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3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Iron Rakkasans, is a battalion
of the US Army 187th Infantry Regiment. The battalion was activated on 25 February 1943, and first saw action in the Pacific Theater
of the Second World War, during the battle to regain US control of the Philippines. Troops from the battalion then served in the four-year occupation of Japan
, where they earned their nickname "Rakkasans" (meaning "falling down umbrellas"), before stationing in Fort Campbell, Kentucky
. The battalion served in the Korean War
from 1950 as the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team
and participated in 12 major missions during the Vietnam War
, emerging from that conflict as the US’s most highly decorated airborne battalion. In the 1990s the battalion served in Iraq as part of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, then in the first decade of the 21st century in Afghanistan and again in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion has received numerous awards and commendations, including six Presidential Unit Citations and three Valorous Unit Award
s.
as part of the 187th Glider Infantry
Regiment. In March 1944, the Battalion deployed to the Pacific Theater as part of the 11th Airborne Division
. After six months of training in New Guinea
, the 187th was committed to combat in Leyte in the campaign to regain control of the Philippine Islands. In the subsequent fighting the unit repelled and destroyed a 500-man Japanese parachute assault and earned the battalion’s first Presidential Unit Citation (Army). It also participated in an amphibious assault
on southern Luzon, forced a Japanese retreat at the battle of Tagatay Ridge, and pierced the Genko defensive line during the attack on Manila. For its actions during World War II, the Iron Rakkasans received three campaign streamers.
in September 1945 the troopers were the first American Soldiers to set foot on Japanese soil, flying there as part of General Douglas A. MacArthur’s advance guard. During the four years of occupation duty in Japan, the Soldiers of the 187th Infantry Regiment, now all parachute qualified, were given the name “Rakkasans” by the local Japanese. Loosely translated as “falling down umbrella,” the name stuck; the troops liked it and adopted it. The battalion has used the name ever since. In early 1949, the regiment rotated to Camp Campbell, Kentucky, where it was once again assigned to the 11th Airborne Division.
With the outbreak of the Korean War the Iron Rakkasans returned to Asia as a separate unit, the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, in September 1950. Shortly after their arrival the Iron Rakkasans earned a Presidential Unit Citation (Navy) for the attack up the Kimpo Peninsula as part of the amphibious assault at Inchon. They also earned a second Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for a parachute assault north of Pyongyang, North Korea
at Sukchon-Sunchon in October 1950. At Sukchon, Private First Class Richard G. Wilson, a medic attached to I Company, earned the Congressional Medal of Honor
when he gave his life as he administered aid and shielded wounded troopers from enemy fire. In March 1951 the regiment made a second combat jump at Musan-ni, cutting off and destroying large numbers of North Korean and Chinese forces above the 38th parallel
. Nearly two years later, in June 1952, the Iron Rakkasans helped quell the prison riots on the island of Koje-do
. For their efforts during the Korean War, the Battalion earned six campaign streamers.
. As part of a larger realignment of the Army, under the Pentomic Division Concept, the Iron Rakkasans road marched to Fort Campbell in February 1956 to serve as the nucleus of the newly reactivated 101st Airborne Division
. In February 1963 the Battalion transformed into an air assault
battalion and became part of the newly re-flagged 11th Air Assault Division at Fort Benning, Georgia
. Over the next year, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment served as a test unit to help validate the Army’s airmobile concept.
Regiment. Over the next four years the Iron Rakkasans fought in twelve major campaigns, conducting numerous air assaults and search and destroy
missions. During one such mission in March 1968 Captain Paul W. Bucha, commander of D Company, received the Congressional Medal of Honor when he crawled through a hail of fire to single-handedly destroy a machine gun bunker with grenades near Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam. When the battalion colors returned to Fort Campbell the unit had distinguished itself by earning two Valorous Unit Awards, and its third and fourth Presidential Unit Citations for the battles of Trang Bang
and Dong Ap Bia
Mountain (commonly known as “Hamburger Hill
”). The Iron Rakkasans emerged from the Vietnam War as the country’s most highly decorated airborne battalion.
as part of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. During Operation Desert Storm the Iron Rakkasans participated in the largest air assault in history, conducting a vertical envelopment 175 miles into enemy territory to establish blocking positions near the Euphrates River. The air assault isolated the Iraqi Republican Guard
and helped bring a quick conclusion to the war. The Battalion earned two campaign streamers during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The 3rd Battalion also deployed to the Sinai Peninsula
from July 1995 to January 1996 to keep the peace between Egypt and Israel.
