miles of beach capable of supporting amphibious operations, 32 gun positions, 48 tactical landing zones, three state-of-the-art training facilities for Military Operations in Urban Terrain and 80 live fire ranges to include the Greater Sandy Run Training Area.
The base and surrounding community is home to an active duty, dependent, retiree and civilian employee population of approximately 180,000 people. The base generates almost $3 billion in commerce each year, coming from payrolls and contracts to support the structure required to train and equip our modern Marines.
Some services available aboard Camp Lejeune include: childcare, shopping, education, family support, hunting and fishing, dining, boating and swimming.
Some facilities on base include banks and credit unions, the commissary, the library, hobby shops, fitness centers, the beach, theaters and more.
From the supporting infrastructure, a tradition of excellence in doing day-to-day business has evolved. From environmental programs that include a state-of-the-art landfill and water treatment system to quality of life programs that ensure Marine families are taken care of, Camp Lejeune stands out as a superior military base.
Camp Lejeune is a six-time recipient of the Commander-in-Chief's Award for Installation Excellence. This award recognizes the base on a Department of Defense level for effectively managing assets and developing quality programs to accomplish the mission of providing expeditionary forces in readiness.
The Marines, sailors, Coast Guardsmen and civilian Marines who provide for the efficient management of Camp Lejeune's assets strive to ensure even grander goals are realized in the future.


from: MCB Camp Lejeune - About the Base

 

[dlwhtrose]

I too would like to personally thank all the men and women, past and present who have served in the United States Military.

My father was US Army and was part of the Expeditionary Forces on the ground in Viet Nam. He was on the front lines most of the time. He did a total of 4 tours in Viet Nam with his breaks sending him to Germany. He was basically in country from '66 until Nixon declared the end and brought the soldiers home. If any of you have seen the movie Good Morning Viet Nam, my dad was in the convoy that Adrian Cronauer stopped and joked with before heading to the front lines. My dad was one of the guys that got to shake his hand. Unfortunately that day my dad also lost his best friend and his cousin to the VC. We are one of the lucky families as my dad came home alive and with all his parts. But many good men were lost to that war and are remembered frequently in our family.

Additionally, my husband served in the United States Navy and was aboard the USS Independence when it was the first Aircraft Carrier to enter the gulf during Desert Shield in 1989-90. He worked the deck and remembers what they called Deep water opps where they had to stay dark because the Iraq solders were shooting missiles at the carrier, and of course they could not shoot back. Thankfully my husband's ship came home right before the actual war (aka Desert Storm) started. His ship was not redeployed there again.

Military service and appreciation runs deep in my family and I cannot be more thankful everyday to those who have served, are currently serving, or those that paid the ultimate price. I salute all of you with all that I am.

THANK YOU!!!!

 

[pc747]

Ft. Hood Texas:


HISTORY OF THE GREAT PLACE

• Sixty years ago minimum wage was 30 cents per hour, a gallon of gas cost 19 cents and there were only 48 stars on the American Flag.
• It was also sixty years ago that 108,000 acres of central Texas land was transformed from rural farming land into Camp Hood, home of the Tank destroyer Tactical and Firing Center.
• World War II was blazing and tank destroyers, mobile anti-tank guns on armored half-tracks, were developed to go against the Germans who were over running Europe.
• These destroyers needed space and the central Texas location could provide that needed space.
• The roughly 300 families that resided in the chosen area were relocated and replaced with nearly 38,000 troops. The number of soldiers multiplied until it peaked at almost 95,000 in less than one year’s time.
• A shift in Camp Hood’s mission brought about by the end of the war caused the number of soldiers to drop.
• Eight years after its official opening, Camp Hood became a permanent installation and was renamed Fort Hood.
• Fort Hood is now the largest active duty armored post in the U.S. Armed Services. It is home to two full divisions, 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized).
• It also supports 12 additional units. There are about 41,000 soldiers who work on Fort Hood.
• The soldiers of Fort Hood are infantrymen, cavalrymen, and tankers. They are engineers, mechanics and health care professionals. They are the life of Fort Hood. Their training gives Fort Hood its purpose just as Camp Hood soldiers did 60 years ago. They are part of what has made Fort Hood “The Great Place” for six decades.

GARRISON HISTORY

The history of the Garrison Command goes back to the beginnings of Fort Hood when it was created as Camp Hood in 1942. The mission of the Garrison Command is to control the infrastructure that trains, maintains, sustains, and enables the combat units on post to project control element of the Garrison Command is Headquarters (Phantom) Command.

The Directorates comprising the Garrison Command perform the daily but vital support missions. The Directorate of Logistics performs or oversees supply, transportation, general support maintenance beyond the 13th Support Command's capability for all units. The Directorate of Public Works plans for new construction, administers housing on the installation, protects the environment, maintains existing buildings, roads and grounds.

The Directorate of Community Activities performs all manner of Morale, Welfare, and Recreation functions that support soldiers and their families. The Directorate of Resource Management monitors the expenditure of funds for tenant units as well as the Directorates plus manages the size of the workforce. The Directorate of Contracting oversees the development, awarding, and execution of contracts for goods and services. The Garrison Chaplain administers the spiritual life programs ongoing installation wide.

The installation Aviation Officer administers the airspace around Fort Hood as well as Hood Grey Army Airfield. The Directorate of Civilian Personnel performs all personnel management functions for the civilian workforce on Fort Hood. The Equal Employment Opportunity Office administers the Equal Opportunity program for civilian workers on Fort Hood. Local 1920 of the American Federation of Government Employees represents the civilian workforce on Fort Hood and is full and equal partner in Fort Hood’s Labor Partnership.

