325th Infantry Regiment (United States)

325th Regiment
325th Glider Infantry Regiment
325th Infantry Regiment
325th Airborne Infantry Regiment

Coat of arms of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment.
Active 1917--1919
1942--1946
1947--present
Country  United States
Branch  United States Army
Type Airborne forces
Role Glider infantry
Parachute infantry
Size Regiment
Part of 82nd Airborne Division
Garrison/HQ Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Nickname(s) Falcons
Motto(s) Let's Go
Engagements World War I
World War II
Operation Urgent Fury
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
Unit beret flashes of the regiment, 1st Battalion, and 2nd Battalion; 325th Infantry
U.S. Infantry Regiments
Previous Next
317th Infantry Regiment 326th Infantry Regiment

The 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment is a light infantry parachute insertion fighting force of the United States Army. The subordinate units of the regiment constitute the bulk of the infantry elements assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

The 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment deploys anywhere in the world, within 18 hours of notification. The regiment conducts forced entry parachute assaults to seize, retain and defend airfields or other assets, then increases combat power in order to control land, people, and resources.

History

World War I

The 325th Infantry Regiment was activated in the National Army on August 25, 1917, almost five months after the American entry into World War I. The regiment was part of the 82nd Infantry Division. Under the command of Colonel Walter M. Whitman, a professional Regular Army officer, the regiment, which was composed of large numbers of wartime volunteers and conscripts, also known as draftees, trained at Camp Gordon, Georgia as part of the 164th Infantry Brigade of the 82nd Infantry Division. However, only a small cadre of professional Regular Army soldiers were originally assigned to the 325th. The cadre was intended to train the many hundreds of new conscripts, most of whom recently called up and were very young and had had no prior military service, who would soon be entering the camp.

The 325th, along with the 326th Infantry Regiment, which also formed part of the 164th Infantry Brigade, was composed of men from the "Deep South". Soon after, the 82nd Division was instructed by the War Department to send its men to other camps in order to help create other units. This left the regiment with only a small training cadre of just under 800 officers and men. They were replaced by conscripts from all 48 states, giving rise to the 82nd Division's nickname of the "All Americans".

After further training in France, the regiment was committed to Toul sector from 18 June - 10 August 1918. After a brief rest, the regiment returned to the line to participate in the offensive to reduce the St. Mihiel salient, securing the southern shoulder of the breach.

From 26 September - 9 October 1918, the regiment waited to be committed to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. At 07:00 on 10 October, the regiment attacked to seize the Cornay Ridge, then continued the attack across the Aire River. Following the Armistice of 11 November 1918, the regiment returned to the United States and was demobilized on 18 May 1919 at Camp Upton, New York.[1]

Inter-war period

Reconstituted 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Company A, 325th Infantry, an element of the 82d Division (later redesignated as the 82d Airborne Division)

Organized in January 1922 at Columbus, Georgia.

World War II

Called to active duty again during World War II on 25 March 1942, the regiment formed under the command of Colonel Claudius M. Easley at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. After initial training, the regiment was reorganized as a glider infantry unit when the 82nd Infantry Division was reorganized as the 82nd Airborne Division in August 1942, and the 325th was redesignated the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment.

After further training, the regiment deployed to North Africa under the command of Colonel Harry L. Lewis. The regiment was not committed to combat until they conducted a landing at Salerno, Italy, on 15 September 1943. It was not, however, by glider but by landing craft

After service in the Italian Campaign, the regiment deployed to England and conducted further training in preparation for Operation Overlord. Conducting a glider-borne assault on 7 June 1944, the day after the initial Normandy landings, the regiment fought in Normandy for over a month, sustaining heavy casualties before being withdrawn to England. On 9 June 1944 the 325th earned its first and only Medal of Honor of the war, belonging to Private First Class Charles N. DeGlopper.[1]

Men of the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment moving through fog to a new position, Belgium, December 1944.

Committed to another glider-borne assault in September 1944, the regiment fought in Holland as part of Operation Market Garden and later saw service in the Battle of the Bulge.

Post World War II

After the war the regiment was reorganized and redesignated, 15 December 1947, as Company A, 325th Infantry Regiment. (Organized Reserves redesignated 25 March 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps.)

