Associated Units

ASSOCIATED UNITS

During the wars participated in by the 25th Infantry Division, a large number of units assigned to other organizations supported Tropic Lightning operations. In their various roles their efforts contributed significantly to the combat successes of the Division.

At the request of veterans of a units meeting the below stated criteria the Association will be pleased to display information on the unit in recognition of their contributions to the 25th Infantry Division. Associated Units are those that were attached, in direct or general support, under operational control or had a habitual association with the 25th Division for a considerable period of time.

Korean War
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	29th Infantry Regiment (The Pioneers) “We Lead The Way”	The 29th Infantry was organized on 5 March 1901 at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. The regiment participated in pacification duties during the Philippine Insurrection in 1902-04. During World War I it protected the Panama Canal. In 1919 the 29th was assigned to the newly created Infantry School at (then) Camp Benning, Georgia. For the next two decades the 29th Infantry was know as the Demonstration Regiment as it served as the school troops for the Infantry School and helped build what is today Fort Benning, the home of the Infantry. During WWII the 29th Infantry served in four European campaigns as a separate infantry regiment securing lines of supply and critical installations. The regiment saw heavy combat in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. The 29th was inactivated in Germany on 31 October 1946 and then reactivated 1 May 1949 for occupation duties on Okinawa. In response to the invasion of South Korea in June 1950 the 1st and 3rd Battalions, 29th Infantry were dispatched to reinforce the Pusan Perimeter. Both battalions sustained heavy casualties in helping to turn back the North Korean forces near Chinju and Masan. Attached to the 25th Infantry Division, the 1st Battalion served as the third battalion of the 35th Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion as the third battalion of the 27th Infantry Regiment. Along with the 35th Infantry, the 1st Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry in the repulse of fanatical assaults by elements of four North Korean divisions in defense of the Nam River 1 to 4 September 1950. Soon thereafter the 1st Battalion’s personnel and equipment were used to reactivate the 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry and the 3rd Battalion’s personal and equipment were used to reactivate the 3rd Battalion, 27th Infantry. The 29th Infantry was returned to strength and remained on Okinawa until 1954 when it was reassigned to the Infantry School at Fort Benning. In 1972 the 29th Infantry was given the special designation as The Pioneers in recognition of its contributions to the Infantry. Currently the 29th Infantry Regiment serves, as it has for many years past, as an instructional and demonstration unit for the U.S. Army Infantry School.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	5th Ranger Company (Airborne)	The Chief of Staff of the Army directed that each infantry division fighting in Korea would have an airborne ranger company attached to operate behind enemy lines, primarily as a raiding force. Company B, 1st Ranger Battalion was redesignated and reactivated as the 5th Ranger Company (Airborne) at Fort Benning on 20 November 1950. It was largely manned by volunteers from the 82nd Airborne Division. Transferred to Korea in the February 1951, the 5th Ranger Company was attached to the 25th Infantry Division. It initially operated with the 24th Infantry Regiment, seeing heavy combat near Yongpyong and then later operated with the 27th Infantry Regiment. The company was used primarily as assault infantry but it also performed patrolling and raiding missions as well. The 5th Ranger Company participated in three campaigns of the Korean War, the First UN Counteroffensive, the CCF Spring Offensive and the UN Summer-Fall Offensive, sustaining eleven killed and sixty-seven wounded out of a company of 107. For its Korean service the 5th Ranger Company was awarded a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. In August 1951 all ranger companies in Korea including the 5th Ranger Company (Airborne) were inactivated.
