A Summary History of the 10th Mountain Division

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"Climb to Glory"
(Original article written 5/9/08 by Jim Broumley)

The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a non-mechanized, light infantry division that is currently part of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Like the rest of the 18th Corps, the 10th Mountain is designed to be rapidly deployed anywhere in the world. The 10th Mountain Division is currently home based at Fort Drum, in upstate New York.

The specialty of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) is to fight on harsh terrain. This comes from their origins as a unit designed for winter warfare. In November of 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finland. Finnish soldiers on skis humiliated the Russians depending on armor in the harsh winter conditions. Forward-thinking Americans watched these developments. They assumed that the United States would be soon drawn into the escalating World War. Charles Minot (Minnie) Dole, the president of the National Ski Patrol, knew that the U.S. Army would need mountain troops in the upcoming war. He lobbied the War Department to train troops in mountain and winter warfare. In September of 1940, Dole made a presentation to the Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall, and convinced him to act on Dole's proposals for ski units.

On December 8, 1941, the 87th Mountain Infantry Battalion was activated at Fort Lewis, Washington. The 87th was the Army's first mountain unit and would later be expanded to a regiment. The Battalion was nicknamed "Minnie's Ski Troops" in honor of Minnie Dole. The National Ski Patrol took on the role of the recruiter for the 87th Infantry Regiment and later the Division. The 87th trained on Mount Rainier near Fort Lewis and participated in the Kiska Campaign in the Aleutian Islands. After returning home the 87th formed the core of the new 10th Mountain Division.

The Division was activated on July 15, 1943, at Camp Hale, Colorado as the 10th Light Division (Alpine). The maneuver brigades of the Division were contained in the 85th, 86th, and 87th Infantry Regiments. The Division's year of training at the 9,200-foot-high Camp Hale provided the skills necessary to fight and survive in mountain terrain and winter conditions.

On June 22, 1944, the Division moved to Camp Swift, Texas to prepare for the Louisiana maneuvers of 1944. Although those maneuvers were canceled, a period of acclimation to low altitude and hot climate was necessary to prepare for the maneuvers. On November 6, 1944, the Division was re-designated as the 10th Mountain Division and that same month the blue and white "Mountain" tab was added to the Division's shoulder patch.

The 10th Mountain Division started to arrive in Italy in late December 1944. It was one of the last Divisions to enter combat during World War II. However, after a brief training period, the 10th Mountain entered combat on January 8, 1945, near Cutigliano and Orsigna. The initial defensive actions were followed by Operation Encore which kicked off on February 18, 1945. The Division conducted attacks on the Monte Della Torraccia ridge and Monte Belvedere which constituted an approximately five-mile front. Other divisions had attempted to assault this sector three previous times, but none had any lasting success. The 10th Mountain Division cleared the sector in a few days of heavy fighting. The Germans had made seven counterattacks to retake the ground but never succeeded.

In early March the Division fought to a line north of Canolle and moved to within 15 miles of Bologna. The 10th Mountain Division maintained defensive positions for the next three weeks before starting another offensive. The Division captured Mongiorgio on April 20th, and then entered the Po Valley. The 10th Mountain Division crossed the Po River on April 23rd and reached Verona by April 25th. Here the Division met heavy resistance at Torbole and Nago. After an amphibious crossing of Lake Garda, the 10th Mountain Division secured Gargnano and Porto di Tremosine on April 30th as German resistance in Italy ended. The Germans in Italy surrendered on May 2, 1945. After serving some time on security duty and receiving the surrender of various German units, the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division returned to the United States. The Division was deactivated on November 30, 1945.

Veterans of the 10th Mountain Division were in a large part responsible for the development of skiing into a big-name sport, national pastime, and vacation industry in the years after World War II. Former soldiers from the 10th laid out ski hills, built ski lodges, designed ski lifts, and improved ski equipment. They started ski magazines and opened ski schools. Winter resort towns of Vail, Aspen, Sugarbush, Crystal Mountain, and Whiteface Mountain are but a few of the ski areas built by 10th Mountain Division Veterans.

The Division was reactivated as the 10th Infantry Division to operate as a training division in 1948. It was deactivated again in 1958 with no service in the Korean War. It was not until Reagan's buildup of the military in the 1980s that the 10th Mountain Division was brought back to the active army. On September 11, 1984, the Army announced that Fort Drum, New York would be the new home of the 10th Light Infantry Division. The unit was officially activated on February 13, 1985, with the designation changed to 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). The 10th was the first division of any kind formed by the Army since 1975 and the first based in the Northeast United States since WWII. The Division was designed to meet a wide range of worldwide infantry-intensive contingency missions. Equipment design was oriented toward reduced size and weight for reasons of both strategic and tactical mobility.