Withdrawn 15 November 1948 from the Organized Reserve Corps and allotted to the Regular Army. Reorganized and redesignated 15 December 1948 as Company A, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment.

Reorganized and redesignated 1 September 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 325th Infantry Regiment, and remained assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated).

The regiment was again reorganized and redesignated on 25 May 1964 as the 325th Infantry Regiment.

Cold War

The regiment returned to the 82nd Airborne Division on 15 December 1948 and was redesignated this time the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment. On 1 May 1965, the 325th deployed to the revolution torn Dominican Republic as part of Operation Power Pack. Sent with the mission of relieving marines and evacuating civilians, the regiment swept from the San Isidro Air Base into the capital city of Santo Domingo, neutralizing rebel forces. By the end of May, all resistance had crumbled and the regiment began peacekeeping and civil affairs operations.

Operation Urgent Fury

On 25 October 1983, as part of Operation Urgent Fury, the 325th Regiment spearheaded the 82nd Airborne's assault on the communist dominated island of Grenada. Landing at Point Salines Airfield, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions in conjunction with other U.S. forces overwhelmed all resistance within three days. One hundred thirty eight students were rescued. During this operation, Bravo Company, Second Battalion was given the mission to assault an area known as Little Havana. The Commander of Bravo Company, Captain Michael Ritz, decided to conduct a reconnaissance prior to the assault. At 04:30 on 26 October, Captain Ritz and his recon patrol were ambushed. Captain Ritz was killed but the rest of his patrol, although wounded, survived. Bravo Company soon discovered large caches of weapons and equipment.

Operation Just Cause

In December 1989, the 4th Battalion "Gold Falcons" attached to the 1st Brigade, conducted a night parachute assault onto Torrijos International Airport in the Republic of Panama, during Operation Just Cause, the United States invasion of Panama. This operation represented the first combat parachute assault since World War II. The battalion was to jump, assemble, and perform a helicopter assault to Fort Cimmarron to secure the garrison. While this was taking place, Delta Company was tasked to stay behind and secure another airport within Panama City.

Gulf War

Members of the regiment in a live fire demonstration during Operation Desert Shield.

In August 1990, the 325th was called on to spearhead the deployment of U.S. forces to the Persian Gulf in response to the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait. Their mission was to secure Dhahran International Airport and the Port of Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia for the buildup of U.S. forces that would follow. While reinforcements streamed into the country, the 325th along with the remainder of the 82nd Airborne Division conducted the most intensive combat trainup in the unit's history.

In mid-January, after the air war had begun, the 82nd Airborne Division displaced nearly 650 miles (1,050 km) to the northwest near the Iraqi border in preparation for the commencement of the ground war. On 22 February, a day before the official start of the ground war - Task Force Falcon (commanded by then LTC Matthew Belford which comprised the 2/325 [2] and attached elements of the XVIII Airborne Corps along with soldiers of the French 6th Light Armored Brigade began their drive into Iraq and were responsible for the destruction of massive amounts of enemy weapons, equipment, and ammunition. The 1/325 and 4/325, as trailing elements, were responsible for the capture of several thousand Iraqi soldiers. The division is credited with playing a major role in the highly successful 100-hour ground war. The first division elements began redeploying to Fort Bragg on 7 March, and by early April the redeployment of the division was complete.

Operation Provide Comfort

On 19 April 1991, the 3/325 Airborne Battalion Combat Team, stationed in Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy and attached to the Southern European Task Force (SETAF), commanded by Lt. Col. (later General) John P. Abizaid, deployed to Northern Iraq as part of Operation Provide Comfort to secure from the 36 parallel to the northern border of Iraq and protect the Kurdish population from Saddam Hussein's brutality. Saddam Hussein's regime had previously murdered Kurds by using chemical gas and other means, causing the Kurds to retreat to the mountains of Northern Iraq and Turkey and to assist U.S. forces during the Gulf War. The U.S. and its allies were worried that Hussein's regime would seek revenge on the Kurds for assisting the Americans. The 3/325's effort to secure the Kurds over a large expanse of territory during Operation Provide Comfort earned the battalion a Unit Congressional Medal of Honor. The unit only lost one soldier in Provide Comfort, Specialist Lars Chew, attached to the recon squad, who was killed in a landmine incident.

