| 1st Brigade, 7th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
7th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia |
|
| Active | 6 December 1917 – 22 September 1921 1963 – 2 April 1971 21 October 1974 – 16 June 1994 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Allegiance | United States Army |
| Branch | Active duty |
| Type | Infantry brigade |
| Role | Light Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 7th Infantry Division |
| Garrison/HQ | (inactive) |
| Nickname | Hourglass;[1] Bayonet[1] |
| March | Arirang |
| Engagements | World War I Armed Forces Expeditions – Panama |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
(inactive) |
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The 1st Brigade, 7th Infantry Division was an infantry brigade of the United States Army, and a part of the 7th Infantry Division. The brigade was based at Fort Ord, California for most of its history.
Activated for service in World War I, the unit saw brief service in the conflict, but never fought as an entire unit. After the Korean War, it was reactivated as a brigade, and was returned to the United States where it saw action in Operation Just Cause and Operation Golden Pheasant before being finally deactivated in 1995.
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The 1st Brigade, 7th Infantry Division was first constituted and activated in the Regular Army as the Headquarters Company, 7th Division on 6 December 1917 at Camp Wheeler, Georgia.[2] One month later it organized and prepared for deployment to Europe to participate in World War I as a part of the American Expeditionary Force, along with the rest of the division.[2] Two subordinate brigades were assigned to the headquarters, the 13th Infantry Brigade and the 14th Infantry Brigade.[3] Most of the division sailed to Europe aboard the SS Leviathan.[4]
During its time in France, the headquarters company and its division did not participate as a whole in any engagements, though its infantry and reconnaissance elements did engage German forces.[4] On 11 October 1918 the 7th Division first came under shelling attacks. At Saint-Mihiel the division also came under chemical attack.[4] Elements of the 7th probed up toward Prény near the Moselle River, capturing positions and driving German forces out of the region.[4] It was around this time that the division first received its shoulder sleeve insignia.[5]
In early November, the 7th Division began readying itself for an attack on the Hindenburg Line with the Second Army.[4] The division launched a reconnaissance in force on the Voëvre Plain, but before it could begin a full assault, the Allies signed an Armistice ending hostilities.[4] After 33 days on the front lines, the 7th Division suffered 1,988 casualties.[4] It was awarded one campaign streamer for Lorraine.[2] The division performed occupation duties for the next year as it began preparations to return to the continental United States.[6]
The 7th Division returned to the United States in late 1919, and gradually demobilized at Camp George G. Meade, Maryland until 1921.[4] On 22 September of that year, the Headquarters Company, 7th Division was inactivated.[2]
On 1 July 1940, the 7th Infantry Division was reactivated at Camp Ord, California[2] Under the command of Major General Joseph W. Stilwell.[4] The Headquarters element, 13th and 14th Brigades did not reactivate, however, and the division was instead centered around three infantry regiments; the 17th Infantry Regiment,[7] the 32nd Infantry Regiment,[7] and the 53rd Infantry Regiment.[4] Though the Division was active, its headquarters element was replaced with a Headquarters and Headquarters Company, a larger unit which could command more subordinate units. The headquarters company was considered a different unit, with different lineage. The brigade headquarters also remained inactive during this period, until the division was reorganized under the Reorganization Objective Army Divisions plan.[7]
In the wake of the Korean War, between 1953 to 1971, the 7th Infantry Division defended the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Its main garrison was Camp Casey, South Korea.[6] During these occupation duties, the division saw a complete reorganization in compliance with the Reorganization Objective Army Divisions plan.[3] In 1963, the division's former headquarters company grew into the 1st Brigade, 7th Infantry Division while the 13th Infantry Brigade became the 2nd Brigade, 7th Infantry Division.[3] The 14th Infantry Brigade redesignated at the 3rd Brigade, 7th Infantry Division.[8] On 2 April 1971, the division and its brigades returned to the United States and inactivated at Fort Lewis, Washington.[2]
In October 1974 the 7th and its three brigades reactivated at their former garrison, Fort Ord.[2] The unit did not see any action in Vietnam or during the post war era, but was tasked to keep a close watch on South American developments. It trained at Fort Ord, Camp Roberts, and Fort Hunter Liggett. On 1 October 1985 the division redesignated as the 7th Infantry Division (Light), organized again as a light infantry division.[6] It was the first US division specially designed as such. The various battalions of the 17th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments moved from the division, replaced by battalions from other regiments, including battalions from the 21st Infantry Regiment, the 27th Infantry Regiment, and the 9th Infantry Regiment. The 27th Infantry and the 9th Infantry Regiment participated in Operation Golden Pheasant in Honduras.[9] In 1989 the 1st Brigade (or 9th Infantry Regiment as it was more commonly known), 7th Infantry Division participated in Operation Just Cause in Panama.[9]
In 1991 the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended the closing of Fort Ord due to the escalating cost of living on the Central California coastline. By 1994, the garrison was to be closed and the Division was to relocate to Fort Lewis, Washington.[10] Elements of the division (the 2nd Brigade, to include its Headquarters and Headquarters Company, the 3rd Brigade's 3rd Battalion 17th Infantry Regiment and other assigned military police companies) participated in one final mission in the United states before inactivation; quelling the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, called Operation Garden Plot.[11] In 1993 the division was slated to move to Fort Lewis, WA and inactivate as part of the post-Cold War drawdown of the US Army, but the 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the 7th inactivated at Ft. Ord in 1993. The 1st Brigade relocated to Ft. Lewis and was later reflagged as the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division while the division headquarters formally inactivated on 16 June 1994 at Fort Lewis.[2]
| Ribbon | Award | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) | 1953 | for service in Korea | |
| Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | 1950 | for the Inchon Landings | |
| Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | 1950–1953 | for service in Korea | |
| Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | 1945–1948; 1953–1971 | for service in Korea | |
| Philippine Presidential Unit Citation | 1944–1945 | for service in the Philippines during World War II |
| Conflict | Streamer | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| World War I | Lorraine | 1918 |
| World War II | Aleutian Islands | 1943 |
| World War II | Eastern Mandates | 1944 |
| World War II | Leyte | 1945 |
| World War II | Ryukyus | 1945 |
| Korean War | UN Defensive | 1950 |
| Korean War | UN Offensive | 1950 |
| Korean War | CCF Intervention | 1950 |
| Korean War | First UN Counteroffensive | 1950 |
| Korean War | CCF Spring Offensive | 1951 |
| Korean War | UN Summer-Fall Offensive | 1951 |
| Korean War | Second Korean Winter | 1951–1952 |
| Korean War | Korea, Summer-Fall 1952 | 1952 |
| Korean War | Third Korean Winter | 1952–1953 |
| Korean War | Korea, Summer 1953 | 1953 |