This week a former member of the Ohio National Guard was sentenced to six years in prison for manufacturing ghost guns and making threats against Jewish schools and synagogues. Pitts, White and Giunta each earned their medals for actions taken during bloody battles in. Image Saber Strike 15 - Apaches take Flight. 12/24/2003. Melzer, who was a private assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy, planned a jihadist attack on his Army unit in the days leading up to a deployment to Turkey and sent sensitive details about the unit including information about its location, movements and security to members of the extremist organization Order of the Nine Angles, according to court documents. Copyright 2023 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | [113], In March 2015, a 173rd Airborne battalion of around 600 American paratroopers headed to Ukraine to train Ukrainian national guard troops. He and others then passed these messages to a purported member of al-Qaida, according to the Justice Department. He was dead, but he kept me warm.. . In a strictly military sense, the Dak To fighting has been a victory for the allied forces, war correspondent Peter Arnett was forced to admit in an Associated Press report filed after spending 10 days at the scene. Accessed 26 November 2015. In 2020 he was told he would be transferred to a sensitive base in Turkey, which is when he allegedly began plotting the attack. While stationed abroad, Melzer consumed propaganda from multiple extremist groups, including O9A and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which is also known as ISIS. Anne Wilkes Tucker Photography Study Center, Ambush Alley, 25th Division, Recon Cavalry, Ambushed Convoy Sent to Relieve Duc Co SF Camp. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Battle for Hill 875 - or the Siege of Dak To - The 2nd battalion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade with over 300 soldiers advanced up this hill with artillery . The memo depicted Melzer as a product of neglect, abuse and a troubled family who found himself "in thrall to a bizarre satanic cult" and doubled down on his involvement when subjected to a Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 on base, where he was " drinking heavily, and spending far too much time online.". The success of the program varied greatly from unit to unit, but the programs of the 173rd and Task Force South were generally regarded as effective. Six helicopters from the 335th Aviation Company attempting to resupply the pinned-down troopers were shot down during the day. Read the full press release at the DOJ's website. Ethan Melzer infiltrated the U.S. Army in service of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and jihadist group, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a Department of Justice release on the sentencing. [3][5][25] During their time in Okinawa, they prided themselves as the "toughest fighting men in Okinawa, if not the entire U.S. Armed Forces". A second base was opened in Vicenza called Del Din and is the current headquarters of the 173rd. Click here. 1st Cavalry Division units1st Bn., 12th Cav Regt., and 2nd Bn., 8th Cavalryalso played a part in the campaign. Kirkuk. The brigade returned most recently from a deployment stretching from late 2013 to late 2014. Pfc. Close air support was impossible for the same reasons. A gavel rests on the judges bench in the courtroom of the 39th Air Base Wing legal office at Nov. 14, 2019, at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. If you served in 173rd Airborne Brigade, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. The 173rd had been operating near Bien Hoa Air Base outside Saigon and had been in combat only against NLF guerrillas. [3] It. The sign had read "American who read this die. The enormous amounts of ordnance expended by both forces had turned the once-lush tropical jungle into a scarred and torn landscape.. 738 173rd Airborne Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE Collections Project #ShowUs Creative Insights Custom Content EDITORIAL VIDEO BBC Motion Gallery NBC News Archives MUSIC BLOG BROWSE PRICING BOARDS CART SIGN IN Editorial Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All In November 1967, the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 4th Infantry Divisions 1st Brigade slugged it out with four NVA regiments in the Central Highlands. [16] The brigade deployed to France along with the rest of the division in September 1918, but it did not participate in any campaigns and never saw combat, instead being utilized as a pool of laborers and reinforcements for frontline units. Add the following CSS to the header block of your HTML document.Then add the mark-up below to the body block of the same document. [99] The brigade returned to Italy in March 2006. John Barnes of C Company earned a posthumous Medal of Honor when he saved the lives of several wounded men by throwing himself on a grenade. Before Hill 875 was even assaulted, the 173rd had already sustained 79 KIA and 287 WIA. remember that day and the jump that followed for the rest of our lives.. The following day, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's (ARVN) elite 1st