24th Division History
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
The Hawaiian Division was established at
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, on 1 March 1921, to provide land defense
of the territory strategically located at “the cross-roads of the
Pacific.” It was built from units of the old World War 1, 11th
Infantry Division. The
Hawaiian Division was concentrated on one post during the interwar
years which was unlike most divisions in the continental United
States. The new division
was also manned at higher levels than other divisions, and its field
artillery was the first to be mechanized.
This division, also known as the “Pineapple Army,” pulled
peacetime garrison duty in idyllic climes of the semi-tropical
Pacific islands for more than 20 years.
The Hawaiian Division soldiers wore the Taro Leaf shoulder
patch which would later pass down to two new divisions that would go
on to distinction. The
taro leaf is symbolic of Hawaii, and the plant’s root is use to make
poi, a basic food staple in the native diet.
The Hawaiian Division occupied the Schofield Barracks base on
Oahu, the most prominent Hawaiian Island.
This pre-World War II Army division had a different structure
than that which would eventually become known as “The Victory
Division,” and bear the distinction of being “First to Fight.”
As war clouds were gathering over the Pacific
in the Fall of 1941, the Hawaiian Division structure was deemed to
be unsuitable for modern warfare. This old structure was based on an
organizational square of two infantry brigades, each with two
infantry regiments and supporting units. The new structure would be
triangular, built around three infantry regiments and supporting
units. The Army command used the existing four infantry regiments to
build two new divisions, the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions. The
19th and 21st Infantry Regiments plus the 11th and 13th Field
Artillery Battalions from the old division formed the new 24th
Division. Headquarters of the Hawaiian Division was redesignated as
Headquarters, 24th Infantry Division.
The 34th Infantry Regiment was added to round out the new
structure. Two artillery battalions, the 52nd and 63rd were formed
simultaneously with the new division. The 26th Anti-aircraft
Artillery Battalion, 24th Medical Battalion, and 3rd Combat Engineer
Battalion were also added to the new division.
Thus, the new modern division was formed and would have just
68 days of peacetime duty left before making its mark in the Pacific
Theater. The Special Troops were organized later on New Guinea. They
were Division Headquarters Co., 724th Ordnance Maintenance Co.
(later battalion), 24th Quartermaster Co., 24th Signal Co., 24th
Military Police Platoon (later company), Division Band, and the 24th
Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (later company).
The insignia of the new 24th Infantry Division
consisted of a green taro leaf with a yellow border set on a red
disk bordered in black. This new insignia would symbolize one of the
most famous fighting units in U.S. military history, taking on any
aggressor in the steaming jungles, up rock hard mountains, through
the frigid snow, on blood soaked beaches, and on burning sands. On
December 7, 1941, the new 24th Infantry Division trained its guns on
attacking Japanese aircraft and at this time its motto became
ascribed…"First to Fight." The legacy left by this new division,
"The Victory Division, "will live long and proud in U.S. military
archives, and in the mind and hearts of man.
World War II 1941-1945
The 24th Infantry Division wears a single
Silver Campaign Star on its Asia-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal.
This single silver star acknowledges the five campaigns
fought by the Victory Division, four of which are signified by
Arrowheads denoting that the 24th Infantry Division spearheaded the
operations. The 24th
Infantry Division distinguished itself by fighting in more campaigns
in the Pacific Theater than any other division.
Hollandia
After the Pearl Harbor attack, the Division was
ordered to immediately set up an elaborate system of coastal
defenses on the north side of Oahu Island. At this time the Division
also engaged in amphibious training and underwent jungle warfare
training. After stepped up conditioning and orientation the Taromen
were put on transport ships and moved to Rockhampton on Australia’s
east coast. Four months later they moved to Goodenough Island just
east of New Guinea for additional training. While on Goodenough
Island the division was alerted. They were formed into Task Force
Reckless with the 41st Infantry Division and ordered to move against
Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea. The Taromen’s mission was to land at
Tanahmerah Bay and secure the Hollandia Airdrome. The division was
finally going to mount an offensive attack against the enemy. The
assault plan called for the 24th Division to go ashore at Red Beach
1 and Red Beach 2, the latter being the primary target. The Red
Beach 2 assault would come from four battalions, two each from the
19th and 21st Infantry Regiments. One battalion of the 19th and the
34th Infantry Regiment were to remain in reserve. The remaining
battalion of the 21st was assigned to Red Beach 1.
