2nd Infantry Division (United States)

2nd Infantry Division

2nd Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia
Active 26 October 1917 – present
Allegiance  United States
Branch United States Army
Type Division
Role Mechanized infantry
Size 17,000 soldiers
Part of Eighth United States Army
Garrison/HQ South Korea (HQ), Fort Lewis
Nickname Indianhead[1]
Warrior Division
Motto Second to None
Colors Red and Blue
March Warrior March, available at [2]
Engagements World War I

World War II

Korean War
Iraq Campaign
War in Afghanistan

Commanders
Current
commander
MG Edward Cardon
Notable
commanders
John A. Lejeune
John C. H. Lee
Walter M. Robertson
Edward M. Almond
Tommy Franks
Russel Honoré
Laurence B. Keiser
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia
US infantry divisions (1939–present)
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1st Infantry Division 3rd Infantry Division

The 2nd Infantry Division ("Indianhead"[1]) (2ID or 2nd ID) is a formation of the United States Army. Its current primary mission is the defense of South Korea in the initial stages of an invasion from North Korea until other American units can arrive. There are approximately 17,000 soldiers in the 2nd Infantry Division.

The 2nd Infantry Division, unlike any other division in the Army, is made up partially of Korean soldiers, called KATUSAs (Korean Augmentation to US Army). This program began in 1950 by agreement with South Korean President Syngman Rhee. Some 27,000 KATUSAs served with the US forces at the end of the Korean War. As of May 2006, approximately 1,100 KATUSA Soldiers serve with 2ID. There were also more than 3,000 Dutch soldiers assigned to the division between 1950 and 1954.

On 17 February 2009, President Barack Obama ordered 4,000 soldiers of the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Ft. Lewis Washington to Afghanistan.[3]

History

World War I

The 2nd Infantry Division was first constituted on 21 September 1917 in the Regular Army.[4] It was organized on 26 October 1917 at Bourmont, Haute Marne, France.[5] At the time of its activation, the Indianhead Division was composed of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, which included the 9th Infantry Regiment and the 23rd Infantry Regiment; the 4th Marine Brigade,[6] which consisted of the 5th Marine Regiment, the 6th Marine Regiment and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion;[6][7] a battalion of field artillery; and various supporting units.[8] Twice during World War I the division was commanded by US Marine Corps generals, Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen and Major General John A. Lejeune, the only time in U.S. Military history when Marine Corps officers commanded an Army division.[5]

The division spent the winter of 1917–1918 training with French Army veterans. Though judged unprepared by French tacticians, the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was committed to combat in the spring of 1918 in a desperate attempt to halt a German advance toward Paris. The 2nd Infantry Division drew its first blood in the nightmare landscape of the Battle of Belleau Wood and contributed to shattering the four-year-old stalemate on the battlefield during the Château-Thierry campaign that followed. On 28 July 1918, Major General Lejeune assumed command of the 2nd Infantry Division and remained in that capacity until August 1919, when the unit was demobilized. The division went on to win hard-fought victories at Soissons and Blanc Mont. Finally the Indianhead Division participated in the Meuse-Argonne offensive which spelled the end of any German hope for victory. On 11 November 1918 the Armistice was declared, and the 2nd Infantry Division marched into Germany, where it performed occupation duties until April 1919. 2nd Infantry Division returned to U.S. in July 1919.

The 2nd Infantry Division was three times awarded the French Croix de guerre for gallantry under fire at Belleau Wood, Soissons, and Blanc Mont. This entitles serving members of the division and of those regiments that were part of the division at that time (including the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments) to wear a special lanyard, or fourragère, in commemoration. The Navy authorized a special uniform change that allows hospital corpsmen assigned to 5th and 6th Marine Regiments to wear a shoulder strap on the left shoulder of their dress uniform so that the fourragère can be worn. These are the only Navy personnel to wear the fourragère.

