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"Sky Soldiers"
 (Updated 5-9-08)
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 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 with 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 paratroopers gave the 173rd Airborne their nickname of "Sky
Soldiers." The battalion commander of the 2/503rd played the theme song from
the television series "Rawhide" to wake his soldiers up every morning. The
words of the song talk about moving cattle: "head 'em up, move 'em out,
rawhide!" Soon the entire 173rd Airborne Brigade was also being called "the
herd."
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 capitol. 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 art 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 of 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 of the 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 of 2004 the Sky Soldiers
returned from combat operations in Iraq.
After doing their 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 of 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 for 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 is 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 have participated in various operations
with the objective of ensuring security and subduing insurgents in the
mountainous regions along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan.
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