.
in April 2003. For this action the battalion earned an unprecedented fifth Presidential Unit Citation. Following the invasion the battalion conducted six months of security operations near Rabia, Iraq, on the Syrian border, to block the flow of foreign fighters. Prior to returning stateside in January 2004 the Iron Rakkasans conducted combat operations in Husaybah, Iraq with the 3rd Armored Cavalry
Regiment. Once back in the US the battalion transformed by adding a Forward Support Company. The battalion returned to Iraq in September 2005 and fought from FOB Falcon in Baghdad for three months, before moving north to Forward Operating Base
(FOB) Brassfield-Mora in Samarra, along the Tigris River. While the battalion was serving in Samarra the Golden Dome Mosque, a Shi’ite holy site, was blown up by insurgents. This created a volatile situation which the Iron Rakkasans defused with precise counterinsurgency operations
. The battalion redeployed to Fort Campbell in September 2006. Twelve months later, in September 2007, the Iron Rakkasans deployed as part of the Surge to Yusufiyah, Iraq. During their tour the battalion supervised over 5000 Sons of Iraq (or members of the Awakening); trained and partnered with the 17th Iraqi Army Division; conducted dozens of raids, air assaults, and cordon and searches; and earned the Valorous Unit Award. The battalion was so successful at counterinsurgency operations that they peacefully transitioned control of the area to the Iraqi Security Forces
upon redeployment in November 2008. With over three years of combat operations in Iraq, the battalion earned the Iraqi Campaign Streamer.
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the US Army 187th Infantry Regiment. The battalion was activated on 25 February 1943, and first saw action in the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
of the Second World War, during the battle to regain US control of the Philippines. Troops from the battalion then served in the four-year occupation of Japan
Occupied Japan
At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power...
, where they earned their nickname "Rakkasans" (meaning "falling down umbrellas"), before stationing in Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
. The battalion served in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
from 1950 as the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team
Regimental combat team
A regimental combat team was a provisional major infantry unit of the United States Army during the World War II and the Korean War, and of the U.S. Marine Corps to the present day...
and participated in 12 major missions during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, emerging from that conflict as the US’s most highly decorated airborne battalion. In the 1990s the battalion served in Iraq as part of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, then in the first decade of the 21st century in Afghanistan and again in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The battalion has received numerous awards and commendations, including six Presidential Unit Citations and three Valorous Unit Award
Valorous Unit Award
The Valorous Unit Award is the second highest unit decoration which may be bestowed upon a U.S. Army unit and is considered the unit equivalent of the Silver Star...
s.
World War II
The 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment was activated on 25 February 1943 at Camp Mackall, North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
as part of the 187th Glider Infantry
Glider infantry
Glider infantry was a type of airborne infantry in which soldiers and their equipment were inserted into enemy controlled territory via military glider rather than parachute...
Regiment. In March 1944, the Battalion deployed to the Pacific Theater as part of the 11th Airborne Division
U.S. 11th Airborne Division
-Knollwood Maneuver:The 11th Airborne, as the attacking force, was assigned the objective of capturing Knollwood Army Auxiliary Airfield near Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The force defending the airfield and its environs was a combat team composed of elements of the 17th Airborne Division and a...
. After six months of training in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the 187th was committed to combat in Leyte in the campaign to regain control of the Philippine Islands. In the subsequent fighting the unit repelled and destroyed a 500-man Japanese parachute assault and earned the battalion’s first Presidential Unit Citation (Army). It also participated in an amphibious assault
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
on southern Luzon, forced a Japanese retreat at the battle of Tagatay Ridge, and pierced the Genko defensive line during the attack on Manila. For its actions during World War II, the Iron Rakkasans received three campaign streamers.
