504th Parachute Infantry Regiment

[edit] World War II service

For more information see: 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (World War II)

504th Parachute Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia

This regiment moved from Fort Benning to Fort Bragg on September 30, 1942 to finish its training, fill its Table of Organization and Equipment, and prepare for its Staging Call. When the call came, it Staged at Camp Edwards on April 18, 1943, and it made its Port Call on May 10, 1943, when it departed the New York Port of Embarkation. It landed in North Africa on May 10, 1943, where it got acclimated, and prepared for service in the Sicilian Campaign. 504th PIR was air dropped onto Gela on July 9, 1943.

504th PIR then assaulted Salerno, and Operation Market Garden, as well as participation as "leg infantry" during the Italian campaign and in the Battle of the Bulge.

Both the drops in Sicily and Salerno were inside friendly lines, though in Sicily the regiment suffered seriously from friendly fire and a total of 318 American troops were killed or wounded in the operation. At Salerno, oil drums filled with gasoline soaked sand were ignited every 50 yards to guide the pilots to a shrinking drop zone. This latter drop is referred to as the "Oil Can Drop" and the regiment was credited by General Mark Wayne Clark as being "responsible for saving the Salerno beachhead."

Due to significant casualties suffered in Italy, the 504th was withheld from the Normandy invasion to reorganize. (The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment was used in its place.) The regiment participated in Operation Market Garden, seizing key bridges over the Maas-Waal Canal. For his conduct during this action, Private John Towle[1] was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

[edit] Post World War II Service

[edit] Occupation and Garrison

Following their occupation duty with the 82d Airborne Division in Berlin, the Devils reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Regiment remained at Fort Bragg until 1957, when it reorganized into the 1st, 2d and 3d Airborne Battle Groups, 504th Infantry. The 1st and 2d Airborne Battle Groups were reassigned to duty in Germany with the 8th Infantry Division and the 11th Infantry Division respectively, while the 3d Airborne Battle Group was inactivated. Although its battalions were not always co-located, the 504th remained as a strategic reserve for the United States during Korea, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam.

[edit] The Dominican Republic, April 1965

On April 26, 1965, the 82d Airborne Division received orders to prepare to deploy forces to the Dominican Republic. Two days earlier, a revolution had erupted in the Caribbean nation which put the safety of almost 3,000 American citizens in jeopardy. The initial deployment of 82d Airborne soldiers came on April 30, 1965, and the 504th followed on May 3, 1965, landing at San Isidro Air Base to perform both military and humanitarian missions in support of Operation Power Pack. The Regiment conducted military operations to help establish and maintain control of Santo Domingo and to provide security along the All American Expressway that ran through the city.

During these operations, the 504th was often subject to sniper fire and in repeated contact with enemy factions, as it contributed greatly to the establishment of security and to the distribution of food and medical supplies to those in need. Only five days after the arrival of the first U.S. forces, approximately 2,700 American citizens and 1,400 civilians from other nations were evacuated without injury. However, it became apparent that to restore stability to the Dominican Republic would require a continued U.S. presence, so the 504th remained as part of the Inter-American Peace Force for over a year, not returning to Fort Bragg until the summer of 1966.

[edit] Operation Golden Pheasant, Honduras 1988

In March 1988, 1st and 2d Battalions, 504th were joined by soldiers from the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Ord, California in a deployment to Honduras as part of Operation Golden Pheasant -- a deployment ordered by President Reagan in response to actions by the Cuban and Soviet-supported Nicaraguan Sandinistas that threatened the stability of Honduras’ democratic government. On March 17, 1988, 1st Battalion landed at Palmerola Airfield, a Honduran Air Force Base that was the headquarters for the U.S. military presence in Honduras. 2d Battalion jumped onto the airfield a day later, and the troopers of the 504th began rigorous training exercises with orders to avoid the fighting on the border. Had those orders changed, the Devils were prepared to fight, but the invading Sandinista troops had already begun to withdraw. In only a few days, the Sandinistan government negotiated a truce with Contra leaders, and by the end of March the paratroopers of the 504th had returned to Fort Bragg.

[edit] Parachutes in Panama, 1989

On December 20, 1989, the 504th was again sent into battle as part of Operation Just Cause. The intent of this operation was to protect U.S. civilians in Panama, secure key facilities, neutralize both the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) and the "Dignity Battalions," and restore the elected government of Panama by ousting General Manuel Noriega. The 3d Battalion had been prepositioned at Fort Sherman two weeks prior to the operation and was under the control of the 7th Infantry Division. The battalion conducted air and sea assaults in northern and central Panama to seize the dam that controlled the water in the Panama canal, a prison, several police stations, several key bridges, a PDF supply point, the PDF demolitions school and an intelligence training facility. The operations were designed to neutralize the PDF while protecting U.S. nationals and the canal itself during the first few hours of the battle.