The modern 10th Mountain Division's first deployment came in 1990 when some Division units were deployed to support Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Although the Division didn't deploy to Southwest Asia as a unit, about 1,200 10th Mountain Division soldiers did go. The largest unit to deploy was the 548th Supply and Services Battalion with almost 1,000 soldiers. The 548th supported the 24th Infantry Division (Mech) as it drove into Iraq.

After Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in August of 1992, an estimated 250,000 people were left homeless and damages were in excess of 20 billion dollars. The 10th Mountain Division deployed to assist in the recovery effort. Soldiers of the Division set up relief camps, distributed food, clothing, medical necessities, and building supplies as well as helped to rebuild homes and clear debris.

In 1993, the 10th Mountain Division was deployed to Somalia as part of Operation Restore Hope. When Task Force Ranger and the SAR team were pinned down during a raid in what later became known as the Battle of Mogadishu, 10th Mountain Division units provided infantry for the UN quick reaction force sent to rescue them. The Division had two soldiers KIA during the fighting.

The 10th Mountain Division was also deployed to Haiti and Bosnia in the 1990s. Due to the number of deployments, the 10th Mountain Division gained a reputation as the most deployed division in the army. During the 2000 presidential campaign, the readiness of the 10th Mountain Division became a political issue when then candidate George W. Bush asserted that the division was "not ready for duty". The division's low readiness was attributed to the recent redeployment of division units which had not had the time to refit for future missions.

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, 10th Mountain units have deployed at an even greater frequency. Division units have played significant roles in Afghanistan and Iraq. Among these has been the rescue of downed Navy SEALs during "Operation Anaconda" in Afghanistan in 2001, and the successful maintenance of security of Western Baghdad during the first democratic Iraqi elections of 2004. They returned from that duty in November of 2004. The 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team returned to Iraq in 2007.

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Museum Review: The National Museum of the United States Army

The National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA) opened in 2020. There is certainly some competition for history museums in this region, like the Gettysburg Battlefield Museum and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. But I can’t give a higher recommendation than for the NMUSA. I’ve wanted to visit it since it was under construction. It was worth the wait.

First, I liked that the museum was focused solely on the history of the U.S. Army; the unbiased story of the men and women who have served from the first muster of militia in 1636 to our most recent deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are no controversies offered, and no political commentary is displayed. This museum is purely a celebration of the people who answered their country’s call and an educational opportunity for American military history.

When you enter the museum, I recommend that you go to the Army Theater and watch the introductory movie “Of Noble Deeds.” As one of the docents described it, “It will get you in the mode of the museum.” The theater is state-of-the-art. Surround sound and a 360-degree screen. The floor vibrated during battle scenes and I swear there was a blast of cold air blowing down from the ceiling during the segment on the Battle of the Bulge. The movie starts every fifteen minutes, so really, see the movie.

The first floor of the museum holds permanent exhibits that trace the Army’s history. There are seven galleries that each have a different theme. The theme also corresponds to a period of American history. There are plenty of pictures on the museum’s website, but they don’t do these displays justice. It is a total sensory experience of image, light, and sound. There are full-size, real vehicles like a Sherman Tank and a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The displays were so lifelike (particularly the mannequins) that I was reminded of the movie “Night at the Museum.” Do they come to life at night?

If you are going to read every word on every display, you’re going to need a long day. The Special Exhibits area (traveling or temporary exhibits) is on the second floor. We had to save them for another visit, which we are planning for the near future. There is a lot to see. I won’t go over everything in the museum here. Instead, do a deep dive on the NMUSA website.

The NMUSA is located on Fort Belvoir, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C., and Alexandria. The museum sits on an open part of the base so you do not have to stop at a gate and sign in or show a picture ID. For driving directions, Google Maps took me right to the parking lot. Their address is 1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060. Parking is free. Entry into the museum is free, but you are asked to secure a timed ticket on the museum’s website. Probably a good idea during the busy tourist season. When you enter the museum, you will be required to go through a screening similar to an airport. See the NMUSA website for a list of items you are prohibited from bringing into the museum.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that there is a nice cafeteria on the first floor of the museum. But if you want other food options, you’ll have to get in your car. The large, well-stocked, gift shop is also great for souvenir tee shirts and hats (I bought a cool new Army sweatshirt). My only criticism of the museum is that they could offer more books in the gift shop.