Airborne Task Force (the 5th and 8th Battalions) and the 3rd Brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Division (5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry; and an additional infantry battalion) arrived to conduct search and destroy operations north and northeast of Kon Tum. . The training took place at the Yavoriv training center near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. We need to let kids be kids, and our laws need to set appropriate boundaries that respect the rights and responsibilities of parents, while protecting children from the serious health, safety, and welfare consequences of social agendas that are totally inconsistent with how the overwhelming majority of parents want to raise their children.. Harold B. Birch, battalion commander at the time, recalled that about 14 Red Warriors were wounded in the attack, some by a misdirected American helicopter gunship.. "He used his membership in the military to pursue an appalling goal: the brutal murder of his fellow U.S. service members in a carefully plotted ambush.". McKinney. Brigade members received over 7,700 decorations, including more than 6,000 Purple Hearts. Jesus, they were all over the place, one paratrooper recalled. Supporting the Veterans, Soldiers and Friends of the 4th Infantry Division Since 1919. Web. He allegedly pledged his allegiance to O9A and relayed sensitive information about his unit's upcoming deployment including the location, movement and security of the service members. [78] They jumped from aircraft of the 62nd Airlift Wing, 446th Airlift Wing, 437th Airlift Wing and the 315th Airlift Wing ( this included the 728th Airlift Squadron), along with a Tactical Air Control Party of USAF Airmen from the 4th Air Support Operations Squadron[90] and the 786th Security Forces Squadron. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets was inserted into a landing zone on Hill 823 and wound up losing 20 KIA, 154 WIA and two MIA. And vets of that proud unit feel the sting. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army Contingency Response Force in Europe, capable of projecting ready forces anywhere in the U.S. European, Africa or Central Commands' areas of responsibility within 18 hours. He acknowledged that would likely be killed if he carried out the attack, writing, who gives a f--- [. By unlawfully disclosing his units location, strength, and armaments to other O9A members and jihadists in furtherance of this ambush, Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Neither battalion faced heavy resistance as the NVA had decamped during the night, denying the Americans a chance at some revenge. until 0400 est. [15] Though the brigade in name did not exist during the war, the redesignation meant that it carried the lineage of the 87th Reconnaissance Troop, and when the brigade was reactivated, it would include the troop's lineage and campaign streamers. Conetto, Al, "In the Beginning, there was the Hump,". LRS provided the 173rd Brigade command group with key recon and intel of the province, and held control of Helmand with a 5th Special Forces Group ODA element. On Nov. 3, A and B companies made a combat assault from Dak To airstrip to a ridge line just below Hill 1338, recalled Alex Cooker, then the platoon leader of 3rd Plt., B Co., 3rd Bn., 12th Inf. | Gold Star, Active Duty, etc.). Russian Column Reacts To Ukrainian Ambush. A soldier of D Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, takes a break from the heavy fighting during the battle for Dak To. At 08:28 on 11 November, after leaving their overnight laager and following a PAVN communications wire, the force was ambushed by the 8th and 9th Battalions of the PAVN 66th Regiment and had to fight for its life. Headquarters and Headquarters Company Nov. 18 saw the 1st Bn., 503rd Inf., lose seven KIA on Hill 882, while D Company of the 4th Battalion had six dead to friendly fire.. Melzer pleaded guilty in June 2022 to charges of attempted murder of U.S. Army soldiers, illegally sharing national security information and providing and attempting to provide terrorists with material support. The 173rd Airborne Brigade United States Army Beanie Hat Winter Knitted Caps Unisex Warm Hat,Skull Cap Slouchy Beanies. [68], After widely publicized reports by battalion commander Lt. Col. Anthony Herbert, investigators confirmed that military interrogators of the 173rd Airborne Brigade "repeatedly beat prisoners, tortured them with electric shocks and forced water down their throats". During fierce, close-quarters fighting, some of the paratroopers made it into the PAVN trench line but were ordered to pull back as darkness fell. Interrogators also employed a technique called the "water rag", which involved pouring water onto a rag covering the captive's nose and mouth, which creates the sensatation of drowning and can lead to death by asphyxiation. In-Depth Coverage . While several of its units, including the 2-503rd and A/3-319th were ordered to Tuy Ha to repair and refit,[64][65] the 173rd was transferred to Camp Radcliff in An Kh and Bong Son areas during 1968, seeing very little action while the combat ineffective elements of the brigade were rebuilt. Pre-deployment workups in