U.S. and Australian Navy ships pounded the beaches prior to
the invasion. The landing craft moved toward the beaches under a
heavy surf. The beachheads were established quickly with primarily
small arms resistance. The inland trek towards the airfield was
tortuous as vehicles could not maneuver the narrow trails and often
bogged down. Supplies were often cut off from the troops.
Airdrops were limited due to the poor visibility and heavy
rains. After 5 days of
sporadic fighting enemy patrols and ambushes, as well as the adverse
weather, terrain, and logistics, the Taro Leafers linked up with the
41st Division and the airfields were secure. The first mission was
successfully completed.
Biak
The next operation was Biak, one of the
Schoutan Islands north of New Guinea.
The objective was to capture 3 Japanese airfields located at
Mokmer, Borokoe, and Sorido.
The lead went to the 41st Infantry Division with the 24th
Division's 34th Infantry Regiment attached to it.
The 34th Infantry was assigned to take and occupy the Borokoe
and Sorido airfields.
The two airfields were secured quickly with little opposition.
The 34th then linked up with the other 41st Division units
and mounted another attack on Mokmer to clean out the stiff enemy
resistance there. The
34th Infantry's 2nd and 3rd battalions were to secure the areas west
of the Borokoe airfield while the 1st battalion and the 41st
Division's 186th Infantry cleared the high ground north of Hill 320.
Based on Co. C, 34th Infantry, reports it was concluded that
the Japanese might be preparing for either a fierce defensive stand
or a suicidal counterattack in a cliff area northwest of the
battalion's position.
The 1st and 2nd battalions, 34th Infantry, were ordered to approach
the cliffs from two directions.
The Japanese mounted a strong counterattack while trying to
break out of the trap set by the 34th Infantry.
Company A was caught between the two battalions and driven
back to the battalion command post.
Hard fighting ensued and the enemy resistance was finally
wiped out. The three
airfields were now secure.
The 34th Infantry's estimated dead and wounded were
approximately 100 dead and 300 wounded.
Philippines Liberation -
Leyte
After the heroic stand by U.S. and Philippine troops at Bataan and Corregidor, the liberation of the Philippines became the primary objective in the Southwest Pacific theater. The troops selected to spearhead this mission were the 24th Infantry and 1st Cavalry Divisions. Together they made up the 10th Corps. Their entrance to the Philippines would be an eastward approach through Leyte, part of the Visayan Group in the central part of the nation. They would go ashore in the northern sector of the invasion beaches. The battle plan was three phased; secure the beachhead, secure the hills behind the beaches, drive northwest across the Northern Leyte Valley to Carigara Bay on the north shore and then move southward through the Ormoc Valley. The assault landing was scheduled for 20 October 1944. The two 10th Corps divisions would land abreast, the 24th Infantry on the left and the 1st Cavalry on the right. In the 24th's sector known as Red Beach, the 19th Infantry Regiment would assault from the left and the 34th Infantry Regiment from the right. The 21st Infantry Regiment had a separate mission. They would land 30 minutes before the main assault force on the islands of Dinagat and Panaon and secure the straight that separates Leyte from Panaon.
Korea 1950-1953
The Division's Korean Service Medal bears a
single Silver Campaign Star and three Bronze Campaign Stars denoting
its participation in eight major campaigns.
The 24th Infantry Division's, "Task Force Smith,” was the
first fighting unit deployed to Korea.
It was first to engage the North Korean aggressor force in
the war's first battle, at Osan.
The 24th Division was also the first U.S. Division to
actively serve under the blue and white emblem of the United
Nations.
Task Force Smith
At 0400 hours on June 25, 1950, a world at
peace was shocked by the most blatant act of aggression since the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Hordes of North Korean
Communist troops surged over the 38th Parallel in Korea in an
attempt to conquer the peaceful agricultural nation of South Korea.
Spearheaded by Russian-built T-34 tanks, thousands of tough, well
trained, highly motivated troops made speedy work of the meager
South Korean defenses and marched on Seoul, the ancient country’s
capital. Only a few
hundred miles away on Kyushu, southernmost of Japan’s four major
islands, the troops of the 24th Infantry Division awoke to find five
years of occupation duty completely destroyed. President Truman, on
June 30, 1950, ordered the already alerted Division to the point of
action. The men of the 24th were again going to war in an unfamiliar
country against an unknown enemy.