Vietnam
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	196th Light Infantry Brigade (Charger) “Ahead Of The Rest”	Constituted in 1921 in the Organized Reserves as Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 196th Infantry Brigade. In WWII it served as a reconnaissance platoon with the 98th Infantry Division in Hawaii and then briefly in the occupation of Japan until inactivated 16 February 1946. On 10 September 1965 HHC 196th Light Infantry Brigade was reactivated in the Regular Army on 10 September 1965 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. The 196th was originally activated for peacekeeping duties in the Dominican Republic. However the 25th Infantry Division, responsible for defending the western approaches to Saigon, was short its 3rd Brigade serving in the Vietnam central highlands. The 196th orders were changed to Vietnam. Arriving on 26 August 1966, the brigade was attached to the 25th and built its base camp known as Tay Ninh West just outside the city of Tay Ninh near the Cambodian border. While with the 25th Division the 196th Light Infantry Brigade (LIB) consisted of the 2nd Bn, 1st Infantry, 3rd Bn, 21st Infantry, 4th Bn, 31st Infantry, 3rd Bn, 82nd Artillery, 8th Support Bn, Troop F, 17th Cavalry, and the 175th Engineer Co. During the period August 1966 to May 1967 the 196th LIB participated with the 25th Division in some of the largest and fiercest battles of the Vietnam War including Operations Attleboro, Cedar Falls and Junction City. In April 1967 the brigade was transferred to the I Corps Tactical Zone and initially based at Chu Lai as part of Task Force Oregon later redesignated as the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal). The 196th saw heavy combat in the I Corps Tactical Zone from 1967 into 1972. The 196th LIB was the last US Army infantry brigade to leave Vietnam departing on 29 June 1972. In almost six years of combat the 196th participated in 14 Vietnam campaigns receiving a Valorous Unit Citation and three awards of the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm. Inactivated in 1972 it was reactivated in 1998 at Fort Shafter, Hawaii as a training support brigade for Army Reserve units throughout the US Army Pacific’s area of responsibility. Read more about them.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	5th Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment “To the Utmost Extent of Our Power”	Activated as Company E, 60th Infantry Regiment in 1917. The 60th Infantry served with the 5th Division in WW I, participating in intense combat in France. Served in WW II with the 9th Infantry Division, participating in nine campaigns in Northern Africa, Italy, France and Germany, receiving three Presidential Unit Citations. On 1 February 1966 Company E was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Battalion (Mechanized), 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division and activated at Fort Riley Kansas. The battalion arrived in Vietnam on 20 December 1966 and was initially based at Bear Cat with the 3rd Brigade, 9th Division. During the 1968 Tet offensive the 5th Battalion (Mech.) participated in the defense of Saigon receiving a Valorous Unit Award. Companies B and C each received an additional Valorous Unit Award for their actions in the Cholon section of Saigon during the Tet offensive. In September 1968 the battalion was dismounted. Upon the departure of the 9th Division from Vietnam its 3rd Brigade was placed under the operational control of the 25th Infantry Division on 26 July 1969 and based at Tan An. The 5/60th Infantry participated in four campaigns with the 25th, including the Cambodian incursion. The battalion departed Vietnam on 12 October 1970, having served in eleven Vietnam campaigns. The Republic of Vietnam recognized the battalion’s service with three awards of the Cross of Gallantry with Palm and the Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class. The 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry was inactivated at Fort Lewis Washington on 13 October 1970. Read more about them.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery “The Second First”	The 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery was formed in 1847 as Company M, 2nd Regiment of Artillery and served in the Civil War and WWII under various designations. In 1957 the battalion was redesignated as the 5th Automatic Weapons Battalion, 2nd Artillery. In 1966 it was redesignated as the 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery. The battalion arrived in Vietnam in November 1966 and was attached to the 23rd Artillery Group with station at Long Binh. The battalion was equipped with the four batteries of the M42A1 dual 40mm antiaircraft guns to be utilized in a ground support role. The battalion had attached Battery D, 71st Artillery, equipped with the quad-mounted M55 .50 caliber machineguns on 2-ton trucks and Battery I (Searchlight), 29th Artillery. Battery B, 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery habitually supported 25th Division operations. The battery with firing sections from Battery D, 71st Artillery and searchlights from Battery I, 29th Artillery, performed perimeter defense of firebases and base camps as well as convoy security for the Tropic Lightning through 11 Vietnam campaigns. In recognition of its service Battery B received a Valorous Unit Award, a Meritorious Unit Citation, three awards of the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm and the Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal First Class. The 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery departed Vietnam on 22 June 1971 and was inactivated on 23 June 1971. The Vietnam battle honors awarded to the 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery are carried on the colors of the 5th Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment and the 5th Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment. Both battalions are currently inactive.