Kosovo Humanitarian Mission

The 3-325th infantrymen began arriving in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina on 18 December 1995, to set up perimeter security, which completed the first in a series of steps paving the way for the arrival of thousands of NATO troops. 3-325th ABCT was the lead element for Task Force Eagle, part of Operation Joint Endeavor.

After serving as the primary protection force for Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina since mid-December 1995, members of the 3rd Battalion, 325th Infantry (Airborne Combat Team), began to return to their home base of Vicenza, Italy.

The first contingent of about 80 soldiers, began leaving 31 January 1996. They included soldiers in D Battery, Airborne Field Artillery.

More than 800 members of the 3-325th ABCT landed on Bosnian soil, bringing with them artillery, engineers, transportation and cooks that all helped prepare Eagle Base, Tuzla, for the onslaught of soldiers moving through the base and into the US sector.

During its stay, C Company temporarily operated an observation point in the Serbian sector on the zone of separation. From here the unit kept watch, monitoring for possible illegal troop movement in the zone.

3/325 Airborne Battalion Combat Team Stationed in Vicenza Italy with SETAF" Campaign: Operation Provide Comfort, deployed 19 April 1991, a Humanitarian mission in Northern Iraq to secure the 36 parallel to the north border of Iraq. In the northern area Saddam Hussein's regime brutally murdered the Kurds using chemical weapons after the Kurds and PKK tried to help the United States overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime during the Gulf War. The unit earned a Humanitarian Ribbon and Congressional Medal of Honor for its service in Operation Provide Comfort.

Kosovo campaign:: The 3-325th infantrymen began arriving in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina on 18 December 1995, to set up perimeter security, which completed the first in a series of steps paving the way for the arrival of thousands of NATO troops. 3-325th ABCT was the lead element for Task Force Eagle, part of Operation Joint Endeavor.

After serving as the primary protection force for Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina since mid-December 1995, members of the 3rd Battalion, 325th Infantry (Airborne Combat Team), began to return to their home base of Vicenza, Italy.

The first contingent of about 80 soldiers, began leaving 31 January 1996. They included soldiers in D Battery, 319th Airborne Field Artillery.

More than 800 members of the 3-325th ABCT landed on Bosnian soil, bringing with them artillery, engineers, transportation and cooks that all helped prepare Eagle Base, Tuzla, for the onslaught of soldiers moving through the base and into the US sector.

During its stay, Company A temporarily operated an observation point in the Russian sector on the zone of separation. From here the unit kept watch, monitoring for possible illegal troop movement in the zone.

War on Terrorism

Members of the regiment waiting to dash across a street in Baghdad, Iraq, as part of their mission there searching for suspected militants.

Following the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush called upon the American military to fight global terrorism. The Brigade’s role in the Global War on Terror began with the invasion of Iraq.

On 14 February 2003 the regiment began to deploy to Kuwait as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On 28 March 2003, the regiment was called on to spearhead the 82nd’s assault into Iraq in support of the Iraq War. During the initial invasion, the regiment was ordered to attack into the town of Samawah to seize four critical bridges over the Euphrates River. For its actions, the regiment was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

In April 2003, according to Human Rights Watch, soldiers from the regiment fired indiscriminately into a crowd of Iraqi civilians protesting their presence in the city of Fallujah, killing and wounding many protesters. The battalion suffered no casualties.[3]

The regiment also fought at Al Diwaniyah, Ramadi, Habbaniyah and Baghdad. After the Iraqi Army capitulated in May 2003, the 325th AIR remained in Baghdad to conduct combat and support and stability operations. Missions continued until February 2004, when, after almost a year of sustained combat operations, the regiment returned home to Fort Bragg.

In December 2004, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 325th deployed to Iraq to provide security for the country’s first-ever free national elections.

In July 2005, the 1st Battalion deployed to Afghanistan in support of the Afghanistan national parliamentary elections.

In September 2005, only six months after the end of their last deployment to Iraq, the 2nd Battalion returned to Iraq once more to provide contingency support in Tal Afar during the Iraqi national elections. Their successes during the five-month deployment were commended by the President.