Post World War II
Following the Japanese surrenderSurrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
in September 1945 the troopers were the first American Soldiers to set foot on Japanese soil, flying there as part of General Douglas A. MacArthur’s advance guard. During the four years of occupation duty in Japan, the Soldiers of the 187th Infantry Regiment, now all parachute qualified, were given the name “Rakkasans” by the local Japanese. Loosely translated as “falling down umbrella,” the name stuck; the troops liked it and adopted it. The battalion has used the name ever since. In early 1949, the regiment rotated to Camp Campbell, Kentucky, where it was once again assigned to the 11th Airborne Division.
Korean War
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
at Sukchon-Sunchon in October 1950. At Sukchon, Private First Class Richard G. Wilson, a medic attached to I Company, earned the Congressional Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
when he gave his life as he administered aid and shielded wounded troopers from enemy fire. In March 1951 the regiment made a second combat jump at Musan-ni, cutting off and destroying large numbers of North Korean and Chinese forces above the 38th parallel
38th parallel north
The 38th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 38 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean...
. Nearly two years later, in June 1952, the Iron Rakkasans helped quell the prison riots on the island of Koje-do
Geoje
Geoje is a city located in South Gyeongsang province, just off the coast of the port city of Busan, South Korea. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in Okpo and Samsung Heavy Industries in Gohyeon are both located on Geoje Island. The city also offers a wide range of tourist sights...
. For their efforts during the Korean War, the Battalion earned six campaign streamers.
1950s and 1960s
The 1950s and early 1960s were a turbulent time for the battalion. It returned to the US in 1955, this time to Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
. As part of a larger realignment of the Army, under the Pentomic Division Concept, the Iron Rakkasans road marched to Fort Campbell in February 1956 to serve as the nucleus of the newly reactivated 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
. In February 1963 the Battalion transformed into an air assault
Air assault
Air assault is the movement of ground-based military forces by vertical take-off and landing aircraft—such as the helicopter—to seize and hold key terrain which has not been fully secured, and to directly engage enemy forces...
battalion and became part of the newly re-flagged 11th Air Assault Division at Fort Benning, Georgia
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
. Over the next year, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment served as a test unit to help validate the Army’s airmobile concept.
Vietnam War
The Iron Rakkasans moved back to Fort Campbell, Kentucky in February 1964, to serve as part of the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. In December 1967 the 3rd Battalion deployed to Vietnam, alongside 1st and 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 506th Infantry Regiment is a unit assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division. During World War II, the unit was designated the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment ....
Regiment. Over the next four years the Iron Rakkasans fought in twelve major campaigns, conducting numerous air assaults and search and destroy
Search and destroy
Search and Destroy, Seek and Destroy, or even simply S&D, refers to a military strategy that became a notorious component of the Vietnam War. The idea was to insert ground forces into hostile territory, search out the enemy, destroy them, and withdraw immediately afterward...
missions. During one such mission in March 1968 Captain Paul W. Bucha, commander of D Company, received the Congressional Medal of Honor when he crawled through a hail of fire to single-handedly destroy a machine gun bunker with grenades near Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam. When the battalion colors returned to Fort Campbell the unit had distinguished itself by earning two Valorous Unit Awards, and its third and fourth Presidential Unit Citations for the battles of Trang Bang
Trang Bang
Trảng Bàng is a district in Tay Ninh province, in southeastern Vietnam. It has a traditional artisan industry, and recently has opened an industrial zone for foreign investment...
and Dong Ap Bia
Dong Ap Bia
Dong Ap Bia is a mountain on the Laotian border of South Vietnam in Thua Thien-Hue Province. Rising from the floor of the western A Shau Valley, it is a looming, solitary massif, unconnected to the ridges of the surrounding Annamite range. It dominates the northern valley, towering some 937 metres...
Mountain (commonly known as “Hamburger Hill
Battle of Hamburger Hill
The Battle of Hamburger Hill was a battle of the Vietnam War which was fought by the United States and South Vietnam against North Vietnamese forces from May 10–20, 1969. Although the heavily fortified Hill 937 was of little strategic value, U.S. command ordered its capture by a frontal assault,...
”). The Iron Rakkasans emerged from the Vietnam War as the country’s most highly decorated airborne battalion.
