Svc Pins and Buttons

In May 1965, two battalions of the 503rd Infantry deployed as part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade to Vietnam as the first major U.S. Army ground combat unit to be deployed, joined later by 4-503rd Inf and 3-503rd Inf (bearing the lineages of the former Company D and Company C, 503rd PIR, respectively). During its six years in Vietnam, the four battalions of the 503rd participated in fourteen campaigns, earning two more Presidential Unit Citations and a Meritorious Unit Commendation. The 2nd Bn (Abn), 503rd Inf participated in the only combat jump of the war during "Operation Junction City" in 1967. It redeployed to the U.S. in July 1971, having the distinction of being one of the last units to leave Vietnam

The War in Afghanistan (or the American war in Afghanistan) is the period in which the United States invaded Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks. Supported initially by close allies, they were later joined by NATO beginning in 2003. It followed the Afghan Civil War's 1996–2001 phase. Its public aims were to dismantle al-Qaeda and to deny it a safe base of operations in Afghanistan by removing the Taliban from power. Key allies, including the United Kingdom, supported the U.S. from the start to the end of the phase. This phase of the War is the longest war in United States history.

In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Public Law 90-130 was signed into law; it removed legal ceilings on women's promotions that had kept them out of the general and flag ranks, and dropped the two percent ceiling on officer and enlisted strengths for women in the armed forces.Women’s Army Corps soldiers served in the Vietnam War; at their peak in 1970, WAC presence in Vietnam consisted of some 20 officers and 130 enlisted women

The Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) was activated, January 24, 1964, to function as a joint special operations task force. Commanded by a U.S. Army Special Forces colonel, MACV-SOG was a subcomponent of MACV.

on 25 Jan 1963 and are regarded as the first Seabees of the Vietnam conflict. They were sent to Dam Pau and Tri Ton to build camps for the Special Forces. In June 1965, Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Marvin G. Shields was a member of Seabee Technical Assistance Team 1104, that took part in the Battle of Dong Xoai. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions there and is the only Seabee ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Those Seabee "Civic Action Teams" continued throughout the Vietnam War and often were fending off enemy forces alongside their Marine and Army counterparts. Teams typically built schools, clinics or drilled wells. In 1964 ACB 1 was the first CB in the theatre. Beginning in 1965 Naval Construct...

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies, the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc, after World War II. Historians do not fully agree on the dates, but the period is generally considered to span the 1947 Truman Doctrine to the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union. The term "cold" is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two superpowers, but they each supported major regional conflicts known as proxy wars.

Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) was a highly classified, multi-service United States special operations unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the Vietnam War.

The division was stationed with the V Corps (1958–63, 1992-1996) and VII Corps (1963–92) in West Germany from near the Czech border westward throughout various towns including Wūrzburg (Div. Hq. & Support Command), Schweinfurt (1st Brigade), Kitzingen (2nd Brigade), and Aschaffenburg (3rd Brigade).

Afghanistan - Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) On September 11, 2001 the United States of America was the victim of a series of suicide bombings. Nineteen members of a terrorist organization boarded commercial passenger airplanes, hijacked them, and subsequently crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon. Following the attacks, it was discovered that Al-Qaeda, an extremist Islamic militant group, was responsible for these acts of violence. Osama Bin Laden, the terrorist group’s leader, was rumored to be hiding in Afghanistan, where he trained and armed men to perform terrorist acts. While 15 of the 19 people accused of the hijackings were from Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan was chosen as a battl...

The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein. The conflict continued for much of the next decade as an insurgency emerged to oppose the occupying forces and the post-invasion Iraqi government.

The 501st Airborne Infantry Regiment (501st AIR), previously the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (501st PIR) and later 501st Infantry Regiment (501st IR), is an airborne forces regiment of the United States Army, with a long history, having served in World War II and the Vietnam War, both as part of the 101st Airborne Division, as well as the War in Afghanistan.

The First American Helicopter Unit attached to Project Delta was 145th Airlift Platoon. Although the 145th provided support in 1965, the 145th Air Lift Platoon Direct supported of Delta Operations shows up in After Action Report (AAR) for Operation 1-66 (Binh Hoa). After consolidation of multiple Aviation Units the 145th was finally absorbed into what was to be known as the 281st Assault Helicopter Company (10th Combat Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group (Combat), 1st Aviation Brigade), which was placed under operational control of the 5th Special Forces Group in direct support of Project Delta operations in I and II Corps. The 281st AHC provided dedicated helicopter support from December 1966 and their support ended in Dec 1969.