On July 1, 1950, Eighth Army ordered the 24th
Division to airlift two reinforced rifle companies to Pusan. On the
same day, the first members of Task Force Smith, consisting of the
1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, and 130 infantrymen augmented
by antitank teams, arrived in the port city. The next day they were
joined by B and C Companies, 75 millimeter recoilless rifle platoons
from D and M companies, two platoons from Heavy Mortar Company, the
1st Battalion’s Headquarters Co., and A Battery of the 52nd Field
Artillery Battalion. This small party climbed aboard trains in Pusan
and moved north. On the train the young, 32 year old, Task Force
Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Charles B. Smith, opened his orders.
They read simply: "When reaching Taejon, move north . . . stop them
where you find them."
On July 3, 1950 the Task Force took defensive
positions to guard the Ansong River bridges in the Pyongtaek-Ansong
area. On the 4th they moved north to Osan, and it was here that the
first battle of the war was fought. In the grim, pre-dawn twilight
of July 5, 33 T-34 tanks, closely followed by 4,000 North Korean
troops of the 4th NK Division moved into the area held by Task Force
Smith. Simultaneously both sides cut loose with their entire
firepower. For seven long hours the U.S. troops poured howitzer,
bazooka, mortar, and small arms fire at the Russian made tanks. Five
were knocked out by artillery shells, but the odds were too great
and the task force was surrounded. Abandoning their heavy weapons,
the men grimly diminished in number, cut their way through the
encircling enemy and withdrew to the south. At Chonan they filtered
through the lines of the 34th Infantry Regiment, which was driving
north to aid them. Task Force Smith had fought one of the most
disappointing, yet one of the most necessary forms of warfare, the
delaying action. General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur, Far East
Commander in Chief, credited Colonel Smith and his troops with
buying the necessary time for the other United Nations units rushing
to the war-torn peninsula.
The Return to Korea
1953-1957
After the Division was rebuilt in Japan it
undertook hard training to get ready to return to line duty in
Korea. In mid July of 1953, just prior to the Armistice, the Victory
Division began its return. The 63rd Field Artillery Battalion and
the 34th Infantry Regiment were the leading elements. Both units,
whose early losses were so devastating that they were reduced to
paper, were now back in action. The 63rd Field Artillery delivered
fire against the enemy in the I Corps sector, and the 34th Infantry
"Dragons" held a blocking position behind the 2nd Infantry
Division’s 23rd Infantry Regiment which absorbed heavy blows from
Chinese mass attacks in the last days.
"Big Switch"
The cease-fire brought a new mission to the
Taro Leaf Division. The Division would assume responsibility for the
prisoner repatriation which would bring our American captives home.
The operation was named, "Big Switch.” The Division’s 19th Infantry
Regiment was assigned to the camp where allies held anti-Communist
Chinese POWs on Cheju-do Island. The 21st Infantry Regiment was
assigned to Koje-do Island, a camp which held the hard-core
doctrinaire communists. Both islands were off of the southern coast
of the country. The 34th Infantry Regiment came off the line and was
assigned to Pusan where it organized Task Force Olson. The Task
Force escorted freed prisoners to Inchon and from there they sailed
to Taiwan.
Defense of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
The Division took up semi-permanent encampments
throughout the country and continued training. In October of 1953
the Division got a new commanding officer, Major General Carter
Magruder. Training continued and the 34th Infantry effected another
prisoner transfer in January 1954 without incident. Brigadier
General Carl Hutton assumed command of the Division. In Feburary the
Division received orders to move to a line position held by the 45th
Infantry Division, a National Guard Division which was slated to
return to the United States. On March 1, 1954 the Victory Division
completed its move to the east central sector. Although in a reserve
position, but close to the demarcation-line, its role was in
preparation for manning the cease-fire line to watch for any
breeches from the North. The U.S. 40th Infantry Division was on the
immediate right, and Chinese Communist divisions were directly in
front across the line. The Division again changed command and Major
General Paul Harkins, who commanded the departing 45th Infantry
Division, was now in charge.
In March 1955 the Division moved to the western
line sector and relieved the 1st Marine Division. It took the
"Front-line" position that would last until the Division left Korea
in 1957. Although an armistice had been signed there was no
surrender by either side and no peace treaty had been signed.