Major operations

Casualties

Interwar years

Upon returning to the United States, the division was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, at San Antonio, Texas as one of three divisions to remain intact and on Active Duty for the entire interwar period. It remained there for the next 23 years, serving as an experimental unit, testing new concepts and innovations for the Army. The 2nd Infantry Division stationed at Camp Bullis and Fort Sam Houston, Texas was the first command reorganized under the new triangular concept of organization or the (Pentatonic theory of warfare).Which provided for three separate regiments in each division. Indianhead soldiers pioneered concepts of airmobility and anti-tank warfare, which served the army for the next two decades on battlefields in every corner of the globe.

The 2nd Division started participated in maneuvers at Christine, Texas between 3 and 27 January 1940. It then moved to Horton, Texas for maneuvers from 26 April to 28 May 1940, followed by maneuvers at Cravens, Louisiana from 16 to 23 August 1940. It returned to Fort Sam Houston, where it continued training and refitting, until it moved to Brownwood, Texas for the VIII Corps Maneuvers from 1 June through 14 June 1941 at Comanche, Texas. The division was then sent to Mansfield, Louisiana from 11 August through 2 October 1941 for the August–September 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers.

The division was transferred to the VIII Corps Louisiana maneuver Area on 27 July 1941, being redesignated as the 2nd Infantry Division in August, and remained there until 22 September 1942, whereupon the formation returned to Fort Sam Houston. They then moved to Camp McCoy at Sparta, Wisconsin on 27 November 1942. Four months of intensive training for winter warfare followed. In September 1943 the division received their staging orders, and moved to the Camp Shanks staging area at Orangeburg, New York on 3 October 1943, where they received Port Call orders. On 8 October the division officially sailed from the New York Port Of Embarkation, and started arriving in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 17 October. They then moved over to England, where they trained and staged for forward movement to France.[9]

World War II

Assignments in the European Theater of Operations

  1. 22 October 1943: Attached to First Army
  2. 24 December 1943: XV Corps, but attached to First Army
  3. 14 April 1944: V Corps, First Army
  4. 1 August 1944: V Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
  5. 17 August 1944: XIX Corps
  6. 18 August 1944: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group
  7. 5 September 1944: VIII Corps, Ninth Army, 12th Army Group
  8. 22 October 1944: VIII Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
  9. 11 December 1944: V Corps
  10. 20 December 1944: Attached, with the entire First Army, to the British 21st Army Group
  11. 18 January 1945: V Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
  12. 28 April 1945: VII Corps
  13. 1 May 1945: V Corps
  14. 6 May 1945: Third Army, 12th Army Group

Narrative

After training in Northern Ireland and Wales from October 1943 to June 1944, the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the channel to land on Omaha Beach on D plus 1, 7 June 1944, near St. Laurent-sur-Mer. Attacking across the Aure River, the Division liberated Trévières, 10 June, and proceeded to assault and secure Hill 192 which was repelled the key enemy strongpoint on the road to Saint-Lô. After three weeks of fortifying the position and by order of Commanding General Walter M. Robertson the order was given to take HILL 192. On 11 July under Command of Col. Ralph W.Zwicker 38th INF with the 9th and the 23rd by his side the battle started at 5:45 am. Using an artillery concept used in World War I (Rolling Thunder) which was the only time during World War II it was used and after 25,000 rounds of HE/WP the hill was taken. The Division went on the defensive until the 26th. July. After exploiting the Saint-Lo breakout, the 2nd Division then advanced across the (Vire) to take (Tinhebray) on 15 August 1944. The Division then raced toward (Brest/France), the heavily defended port fortress which happened to be a major port for German U-Boats. After 39 days of fighting the Battle was won, and was the first place the Army Air Corps used Bunker busting bombs.

