|
The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team ("Sky Soldiers"〔) is an airborne infantry brigade combat team of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe. Activated in 1915, as the 173rd Infantry Brigade, the unit saw service in World War I, but is best known for its actions during the Vietnam War. The brigade was the first major United States Army ground formation deployed in Vietnam, serving there from 1965 to 1971 and losing almost 1,800 soldiers. Noted for its roles in Operation Hump and Operation Junction City, the 173rd is best known for the Battle of Dak To, where it suffered heavy casualties in close combat with North Vietnamese forces. Brigade members received over 7,700 decorations, including more than 6,000 Purple Hearts. The brigade returned to the United States in 1972, where the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 503rd Airborne Regiment were absorbed into the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. The remaining units of the 173rd were inactivated. Since its reactivation in 2000, the brigade served five tours in the Middle East in support of the War on Terror. The 173rd participated in the initial invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, and had four tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, and 2012–13. The brigade returned recently from a deployment stretching from late 2013 to late 2014 The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team has received 21 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 serves as the conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe.〔 It is a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army's V Corps and after June 2013, subordinate to US Army Europe. The 173rd Airborne Brigade currently consists of 3,300 soldiers〔Schogol, Jeff. (DOD: 173rd Airborne headed back to Iraq ), Stars and Stripes. Retrieved on 2 May 2008.〕 in six subordinate battalions. The unit's two paratrooper infantry battalions are the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 503rd Infantry Regiment,〔 an association that can be traced back to the unit's Vietnam service. The 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment is the brigade's light reconnaissance battalion,〔 and the 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (AFAR) its field artillery battalion.〔〔 In support of the regular combat forces are the Special Troops Battalion〔 and the 173rd Support Battalion. All of these units including the 4–319th AFAR are airborne qualified, making the 173rd Airborne Brigade the only separate airborne brigade in the United States Army.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|