The two Koreas were still technically at a state-of-war.
The Victory Division was now the only U.S. Division with
direct face-to-face contact with enemy forces. As part of I Corps,
which was headquartered in Uijongbu, the Division had units located
above and just below the Imjin River at the 38th Parallel. Munsan-ni
was the rail center, the area of Paju-ri was home for the reserve
infantry regiment when not on position above the Imjin, and
Pubwon-ni was a major crossroad both north and south, and east and
west. Within the Division area were Libby Bridge (named for 24th
Division Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant George Libby) and Freedom
Bridge (the crossing point for repatriated POWs returning home from
long captivity). Supporting the Division there were 8th Army and I
Corps units. The 7th
Infantry Division was in reserve to the Division’s right (east).
Main supply routes were established, civilian control lines were
manned and traffic control points were set up. All foot and vehicle
traffic was checked through these points whether movement was within
the Division area or to and from it. Taromen maintained 24 hour
surveillance over the DMZ from various outposts, including OP Cherry
Herring, OP Maizie, and OP Nina and with combat patrols inside the
fences. Adjacent area patrols were daily occurrences, including
joint patrols with British, Greek, Turkish and Australian allied
forces. Building and maintaining trenches and bunkers was ongoing.
The Division remained on a high alert status often scrambling in
full combat gear and assuming defensive positions as the wail of the
alert sirens and squawk boxes sounded in the strategically scattered
compounds. Infiltrators from the north were captured along the DMZ
and turned over to R.O.K. authorities for interrogation. The sounds
of gunfire, blaring horns, rumbling armor and other eerie sounds, as
well as night flares, lights, and loud speaker propaganda were also
common during the dark hours of night and early morning as a
harassment. Units constantly trained to maintain their combat
skills. Each man realized he was part of the Trip-wire defense
system. The times were tense, but the will was strong and Taromen
remained alert, ready and motivated. The Victory Division troops
knew that if the North Korean and Chinese Communist forces broke the
Armistice and crossed the DMZ, they again would be "First to Fight."
Berlin 1961
"The Shield of Bavaria"
When The East Germans erected the infamous Berlin Wall in August of 1961, the volatility of this Berlin flash point increased. The Division’s 1st Battalion of the 19th Infantry Regiment was the leading element sent to Check Point Charley to bolster the 8th Infantry Division units and other allied forces there. A genuine crisis situation persisted at the check point as Soviet and American tanks faced off. Other Victory Division units quickly followed to this area. At this time the U.S. Military started calling up reserve units.
The peacekeeping efforts and the deterrent strength of the 24th Division and other NATO units prevented the break out of another war just 16 short years after the end of World War II, and only 8 years after the fragile "cease-fire" agreement in Korea.
El Salvadore 1985
On 28 February 1985, Delta Company, 24th
Aviation “Redhawks” Battalion deployed from Savannah, GA to Soto
Cano, Honduras for 179 days to assist the Government of El Salvador
in eliminating the MFLN guerrillas.
A detachment from Delta Company was assigned directly to El
Salvador to provide aviation support to the Special Forces advisors
and to the DAO. Many “Redhawk” personnel rotated through this
detachment. These
"Redhawk" aircrew members flew many missions in their efforts to
destroy the MFLN guerrillas. Their missions proved very effective
and they were a contributor to the success of the overall operation.
The company departed Honduras and El Salvador
on 1 July 1985. Delta
Company was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Joint
Meritorious Unit Award, and the Superior Unit Award for its service
to Joint Task Force Bravo.
The unit was also authorized to wear the 24th Infantry
Division Taro Leaf shoulder patch on their right sleeve.
(Courtesy of: CW5 George C. Arzente)
Hurricane Hugo 1989
| Hurricane Hugo was a destructive Category 5 hurricane
that struck South and North Carolina in September of the
1989 Atlantic hurricane season, killing 56 people and
leaving 56,000 homeless. The storm caused
$10 billion in damages, making it the most
damaging hurricane ever recorded up to that time, surpassing
Hurricane Frederick.
Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 3-15 Infantry, 2 4th ID were sent to South Carolina for several weeks to aid in recovery operations. (Courtesy of: Rick Wallace, 4-64 Armor, 24th ID (Mech.)) |
Southwest Asia 1990-1991 Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm
"The Point of the Spear"
Major General Barry McCaffrey’s Battle Plan
Briefing to Secretary of Defense, Richard Cheney and Chairman Joint
Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell
When Secretary Cheney asked General McCaffrey
what problems he had, General McCaffrey responded, "Sir, I hesitate
to say this, but we have none. The division has rehearsed the plan.
The plan is logistically supportable. We are fully modernized. The
requisite amounts of ammunition, fuel, and repair parts are on the
ground. Our soldiers are
the best in the world.
We will destroy the Iraqi army in ten days to four weeks."
The 24th Infantry Division (Mech), the heavy
element of the XVIII Airborne Corp,
wears three Bronze Battle Star on its Southwest Asia Service
Medal denoting participation in all three major campaigns; Defense
of Saudi Arabia 2 Aug 90 - 16 Jan 91, Liberation and Defense of
Kuwait 17 Jan 91 - 11 Apr 91, and Southwest Asia Cease-fire 12 Apr
91 - 30 Nov 95. The
Division spearheaded the Allied Coalition Forces’ attack into Iraq.
In 100 hours the mechanized division’s 370 kilometer
lightning fast attack deep into, through, and encircling, enemy
positions severed the enemy’s lines of communications through the
Euphrates River Valley and shut down his escape routes. The 24th
(Mech) drove faster, farther, and with more firepower than General
George S. Patton’s entire 3rd Army stormed across France. The
Division’s attack has been called, "The Greatest Cavalry Charge in
History".
1st BN Fire Support Team, 41st FA awarded VUA
26 Feb 91 - 02 Mar 91 (Courtesy of: Kevin L. Jones 24th ID)
Hurricane Andrew 1992
August 27, 1992, the military 18h Airborne
Corps deployed some 22,000 troops to aid in the recovery efforts in
the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.
This was the largest military rescue operation in U.S.
History. The mission was
to provide immediate emergency relief including food, water, shelter
and medical aid. During
subsequent phases, the Corps conducted debris removal operations,
repaired schools, established relief supply distribution centers and
assisted the local government in establishing sustained recovery
operations. 24h ID
(Mech.) units involved were the 724th Main Support BN, 91st Chemical
Co. and HHC, 24th ID.
Hurricane Andrew hit the Florida coast on 24
August 1992 moving across southern Florida and into south-central
Louisiana leaving a path of destruction 25 miles wide and 60 miles
long. This hurricane was
the most destructive U.S. hurricane of record and the most expensive
natural disaster in U.S. history.
It caused $26.5 billion in damage in the U.S., of which $1
billion occurred in Louisiana and the rest in south Florida.
In Dade County alone, the forces of Andrew resulted in at
least 15 deaths and up to one-quarter million people left
temporarily homeless.
(Courtesy of: MAJ John M. Weaver)
Somalia 1993-1994 Operation Restore Hope
After U.S. Rangers and Somali militiamen
engaged in a major all night gun battle on October 3-4, 1993,
killing 18 U.S.Rangers and sustaining nearly 100 casualties, it
became necessary to use heavy armor and equipment in the region. The
24th Infantry Division (Mech), a crisis response unit, was ordered
to deploy from Fort Stewart to Mogadishu on October 4, 1993. They
were know as Task Force 1-64 Armor. The Division Ready Force (DRF)
consisting of 26 Abrams MIAI tanks, 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 6
Cavalry Fighting Vehicles, 8 M109 Howitzers, 7 Armored Combat
Earthmovers and other heavy equipment was loaded and ready within 48
hours. The primary mission for TF 1-64 would be to provide
protection to the United Nation’s, Operation Restore Hope, troops
operating in the region, and to keep secure the seaport, the airport
and the main-supply routes. Task Force 1-64 Armor would remain in
the east African country until the final days of the operation.
Kuwait 1994 Operation Vigilant Warrior
In 1994 over 60,000 Iraqi Republican Guard
troops, with their tanks and armored vehicles, were massing near
Nasiriyah, Iraq, less than 100 miles from the Kuwaiti border.
As the Iraqis moved east, displaying the same aggressiveness
that preceded the invasion of Kuwait four years earlier, the 24th
Infantry Division was sent in response to Saddam Hussein's "saber
rattling" and posturing of a significant Iraqi military force along
the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border.