The Division took a brief rest 19–26 September before moving to defensive positions at St. Vith, Belgium on 29 September 1944. The division entered Germany on 3 October 1944, and the Second was ordered, on 11 December 1944, to attack and seize the Roer River dams. The German Ardennes offensive in mid-December forced the Division to withdraw to defensive positions near Elsenborn Ridge, where the German drive was halted. In February 1945 the Division attacked, recapturing lost ground, and seized Gemund, 4 March. Reaching the Rhine 9 March, the 2ID advanced south to take Breisig, 10–11 March, and to guard the Remagen bridge, 12 March–20 March.

The Division crossed the Rhine 21 March and advanced to Hadamar and Limburg an der Lahn, relieving elements of the 9th Armored Division, 28 March. Advancing rapidly in the wake of the 9th Armored, the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the Weser at Veckerhagen, 6–7 April, captured Göttingen 8 April, established a bridgehead across the Saale, 14 April, seizing Merseburg on 15 April. On 18 April the Division took Leipzig, mopped up in the area, and outposted the Mulde River; elements which had crossed the river were withdrawn 24 April. Relieved on the Mulde, the 2nd moved 200 miles, 1–3 May, to positions along the German-Czech border near Schonsee and Waldmünchen, where 2 ID relieved the 97th and 99th ID's. The division crossed over to Czechoslovakia on 4 May 1945, and attacked in the general direction of Pilsen, attacking that city on VE Day.

2nd Infantry Division returned to the New York Port Of Embarkation on 20 July 1945, and arrived at Camp Swift at Bastrop, Texas on 22 July 1945. They started a training schedule to prepare them to participate in the scheduled invasion of Japan, but they were still at Camp Swift on VJ Day. They then moved to the Staging Area at Camp Stoneman at Pittsburg, California on 28 March 1946, but the move eastward was canceled, and they received orders to move to Fort Lewis at Tacoma, Washington. They arrived at Fort Lewis on 15 April 1946, which became their Home Station. From their Fort Lewis base, they conducted Arctic, air transportability, amphibious, and maneuver training.

World War II Honors

Campaign Participation Credit
Awards and decorations

Casualties

Korean War

With the outbreak of hostilities in Korea during the summer of 1950, the 2nd Infantry Division was quickly alerted for movement to the Far East Command. The division arrived in Korea, via Pusan on 23 July, becoming the first unit to reach Korea directly from the United States. Initially employed piecemeal, the entire division was committed as a unit on 24 August 1950, relieving the 24th Infantry Division at the Naktong River Line. The first big test came when the North Koreans struck in a desperate human wave attack on the night of 31 August. In the 16-day battle that followed, the division's clerks, bandsmen, technical and supply personnel joined in the fight to defend against the attackers.

Shortly thereafter, the 2ID was the first unit to break out of the Pusan Perimeter and they led the Eighth Army drive to the Manchurian Border. Within fifty miles of the Manchurian border when Chinese forces entered the fight. During the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River, soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division were given the mission of protecting the rear and right flank of the Eighth Army as it retired to the South. The fighting around Kunu-ri cost the division nearly one third of its strength.

The Chinese winter offensive was finally blunted by the 2nd Infantry Division on 31 January at Wonju. Taking up the offensive in a two-prong attack in February 1951, the Division repulsed a powerful Chinese counter-offensive in the epic battles of Chipyong-ni and Wonju. The United Nations front was saved and the general offensive continued.

Again in April and May 1951, the 2nd Infantry Division was instrumental in smashing the communist's spring offensive. For its part in this action the 2nd Infantry Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. What followed were alternating periods of combat and rest, with the division participating in the Battle of Bloody Ridge and Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. Finally, on 9 April 1954, the Division was moved to a rear area near Ing-ching-gwee and on 20 August 1954, four years after its last unit arrived in Korea, the 2ID was alerted for re-deployment to the United States.

The more than 7,000 combat deaths of the 2nd Division in Korea are the highest total among any modern U.S. division in any war. Its nearly 15000 combat deaths in World War I, World II, and Korea are the greatest combined total of all U.S. divisions and equal its average combat strength.

