History of 2nd Infantry Division

 History of 2nd Infantry Division

The 2nd Infantry Division has a proud and honorable history, which reflects the heart of the American Soldier. Having fought in four wars, the 2nd Infantry Division is one of the most decorated Divisions in the United States Army. It boasts 38 Medal of Honor recipients and over 20 campaign participation credits.



World War I

Organized on 26 October 1917, at Bourmont, Haute Marne, France, the Indianhead Division was composed of existing Army and Marine units of the American Expeditionary Forces.

Consisting of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, which was a normal Organic Brigade, which consisted of the 9th Infantry Regiment and 23d Infantry Regiments and the 4th Marine Brigade, which consisted of the 5th Marine Regiment and the 6th Marine Regiment, a battalion of Field Artillery and various supporting units.

Twice during "The Great War" the Division was commanded by Marine Corps generals,

Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen and Major General John A. Lejeune, marking the only times in U.S. Military history when Marine Corps officers commanded an Army Division. Major General John A. Lejeune, was nicknamed "The Old Indian," he had led the Division in numerous important engagements from 28 July 1918 to August 1919. He later went on to become the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

The Division spent the winter of 1917 - 1918 training with French Army veterans. 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 Chateau-Thierry campaign that followed.

The Division won hard fought victories at Soissons and Mont Blanc, for which it was awarded the French Fourragère in the colors of the Croix de Guerre. 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.

The 2nd Infantry Division returned to the United States in July 1919. Having fought in every major US engagement, the Indianhead Division emerged from World War I as the most decorated American Division of the American Expeditionary Forces. During the campaign, four Soldiers, four Marines and six Sailors from the Division were awarded the Medal of Honor.



The Interwar Era

Upon returning to the United States in July 1919, 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. In 1940, the 2nd Infantry Division was the first command reorganized under the new triangular concept, which provided for three separate regiments in each Division. Indianhead Soldiers pioneered concepts of air mobility and anti-tank warfare, which served the army for the next two decades on battlefields in every corner of the globe.

In May 1942, Major General Walter Robertson assumed command of the Division. He would remain the Division Commander for the entire war up through Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
On 27 November 1942, they moved to Camp McCoy at Sparta, Wisconsin for four months of intensive training for winter warfare. In September 1943, the Division received staging orders and moved to the Camp Shanks staging area at Orangeburg, New York on 3 October 1943. on 8 October 1943, the Division officially sailed from the New York Port of Embarkation, and started arriving in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 17 October 1943.



World War II
With the onset of World War II, the Division moved to Ireland and Wales in October 1943, as part of the buildup for OPERATION OVERLORD, the Normandy invasion. There the Division spent ten months undergoing extensive training. on 7 June 1944, D-Day + 1, the Division landed on Omaha Beach.
Attacking across the Aure River, the Division liberated Trevieres, 10 June 1944, and proceeded to assault and secure Hill 192, the key enemy strongpoint on the road to St. Lo. With the hill taken on 11 July 1944, the Division went on the defensive until 26 July 1944. Exploiting the St. Lo break-through, the 2nd Division advanced across the Vire to take Tinchebray on 15 August 1944. After fierce, 39-day battle, the 2nd Division, fighting in the streets and alleyways, finally took their objective as the vital port city of Brest, which was liberated on 18 September 1944.

The Division entered Germany on 3 October 1944, and the Division was ordered on 11 December 1944, to attack and seize the Roer River dams. Having pierced the dreaded Siegfried Line, the Division was advancing when Nazi Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt unleashed a powerful German offensive in the Ardennes. Throughout the Battle of the Bulge, the 2nd Infantry Division held fast, preventing the enemy from seizing key roads leading to the cities of Liege and Antwerp.

In February 1945, the Division attacked, recapturing lost ground, and seized Gemund, on 4 March 1945. Reaching the Rhine 9 March 1945, the Division advanced south to take Breisig, 10-11 March 1945, and to guard the Remagen Bridge, 12- 20 March 1945. The Division crossed the Rhine 21 March 1945 and advanced to Hadamar and Limburg an der Lahn, relieving elements of the 9th Armored Division, 28 March 1945. Advancing rapidly in the wake of the 9th Armored, the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the Weser at Veckerhagen, 6 - 7 April 1945 captured
Gottingen 8 April 1945, and established a bridgehead across the Saale, 14 April 1945, seizing Merseburg on 15 April 1945.
On 18 April 1945, the Division took Leipzig, mopped up in the area, and outposted the Mulde River; elements that had crossed the river were withdrawn 24 April 1945. Relieved on the Mulde, the 2nd moved 200 miles, 1 –- 3 May 1945, to positions along the German-Czech border.
The Division crossed over to Czechoslovakia on 4 May 1945, and attacked in the general direction of Pilsen, attacking that city on Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
The 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 training to prepare them for the scheduled invasion of Japan, but were still at Camp Swift on Victory in Japan (VJ) Day.
During World War II, six Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division were awarded the Medal of Honor.



