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"The Big Red One"
 (Updated 5-9-08)
The 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed "The Fighting
First" or "The Big Red One" after its shoulder patch, is the United States
Army's oldest division. They have provided continuous service to the country
since their organization in 1917. The 1st Infantry Division currently consists
of four brigade combat teams, a combat aviation brigade, a combat support
brigade, a separate cavalry squadron, and various other attached units. They
are home based at Fort Riley, Kansas.
Upon the United States' entry into the First World
War, an American Expeditionary Force for deployment to France was quickly
formed. Small units that were in service along the Mexican border and at
various posts throughout the country were brought together to form the First
Expeditionary Division, formally organized on June 8, 1917. Members of the
Division paraded through the streets of Paris on July 4th, bolstering the
sagging spirits of the French people who had already suffered through almost
three years of war. On July 6, 1917 the First Expeditionary Division was
designated as the First Infantry Division. With the wearing of the red number
one on the left shoulder, the Big Red One was born.
Two days after their designation as the 1st Infantry
Division, the Big Red One suffered the first casualties of the war. The
"Fighting First" led the way for American troops in World War I. They
participated in battles at Cantigny, Soissons, St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne
Forest. When the Armistice was signed, the Division was at Sedan, the farthest
American penetration of the War. The 1st Infantry Division was the first to
cross the Rhine into occupied Germany. During the war the Big Red One suffered
4,411 killed in action, 17,201 wounded in action, and 1,056 soldiers missing or
later dying of wounds. The Fighting First Infantry Division can boast five
Medal of Honor recipients from World War I.
Unlike many units in the regular army, the 1st
Infantry Division was not deactivated during the interwar period. The Big Red
One returned to the United States in September of 1919 and too up peacetime
status with its headquarters at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. In preparation for
World War II, the Division began reorganizing and training in November of 1939.
After training at Fort Benning, GA, and participation in the Louisiana
Maneuvers during May of 1940, the Division was moved to Fort Devens, MA on
December 6, 1941. The next day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United
States was thrust into World War again.
After further training in the United States and Great
Britain, the Big Red One landed on the coast of Algeria near Oran on November
8, 1942. This landing, Operation Torch, was the first American campaign against
German forces. The initial lessons of combat were expensive and the Division
suffered many casualties during the following campaign in Tunisia.
Now an experienced Division, the Big Red One took part
in the campaign to take Sicily, landing at Gela on July 10, 1943. At the end of
the Sicilian campaign, the 1st Infantry Division returned to England to prepare
for the Normandy invasion. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the 1st Infantry Division
stormed ashore on Omaha Beach. After almost six months of continuous combat,
the First Infantry Division had fought across France, entered Germany, and
taken the city of Aachen. The Division's well deserved rest was interrupted by
the Battle of the Bulge. The Big Red One raced to the Ardennes on December 17th
to help blunt the German offensive.
Before the end of WWII the Big Red One would breach
the Siegfried Line and fight across the Roer to the Rhine River. There the
Division crossed the Rhine at the Remagen bridgehead. The 1st Infantry Division
would continue to fight across Germany and finish the war in Czechoslovakia.
During the Second World War the Big Red One suffered 3,616 killed in action,
15,208 wounded, and another sixteen members of the Division were awarded the
Medal of Honor.
During the Korean War, the Big Red One was assigned to
occupation duty in Germany. Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division secured the
Nuremberg War Crimes Trials and later transported seven convicted Nazi war
criminals to Spandau Prison in Berlin. In 1955 the Division left Germany and
relocated to Fort Riley, Kansas. However, for the next 10 years the Division
continued to send troops to supplement the Berlin Brigade, making the largest
deployment of troops during the early days of the Cold War.
The Big Red One was the first divisional unit called
to the fight in Vietnam. The 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division deployed in
July of 1965 and began combat operations within two weeks of their arrival. By
the end of 1965, the Division had participated in three major operations: Hump,
Bushmaster I, and Bushmaster II. 1966 saw participation in Operations Marauder,
Crimp II, Rolling Stone, and Attleboro. The Division took part in the battles
of Ap Tau O, Srok Dong, and Minh Thanh Road. In 1967 troops of the 1st ID were
taking part in Operations Cedar Falls, Junction City, Manhattan, and Shenandoah
II. On October 17, 1967 the Division suffered 58 KIA at the Battle of Ong
Thanh.