Korean War Honors

Awards and decorations

Casualties

Reorganization

In the summer of 1954 the 2nd Infantry Division was transferred from Korea to Fort Lewis, Washington, where it remained for only two years, until being transferred to Alaska in August 1956. On 8 November 1957, it was announced that the division was to be deactivated. However, a few short months later, in the spring of 1958, the Department of the Army announced that the 2nd Infantry Division would be reorganized at Fort Benning, Georgia, with personnel and equipment of the 10th Mountain Division returning from Germany. Fort Benning remained the home of the new 2nd Infantry Division from 1958 to 1965, where they were initially assigned the mission of a training division. To improve combat readiness, in March 1962 the 2ID was designated as a Strategic Army Corps (STRAC) unit. Following this the Division became engaged in intensified combat training, tactical training, and field training exercises, in addition to special training designed to improve operational readiness.

Back to Korea

As a result of the formation of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) at Fort Benning in 1965, the 2nd Infantry Division's stateside units were reassigned to the new formation and the existing 1st Cavalry Division in Korea took on the title of the 2nd Infantry Division. Thus the division formally returned to Korea in July 1965. North Korean forces were engaging in increasing border incursions and infiltration attempts and the 2nd Infantry Division was called upon to help halt these attacks. On 2 November 1966, soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 23d Infantry Regiment were killed in an ambush by North Korean forces. In 1967 enemy attacks in the demilitarized zone increased, as a result, 16 American soldiers were killed that year.

In 1968 the 2nd Infantry Division was headquartered at Tonggu Ri and responsible for watching over a portion of the Korean Demilitarized Zone.[10] In 1968 North Koreans continued to probe across the DMZ, and in 1969, while on patrol, 4 soldiers of 3d Battalion, 23d Infantry were killed. On 18 August 1976, during a routine tree-trimming operation within the DMZ, two American officers of the Joint Security Force (Joint Security Area) were axed to death in a melee with North Korean border guards called the Axe Murder Incident. On 21 August, following the deaths, the 2nd Infantry Division supported the United Nations Command in "Operation Paul Bunyan" to cut down the "Panmunjeom Tree". This effort was conducted by Task Force Brady (named after the 2nd ID Commander) in support of Task Force Vierra (named after the Joint Security Area Battalion Commander).

The 2nd Infantry Division is still stationed in Korea, with a number of camps near the DMZ. Command headquarters are at Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

From November 2003 to November 2004, the 3rd Brigade Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed from Fort Lewis, Washington in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the sands of Iraq the 3rd Brigade Stryker Brigade Combat Team proved the value of the Stryker Brigade concept in combat and logistics operations.

During the late spring of 2004, many of the soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division's 2d Brigade Combat Team were given notice that they were about to be ordered to further deployment, with duty in Iraq. Units involved in this call-up included: 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Air Assault); 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment (Air Assault); 2d Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment; 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized); 44th Engineer Battalion; 2nd Forward Support Battalion; Company A, 102nd Military Intelligence Battalion; Company B, 122nd Signal Battalion, elements of the 2d Battalion, 72nd Armor Regiment, a team from the 509th Personnel Services Battalion, and B Battery 5th Battalion 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (Deployed as a combination of Mechanized Infantry and Light Infantry with 2 Platoons of Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 1 Platoon of armored HMMWVs). The time of the first notice of deployment to the actual "wheels-up" exit of the peninsula was very short. As such, an extreme amount of training was conducted by the Brigade as they switched from a focus of the foreign defense of South Korea to the more offensive operations that were going to be needed in action in Iraq. Furthermore, time was given for the majority of the soldiers to enjoy ten days of leave. This was vital: many of the soldiers had been in South Korea for a year or more with only two weeks or less time in the United States during their stay of duty. More, they were about to depart on a deployment that was scheduled to last at least another year. Finally, in the beginning of August 2004, the Brigade deployed to Iraq.