When you take a vacation to D.C., I realize that there are a lot of sites competing for your time. But if you are a student of American military history, the National Museum of the United States Army needs to be on your itinerary. 

A Short History of the 173rd Airborne Brigade

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"Sky Soldiers"
(Original article written 10-15-12 by Jim Broumley)

The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team (BCT) is a parachute infantry brigade of the United States Army that is home based in Vicenza, Italy. The "Sky Soldiers" are the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe. As of June 2006, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was reorganized as part of the Army's modularization process. Since that time, subordinate units of the 173rd BCT consist of the 1/503rd Infantry, 2/503rd Infantry (Airborne), 1/91st Cavalry (Airborne), 4/319th Field Artillery, the 173rd Support Battalion (Airborne), and the 173rd Special Troops Battalion.

The Sky Soldiers can trace their lineage back to the forming of the 173rd Infantry, 87th Division in 1917. The Brigade went to France with the 87th Division but was not involved in any major combat action. The Brigade was demobilized at Camp Dix, New Jersey in January of 1919. Between wars, the 173rd went through a series of reorganizations and re-designations. By the start of World War II, brigades were eliminated from divisions. Therefore in February of 1942, the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173rd Infantry Brigade was assigned to the 87th Division as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop. The 87th Division was part of Patton's Third Army and the 87th saw extensive combat in Europe including the Battle of the Bulge and the crossing of the Rhine River. The future Sky Soldiers were deactivated again in 1945, at Fort Benning, Georgia. Additionally, two maneuver battalions of the Brigade trace their history to the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment which participated in the taking of Corregidor in the Philippines.

The 173rd ABN BDE earned several nicknames during their training for their noteworthy service during the Vietnam War. The 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) was activated into the regular army on the island of Okinawa on March 26, 1963. The Brigade was to serve as the quick reaction force for the Pacific Command. Since this unique and aggressive unit was to be ready to insert into Southeast Asian countries as a crisis revealed itself, the unit was known as the "Fire Brigade." Their first commander, Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson established realistic training throughout the region. Nationalist Chinese (Taiwan) paratroopers gave the 173rd Airborne their nickname of Tien Bing or "Sky Soldiers" due to the number of training jumps conducted on their island.

Our thanks to John "Dutch" Holland, a Vietnam Veteran with Bravo Company, 1/503rd for his recollection of how the 173rd Airborne got the nickname of The Herd:

"The term Herd used with pride by veterans of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. This nickname was coined by Colonel 'Rawhide' Boland of the 1/503rd. Colonel Boland while on leave heard, liked and bought a copy of Frankie Laine's old song Rawhide from the TV series of the same name. The colonel on returning to camp played the song over the PA system during all battalion formations. We as paratroopers had to run to and from all these formations, and with the roads being unpaved kicked, up quit a cloud of dust. One of his staff remarked that we looked like a herd of cattle and you can guess the rest. Colonel Boland was given the name Rawhide and the battalion was referred to as the Herd. The rest of the brigade adopted the name once in Nam and no one is sure when or how that began. Colonel Boland is still alive and kickin' at 88 years of age and still signs his name as 'Rawhide Boland.'"

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was the first Army unit sent to the Republic of South Vietnam. In May of 1965, the majority of the Brigade landed at Bien Hoa Airfield. They found the area frequently battered by enemy raids and shelling attacks. The Sky Soldiers were the first to go into War Zone D to destroy enemy base camps and relieve pressure on the Vietnamese capital. The 173rd was the first to introduce the use of long-range reconnaissance patrols. The Brigade was assigned to II Field Force, Vietnam for their entire service. They fought in the Iron Triangle, a Viet Cong stronghold north of Saigon. In November of 1965, the 173rd took part in Operation Hump, north of Bien Hoa on the outskirts of Saigon. In 1966 they participated in Operation Crimp to root out enemy forces from the Tunnels at Cu Chi.

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. They were supported by the 173rd Support Battalion, 173rd Engineers, E Trp/17th Cavalry, and D Co/16th Armor. The First Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment and the 161st Field Battery of the Royal New Zealand Army were later attached to the Brigade during the first year.

In late August of 1966 the 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry from Fort Campbell, Kentucky joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam. The 3/503rd joined the Brigade at Tuy Hoa in September of 1967. Also joining the Brigade was Company N, 75th Rangers. At its peak strength in Vietnam, the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) had nearly 3,000 soldiers assigned.

