25th Infantry Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1941–present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Army |
Type | Stryker infantry, and Light infantry |
Role | Command and control organization containing two to four maneuver brigades |
Size | Division |
Part of | United States Army Pacific |
Garrison/HQ | Schofield Barracks, Wahiawa, Hawaii |
Nickname(s) | "Tropic Lightning" (Special Designation) |
Motto(s) | "Tropic Lightning" |
Engagements |
World War II Korean War Vietnam War Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom |
Commanders | |
Current commander |
Major General Christopher G. Cavoli |
Notable commanders |
General J. Lawton Collins, 1942–1943 Lieutenant General William B. Kean, 1948–1951 Lieutenant General Samuel Tankersley Williams, 1952–1953 Lieutenant General Jonathan O. Seaman, 1960 General Frederick C. Weyand, 1964–1967 General James T. Hill, 1997–1999 Lieutenant General William E. Ward, 1999–2000 Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen, 2008–2009 |
Insignia | |
Flag | |
Distinctive unit insignia 25th Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion |
The 25th Infantry Division (nicknamed "Tropic Lightning", "Electric Strawberry", and the "Củ Chi National Guard" during the Vietnam War) is a U.S. Army division based in Hawaii. The division, which was activated on 1 October 1941 in Hawaii, conducts military operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Its present deployment is composed of Stryker, light infantry, airborne, and aviation units.
The 25th Division was formed from the 27th and 35th Infantry regiments of the original Hawaiian Division− a pre–Second World War "square division" composed of two brigades with four infantry regiments. The remaining units of the Hawaiian Division were reorganized as the 24th Infantry Division. These steps, part of the Triangular division organization, were undertaken to provide more flexibility with direct division control of three regiments.
Sources:
After the Japanese air attack on Schofield Barracks, 7 December 1941, the 25th Infantry Division moved to beach positions for the defense of Honolulu and Ewa Point. Following intensive training, the 25th began moving to Guadalcanal, 25 November 1942, to relieve Marines near Henderson Field. First elements landed near the Tenaru River, 17 December 1942, and entered combat, 10 January 1943, participating in the seizure of Kokumbona and the reduction of the Mount Austen Pocket in some of the bitterest fighting of the Pacific campaign. The threat of large enemy attacks caused a temporary withdrawal, but Division elements under XIV Corps control relieved the 147th Infantry and took over the advance on Cape Esperance. The junction of these elements with Americal Division forces near the cape, 5 February 1943, ended organized enemy resistance.