The 1st Infantry Division is a combined arms division of the United States Army, and is the oldest continuously serving in the Regular Army. It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917 during World War I. It was officially nicknamed "The Big Red One" (abbreviated "BRO") after its shoulder patch and is also nicknamed "The Fighting First". However, the division has also received troop monikers of "The Big Dead One" and "The Bloody First" as puns on the respective officially sanctioned nicknames. It is currently based at Fort Riley, Kansas.

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 197

USS Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship built for the United States Navy in the mid-1910s. Named in honor of the 48th state's recent admission into the union, the ship was the second and last of the Pennsylvania class of "super-dreadnought" battleships. Arizona was hit by Japanese torpedo bombers during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. After one of their bombs detonated in a magazine, she exploded violently and sank, with the loss of 1,177 officers and crewmen.

United States Army Republic of Vietnam (USARV) was a corps-level support command of the United States Army in the Vietnam War. USARV was created on 20 July 1965 out of the U.S. Army Support Command, Vietnam.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team ("Sky Soldiers") is an airborne infantry brigade combat team of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe. Activated in 1915, as the 173d Infantry Brigade, the unit saw service in World War II but is best known for its actions during the Vietnam War. The brigade was the first major United States Army ground formation deployed in Vietnam, serving there from 1965 to 1971 and losing almost 1,800 soldiers. Noted for its roles in Operation Hump and Operation Junction City, the 173d is best known for the Battle of Dak To, where it suffered heavy casualties in close combat with North Vietnames...

A Vietnam veteran is someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of either an Infantry or Special Forces The term has been used to describe veterans who were in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States armed forces, and countries allied to them, whether or not they were stationed in Vietnam during their service. However, the more common usage distinguishes between those who served "in country".

The Aleutian Islands Campaign was a military campaign conducted by the United States in the Aleutian Islands, part of the Alaska Territory, in the American theater and the Pacific theater of World War II starting on 3 June 1942. A small Japanese force occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska, where the remoteness of the islands and the challenges of weather and terrain delayed for nearly a year a larger U.S./Canadian force to eject them. The islands' strategic value was their ability to control Pacific transportation routes, which is why U.S. General Billy Mitchell stated to the U.S. Congress in 1935, "I believe that in the future, whoever holds Alaska will hold the world. I think it is the most important strategic place in the world....

101st Airborne Division 2/502nd B.CO Renegades, and on 4 June,the Renegades came under attack after a presence patrol. The Renegades were hit with an RPG while mounting vehicles to take them back the base.The attack resulted in 6 injured soldiers and one KIA. PFC. Brandon Oberleitner was killed on impact as the RPG struck the lead vehicle he was sitting in. His death marked the only loss of life for B.Co for the deployment. Soon after this attack the 3rd Armoured Cavalry was forced to request an additional 1,500 troops to help quell the growing resistance faced in Fallujah and nearby al-Habaniyya. In June, American forces began confiscating motorcycles from local residents, claiming that they were being used in hit-and-run attack...

the III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF). It consisted of both the 3d Marine Division and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW). In midsummer 1965, in discussions with General Westmoreland, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara agreed to deploy additional U.S. troops both Marine and Army to South Vietnam. In August 1965, the first elements of the 1st Marine Division arrived at Chu Lai eventually followed by the division headquarters.

The United States invasion of Grenada began on 25 October 1983, led by the United States into the Caribbean island nation of Grenada, 100 miles (160 km) north of Venezuela, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury. It resulted in an American victory within a matter of days. It was triggered by the strife within the People's Revolutionary Government which resulted in the house arrest and execution of the previous leader and second Prime Minister of Grenada Maurice Bishop, and the establishment of the Revolutionary Military Council with Hudson Austin as Chairman. The invasion resulted in the appointment of an interim government, followed by democratic elections in 1984.

The Middle East Theatre of World War II is defined largely by reference to the British Middle East Command, which controlled Allied forces in both Southwest Asia and eastern North Africa. From 1943, most of the action and forces concerned were in the adjoining Mediterranean Theatre.

United States Military Advisory Group (MilGroup), located in the capital of the country, San Salvador, and its advisors who were located throughout the military districts of El Salvador. They were responsible for the training and the expansion of the El Salvadoran Armed Forces (ESAF). in the initial group were Army Special Forces soldiers who had been specifically trained for that type of operation. Special Forces soldiers (green berets) were also in El Salvador to help train Salvadoran military personnel in communications, intelligence, logistics, and in other skills designed to improve their capabilities to interdict infiltration and to rapidly respond to terrorist attacks.24 Counterinsurgency training was the primary mission giv...

Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal is awarded to U.S. merchant seamen who serve on U.S.-flag ships in support of operations involving American and allied military forces. The medal is not specific to a certain military operation or conflict, but the award citation would give such details.[2] It has been presented to individuals for service in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It has also been presented to Merchant Mariners sailing in support of Naval Operations with the US Navy's Military Sealift Command, including Cadet Midshipman at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

With escalation of the Vietnam War, VMA-211 moved to Iwakuni Japan in 1965 and commenced the first of four deployments to Chu Lai Air Base, South Vietnam. LtCol. F.H. Thurston became the CO of the Squadron on August 25, 1967. In August 1976, the squadron returned to MCAS El Toro. VMA-211 was deployed in the spring of 1972 to Naha Air Force Base on Okinawa and within three months was redeployed to Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam. It reinforced the USAF 8th Special Operations Squadron flying the A-37B Dragonfly, as well as F-4s tasked from Shaw AFB in support of operations against the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) Easter Offensive.

Fearing the growing threat of the Viet Cong insurgency to the South Vietnamese government, President John F. Kennedy began activating special forces units in anticipation of their insurgency combat expertise in 1961. The 5th Special Forces Group was among those units activated in 1961, and while attending training at the Special Warfare Center, Kennedy visited the units and personally approved the distinctive Special Force's Green Beret. The 5th SFG was first deployed as a battlefield advisory group for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)

The B-24 Liberators of 90th Bomb Group were a natural metal finish. They were marked with the Skull and Cross Bombs markings of the Jolly Roger. The insignia was designed by Sgt. Leonard Baer. Each Squadron had a different color background: 319th Squadron Blue background 320th Squadron Red background 321st Squadron Green background 400th Squadron Black background

March 1965, 1st Platoon, Sub Unit #1, 1st Force Reconnaissance Company (-), conducted preliminary reconnaissance of the planned amphibious beach landing sites. The sub unit was the first Force Recon unit to serve in Republic of Vietnam

The Berlin Blockade was from 24 June 1948 to 11 May 1949. It began when the Soviet Union blocked railway and road access by the three Western powers (the Americans, British, and French) to the Western-occupied sectors of Berlin. The Blockade stopped after the Western powers used airplanes to airlift food and other things that people needed. The Soviet Union began the blockade because they thought that monetary reform in the three German Occupation zones controlled by the Western powers which started on 21 June 1948 made the western parts of Germany too strong and wanted to force the west out of their occupation zone. The Russians wanted one Germany, without an army, that they could control.

In December 1990, the battalion deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The battalion breached and cleared lanes through Iraqi obstacle belts that allowed the passage of two divisions. Elements of the battalion destroyed 58 Iraqi tanks, 41 anti-aircraft artillery pieces, and other large quantities of ammunition and war material. The battalion returned to Fort Riley in 1991 and received the Valorous Unit Citation for actions in Southwest Asia.

When Cavalry units began making way into Iraq the 2nd and 6th Squadrons accompanied by several other units making up Task Force 11 flew into combat and became a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after April 5, 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, which took the form of a heart made of purple cloth, the Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members – the only earlier award being the obsolete Fidelity Medallion. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York.

Members of the Headquarters and Headquarters detachment deployed to Vung Tau, South Vietnam on 7 September 1966. On 26 September 1966, the Brigade assumed operational control over all non-divisional military police units in the Republic of Vietnam. The Brigade was composed of three major subordinate elements; the 16th Military Police Group at Nha Trang, and the 89th Military Police Group and 8th Military Police Group (Criminal Investigation) at Long Binh.The 16th and 89th Military Police Groups were composed of seven military police battalions, containing a mixture of military police and infantry companies. The units were stationed throughout every corps tactical zone in the Republic of Vietnam, ranging from Da Nang in the north to ...

The brigade dates back to the Vietnam War when it was constituted on 23 March 1966 as the 16th Military Police Group and activated on 20 May 1966 at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Shortly thereafter, the brigade deployed to Vietnam to help fight the Vietnam War. The Group provided command, control, staff planning, and coordination for military police units assigned and attached to the I and II Corps Tactical Zones. The 93rd, 97th, and 504th Military Police Battalions were under its control. The unit participated in thirteen campaigns to include nine counteroffensives and two consolidations during the Vietnam War receiving two Meritorious Unit Commendations and the Republic Of Vietnam Cross Of Gallantry With Palm for their outstandi...

Fearing the growing threat of the Viet Cong insurgency to the South Vietnamese government, President John F. Kennedy began activating special forces units in anticipation of their insurgency combat expertise in 1961. The 5th Special Forces Group was among those units activated in 1961, and while attending training at the Special Warfare Center, Kennedy visited the units and personally approved the distinctive Special Force's Green Beret. The 5th SFG was first deployed as a battlefield advisory group for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)