Upon landing in country, the 2d BCT was given strategic command to much of the sparsely populated area south and west of Fallujah. Their mission, however, changed when the major strategic actions began to take place within the city proper. At this time, the Brigade Combat Team was refocused and given control of the eastern half of the volatile city of Ar-Ramadi. Within a few weeks of taking over operational control from the previous units, 2n Brigade began experiencing violent activity that began the WIA and KIA toll. Many of the units had to physically move to new camps in support of this new mission. Primary focus of the 2d BCT for much of their deployment was the struggle to gain local support and to minimize casualties.

The Brigade was spread out amongst many camps. To the west of the city of Ar-Ramadi sat the camp of Junction City. 2ID units stationed there included: HQ 2d BCT, 2nd ID; 2–17th Field Artillery; 1–9th Infantry; 44th Engineer Battalion; Company A, 102d Military Intelligence Battalion; Company B, 122d Signal Battalion, and Company C (Medical), 2d Forward Support Battalion. To the eastern end of the city sat a much more austere camp, known ironically as the Combat Outpost. This was home to the 1-503d Infantry Regiment. East of them but outside of the city proper itself was the town of Habbiniya and the 1–506th Infantry Regiment. Adjacent to this camp was the logistically important camp of Al-Taqaddum, where the 2d Forward Support Battalion was stationed.

For this mission, the Brigade fell under the direct command not of the 2d Infantry Division, but rather the Marine unit that was in control at the time. For the first six months while in Ramadi, the BCT fell under to the 1st Marine Division. For the second half of the deployment, they were attached to the 2nd Marine Division. While the Marines do not sport patches on their uniforms as such, the units of the 2d BCT involved are authorized to now wear any of the following combat patches: the 2nd Infantry Division patch, the 1st Marine Division unit patch or the 2nd Marine Division unit patch.

The 2d Brigade Combat Team was in action in the city of Ramadi for many historical events but most notably the Iraqi national elections of January 2005. Much manpower and effort was put into stabilizing the city for this event. While the voting went off without a hitch and little to no violence was seen within the city, a minimal amount of voters participated (estimated to be in the 700 person range for the eastern half of the city, according to 2nd BCT officials). While the numbers left something to be desired, the BCT noted the lack of violence as a sign of success.

The 2d BCT also left its mark on the area in other ways. They built several new camps within the city. For security reasons, many are left unverified, however ones that can be confirmed include Camps Trotter and Corregidor built to ease the burden on the accommodations at Combat Outpost.

In July 2005, the Brigade began to get relieved by units of the United States National Guard, as well as the 3d Infantry Division of the Regular Army. Six months into the deployment, the units of the 2d BCT were given word that they would not be returning to South Korea but, rather, to Fort Carson, Colorado in an effort to restructure the Army and house more soldiers on American soil.

From June 2006 to September 2007, the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed from Fort Lewis, Washington in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the 3rd Stryker Brigade's second deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom their mission was to assist the Iraqi security forces with counter-insurgency operations in the Ninewa Province.

On 1 June 2006 at Fort Lewis, Washington the 4th Brigade, 2d Infantry Division was formed. From April 2007 to July 2008 the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team was deployed in as part of the surge to regain control of the situation in Iraq. The brigade assumed responsibility for the area north of Baghdad and the Diyala province.

From October 2006 to January 2008, the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed from Fort Carson, Colorado in support of the Multi-National Division – Baghdad (1st Cavalry Division) and was responsible for assisting the Iraqi forces to become self-reliant, bringing down the violence and insurgency levels and supporting the rebuilding of the Iraqi infrastructure.

SSG Christopher B. Waiters of the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on 23 October 2008 for his actions on 5 April 2007 when he was a Specialist. Shortly after SPC Erik Oropeza of the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division was also awarded the DSC for his actions on 22 May 2007.[11] Thus the division will be credited with the 17th and 18th Distinguished Service Cross awardings since 1975.

The 2nd Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq in the fall of 2009.[12]

3rd Brigade deployed to Iraq 4 August 2009 for the brigade's third deployment to Iraq, the most of any Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT).