the weeks that followed provided Melzer with terrorist threat training and access to numerous classified briefings, information that he immediately funneled via encrypted messaging applications to members of the Order of the Nine Angles. While there, he consumed extensive propaganda from numerous extremist groups, including O9A and ISIS, and routinely downloaded and accessed videos of jihadist attacks and executions, court documents showed. Short Range Ambush Platoon 1968 - 1969. You slept with corpses. The 173rd participated in the initial invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, and had four tours in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 200506, 200708, 200910, and 201213. It is a merciless land of steep limestone ridges, some of them exceeding 4,000 feet, wrote Robert Barr Smith in, Vietnam magazine. The paratroopers esprit de corps, elitism and personal pride would not permit that.. Among the first ground combat troops in northern Iraq, Haynes parachuted in this time with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Ethan Phelan Melzer, 24, from Kentucky, planned a jihadist attack on his U.S. Army unit just before he was to deploy to Turkey and sent information about his unit's location, movements, and security to members of the extremist organization Order of the Nine Angles (O9A), a white supremacist, neo-Nazi and pro-jihadist group. | Article | The United States Army", "US Sending Around 600 Paratroopers to Ukraine to Train Troops", 173rd Airborne Brigade Association Website, 173rd Airborne Brigade Lineage and Honors Certificate, Vanity Fair article from Spring '08 focusing on 2503 in Afghanistan, "Into The Valley of Death", New York Times article from Spring '08 focusing on 2503 in Afghanistan, "Battle Company Is Out There", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=173rd_Airborne_Brigade&oldid=1141762434, 19171919; 19211945; 19471951; 19631972; 2000present, European and African area quick response force, BG Otho B. Rosenbaum, July 15, 1918 - July 26, 1918, COL John O'Shea, July 27, 1918 - July 28, 1918, BG Otho B. Rosenbaum, July 29, 1918 - September 19, 1918, COL John Shea, September 20, 1918 - December 2, 1918, COL John Shea, December 4, 1918 - December 20, 1918, BG Marcus D. Cronin, December 21, 1918 - January 9, 1919, COL John Shea, January 10, 1919 - January 19, 1919, BG Marcus D. Cronin, January 20, 1919 - February 8, 1919, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 17:39. "Todays sentence holds Mr. Melzer accountable for an egregious and shameful act of betrayal against his own military unit and his country," said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Departments National Security Division. [32] The brigade was put under the command of IIField Force, Vietnam. Todays sentence makes clear that Melzers brazen actions backfired and that this office along with our partners in law enforcement and the military will work tirelessly to bring traitors like Melzer to justice and to protect the safety and integrity of our armed services., Melzer betrayed his fellow soldiers and his country, said Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBIs Counterterrorism Division. In November 2017, 2-503rd Infantry Regiment (The Rock) traveled in US Air Force C-130s to Belgrade, Serbia to conduct training with the Serbian Airborne Forces where they conducted two combined jumps at drop zones near Belgrade. One of the most notable units to operate out of a FOB was the brigade's 74th Long-Range Surveillance (LRS) detachment. [139], Sixteen soldiers have been awarded the Medal of Honor for service with the 173rd IBCT(A) and its subordinate units. He was arrested by the FBI on June 10, 2022 after investigators claimed he gave sensitive military information to the Order of Nine Angles, a British neo-Nazi Satanist group with pro-Jihadi views that encourages extreme violence in an effort to destabilize society and attempts to overthrow what it views as Jewish control of global culture and economics. No reviews. just looking for anyone from Aco 3/503 173rd abn{sep}Iwas with this unit from12/3/67through 68 saw combat 12/27/67 bad stuff. 99 U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade conduct an ambush on Cypriot troops during a force-on-force squad-level blank. Private Olive's body absorbed the full, deadly blast of the grenade and he died saving his comrades. [5][12][13], The 173rd Infantry Brigade was constituted on 5 August 1917 as an infantry brigade and organized on 25 August at Camp Pike, Arkansas,[14] as an element of the 87th Division[15] along with the 174th Infantry Brigade. (67.1 51.8 3.2 cm), Museum purchase funded by the Mundy Family Foundation, courtesy of David and Stephanie Mundy. [143] On 13 May 2014, former 503rd Infantry Regiment Sergeant Kyle White received the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony. [82], On 26 March 2003, 954 soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted a combat jump from C-17 aircraft onto Bashur Airfield in Northern Iraq[3][86] under the command of Colonel Mayville. Nearly surrounded, Lozada jumped from his covered position and fired his M-60 from the hip, providing further cover for fellow soldiers when he was mortally