The Post World War II Era

Following WWII, the Division received new orders to move to Fort Lewis at Tacoma, Washington. They arrived at Fort Lewis on 15 April 1946, which became their home station. From Fort Lewis, they conducted arctic, air transportability, amphibious, and maneuver training.

The Korean War

With the outbreak of hostilities in Korea during the summer of 1950, the 2nd Infantry Division was quickly alerted for movement and arrived in Korea, via Pusan on 23 July 1950, 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 1950. 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 Warrior Division was the first unit to break out of the Pusan Perimeter and they led the Eighth Army’'s drive to the Manchurian Border. The 2nd Infantry Division was awarded the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation on 29 September 1950, for the defense of the Naktong river line against enemy attack.

When the Chinese entered the war on 26 November 1950, 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. Fighting around Kunu-ri cost the Division nearly one third of its strength, but was ten times more costly to the enemy.

On 5 February 1951, the 23rd Regimental Combat Team moved into the narrow valley of Chipyong-ni. Colonel Paul Freeman, the 23rd Regimental Combat Team Commander, realized that he occupied a salient in front of the main defensive line and requested permission to fall back, however; Lieutenant General Matthew Ridgway, the Eighth United States Army Commanding General, ordered the 23rd Regimental Combat Team to make a stand against Communist Chinese Forces.

On 13 February 1951, the 23rd Regimental Combat Team, with the attached French Battalion, was cut off and surrounded by three Chinese Divisions. As the surrounded 23rd Regimental Combat Team exhausted supplies due to intense fighting, airdrops were conducted to restock the ammunition, ration, medical and equipment supply dumps. The Air Force conducted over 131 sorties utilizing Napalm to demoralize and destroy the Communist Chinese Forces. For more than three days, the 23rd Regimental Combat Team and the 1st ROK Division bravely fought in freezing weather killing over 5,000 Chinese and causing the Communist Chinese Forces to withdraw. The Battle of Chipyong-ni was the first major defeat for the Chinese and proved to be the turning point of the Korean War.

Again, in April and May 1951, the 2nd Infantry Division was instrumental in smashing the Communist's Spring Offensive. After smashing the communist offensive, the Indianhead Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation; the highest decoration the United States can award to a unit. While political leaders sought an armistice agreement, the Division fought for hilltops in the Iron Triangle, Pork Chop Hill, Baldy Hill, Bloody Ridge, and Heartbreak Ridge.
Finally, on 9 April 1953, the Division was moved to a rear area and on 20 August 1954, four years after its last unit arrived in Korea, the Division was alerted for re-deployment to the United States. During the Korean War, 18 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. The Division was awarded the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation on 26 October 1953, for valor in combat and excellence in the training and integration of ROK forces into their ranks.



A Rest from the Fight
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. In the spring of 1958, the Department of the Army announced that the 2nd Infantry Division would be reorganized at Fort Benning, Georgia. 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 Division was designated as a Strategic Army Corps (STRAC) unit where the Division became engaged in intensified combat training, tactical training, and field training exercises.

In January 1963, the Division was selected as the first Army Division to be organized under the Reorganization Objective Army Division concept, providing for three brigades supported by armor, cavalry and artillery units, as well as administrative and support elements.

The Cold War Era

On 1 July 1965, the Division's colors returned to the Republic of Korea. The Soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division removed their First Team Division patches and became 2nd Infantry Division Warriors. The 2nd Division was assigned to guard portions of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and help deter war on the peninsula. 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 November 2, 1966, Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment were killed in an ambush by North Korean forces. In 1967 enemy attacks in the DMZ increased, as a result, 16 American soldiers were killed that year.