The Army and Air Force Exchange is a tenant organization that supports over 200,000 soldiers, family members, and retirees with retail merchandise in 23 outlets on post while contributing directly top the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Fund on Fort Hood. The Defense Commissary Agency is also a tenant organization that supports over 200,000 soldiers, family members, and retirees with groceries in two stores while contributing indirectly to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Fund on Fort Hood.

In 1994, Garrison Commands were designated as Brigade level Commands, to include the provision of the Garrison Colors. On 10 July 1996, marked the first time the Fort Hood Garrison Colors were passed to symbolize the change in Garrison Commanders.

The Installation Management Agency (IMA), a single organization with seven regional offices worldwide, was implemented on Oct. 1, 2002, to reduce bureaucracy and apply a uniform business structure to manage U.S. Army installations. The agency, headquartered in Arlington, Va., oversees all facets of installation management, such as construction; family care; food management; environmental programs; well-being; logistics; public works and installation funding.

The readiness and quality of life for the Army is dependent on installations. The installations are where Soldiers train for war; where Soldiers and their families establish homes and live; and where Soldiers depart for and return from contingency operations. III CORPS HISTORY

III Corps' colorful history dates from 1918 when the Corps served in World War I, winning battle streamers for the Aisne-Marne, Lorraine and the Meuse-Argone campaigns.

Inactivated in 1919, the Corps was reactivated in 1940 to train combat divisions. During World War II the Corps was deployed to The European Theater of Operations and earned the name "Phantom Corps" by hitting the enemy when and least expected. It won campaign streamers in Northern and Central Europe and established the Remagen Bridgehead, enabling the Allies to secure a foothold in Germany.

Inactivated in 1946, III Corps was reactivated in 1951 and served on active duty until 1959. Inactivated that year, it quickly returned to duty at Fort Hood during the Berlin Crisis in 1961. In 1962 III Corps was designated as part of the U.S. Army Strategic Army Corps.

During the Vietnam conflict, III Corps trained and deployed two field force headquarters and many combat and combat service support units totaling more than 100,000 Soldiers.

In recent years, III Corps forces have fought in and supported operations worldwide, to include Grenada , Panama , Honduras , Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , and Iraq. It has also provided humanitarian support for Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. III Corps elements provided support for Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well.

For many years, the primary focus of III Corps was the reinforcement of NATO. As the world and the U.S. Army have changed, III Corps has also changed and broadened it's focus to be ready to deploy anywhere, anytime and win.

III Corps major units comprise the 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division; as well as the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, the 3rd Armored Corps Artillery and the 13th Corps Support Command. FORT HOOD THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES

Current DIV West moves to Fort Hood Fort Hood Wins Recycling Award Phantom TV Studio Opens 21st Century Housing Goes Private September 11th Piecing the Past to the Future Clues to the Past 60 years of Humor 1990s Warfighting, Peacekeeping 1st Cav. Div. Called to the Storm 2nd AD Returns 4th Infantry Division Welcomed 1st Cav. Div. to Bosnia 1980s Calm Before the Storm Early Beret Discussion Families First 1970s Construction, Expansion 13th COSCOM 1st Cavalry Division Joins Fort Hood 1960s Hood Gets Heavy Old Ironsides Building of DACH Hood’s Part in ‘Nam 1950s Camp Hood Renamed 4th Armored Division Activated Promotion Priorities Rockin' Elvis, Rollin' Texas III Corps Headquarters Arrives Audie Murphy Trains at Fort Hood West Fort Hood Fraternization is not matter of inequality 1940s Tanks will Perish in the Wake German POWs Escape The Naming of a Post Civilians on the Post The Hood Panther Represent the Army on Furlough The Original Tank Destroyer Camp Hood expands North Camp Opens Letter to a Sergeant Soldiers Invited to Temple Dance Infrastructure Camp-wide Basketball Tourney Panther Poll Robert Gray Tribute Louis L'Amour African-American Soldiers African-American Baseball Women in the Army Army WAACs Transition to Permanence III Corps Arrives 4th Armored Division


from here: Fort Hood, Texas | History of the Great Place

 

[Quicksilver7714]

Happy veterans day.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk.
Thank you to those that have and are currently serving in the military.
Happy Veterains Day.

 

[pc747]

[video=youtube;clC-FwCqE3I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clC-FwCqE3I[/video]

 

[pc747]

[video=youtube;jYE0xpgPYLU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYE0xpgPYLU]YouTube - Welcome to Fort Campbell, Ky.[/video]

 

[pc747]

[video=youtube;gdgejfSdS1A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdgejfSdS1A&feature=channel]YouTube - Welcome to Fort Bragg, N.C.[/video]

 

[pc747]

[video=youtube;Avn0dT_EVic]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avn0dT_EVic&feature=channel]YouTube - Welcome to Fort Carson, Colo.[/video]

 

[pc747]

[video=youtube;EUL8Lbt0ANQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUL8Lbt0ANQ]YouTube - Welcome to Fort Hood, Tex.[/video]

 

[pc747]

[video=youtube;1CYij6tCwPY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CYij6tCwPY]YouTube - Shuttle Discovery at Barksdale Air Force Base[/video]

 

[pc747]

[video=youtube;_2KYU97y2L8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2KYU97y2L8[/video]