War in Afghanistan

On 17 February 2009, President Barack Obama ordered 4,000 soldiers that are part of 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan, along with 8,000 Marines. Soldiers are being sent there because of the worsening situation in the Afghan war. These soldiers will be deployed in the southeast, on the Afghan border. During deployment, 35 soldiers were killed in combat, six others were killed in accidents, and 239 were wounded.[13] In July 2010, the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team was inactivated and reflagged as the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The Brigade's Special Troops Battalion was also inactivated and reflagged and the rest of the subordinate units were reassigned to the reactivated 2nd SBCT.[14]

Rogue "kill team" criminal charges

During the summer of 2010, the US Military charged five members of the 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment with the formation of a "kill team" which staged three separate murders of Afghan civilians in Kandahar province. In addition, seven soldiers were also charged with crimes including hashish use, impeding an investigation and attacking a whistle blowing private who alerted MP's during an initially unrelated investigation into hashish use by members of the 3rd Platoon. The alleged ringleader was Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs.

Christopher Winfield, the father of platoon member SPC Adam Winfield, attempted to alert the Army of the kill team's existence after his son explained the situation from Afghanistan via a Facebook chat. In response to the news from his son, Winfield called the Army inspector general's 24-hour hotline, the office of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and a sergeant at Joint Base Lewis-McChord who told him to call the Army's criminal investigations division. He then contacted the Fort Lewis command center and spoke to a sergeant on duty who agreed that SPC Winfield was potential danger but he had to report the crime to his superiors before the Army could take action.[15]