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	1st Battalion, 27th Artillery “Conjuncti Stamas” (“United We Stand”)	Constituted in 1918 as Battery A, 27th Field Artillery and assigned to the 9th Division. It was redesignated as Battery A, 27th Armored Field Artillery Battalion in 1940 and assigned to the 1st Armored Division. In WWII the 27th participated in two North African campaigns and five campaigns in Italy receiving the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. In 1946 the 27th was converted and redesignated in Germany as the 27th Constabulary Squadron. After occupation duty the battalion reverted to field artillery and served with the 1st Armored and 2nd Infantry Divisions. In 1957 Battery A was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 1st Battalion, 27th Artillery. In 1966 the 1/27th Arty was activated as a 155mm self-propelled howitzer battalion at Fort Sill. The battalion arrived in Vietnam on 14 April 1967 and was assigned to the 23rd Artillery Group, II Field Forces. In November 1967, 1/27th Artillery transferred to Dau Tieng from where it supported operations of the 25th Infantry Division. In February 1970 the battalion moved to the Cu Chi base camp where it continued to support the “Tropic Lightning”. The 1/27th departed Vietnam on 4 December 1970. The battalion participated in 11 Vietnam campaigns and received two Meritorious Unit Commendations and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm. The 1st Battalion (MLRS), 27th Field Artillery Regiment participated in both Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom and was assigned to the 41st Field Artillery Brigade, V Corps, Babenhausen, Germany until the brigade’s inactivation on 15 July 2005. The battalion is currently assigned to the 1st Armored Division.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	2nd Battalion, 32nd Artillery Regiment “Proud Americans”	Served as Battery B, 32nd Field Artillery through eight campaigns in Africa and Europe to include three amphibious assault landings. Battery B was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Artillery on 2 June 1958. The 2nd Battalion arrived in Vietnam on 3 November 1965. Originally equipped as a self-propelled M107 175mm gun battalion it was assigned to the II Field Force’s 23rd Artillery Group. During its Vietnam service the battalion primarily supported the 25th Division. Initially based at Cu Chi, it was relocated to Tay Ninh in April 1967. In 1969 the battalion was reorganized as a dual 8-inch howitzer and 175mm gun battalion. On 21 October 1969 the battalion returned to Cu Chi. The battalion departed Vietnam on 22 January 1972 having served in fifteen Vietnam campaigns. It received two Valorous Unit Awards and four awards of the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. Additionally Batteries A and B each received an additional Valorous Unit Award. The 2nd Battalion, 32nd Artillery was inactivated at Fort Lewis on 31 July 1972. The battalion was reactivated as a multiple launch rocket system battalion in the 1980s and served in V Corps Artillery stationed in Giessen, Germany until inactivated in the early 1990s. The 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery is scheduled to be reactivated in FY 2006 and assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division and stationed at Fort Riley Kansas. Read more about them.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	6th Battalion, 77th Artillery Regiment “En Garde” (“On Guard”)	On 15 October 1966 the 6th Battalion, 77th Artillery was activated at Fort Irwin, California as a towed 105mm howitzer battalion. The battalion arrived in Vietnam on 22 May 1967. Assigned to II Field Force, the 6/77th Artillery was attached to the 25th Division and based at Cu Chi. Battery C, 6th Battalion received a Presidential Unit Citation for its superb artillery support of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry during the squadron’s defense of Tan Son Nhut Air Base on 31 January 1968. In 1968 the battalion was assigned to the 54th Artillery Group and on 20 July 1968 was attached to the 9th Infantry Division and based at Can Tho. The battalion was inactivated in Vietnam on 1 June 1969. Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 6th Battalion was reorganized and redesignated as Battery F, 77th Artillery and activated in Vietnam on 30 April 1971 as an aerial rocket artillery battery in support of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Bien Hoa. The battery was inactivated in Vietnam on 12 August 1971. The 6th Battalion/Battery F participated in nine Vietnam campaigns receiving two awards of the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and the Civil Action Honor Medal. For additional history of the 77th Artillery see our 2nd Battalion, 77th Artillery information and the 77th Artillery Association.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	3rd Squadron (Air) 17th Cavalry Regiment “Forward”	Served in Vietnam from 30 October 1967 to 30 April 1972 participating in thirteen Vietnam campaigns and receiving a Valorous Unit Citation during the Cambodian incursion. Initially assigned to the 12th Aviation Group and based at Di An, the 3rd Squadron was composed of three air troops and one ground troop. As the air cavalry unit for the western part of the III Corps Tactical Zone the squadron supported 25th Infantry Division operations during 1967-68. The 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry is currently assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, GA. Read more about them.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	269th Aviation Battalion (Combat) (The Black Barons) “Aim High”	The 269th Aviation Battalion arrived in Vietnam on 28 January 1967 from Fort Bragg. Assigned to the 12th Aviation Group it was based at Cu Chi supporting the 25th Infantry Division and other U.S. Army units. The battalion controlled a total of nine aviation companies during the period April 1967 to April 1971. Of the nine companies the 116th, the 188th and the 242nd Aviation Companies (see below) served with the battalion the longest. The 269th departed Vietnam on 15 April 1971 after serving in eleven campaigns of the Vietnam War. The 269th returned to Fort Bragg and in 1987 HHD, 269th Aviation Battalion was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Aviation Brigade (Corps) (Airborne) and assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps. The brigade served in Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait/Iraq and was inactivated in March 2006.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