On February 22, 1967, the 173rd Airborne Brigade took part in Operation Junction City, conducting the only combat parachute jump of the Vietnam War. During some of the toughest fighting of the war, the Sky Soldiers blocked North Vietnamese Army incursions at Dak To during the summer and fall of 1967. This period culminated in the capture of Hill 875. Elements of the brigade conducted an amphibious assault against NVA and VC forces as part of an operation to clear the rice-growing lowlands along the Bong Song littoral.

The Battle of Dak To took a heavy toll on the Brigade and hence they were transferred to the An Khe and Bong Son areas. They saw little action during 1968 while the Brigade was rebuilt. The unit stayed in An Khe until mid-1969. In May 1969 the Brigade conducted Operation Darby Punch II, which was the Sky Soldiers' fiftieth operation in country.

From April 1969 until its withdrawal from Vietnam in 1971, the 173rd Airborne Brigade served in Binh Dinh Province. They participated in four additional operations: Washington Greene, Greene Lightning, Greene Storm, and Green Sure. From April to August 1971 the Sky Soldiers redeployed back to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The unit was deactivated on January 14, 1972.

The Vietnam Veterans of the 173rd Airborne Brigade are deservedly proud of their service with the Sky Soldiers. During just over six years of combat, the 173rd earned 14 campaign streamers and 4 unit citations. The Brigade soldiers were awarded 13 Medals of Honor, 46 Distinguished Service Crosses, 1736 Silver Stars, and over 6,000 Purple Hearts. Sadly, 1736 Sky Soldiers died in Vietnam.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was reactivated on June 12, 2000, on Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy as the European Command's only conventional airborne strategic response force. On March 26, 2003, the 173rd made the largest combat jump since World War II when the Sky Soldiers landed in the Bashur Drop Zone to open the northern front in support of the invasion of Iraq. The jump forced Iraqi defenses to commit forces to the area making it safer for swift progress to Baghdad by other U.S. forces. In March 2004 the Sky Soldiers returned from combat operations in Iraq.

After doing its part in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 173rd Airborne Brigade began its second deployment in three years in the spring of 2005. This time the Sky Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Global War on Terror. The Brigade returned to Italy in March 2006.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was re-designated the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) on October 11, 2006. This was a significant change as the "Combat Team" designation signifies the ability of the Brigade to deploy its forces and sustain itself with its newly integrated support teams. While most of the Brigade remains in Vicenza, Italy, three battalions have been organized in Bamberg, Germany, and another in Schweinfurt, Germany until additional facilities are constructed in Vicenza.

In the spring of 2007, the 173rd ABCT again deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as Task Force Bayonet. This was their first deployment as a fully transformed Brigade Combat Team. The 173rd Airborne BCT officially relieved the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division on June 6, 2007. They participated in various operations with the objective of ensuring security and subduing insurgents in the mountainous regions along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan near the Hindu Kush. During a 15-month deployment, the brigade ran over 9,000 patrols in the region. Author and journalist Sebastian Junger's book, "War," is about this deployment. Junger and photographer Tim Hetherington were embedded with Battle Company and after the deployment produced the documentary "Restrepo."

In July of 2008, about two weeks before the end of the deployment, about 200 Taliban insurgents attacked a position near the village of Wanat in Waygal district defended by the second platoon of Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne). At one point the Taliban, attacking the remote base from the nearby village and adjoining farmland, broke through the American's defensive lines. The paratroopers drove off the attackers with the assistance of artillery and air support. It is estimated that between 21 and 52 insurgents were killed and another 20 to 40 wounded. However, what became known as the Battle of Wanat resulted in the deaths of nine paratroopers killed in action and twenty-seven wounded. This was the largest number of American combat deaths in a single battle since the beginning of U.S. operations in Afghanistan in 2001.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade's deployment ended in July and all Sky Soldiers were back at home base by August 2008. Thirty-nine soldiers from the brigade were killed during the '07-'08 deployment. On June 14, 2009, the 173rd Airborne BCT was notified that they would again deploy to Afghanistan. The Sky Soldiers deployed to the provinces of Logar and Wardak, Afghanistan in November 2009. The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 503rd Infantry Regiment saw extensive action in the eastern part of the brigade's area of operations while the 1/91st Cavalry worked to transform western Logar province into a secure environment. The Sky Soldiers returned to Europe in November 2010.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team deployed to Afghanistan once more in July 2012, replacing the 3rd IBCT, 1st Armored Division, Task Force Bulldog. The Sky Soldiers are operating yet again in Logar and Wardak provinces.

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