The 1st and 2d Battalions, 504th, along with 4th Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment and the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, conducted a parachute assault on the Omar Torrijos International Airport. Following the airborne assault, the paratroopers soon found themselves engaged in fierce combat in urban and rural areas. As a testament to the discipline of the soldiers, however, the unit achieved all key objectives while causing only minimal collateral damage.

[edit] Devils in the Desert, 1990

On August 2, 1990, the Iraqi Army (the world’s fifth largest) attacked Kuwait. Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division were quickly committed to Saudi Arabia and were positioned against an enemy that greatly outnumbered them. As diplomatic efforts failed, it became clear that the Iraqi Army would not withdraw. Plans were thus developed for Operation Desert Storm.

President Bush’s warning to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991 went unheeded, and on January 17, 1991 the air war began. Allied sorties pounded the enemy for more than a month as the XVIII Airborne Corps made a rapid movement westward to position its units to roll up the flank of the multi-echeloned Iraqi defense. In a powerful offensive lasting only 100 hours, the Allied forces -- with the 82d on the far western flank -- crossed into Iraqi territory, devastated the Iraqi Army and captured thousands of enemy soldiers. The dangerous task of clearing countless enemy bunkers was quickly completed by the 82d troopers, and the 504th returned to Fort Bragg in April 1991.

[edit] Hurricane Andrew, 1992

In August 1992, 2d Battalion, 504th PIR was alerted to deploy with a task force to the hurricane-ravaged area of South Florida to provide humanitarian assistance following Hurricane Andrew. For more than thirty days, the troopers provided the citizens with food, shelter and medical attention.

[edit] Operation Uphold Democracy, Haiti 1994

Demonstrating its readiness again in September 1994, the Regiment was called upon to take part in Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti. As the main effort of the 82d Airborne Division, the 504th, along with 2d Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, was tasked to conduct an airborne assault to seize Port Au Prince International Airport and to secure key objectives in Port Au Prince and the surrounding area to oust Jean Bertrand Aristide. Several months of rigorous training had been conducted prior to the invasion. Less than three hours from drop time, however, the mission was terminated, and the aircraft returned with the 82d units to Pope Air Force Base.

[edit] Lineage

[edit] Regiment

504th PIR Insignia Background

• Reorganized and redesignated 15 December 1947 as the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
• Allotted 15 November 1948 to the Regular Army.
• Relieved 1 September 1957 from assignment to the 82d Airborne Division; concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 504th Infantry Regiment, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS).
• Withdrawn 1 May 1986 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System (USARS).

[edit] First Battalion

1/504th PIR Insignia Background

• Reorganized and redesignated 15 December 1947 as Company A, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
• Allotted 15 November 1948 to the Regular Army
• Reorganized and redesignated 1 September 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 504th Infantry Regiment, and remained assigned to the 82d Airborne Division (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated)
• Relieved 11 December 1958 from assignment to the 82d Airborne Division and assigned to the 8th Infantry Division
• Relieved 1 April 1963 from assignment to the 8th Infantry Division and assigned to the 82d Airborne Division
• Reorganized and redesignated 25 May 1964 as the 1st Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment.

[edit] Second Battalion

2/504th PIR Insignia Background

• Reorganized and redesignated 15 December 1947 as Company B, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
• Allotted 15 November 1948 to the Regular Army.
• Reorganized and redesignated 1 March 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Airborne Battle Group, 504th Infantry Regiment, relieved from assignment to the 82d Airborne Division, and assigned to the 11th Airborne Division (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated).
• Inactivated 1 July 1958 in Germany.
• Relieved 9 May 1960 from assignment to the 11th Airborne Division and assigned to the 82d Airborne Division.
• Activated 1 July 1960 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
• Reorganized and redesignated 25 May 1964 as the 2d Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment.

[edit] Third Battalion

3/504th PIR Insignia Background

• Reorganized and redesignated 15 December 1947 as Company C, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
• Allotted 15 November 1948 to the Regular Army.
• Inactivated 1 September 1957 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and relieved from assignment to the 82d Airborne Division; concurrently redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Airborne Battle Group, 504th Infantry Regiment.
• Redesignated 3 July 1968 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment (organic elements concurrently constituted).
• Assigned 15 July 1968 to the 82d Airborne Division and activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
• Inactivated 15 December 1969 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and relieved from assignment to the 82d Airborne Division.
• Assigned 1 May 1986 to the 82d Airborne Division and activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
• After participating in OIF from Sep. 2005 to Jan. 2006 under the command of LTC Larry Swift, 3rd battalion was reasigned as 1st battalion of the 508th parachute infantry currently under the command of LTC. Brian Mennes in May 2006.