In 1968, North Koreans continued to probe across the DMZ, and in 1969, while on patrol, four Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 23rd Infantry were killed, but by 1970, the North had decided that their efforts against the Division were not worth the cost and organized attacks stopped that year. By March 1971, Republic of Korea forces had assumed the responsibility for the defense of all but 500 yards of the DMZ, allowing the 2nd Infantry Division to maintain combat readiness.
On 18 August 1976, CPT Arthur G. Bonifas and 1LT Mark T Barrett, of the United Nations Joint Security Force, were attacked and killed by North Korean border guards during a routine treetrimming operation within the Joint Security Area. Three days later on 21 August 1976, the United Nations Command responded with Operation Paul Bunyan. The 2nd Infantry Division assembled Task Force Brady, named after the Division Commander, in support of Task Force Vierra, named after the Joint Security Area (JSA) Battalion Commander. At 0700 hours a Republic of Korea Special Forces company, the 9th Infantry Regiment, and B Company, 2nd Engineers, moved into the JSA and cut down the infamous “"Panmunjeom Tree”". B-52 bombers, escorted by U.S. F-4 fighters and ROK F-5 fighters flew at a high altitude near the JSA. The aircraft carrier Midway task force had also been moved to a station just offshore. The 2nd Infantry Division delivered an unmistakable message to the North Koreans, as well as to the world.

Throughout the 1980 and early 1990s, Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division continued to patrol along the DMZ. The Division was awarded the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation on 14 June 1982, for their dedicated and vital role in the combined ROK-US endeavors to ensure an effective readiness posture on the Korean peninsula. With the end of the Cold War, 2nd Infantry Division Warriors left the DMZ in 1992, but remained forward deployed along the most heavily defended border in the world. In 1994, the death of the North Korean leader, Kim, IL Sung, created increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, this time the North was threatening nuclear development. In 1994, and again in 1999, the 2nd Infantry Division received their 4th and 5th Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations.

The Global War on Terrorism
2nd Brigade Combat Team
Elements of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom 3, and the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division subsequently relocated to Fort Carson, Colorado upon completion of the deployment to Iraq as part of the Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 rotation.
In August 2004, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team deployed from Korea to Iraq where they worked side by side with the Republic of Korea Army; just as it had while stationed in Korea. This deployment was unique in that it was the first operational deployment from the Republic of Korea. In Iraq, the 2BCT 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 of Fallujah. The 2BCT was refocused and given control of the eastern half of the volatile city of Ar-Ramadi. For this mission, the Brigade fell under the direct command of the 1st Marine Division and for the second half of the deployment; they were attached to the 2nd Marine Division. This command structure was ironic in that during World War I the 5th Marine Regiment and the 6th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division had fought under the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division.
The 2BCT fought in the Fallujah offensive in November 2004 and provided Iraqis the opportunity to vote in the historic national elections of January 2005. The 2BCT also trained and partnered with thousands of Iraqi Security Force soldiers, enabling them to better secure their country.
Additionally, the 2BCT provided humanitarian relief to hundreds of displaced civilians, schools, hospitals, and the underprivileged across its area of operations. In August 2005, the 2BCT redeployed from Iraq to its new home at Fort Carson, Colorado, after completing the Brigade's first deployment since Viet Nam.



Current Operations
The Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation on 01 October 2011, in recognition of their support to Korea for over 60 years. Effective 03 June 2015, the 2nd Infantry Division was redesignated as the 2nd Infantry Division, ROK-US Combined Division with the integration of ROK Army officers in to the Division HQ and training and wartrace with the 16th ROK Mechanized Brigade. on 02 July 2015, the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, the last remaining maneuver brigade for the Division on the peninsula conducted a Transfer of Authority and Deactivation ceremony, beginning the cycle of stateside ABCTs rotating to Korea starting with 2nd ABCT, 1st Cavalry Division.
The 2nd Infantry Division is the last remaining permanently forward-stationed division in the US Army. As part of the great ROK-US Alliance, the Division’'s mission is to deter aggression, and if deterrence fails, ensure it is ready to “"Fight Tonight”" to defend the Republic of Korea. Forged during the Korean War, the great ROK-U.S. Alliance is an equal partnership committed to the strong defense of Korea. Always ready to “"Fight Tonight”" if called upon, 2ID/RUCD’'s commitment to the ROK-U.S. Alliance is unwavering. Today, the 2nd Infantry Division patch is spread out across the world. Reflecting the Warrior Ethos of an American fighting force, the Division is a melting pot of experience and expertise that stands ready –- to “"Fight Tonight”"!