Operation Vigilant Warrior was launched.
The President’s order of an immediate response
was met within days. The
new USCENTAF Commander, Lt Gen John Jumper and most of his key staff
had deployed to Riyadh, where he took command of JTF-SWA.
This Operation also involved the "plus up" of USCENTAF air
assets to more than 170 aircraft and 6,500 personnel. Iraq soon
recalled its troops and the crisis passed, but the US decided to
retain some 120 aircraft and 5,000 personnel in-theatre in case
Hussein repeated his bluff. As an additional measure, USCENTAF also
agreed to bed down A-10 aircraft in Kuwait itself for the first
time.
The 24th ID(M) was a valuable deterrent during
VIGILANT WARRIOR from October to December 1994 when it arrived and
began to train vigorously and visibly to demonstrate US presence and
resolve to Iraq.
U.S. and Coalition forces employed in support
of Operation VIGILANT WARRIOR are:
(U.S. Forces) 2 brigades of the 24th Infantry
Division (Mechanized), Marine and Army maritime prepositioned
forces, Over 200 additional combat aircraft, USCINCCENT, USCENTCOM
HQ element, Component Ccs and Staffs deployed in theater Patriot Air
Defense personnel and over 20 naval combatants that included
coalition forces.
(Coalition Forces) 4 Kuwait Brigades, 1 United
Arab Emirates Mechanized Infantry Battalion and 1 U.K. Infantry
Battalion.
1-41st FA awarded Army Superior Unit Award 08
Oct 94 - 05 Dec 94 (Courtesy of Kevin L. Jones 24th ID Desert Storm)
3-69th Armor awarded Army Superior Unit Award
08 Oct 94 - 05 Dec 94 (per Kevin L. Jones)
Haiti 1995
No information.
Last Assignment Ft Riley, KS, Ft. Jackson, SC, Integrated Division (IDIV)
Concept
On October 1, 1998, the commanding General of
Fort Riley, Kansas assumed the responsibility for the training
readiness, and oversight of three National Guard brigades. The new
unit was deemed the Integrated Division (IDIV) and is composed of an
Active Division Headquarters at Fort Riley, an Active Forward
Headquarters at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and three National
Guard brigades. Formal
activation of the IDIV was June 5, 1999 at Fort Riley. The division
was designated the 24th Infantry Division (Mech).
The 24th Infantry Division (Mech) is composed
of three enhanced separate brigades, the 30th Heavy Separate Brigade
at Clinton, North Carolina, 218th Heavy Separate Brigade at
Columbia, South Carolina, and the 48th Separate Infantry Brigade in
Macon, Georgia. Each brigade consists of two mechanized battalions,
one armor battalion, a field artillery battalion, an engineer
battalion, a forward support battalion, and several specialty
companies to include; cavalry troop, military intelligence company,
and an air defense artillery battery.
Mission
On order, the 24th Infantry Division (Mech)
plans, coordinates, and conducts pre- and post-mobilization
operations and training to deploy three enhanced separate brigades
with or without equipment to any location in order to conduct Combat
and/or Stability and Support Operations and redeploys them to home
station.
Bosnia 2001
The 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry of the 48th
Separate Infantry Brigade (Mech), 24th Infantry Integrated Division
(Mech), took control of Task Force Eagle on 26 March 2001 from the
2nd Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division (Mech).
The 148th Support Battalion of the 48th Infantry Brigade also
deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina for Stabilization Force (SFOR)
Rotation 9 to provide support operations for the Task Force (United
States contingent to United Nations Operations in support of Dayton
Peace Accord). The SFOR9 rotation was scheduled from April to
October 2001. The Georgia units were mobilized under a Presidential
Selective Reserve Call Up. The units operated from Camp Comanche,
Dobol, and McGovern.
While other National Guard units have
participated in the Bosnia operations in the past, the 48th Infantry
Brigade (Mechanized) is among the first National Guard combat units
to command such a large operation.
Iraq 2004-2005
The 24th Infantry Integrated Division (Mech)
was inactivated on 1 Aug. 2006 at Fort Riley, Kansas.
The inactivation ceremony was held at 9:00 AM on Cavalry
Parade Field in conjunction with a transfer of authority ceremony
and change of command ceremony.
Information compiled and written by Norman E. Tredway, presented herein with permission.