82nd Division 82nd Infantry Division 82nd Airborne Division |
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The Shoulder sleeve insignia of the 82nd Airborne Division.
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Active | 1917–1919 1921–present |
Country | United States of America |
Branch | United States Army |
Type | Airborne infantry |
Role | Command and control organization containing two to four maneuver brigades |
Size | Division |
Part of | XVIII Airborne Corps |
Garrison/HQ | Fort Bragg, North Carolina, U.S. |
Nickname(s) | "All American Division", "82nd Division", "82nd Infantry Division", "America's Guard of Honor", "The 82nd", within the unit and the wider airborne community simply "Division" |
Motto(s) | "All the way!", "Death from above" |
March | "The All-American Soldier" |
Engagements |
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Website | https://www.bragg.army.mil/index.php/units-tenants/82nd-airborne-division |
Commanders | |
Commander | MG Erik Kurilla |
Deputy Commander – Operations | BG Matt McFarlane |
Deputy Commander – Support | COL Michael Fenzel |
Deputy Commander – Interoperability | Brigadier (UK) James Learmont |
Command Sergeant Major | Command Sergeant Major Michael Green |
Notable commanders |
Complete list of commanders |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia of the Division's Headquarters Battalion | |
Combat service identification badge | |
Division Flag |
The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army, specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areas. Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is part of the XVIII Airborne Corps. The 82nd Airborne Division is the U.S. Army's most strategically mobile division. Some sources consider the 82nd Airborne Division the most highly trained light infantry division in the world. Recently the 82nd Airborne has been conducting operations in Iraq. The 82nd Airborne has been assigned to advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces.
The All American division was constituted, originally as the 82nd Division, in the National Army on 5 August 1917, shortly after the American entry into World War I, and was organized on 25 August 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia and later served with distinction on the Western Front in the final months of World War I. Since its initial members came from all 48 states, the unit acquired the nickname All-American, which is the basis for its famed "AA" shoulder patch. The division later served in World War II where, in August 1942, it was reconstituted as the first airborne division of the U.S. Army and fought in numerous campaigns during the war, gaining an excellent reputation.
Famous soldiers of the division include Sergeant Alvin C. York, General James M. Gavin, General of the Army Omar Bradley, Senator Strom Thurmond (325th Glider Infantry Regiment in World War II), Senator Jack Reed, R&B singer Lou Rawls, actor William Windom, country music singer Craig Morgan, former Syracuse University football coach Ben Schwartzwalder, fashion critic/choreographer Bruce Darnell, The Honorable Patrick Murphy (Under Secretary of the Army), Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, and General "Henry" Hugh Shelton (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 to 2001). Colonel Chris Gibson, Brigade Commander 325 Airborne Infantry, New York Congressman.