In January 2006, the 325th AIR underwent one of the largest restructurings in its history. As part of the army-wide transformation program, the regiment was reorganized into a modular structure to become the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. As part of the restructuring, the brigade lost one infantry battalion – the 3/325 – but gained an artillery battalion, a mounted reconnaissance and surveillance squadron, a support battalion, and a special troops battalion containing signal, military intelligence, military police and engineer companies.

A year later, in January 2007, the 325th was tasked with spearheading the surge of U.S. forces into Iraq to restore security to the capital of Baghdad.

U.S. Army Soldiers, deployed in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, use a rooftop as an observation post in Mosul Iraq, March 7, 2017.

With violence in Iraq escalating out of control, the President on 10 January announced a new strategy involving an increase of forces and a new emphasis on counter-insurgency tactics. Within a week of receiving orders, the brigade had 3,000 troops, 300 vehicles, and thousands of pieces of equipment on the way to Iraq.

Over the next 15 months, the 325th moved into small outposts throughout the city and waged an aggressive campaign against Al Qaeda terrorists, Sunni insurgents, Shiite militias, and other elements committed to destroying the fragile Iraqi democracy. At the same time, they devoted thousands of hours of labor and millions of dollars to rebuilding and infrastructure projects. By Christmas of 2007, violence in their area of operations had declined by 95%, and violence throughout all of Iraq was down steeply. The regiment redeployed to Fort Bragg in March 2008.

In May 2011 the 325th deployed to Iraq, over the next 8 months the brigade conducted combat operations and close out of American footholds from Haditha, Ramadi and Baghdad. The brigade suffered the loss of the last American service member in Iraq, SPC. David E. Hickman, on 14 November 2011. By 25 December 2011 the brigade had been returned to Fort Bragg.

In January 2017, Task Force Falcon comprising approximately 1,700 soldiers deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division assumed responsibility from Task Force Strike, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Union III in Baghdad.[4]

A Designated Marksman provides security

Lineage and Honors

Lineage

(3d Battalion consolidated 6 April 1945 with the 2d Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry [see ANNEX], and consolidated unit designated 3d Battalion,325th Glider Infantry
(Organized Reserves redesignated 25 march 1948 as the Organized Reserve Corps)
ANNEX
  • Constituted 23 July 1918 in the National Army as the 2d Battalion, 401st Infantry, an element of the 101st Division
  • Demobilized 30 November 1918
  • Reconstitued 24 June 1921 in the Organized Reserves as the 2d Battalion, 401st Infantry, an element of the 101st Division
  • Organized in November 1921 in Headquarters at Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Disbanded 15 August 1942; concurrently reconstituted in the Army of the United State as the 2d Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry, an element of the 101st Division, and activated at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana
  • Disbanded 1 March 1945 in France
  • Reconstituted 6 April 1945 in the Army of the United States as the 2d Battalion, 401st Glider Infantry; concurrently consolidated with the 3d Battalion, 325th Glider Infantry, and consolidated unit designated as the 3d Battalion, 325th Glider Infantry, an element of the 82d Airborne Division[5]

Campaign participation credit

(Additional campaigns to be determined)

Decorations

Individual awards

References

  1. 1 2 "2nd Brigade Combat Team Origins." Fort Bragg: Home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces. Web. Accessed 8 November 2015. <http://www.bragg.army.mil/82nd/2bct/Pages/history.aspx>.
  2. ↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/2-325air.htm
  3. ↑ Iraq: U.S. Should Investigate al-Falluja (Report). Human Rights Watch. 17 June 2003. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  4. ↑ Brooks, Drew (January 19, 2017). "2nd BCT, 82nd Airborne Division officially assumes Iraq mission (with video)". fayobserver. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Department of the Army. "Lineage and Honors Information: 325th Infantry Regiment." U.S. Army Center for Military History. 31 March 2015. Web. Accessed 8 November 2015. <http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0325in.htm>.
  6. ↑ http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2711/deglopper-charles-n.php
  7. ↑ https://www.army.mil/article/1660/Staff_Sgt__s_valor_earns_him_Silver_Star

Further references

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Center of Military History document "325th Infantry Lineage and Honors".
[1] "DeGlopper's Medal of Honor certificate". Archived from the original on 2009-08-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20090808135922/http://geocities.com/glidertroop325/DeGlopperMOHCert.html. Retrieved 2008-04-12. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/3-325air.htm

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 325th Infantry Regiment (United States).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.