(unofficial)	242nd Aviation Company (Assault Support Helicopter) (Muleskinners)	The 242nd Aviation Company (Assault Support Helicopter) equipped with the CH-47 Chinook medium helicopter arrived at Bien Hoa, Vietnam in August 1967. In September,1967 the company was assigned to the 269th Aviation Battalion with the mission of supporting the 25th Division. The 242nd transferred to Cu Chi in November 1967 where it established records for hauling personnel and supplies for the Tropic Lightning. With the departure of the 269th on 15 April 1971 the company was assigned to the 145th Aviation Battalion at Long Binh. The 242nd Aviation Company departed Vietnam on 1 October 1971 having participated in eleven campaigns of the Vietnam War. Read more about them.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	588th Engineer Battalion “Hic Et Ubique” (“Here and Everywhere”)	The 588th Engineer Battalion (Combat) served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1970. The 588th was placed under the operational control of the 25th Infantry Division and operated out of the Cu Chi and Tay Ninh base camps. For a detailed history of the battalion Read more about them.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	554th Engineer Battalion “Haec Lucra Laborum” (“These are the Profits of Industry”)	The 554th Engineer Battalion (Construction) arrived in Vietnam on 14 April 1967. The battalion was assigned to the 79th Engineer Group, 20th Engineer Brigade and stationed at the Cu Chi base camp of the 25th Infantry Division. For the next three plus years it furnished a wide spectrum of high-standard construction support to the development and maintenance of facilities for the 25th Division as well as the other organizations stationed in the Cu Chi base camp and its environs. After the departure of the 25th Infantry Division from Vietnam in December 1970, the 554th continued to furnish construction support to remaining Army units until the battalion’s departure from Vietnam on 1 March 1972. In recognition of its service, the battalion was awarded two US Army Meritorious Unit Commendations and campaign participation credit for thirteen of the seventeen Vietnam campaigns. The battalion also received three Republic of Viet Nam unit awards as well. For additional information on the history of the 554th Engineers Read more about them.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	372nd Army Security Agency Company	On 25 June 1962 Company A, 303rd Army Security Agency Battalion was activated at Fort Carson Colorado. It was reorganized and redesignated as the 372nd Army Security Agency Company on 15 October 1966. The 372nd was a radio research company supporting the 25th Division in intercepting enemy communications and locating enemy units. The 372nd participated in twelve Vietnam campaigns receiving five Meritorious Unit Commendations and four Republic of Vietnam awards. The company was inactivated in Vietnam on 6 March 1971. It was reactivated on 1 July 1974 at Helemano, Hawaii. On 16 June 1983 it was reorganized and redesignated as Company A, 125th MI Battalion. Read more about them.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	7th Surgical Hospital (Mobil Army) “Refugium et Virtus” (“Refuge and Strength”)	The 7th Surgical Hospital served in WWII in the South Pacific as the 7th Portable Hospital participating in two campaigns in New Guinea where it received a Presidential Unit Citation. It then participated in the Leyte and Luzon campaigns receiving a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. The 7th arrived in Vietnam on 4 June 1966. It was assigned to the 68th Medical Group and became operational on 1 August 1966 at Cu Chi where it provided medical care for the 25th Infantry Division. On 23 April 1967 the 7th Surgical Hospital was transferred to Long Giao where it supported the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. The 7th was inactivated in Vietnam on 10 July 1970 after participating in twelve Vietnam campaigns.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	Unit History
	12 Evacuation Hospital “Skilled and Resolute”	The 12th Evacuation Hospital was first activated on 3 January 1918 and served in France in WWI participating in the St. Mihiel campaign. In 1942 the 12th was ordered into federal service and participated in the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe campaigns receiving a Meritorious Unit Commendation. The hospital was inactivated on 6 January 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. It was reactivated at Fort Lewis on 1 January 1952 as a Regular Army unit. The hospital was stationed at Fort Ord, California when it received orders to Vietnam. The 12th Evacuation Hospital arrived in Vietnam on 9 September 1966. It was assigned to the 67th Medical Group and stationed at Cu Chi primarily in support of the 25th Division. In December 1966 the hospital became operational and received its first patients. In the four plus years the 12th served at Cu Chi it admitted some 37,000 patients including U.S., RVN military and civilians and enemy prisoners. It received campaign participation credit for eleven campaigns and was awarded three Meritorious Unit Commendations, two awards of the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and the Civil Action Honor Medal. The 12th was inactivated on 15 December 1970 at Fort Lewis. It was reactivated on 16 January 1983 and stationed at Heidelberg, Germany. The 12th participated in all three campaigns of Operation Desert Storm. On 16 January 1992 it was reorganized and redesignated as the 212th Surgical Hospital. It subsequently served in Hungary, Bosnia and Kosovo in support of peacekeeping operations. On 16 March 2006 it was redesignated as the 212th Combat Support Hospital. It is assigned to the 30th Medical Command in Germany and has participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom.