24th Infantry Division
24th ID Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Active	February 25, 1921
Country	USA
Branch	National Guard
Type	Division
Garrison/HQ	Fort Riley
Culture and history
Nickname	Taro Leaf Division/First to Fight
Motto	Victory

The Hawaiian Division, now called the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized)—also known as the Victory Division—was an infantry division of the United States Army with base of operations at Fort Riley, Kansas. Image File history File links 24_Infantry_Division_SSI.png‎ // [edit] Shoulder Sleeve Insignia. ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Seal of the National Guard Bureau Seal of the Army National Guard Seal of the Air National Guard Seal of the National Guard Missile Defense The United States National Guard is a component of the United States Army (the Army National Guard) and the United States Air Force (the Air... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... Fort Riley is a census-designated place and United States Army post, in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Fort Riley is a census-designated place and United States Army post, in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

History

Lineage

• Constituted 1 February 1921 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, Hawaiian Division
• Activated 1 March 1921 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
• Reorganized and redesignated 1 October 1941 as Headquarters, 24th Infantry Division
• Reorganized and redesignated 1 April 1960 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 24th Infantry Division
• Inactivated 15 April 1970 at Fort Riley, Kansas
• Activated 21 September 1975 at Fort Stewart, Georgia
• Inactivated 15 February 1996 at Fort Stewart, Georgia
• Activated 17 October 1999 at Fort Riley, Kansas
• Inactivated 1 August 2006 at Fort Riley, Kansas

Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation (and census-designated place or CDP) located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. ... Fort Riley is a census-designated place and United States Army post, in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River. ... Fort Stewart is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily located in Liberty County, Georgia, but also occupying significant portions of Bryan County, Georgia. ...

Narrative

The 24th Infantry Division has its origins in Hawaii. It was first activated under the peacetime Square Division Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) on 25 February 1921 as the Hawaiian Division. It, the Philippine Division, and the Americal Division were the last three US Army divisions to be named rather than numbered. The division retained this TO&E until 1941, when it was reorganized under a Triangular Division TO&E, and the remainder organized into the new 25th Infantry Division. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Philippine Division was the core of the US Armys Philippine Department. ... Americal Division Shoulder Patch The Americal Division of the United States Army was formed in May 1942 on the island of New Caledonia. ... Patch of the United States Army 25th Infantry Division. ...

World War II

24th ID Distinctive Unit Insignia

The 24th Infantry Division was among the first to see combat in World War II and among the last to stop fighting. The Division was on Oahu, with Headquarters at Schofield Barracks, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941, and suffered minor casualties. Charged with the defense of northern Oahu, it built an elaborate system of coastal defenses. In May 1943 it was alerted for movement to Australia and by 19 September 1943 had completed the move to Camp Caves, near Rockhampton, on the eastern coast of Australia. After a period of intensive training, the Division moved to Goodenough Island, 31 January 1944, to stage for the Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura)-Tanahmerah campaign. The 24th landed on Dutch New Guinea, 22 April 1944, and smashed its way to and seized the important Hollandia Airdrome despite torrential rains and marshy terrain. Shortly after the Hollandia landing, the 34th Infantry Regiment moved to Biak, 18 June, to reinforce the 41st Infantry Division, and captured Sorido and Borokoe airdromes before returning to the Division on Hollandia in July. After occupation duty in the Hollandia area, the 24th Division landed on Red Beach on Leyte, 20 October 1944, as part of the X Corps, Sixth Army, and driving up Leyte Valley advanced to Jaro and took Breakneck Ridge, 12 November 1944, in heavy fighting. While mopping up continued on Leyte, the 19th RCT moved to Mindoro Island as part of the Western Visayan Task Force, landing in the San Jose area, 15 December 1944. Airfields and a PT base were secured for operations on Luzon. Divisional elements effected a landing on Marinduque Island. Other elements supported the 11th Airborne Division drive from Nasugbu to Manila. The 34th RCT, landing at San Antonio, Luzon, 29 January 1945, ran into a furious battle on Zig Zag Pass and suffered heavy casualties. On 16 February 1945 the 3d Bn. of the 34th Infantry took part in the amphibious landing on Corregidor and fought Japanese under a hot sun on the well-defended Rock. After numerous mopping up actions in March, the Division landed on Mindanao, 17 April 1945, cut across the island to Digos, 27 April, stormed into Davao, 3 May, and cleared Libby airdrome, 13 May. Although the campaign closed officially on 30 June, the Division continued to mop up Japanese resistance during July and August 1945. Patrolling continued after the official surrender of Japan. On 15 October 1945, the Division left Mindanao for Japan. Image File history File links 24_Infantry_Division_DUI.png‎ // [edit] Distinctive Unit Insignia. ... Image File history File links 24_Infantry_Division_DUI.png‎ // [edit] Distinctive Unit Insignia. ... Schofield Barracks is a United States Army installation (and census-designated place or CDP) located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. ... Satellite image of Pearl Harbor. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Mayor Margaret Strelow Area 187 km² Population 59,120 (2003) (ABS) Time zone UTC + 10 Latitude Longitude Rockhampton (or Rocky as it is known by the locals) is a small city and Local Government Area in Central Queensland, Australia, located 42 km inland from the Capricorn coast on the Bruce... Goodenough Island is an island belonging to Papua New Guinea. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... A workers mural in Jayapura, Indonesia Jayapura City (Indonesian: Kota Jayapura) is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. ... Dutch New Guinea was a common name of western New Guinea while it was a colonial possession of the Netherlands. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Fishing boats lined up at Kota Biak, Indonesia Biak is a small island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. ... June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... The 41st Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War I and World War II. World War I Activated: July 1917 (National Guard Division from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana). ... Combatants United States, Australia and Philippines Japan Commanders Douglas MacArthur Walter Krueger Franklin C. Sibert John R. Hodge Ruperto C. Kangleon Tomoyuki Yamashita Sosaku Suzuki Shiro Makino Strength 200,000 U.S. troops 3,189 Filipino guerrillas 55,000 Japanese troops Casualties 3,500 killed 12,000 wounded 49,000... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... X Corps was a unit of the United States Army that took part in the invasion of Leyte under Sixth Army during 1944. ... Shoulder sleeve insignia of the U.S. Sixth Army. ... Jaro is a 4th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. ... Breakneck Ridge is a mountain along the Hudson River between Beacon and Cold Spring, New York, along the boundary between Dutchess and Putnam counties. ... November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Mindoro is the fourth-largest island in the Philippines. ... San Jose is a 1st class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the 11th Airborne Division. ... Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. ... The City of Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynila), or simply Manila, is the capital of the Philippines. ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Corregidor - Landsat satellite photo from 2000 Corregidor and the entrance to Manila Bay Corregidor Pacific War Memorial 2005 Corregidor is an island in the entrance of the Philippines Manila Bay. ... Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country, with Luzon and Visayas being the other two. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Digos City is a 3rd class city in the province of Davao del Sur, Philippines. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Davao refers to several places in Mindanao in the Philippines. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

Korean War

When the North Koreans attacked South Korea in June 1950, elements of the 24th Infantry Division were the first to arrive in Korea, where they fought a delaying action against overwhelming odds. The delay permitted the United Nations to build up its forces near Pusan, and the division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions. Over the next nineteen months the division fought in seven campaigns and was twice decorated by the Republic of Korea. In February 1952 the "Victory Division" returned to Japan where it served as part of the Far East reserve. In July 1953 the division went back to Korea to restore order in prisoner of war camps. The following year the division returned to Japan, where it served until February 1955. At that time the 24th deployed to Korea for another tour of duty. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... USA and USAF Presidential Unit Citation Please see Presidential Unit Citation for other versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action on or after 7 December 1941 against an armed enemy. ...

Vietnam War years

When the United States reduced and realigned its divisions in the Far East in 1957, the 24th left Korea, eventually replacing the 11th Airborne Division in Germany. While in Germany, in addition to its standard infantry mission, the 24th fielded airborne units for about two years. The division remained in Germany until September 1968 when it redeployed two brigades to Fort Riley, Kansas, as part of Exercise REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany). One brigade was maintained in Germany. As the Army withdrew from Vietnam and reduced its forces, the "Victory Division" was inactivated in April 1970 at Fort Riley. Fort Riley is a census-designated place and United States Army post, in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Exercise REFORGER (REturn of FORces to GERmany) was an annual exercise conducted, during the Cold War, by the United States Army. ...