Division Commanders

Name From To Comments
BGen Charles A. Doyen 26 October 1917 November 1917 World War I (United States Marine Corps)
MG Omar Bundy 8 November 1917 July 1918 World War I
MG James G. Harbord 15 July 1918 August 1918 World War I (BG Wendell C. Neville, USMC, was ad interim from 17–22 July 1919[16])
MajGen John A. Lejeune August 1918 December 1919 World War I (United States Marine Corps) (28 July 1918) (ad interim 26 July)
COL Harry A. Eaton December 1919 March 1920
MG James G. Harbord March 1920 July 1921
MG John L. Hines July 1921 March 1922
BG Edward M. Lewis March 1922 May 1923
BG Dennis E. Nolan May 1923 September 1923
MG Ernest Hinds September 1923 May 1925
MG Paul B. Malone May 1925 September 1926
MG William D. Connor September 1926 January 1928
BG Thomas G. Donaldson January 1928 May 1928
BG Albert J. Bonley May 1928 December 1933
MG Halstead Dorey December 1933 October 1934
BG Charles Howland October 1934 April 1935
MG Frank C. Bolles April 1935 October 1935
BG Alexander T. Overshine October 1935 April 1936
MG Charles E. Kilbourne April 1936 June 1936
MG Herbert J. Brees June 1936 October 1936
MG James K. Parsons October 1936 May 1938
MG Frank W. Rowell May 1938 March 1939
MG William K. Krueger March 1939 October 1940
MG James L. Collins October 1940 March 1941
BG Edmund L. Daley March 1941 April 1941
BG John Greely April 1941 November 1941
MG John C. H. Lee 6 November 1941 8 May 1942 World War II
MG Walter M. Robertson 9 May 1942 June 1945 World War II
BG William K. Harrison June 1945 September 1945 World War II
MG Edward M. Almond September 1945 May/June 1946 World War II
MG Paul W. Kendall May/June 1946 24 May (July?) 1948 World War II
MG Harry J. Collins 30 June 1948 April 1950 World War II
MG Laurence B. Keiser April 1950 December 1950
MG Robert B. McClure December 1950 January 1951
MG Clark L. Ruffner January 1951 August 1951
BG Thomas F. Deshazo August 1951 September 1951
MG Robert N. Young September 1951 May 1952
MG James C. Fry May 1952 May 1953
MG William L. Barriger May 1953 March 1954
MG John F. R. Seitz March 1954 August 1954
MG Robert L. Howze Jr. August 1954 September 1954
MG Thomas S. Timberman September 1954 August 1955
MG Paul L. Freeman, Jr. August 1955 August 1956
MG James F. Collins August 1956 February 1957
BG John F. Ruggles February 1957 February 1957
MG Gilman O. Mudgett February 1957 June 1958
BG Miller O. Perry June 1958 July 1958
MG Robert H. Wienecke July 1958 February 1960
BG Miller O. Perry February 1960 February 1960
BG William L. Hardick February 1960 March 1960
MG Frederick W. Gibb March 1960 June 1961
BG William L. Hardick June 1961 July 1961
BG Charles H. White July 1961 August 1961
BG Royal Reynolds August 1961 August 1961
MG Charles H. Chase August 1961 September 1962
MG Charles Billengslea September 1962 September 1964
MG John H. Chiles September 1964 July 1965
MG Hugh M. Exton July 1965 August 1965
BG Robert R. Williams August 1965 August 1965
MG John H. Chiles August 1965 July 1966
MG George B. Pickett Jr. July 1966 May 1967
MG Frank C. Izenour May 1967 June 1968
MG Leland G. Cagwin June 1968 September 1969
MG Salve H. Matheson September 1969 October 1970
MG G. H. Woodward October 1970 October 1971
MG Jeffery C. Smith October 1971 May 1973
MG Henry E. Emerson May 1973 May 1975
MG J. R. Thurman May 1975 June 1976
MG Morris J. Brady June 1976 January 1978
MG David E. Grange, Jr. January 1978 June 1979
MG Robert C. Kingston June 1979 June 1981
MG James H. Johnson June 1981 November 1982
BG Lee D. Brown November 1982 December 1982
BG Harison H. Williams December 1982 December 1982
MG James H. Johnson December 1982 July 1983
MG Henry Doctor July 1983 August 1985
MG Gary E. Luck August 1985 December 1986
MG Jack B. Farris December 1986 June 1988
MG Jack D. Woodall June 1988 November 1989
MG Caryl G. Marsh November 1989 June 1991
MG James T. Scott June 1991 May 1993
MG John N. Abrams May 1993 March 1995
MG Tommy R. Franks March 1995 May 1997
MG Michael B. Sherfield May 1997 September 1998
MG Robert F. Dees September 1998 September 2000
MG Russel L. Honoré September 2000 July 2002
MG John R. Wood July 2002 September 2004
MG George A. Higgins September 2004 May 2006
MG James A. Coggin May 2006 November 2007
MG John W. Morgan III November 2007 October 2009
MG Michael S. Tucker October 2009 September 2011
MG Edward Cardon September 2011 present

Division Command Sergeants Major (CSMs)

Name From To Comments
SGM Hughie Stover July 1965 August 1965 (Reflagged from 1CD in Korea. Term as 2ID SGM starts at reflagging.)
SGM Robert L. Brown August 1965 May 1966
SGM Othon O. Valent May 1966 September 1967
SGM John A. Beckham September 1967 March 1968
CSM G.H. Cottrell March 1968 February 1969
CSM Robert M. Rowsey February 1969 February 1970
CSM Tobin February 1970 December 1970
CSM Jerome J. Szafranski December 1970 December 1971
CSM Wiliam O. Marshall December 1971 December 1972
CSM Warren S. Eichelberger December 1972 May 1974
CSM George H. Hamil May 1974 December 1974
CSM James P. Meade December 1974 October 1976
CSM Jose Q. Salas October 1976 September 1977
CSM Ralph Pritcher September 1977 December 1978
CSM Robert J. Berry December 1978 February 1980
CSM Rosvelt Martain February 1980 July 1980
CSM Willie Pitts Jr. July 1980 December 1980
CSM Donald L. Melvin December 1980 October 1981
CSM Simon Ramos October 1981 June 1982
CSM William J. McBride June 1982 July 1983
CSM Lee S. Rodriguez July 1983 November 1984
CSM Bobby C. Boothe November 1984 October 1986
CSM Billy R. Finney October 1986 April 1988
CSM Jimmie W. Spencer April 1988 January 1990
CSM William H. Acebes January 1990 December 1991
CSM Robert E. Hall December 1991 November 1993 **(Later became 11th SMA 21 October 1997)
CSM John J. Beck November 1993 June 1994
CSM John W. Jones June 1994 January 1996
CSM Charles Jackson January 1996 June 1997
CSM Charles Fitzpatrick June 1997 September 2000
CSM Barry Wheeler September 2000 November 2002
CSM James Lucero November 2002 August 2005
CSM James A. Benedict August 2005 October 2006
CSM Brian Stall October 2006 September 2008
CSM Peter D. Burrowes November 2008 January 2011
CSM Michael P. Eyer January 2011 Present