Desert Storm
In August 1990 the battalion deployed to Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
as part of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. During Operation Desert Storm the Iron Rakkasans participated in the largest air assault in history, conducting a vertical envelopment 175 miles into enemy territory to establish blocking positions near the Euphrates River. The air assault isolated the Iraqi Republican Guard
Iraqi Republican Guard
The Iraqi Republican Guard was a branch of the Iraqi military during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. It later became the Republican Guard Corps, and then the Republican Guard Forces Command with its expansion into two corps....
and helped bring a quick conclusion to the war. The Battalion earned two campaign streamers during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The 3rd Battalion also deployed to the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
from July 1995 to January 1996 to keep the peace between Egypt and Israel.
Afghanistan
After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 11 September 2001, the battalion once again saw active overseas service. From January to August 2002 the Iron Rakkasans deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, where it participated in numerous search and attacks, raids, and air assaults against the elusive remnants of the Taliban near the Pakistan border, helping to stabilize the country. For its actions, the battalion earned the Afghanistan campaign streamerCampaign streamer
Campaign streamers are decorations attached to military flags to recognize particular achievements or events of a military unit or service. Attached to the headpiece of the assigned flag, the streamer often is an inscribed ribbon with the name and date denoting participation in a particular battle,...
.
Iraq
In February 2003 the Iron Rakkasans deployed to Kuwait as part of the invasion force for Operation Iraqi Freedom. While attached to the 3rd Infantry Division the battalion cleared the Republican Guard Headquarters and Baghdad AirportBaghdad International Airport
Baghdad International Airport, originally Saddam International Airport, , BIAP is Iraq's largest airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate...
in April 2003. For this action the battalion earned an unprecedented fifth Presidential Unit Citation. Following the invasion the battalion conducted six months of security operations near Rabia, Iraq, on the Syrian border, to block the flow of foreign fighters. Prior to returning stateside in January 2004 the Iron Rakkasans conducted combat operations in Husaybah, Iraq with the 3rd Armored Cavalry
U.S. 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment
The 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood, TX.The Regiment has a history in the United States Army that dates back to 19 May 1845, when it was Constituted in the Regular Army as the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen at Jefferson Barracks,...
Regiment. Once back in the US the battalion transformed by adding a Forward Support Company. The battalion returned to Iraq in September 2005 and fought from FOB Falcon in Baghdad for three months, before moving north to Forward Operating Base
Forward Operating Base
A forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, or other facilities. The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported...
(FOB) Brassfield-Mora in Samarra, along the Tigris River. While the battalion was serving in Samarra the Golden Dome Mosque, a Shi’ite holy site, was blown up by insurgents. This created a volatile situation which the Iron Rakkasans defused with precise counterinsurgency operations
Counter insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
. The battalion redeployed to Fort Campbell in September 2006. Twelve months later, in September 2007, the Iron Rakkasans deployed as part of the Surge to Yusufiyah, Iraq. During their tour the battalion supervised over 5000 Sons of Iraq (or members of the Awakening); trained and partnered with the 17th Iraqi Army Division; conducted dozens of raids, air assaults, and cordon and searches; and earned the Valorous Unit Award. The battalion was so successful at counterinsurgency operations that they peacefully transitioned control of the area to the Iraqi Security Forces
Iraqi Security Forces
The Iraqi Armed Forces are the military forces of the Government of Iraq. They consist of the Iraqi Army, the Iraqi Air Force, and the Iraqi Navy....
upon redeployment in November 2008. With over three years of combat operations in Iraq, the battalion earned the Iraqi Campaign Streamer.
Decorations
The 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment has received five Presidential Unit Citations, Army; one Presidential Unit Citation, Navy; three Valorous Unit Awards; numerous foreign awards and 25 campaign streamers; has executed two combat parachute jumps; and has two Medal of Honor recipients.External links
- 3–187th Lineage and Honors at United States Army Center of Military History
- Global Security: 3–187th Battalion History
- The Golden Rakkasans Website
- 187th Regimental History
- Army Study Guide's History of the 187th Infantry Regiment
- Explanation of the 187th Regimental Crest
- World War II Association:187th Infantry Regiment History
- Living History Association „RAKKASANS” Co C, 3/187th, 101st Abn Vietnam 1967–1969