Role in the Middle East

In September 1975 the 24th Infantry Division was reactivated at Fort Stewart, Georgia, as part of the program to build a sixteen-division force. Because the Regular Army could not field a full division at Fort Stewart, the 24th had the 48th Infantry Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard, assigned to it as a round-out unit. Targeted for a NATO role, the division was reorganized as a mechanized infantry unit in 1979. When the United Nations decided to halt aggression in Kuwait in 1990, the 24th was chosen for deployment to Southwest Asia. Serving in the Defense of Saudi Arabia and Liberation and Defense of Kuwait campaigns, the division under then Major General Barry McCaffrey helped to arrest the Iraqi war machine. Returning to the United States in the spring of 1991, the 24th was reorganized with all its elements in the Regular Army, two brigades at Fort Stewart and one brigade at Fort Benning, Georgia. In the fall of 1994 Iraq again menaced the Kuwaiti border, and two brigades from the division returned to Southwest Asia. As part of the Army's reduction to a ten-division force, the 24th Infantry Division was inactivated on 15 February 1996, and reflagged to become the 3rd Infantry Division. On 5 June 1999, the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) was once again activated, this time at Fort Riley, Kansas. From 1999 to 2006 the "Victory Division" consisted of an active component headquarters at Fort Riley and three enhanced separate brigades: 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. Fort Stewart is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily located in Liberty County, Georgia, but also occupying significant portions of Bryan County, Georgia. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[1] (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ... Gen. ... Fort Benning is a military base facility of the United States military southwest of Columbus, Georgia. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized). ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Fort Riley is a census-designated place and United States Army post, in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Clinton is a city located in Sampson County, North Carolina. ... Nickname: The Capital of Southern Hospitality, The Metro Location in Richland County, South Carolina Country United States State South Carolina Counties Richland and Lexington Mayor Bob Coble (D) Area    - City 346. ... Macon is a city located in central Georgia. ...

Inactivation

The 24th Infantry Division (Mech) inactivated on August 1, 2006 at Fort Riley. Its most recent operations included preparing Fort Riley for the return of the 1st Infantry Division, previously stationed in Germany. The 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army —nicknamed the Big Red One after its shoulder patch—is the oldest continuously serving division in the American Army. ...

Honors

Campaign Participation Credit

• World War II:

1. Central Pacific;
2. New Guinea (with arrowhead);
3. Leyte (with arrowhead);
4. Luzon;
5. Southern Philippines (with arrowhead)

• Korean War:

1. UN Defensive;
2. UN Offensive;
3. CCF Intervention;
4. First UN Counteroffensive;
5. CCF Spring Offensive;
6. UN Summer-Fall Offensive;
7. Second Korean Winter;
8. Korea, Summer 1953

• Southwest Asia:

1. Defense of Saudi Arabia;
2. Liberation and Defense of Kuwait

Decorations

1. Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for DEFENSE OF KOREA
2. Army Superior Unit Award for 1994
3. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945
4. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for PYONGTAEK
5. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for KOREA 1952-1953

USA and USAF Presidential Unit Citation Please see Presidential Unit Citation for other versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action on or after 7 December 1941 against an armed enemy. ... The Superior Unit Award is a decoration of the United States Army which is awarded in peacetime to any unit of the Army which displays outstanding meritorious performance of a difficult and challenging mission carried out under extraordinary circumstances. ... Philippine P.U.C. The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation is a decoration of the Republic of the Philippines which has been awarded to certain units of the United States military for actions both during and subsequent to the Second World War. ... Korean P.U.C. The Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation is issued by the government of South Korea to both Korean military and foreign units. ...

External links

• 24th Infantry Division Home Page - official site.
• 24th Infantry Division Association
• The 24th Infantry Division in Europe
• GlobalSecurity.org: 24th Infantry Division