Locations

Current structure

1st Brigade Combat Team

Heavy Brigade Combat Team ("Iron Brigade")[17] based at Camp Hovey, South Korea

2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team

Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Lewis, Washington (formerly 5th BCT)

3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team

Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Lewis, Washington

4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team

Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Lewis, Washington

Combat Aviation Brigade

Combat aviation brigade ("Talon Brigade") based at Camp Humphreys, South Korea

210th Fires Brigade

The 210th Fires Brigade, based at Camp Casey, South Korea, is a separate artillery brigade under the division's operational control.

References

  1. ^ a b "Special Unit Designations". United States Army Center of Military History. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html. Retrieved 23 June 2010. 
  2. ^ http://www.usarmyband.com/chorus/the_us_army_chorus.html
  3. ^ President orders 12,000 Soldiers, Marines to Afghanistan Army.mil: President orders 12,000 Soldiers, Marines to Afghanistan
  4. ^ "Lineage and Honors Information: 2nd Infantry Division". United States Army Center of Military History. http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/002id.htm. Retrieved 3 November 2009. 
  5. ^ a b "2nd Infantry Division Homepage: History". 2nd Infantry Division. http://www.2id.korea.army.mil/history/. Retrieved 4 November 2009. 
  6. ^ a b THE 4th MARINE BRIGADE IN WORLD WAR I
  7. ^ a b http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/usmchist/war.txt
  8. ^ McGrath, p. 165.
  9. ^ Stanton, Shelby, World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939-1946 (Revised Edition, 2006), p. 77
  10. ^ Stanton, Shelby, Vietnam Order of Battle: A Complete Illustrated Reference to the U.S. Army and Allied Ground Forces in Vietnam, 1961-1973, Stackpole Books 2006, p. 340-341 where a divisional order of battle in Korea can be found.
  11. ^ Cox, Matthew (7 February 2009). "Spc. earns DSC for heroism during ambush" (News Article). Army Times (Army Times Publishing Company). http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/02/army_dsc_020609w/. Retrieved 14 February 2009. "Two days after arriving to the unit on 10 Dec., he was told he would receive the DSC" 
  12. ^ "DoD Announces Iraq Unit Rotations" (Press release). Department of Defense. 2 March 2009. http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=12532. Retrieved 3 March 2009. 
  13. ^ "Army monitored Stryker brigade, hit hard in Afghanistan, for signs of stress." Whitlock, Craig, Washington Post, 18 September 2010
  14. ^ "5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division "Strike, Destroy"". http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/2id-5bde.htm. 
  15. ^ "Members of U.S. platoon in Afghanistan accused of killing civilians for sport" Whitlock, Craig Washington Post, 18 September 2010
  16. ^ According to World War I division records extracted from www.history.army.mil/books/wwi/ob/2-cdr-ob.htm
  17. ^ See 1st HBCT website.
  18. ^ http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Heraldry/ArmyDUISSICOA/ArmyHeraldryUnit.aspx?u=4368

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