11th Light Infantry Brigade

The 11th Infantry Brigade was reconstituted on April 15, 1966 as a Regular Army unit, and was reactivated on July 1, 1966 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Beginning in early 1967, the brigade trained extensively in jungle operations in preparation for commitment to Vietnam. To stress realism in the Vietnam-oriented tactical training, the brigade conducted "live-fire' operations in the rugged, thickly-vegetated terrain of the Koolau Mountains on the island of Oahu. The Brigade departed Hawaii November 28, 1967, for Duc Pho, Quang Ngai Province, I Corps Tactical Zone, Republic of Vietnam. The 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry, joined the "Jungle Warriors" in April 1968. Successful operations during this time included Operation Norfolk Victory, Champagne Grove, and Vernon Lake II. During these operations, the brigade succeeded in destroying the enemy's major bases of operation, weapons and munition caches, rice and salt caches, and interdicting his major infiltration and logistical routes. The 11th Infantry Brigade operated from five forward fire support bases, each strategically located to hinder the enemy's movement and interdict his traditional lines of infiltration.

199th Light Infantry Brigade

The 199th Infantry Brigade, known as the "Redcatcher," was formed on March 23,1966 at Fort Benning, Georgia. In September 1966 the 199th was sent to Camp Shelby Mississippi for advanced Infantry training. The 199th Light Infantry Brigade, tailored and trained for duty in the Republic of Vietnam, arrived on 12 December 1966, and set up a base camp just north of Long Bien Post. Its primary mission was to assist in the defense of Saigon, including the guarding of major infiltration corridors into the capital city. The Redcatchers had a nucleus of four combat infantry battalions and an artillery battalion. These in turn were backed by a combat support battalion, a helicopter aviation section, an armored cavalry troop, long range reconnaissance patrol units, a helicopter gunship troop and a company of engineers. The 199th rendered outstanding performances in its many engagements with the enemy. For its efforts in the 1968 Tet offensive, the Brigade received the Valorous Unit Award. The 199th was deactivated at Fort Benning, Georgia in September 1970.

Note: The distinctive patch of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade depicts a flaming spear with a red ball of fire in the middle giving the appearance of a REDCATCHER. The Blue and White denote the Infantry. The Spear, an early Infantry weapon, in flames symbolizes the evolution and firepower of the modern Infantry. It represents early Infantry's use of thrusting weapons and projectiles thrown or shot from bows, ballistas. The RED BALL in the center of the patch represents man's splitting of the atom, the Nuclear Age in which Infantry fights side by side with weapons of sophisticated warfare. The Yellow flame signifies the advent of gunpowder and the new trend in Infantry warfare. Fusillades through the centuries echoed from reports of the matchlock, the flintlock, the percussion cap and repeating rifle. The overall patch is symbolic of the development of Infantry and Infantry support through the ages. The oblong blue shield of the patch is a depiction of the shields used by the forerunners of modern Infantry, namely the Greek Phalanx and Roman Legion.

25th Infantry Division

The 25th Infantry Division was activated at Schofield Barracks, Territory of Hawaii, October 1, 1941. After its return to Hawaii from Korea in 1954, the Division established and conducted intensive training programs in jungle warfare techniques and the study of Asian languages, thus becoming the only trained counter-guerrilla unit in the U.S. Army. In response to a request from the U.S. Military Assistance Command in Vietnam (MACV), the Division sent 100 helicopter door-gunners to the Republic of South Vietnam in early 1963. By the time this first phase was completed in the latter part of 1965, 2,200 men of the 25th Infantry Tropic Lightning Division were involved. By August 1965, further Division involvement in the coming war in Vietnam came when Company C, 65th Engineer Battalion, was deployed to South Vietnam to assist in the construction of port facilities at Cam Ranh Bay. Again the Division was asked to contribute soldiers in December of that year, so in response to a MACV request for additional combat support, the Division sent 4,000 3rd Brigade infantrymen to the jungles of Vietnam. Operation Blue Light was the largest and longest airlift of personnel and cargo into a combat zone in military history until recently. The Brigade deployed its first soldiers from Hickam Air Force Base, Honolulu, to the central highlands at Pleiku. These men arrived in Vietnam December 24, 1965. By mid-January, the deployment operation was complete, giving combat planners in Vietnam a favorable balance of power. An important unit to these combat planners, the Division was heavily engaged from April 1966 until 1969 throughout the area of operations in Southeast Asia. This would lead Tropic Lightning soldiers into battles against a seemingly insurmountable opposition in jungles seemingly impossible to penetrate. 

TET OFFENSIVE/Vietnamization - During the Tet offensives of 1968 and 1969, Tropic Lightning personnel were instrumental in defending the besieged city of Saigon. Due to its success in fending off that attack, from May 1969 through April 1970, the 25th Infantry Division was mostly involved in the Vietnamization Program, helping the people of Vietnam rebuild their war-torn country, rather than in actual combat. The Division continued to see limited fighting, clearing the Ho Bo and Bo Loi Woods of remaining Viet Cong and assisting in other surrounding areas.

CAMBODIA - During the three-month period, April through June 1970, Tropic Lightning soldiers participated in Allied thrusts deep into enemy sanctuaries located in Cambodia. In these operations, the men confiscated thousands of tons of supplies and hundreds of weapons. This operation nearly crippled the Cambodian efforts against American units. Following its return from Cambodia to South Vietnam, the Division resumed its place in the Vietnamization Program. The war was winding down. By late December 1970, elements of the 25th Infantry Division were able to begin redeployment operations to Schofield Barracks. Second Brigade was the last element of the Tropic Lightning Division to depart Vietnam and arrived at Schofield Barracks in the early days of May 1971. During the war in Vietnam, 22 Medals of Honor were awarded to Tropic Lightning soldiers; the most number of Medals of Honor received by any other single unit in the war.

Note: During late 1943, the Division's shoulder patch, a lightning bolt superimposed on a taro leaf, was formally adopted. The taro leaf shape of the shoulder patch reflects the birth of the 25th from elements of the famous Hawaiian Division and is suggestive of the Pacific region where the Division was established, and where it had fought. The bolt of lightning symbolizes speed and aggressive spirit - a trait the Division proved in its battles for the Pacific. The colors of red and gold were those of the late Hawaiian monarchy. The 25th Division had used "lightning" as the telephone call-sign for Division Headquarters' arrival on Guadalcanal in December 1942. The Marines furthered the use of the nickname by calling the unit the Lightning Division. Lightning was subsequently changed to Tropic Lightning because the Division had spent the year in the tropics. In a break from tradition, the Department of the Army officially approved the use of the nickname Tropic Lightning August 3, 1953. Authorization for the Division to use the nickname, in addition to its regular numerical designation, marked the first time that a divisional unit had been given this kind of permission by the Army.

Source: Division History information obtained from The Army Historical Foundation and other Army History Internet sources.

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