Every unit in the military has a moment they are known for, several have many moments they were known for. \u00a0My unit, the 29th Infantry Division will always be remembered for storming the beaches at Normandy. \u00a0We were also the first National Guard unit that was combat arms called up for Bosnia, and we did rotations of both Iraq and Afghanistan. \u00a0I was lucky enough to join the unit in Afghanistan, and for the second half of that deployment we were actually assigned to the 173rd Airborne. \u00a0At the time, we were less than excited about that prospect, because if one of our squads got hit by an enemy about 5 times our strength, the 173rd policy was to hold the enemy in place, and they’d come out and take care of the rest. \u00a0Not always the most encouraging thing you can hear over the radio when rounds are flying by you.<\/p>\n
But the 173rd lives up to their reputation. \u00a0Originally actived in WWI, the unit deployed to France but didn’t see any action. \u00a0During WWII they were assigned to George Patton’s 3rd Army where they saw action in the Battle of the Bulge and at the Rhine River Crossing.<\/p>\n
After WWII it was deactivated and reactivated several times until Vietnam, when the Brigade was the first Army unit sent to the republic of South Vietnam in May 1965. \u00a0As their website makes clear:<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0In the combat operations to follow, the paratroopers made their superb training payoff.\u00a0 They were the first to go into “War Zone D” to destroy enemy base camps. They introduce small, long range patrols. The fought the battles of the iron triangle, conducted the only major combat parachute jump in the Tay Ninh Area, and blocked NVA incursions during the bloodiest fighting of the war at “Dak To” during the summer and fall of 1967, culminating in the capture of “Hill 875”. Elements of the Brigade conducted an amphibious assault against NVA and VC forces as part of an operation to clear the rice growing lowlands along the “Bong Song” Littoral.<\/p>\n
\u00a0The Troopers of the 173d Airborne Brigade wear their combat badges and decorations with pride. During more than\u00a0six years of nearly continuous combat\u00a0in Vietnam, The brigade earned four unit citations, had 13 Medal of Honor winners, had over 130 distinguished service crosses winners. 1731** Sky Soldiers were killed in action and another 8,345 were wounded in action. These 10,076 casualties incurred by the Brigade were\u00a0five\u00a0times greater then the 187th Airborne Regiment in Korea,\u00a0fourtimes greater than those suffered by the 11th Airborne Division in the Pacific in WWII, more than\u00a0twice\u00a0those suffered by the 101st Airborne Division in Europe in WWII, and\u00a0two thirds\u00a0of those suffered by the entire 82nd Airborne Division in WWII. The Brigade took part in 14 designated campaigns and conducted\u00a0the only U.S. line combat parachute assault\u00a0of the Vietnam war. The Brigade was Deactivated on 14 January 1972 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u00a0 In 2000 the unit was activated again in Vincenza Italy, and a year later, with the start of the War on Terror would begin a new legacy of heroism.<\/p>\n
I’ve been extraordinarily lucky to know quite well the three 173rd paratroopers who have received the Medal of Honor during the War on Terror: Sal Giunta, Kyle White and Ryan Pitts. \u00a0Ryan and I spent a week together riding in the mountains of Montana on horseback, with a friend of his (and Silver Star recipient named Mike Denton.) \u00a0Ryan, Mike, our Legislative Director Ian DePlanque and I shared a cabin together for the week, and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much as we did that week. \u00a0This is well before Ryan would receive his Medal of Honor, so I just knew him as Ryan, and we bonded over a host of subjects, including our love of all New England Sports teams. \u00a0 If I had to spend time with just one of them, it would likely be Ryan, if only because if it were Sal my liver would quit on me after about four days, and Kyle is just as talkative as I am, which is to say not at all.<\/p>\n
If you’ve never seen our video on Ryan, you should:<\/p>\n