During the Tet Offensive of early 1968, the Big Red
One secured the massive Tan Son Nhut Airbase. In March of '68 the Division took
part in Operation Quyet Thang (Resolve to Win). In April the Fighting First
participated in the largest operation in the Vietnam conflict, Operation Toan
Thang (Certain Victory). On September 13, 1968 the Division Commander, Major
General Ware, was killed in action when his command helicopter was shot down by
enemy fire. During the first half of 1969 the Division conducted
reconnaissance-in-force and ambush operations. The Big Red One was also a part
of the multi-divisional Operation Atlas Wedge and participated in the Battles
of An Loc. The second half of 1969 saw the Division attempt to turn combat
operations over to their South Vietnamese allies. However, the 1st I.D. took
part in battles along Highway 13, known as "Thunder Road" until the end of the
year.
In January of 1970, the Big Red One was ordered to
return to Fort Riley, Kansas. During almost five years of fighting in Vietnam,
the 1st Infantry Division lost 6,146 soldiers killed, 16,019 wounded in action,
and 20 soldiers taken as prisoners of war. Eleven more members of the Big Red
One were awarded the Medal of Honor.
After returning from Vietnam the 1st Infantry Division
continued its Cold War mission of defense and deterrence by maintaining one
brigade forward deployed in West Germany and the remainder of the Division
participating in numerous REFORGER Exercises with our NATO allies. The 1st ID
also trained for operations on desert terrain during rotations to the National
Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. This training proved crucial when
the Division was alerted for deployment to Saudi Arabia on November 8,
1990.
Over a two month period the 1st Infantry Division
deployed more than 12,000 soldiers and 7,000 pieces of equipment to Saudi
Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield, preparing for the impending Gulf
War. On February 24, 1991 the 1st I.D. lead the armored attack for VII Corps
into Iraq, starting Operation Desert Storm. The Division was responsible for
the initial breach of the Iraqi defenses, and consequently rolled over the
Iraqi 26th Infantry Division taking 2,600 prisoners of war. During the
"100-hour War" the Big Red One assaulted through 260 kilometers of enemy
territory, engaged eleven Iraqi divisions, destroyed 550 tanks and 480 armored
personnel carriers, and took 11,400 prisoners. By the morning of February 28th
the Division had assumed a blocking position along the "Highway of Death,"
preventing any enemy retreat. Perhaps due to this position, the Big Red One
took nearly twice as many prisoners as any other allied unit during the Gulf
War. The Division lost eighteen soldiers during the conflict.
In April of 1996 the 1st Infantry Division moved to a
new home station at the German city of Wurzburg. In October of the same year,
the Big Red One deployed its 2nd Brigade Combat Team to Bosnia to assume a
peacekeeping mission in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. The Division
deployed to the Balkans twice in 1999, first as part of Task Force Sabre in
Macedonia, then in Kosovo with NATO's Task Force Falcon. This mission lasted
until June of 2000, then deployed again in November of 2002.
In January of 2003, elements of the 1st Infantry
Division deployed to Turkey to prepare the way for the 4th Infantry Division to
enter Northern Iraq through Turkey. Approximately 1,800 soldiers from the Big
Red One deployed for this logistical mission. When the Turkish government
denied access through their border, this mission ended and the 4th ID entered
Iraq through Kuwait.
The Fighting First had a more direct role in the
invasion of Iraq by deploying the 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment to
Northern Iraq. Operating in the Sunni Triangle, Task Force 1-63 conducted
combat operations while helping to bring stability to the region. When Task
Force 1-63 returned home to Germany in February 2004, the rest of the 1st
Infantry Division deployed to Northern Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
In July 2006, the 1st Infantry Division was removed
from its home base in Germany and stationed back at Fort Riley, Kansas. The 2nd
Brigade was slated to remain based in Schweinfurt, Germany as the only organic
heavy mechanized brigade assigned to the United States European Command Area of
Responsibility. In the fall of 2006 the 1st Brigade of the Big Red One deployed
to Iraq as the Division continues to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In the Fall of 2007, the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade
(Demon Brigade) deployed to Iraq and was placed under the command of
Multinational Division - North located at COB Spiecher.
The Big Red One has had many firsts since its
inception in 1917. Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division are the mainstay of
the Active United States Army. They have always lived up to the Division's
motto of "No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great - Duty First!"
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