[edit] Honors

[edit] Campaign Participation Credit

[edit] World War II

1. Sicily (with arrowhead)
2. Naples-Foggia
3. Anzio (with arrowhead)
4. Rhineland (with arrowhead)
5. Ardennes-Alsace
6. Central Europe

[edit] Armed Forces Expeditions

1. Dominican Republic (Except Third Battalion)
2. Panama (with arrowhead)
3. Grenada (Company A, 2/504th IR ONLY)

[edit] Southwest Asia

1. Defense of Saudi Arabia
2. Liberation and Defense of Kuwait

[edit] Decorations

• Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for ANZIO BEACHHEAD
• Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for NIJMEGEN, HOLLAND
• Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for CHENEUX, BELGIUM
• Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for SOUTHWEST ASIA
• Army Superior Unit Award for 1996
• Military Order of William (Degree of the Knight of the Fourth Class) for NIJMEGEN 1944
• Netherlands Orange Lanyard
• Belgian Fourragere 1940
• Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in the ARDENNES
• Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action in BELGIUM AND GERMANY

[edit] Former Commanders

1. COL Theodore L. Dunn 1 MAY 42--1 DEC 42
2. COL Reuben Henry Tucker III 1 DEC 42--10 MAY 46
3. LTC(P) Charles H. Chase 10 MAY 46--21 JUL 46
4. LTC(P) William Westmoreland 21 JUL 46--12 AUG 47
5. LTC(P) Robert L. Ashworth 12 AUG 47--24 OCT 47
6. COL Edward H. Lahti 24 OCT 47--10 APR 49
7. COL Chas C. W. Allan 10 APR 49--8 JUL 50
8. COL Joseph P. Cleland 8 JUL 50--13 APR 51
9. COL Maurice D. Stratta 13 APR 51--4 JAN 52
10. COL Teddy H. Sanford 4 JAN 52--3 MAY 53
11. COL William A. Dodds 3 MAY 53--AUG 54
12. COL John Lattin AUG 54-- AUG 55
13. COL Allen H. Foreman AUG 55 -- JUL 56
14. COL Robert Lindville JUL56 -- AUG 57
15. COL Albert W. Frink AUG 57 -- MAY 59
16. LTC(P) Sidney M. Marks MAY 59 -- AUG 59
17. COL Warren K. Bennet AUG 59 -- OCT 59
18. LTC(P) Harry Snavely NOV 59 -- DEC 59
19. COL Joseph B. Seay DEC 59 -- DEC 60
20. COL Sidney M. Marks DEC 60 -- JUN 62
21. COL Harold R. Kennedy JUN 62 -- 3 JUN 63
22. COL James P. Moore 3 JUN 63 -- FEB 64
23. COL Albert E. Milloy FEB 64 -- 24 MAY 64
24. COL Robert F. Bayard 24 MAY 64 -- 15 AUG 65
25. COL William H. Hard 15 AUG 65 -- 30 JUN 67
26. COL W.B. Roop 30 JUN 67--15 AUG 68
27. COL Waldo W. Brooks Jr. AUG 68 -- SEPT 69
28. COL Hanz K. Drvener 24 SEPT--30 SEPT 70
29. COL C.K. Nulsen 30 SEPT 70--17 JAN 72
30. COL E.A. Partain 17 JAN 72--6 JUL 73
31. COL G.S. Meloy 6 JUL 73--1 NOV 74
32. COL D.L. Buckner 1 NOV 74--30 APR 78
33. COL J.K. Gibler 30 APR 76--28 OCT 77
34. COL D.E. Williford 28 0CT 77--20 APR 79
35. COL C.H. Ferguson 20 APR 79--17 JUL 80
36. COL Peter J. Boylan 17 JUL 80--7 JAN 83
37. COL David A. Bramlett 7 JAN 83--21 OCT 83
38. COL Henry H. Shelton 21 OCT 83--22 OCT 85
39. COL William M. Steele 22 OCT 85--22 OCT 87
40. COL George A. Crocker 22 OCT 87--28 SEP 89
41. COL Jack P. Nix Jr. 28 SEP 89--6 SEP 91
42. COL Robert R. Harper Jr. 6 SEP 91--21 SEP 93
43. COL John Abizaid 21 SEP 93--12 JUN 95
44. COL David Petraeus 12 JUN 95--3 JUN 97
45. COL Karl R. Horst 3 JUN 97--22 JUN 99
46. COL Leo A. Brooks Jr. 22 JUN 99--31 MAY 01

[edit] See also

504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (World War II)

[edit] External links

• Towle's Medal of Honor citation