wounded. His first duty assignment was with Alpha Company, 3d. Activated in 1915, as the 173rd Infantry Brigade, the unit saw service in World War II but is best known for its actions during the Vietnam War. (Department of Justice). By October, the 173rd, the 4th Infantry Division, and six ARVN battalions were moved to Dak To. These brigades had difficulty operating without support from higher headquarters. It conducted combat operations in Kandahar Province. On 1 December 1951, the troop was inactivated and released from its assignment to the 87th Infantry Division. Training also included securing roads, bridges, and other infrastructure and treating and evacuating casualties. [94] The entire battle for Kirkuk cost the brigade only nine casualties. Yarborough said the bill aims to protect children from what he described as a radical, prurient agenda.. [6], On 11 October 2006, as part of the Army's "Unit of Action" modularized unit force restructuring that General Shinseki had originally envisioned the 173rd Airborne Brigade became the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team (an airborne IBCT). [5] Under Williamson, the unit trained extensively, making mass parachute jumps. Carlos Lozada, after receiving orders to retreat back up the hill, provided covering fire, at times walking backward up the hill spraying M-60 machine-gun fire into the brush on either side of the trail. O9A espouses neo-Nazi, antisemitic and Satanic beliefs and promotes extreme violence to accelerate and cause the demise of Western civilization. [34] During more than six years of continuous combat, the brigade earned 14 campaign streamers and four unit citations, the Presidential Unit Citation, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, a Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, and a Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal. [108] 42 soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment. A former Army private who pleaded guilty last year to plotting to murder members of his own unit with help from satanic neo-Nazis was sentenced today to 45 years in prison, the Justice Department announced. The battalion lost 12 KIA. parade field at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza Italy, to help uncase the colors of the most valorous,. Some 15 Army artillery batteries along with tactical air support provided immense firepower. [95] The unit then took part in Operation Peninsula Strike, quelling Ba'ath party resistance and other insurgent groups. . But they certainly did no more than the many other non-elites did, like 4th Division grunts, the artillery and others.. The unit was supposed to guard an isolated, sensitive military base. [115], In 2017, some 600 personnel (1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment) were deployed to the Baltic countries to be positioned in Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia for six weeks to coincide with the duration of the joint Russian/Belarusian strategic Zapad 2017 exercise that began 14 September 2017.[116][117][118]. An official website of the United States government. [85] Operation Iraqi Freedom began on 20 March with V Corps, consisting of the 101st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division, and 3rd Infantry Division making a forceful push from the south, beginning the Iraq War. The next day, Pfc. A recon patrol made the first contact on Nov. 2, briefly skirmishing with NVA, resulting in one U.S. KIA. But there was a silver lining: Investigators . The unit fought in the Iron Triangle, a VC stronghold north of Saigon,[35][39] seeing many engagements with VC forces during that time. (Staff Sgt. From April 1969 until its withdrawal from South Vietnam in 1971, the brigade served in Bnh nh Province. BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- A 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Soldier received a Silver Star for valor in a ceremony here July 12. ", In messages to O9A, Melzer wrote, [y]ou just gotta understand that currently I am risking my literal free life to give you all this" -- in regards to the sensitive information he was sharing. The brigade served mainly in Kirkuk for the next year. [73], In 2002, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (2-503rd) activated, providing a second infantry battalion. Within a week these units began to fall apart due to desertions. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Todays sentence holds Mr. Melzer accountable for an egregious and shameful act of betrayal against his own military unit and his country, said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Departments National Security Division. National 4th Infantry (IVY) Division Association. The operation was a success, and the battered VC division fled. Published Mar 3, 2023 10:30 PM EST. The 3rd Battalion on Nov. 10-11 sustained another 18 KIA and 118 WIA on Hill 724 during a five-hour ground and mortar attack. Gen. John W. Barnes officially ended the unit's pair-off program and replaced it with Operation Washington Green, an intensive area security effort with territorial and paramilitary forces in Bnh nh Province. [109], From November 2009 until November 2010, the 173rd IBCT(A) once again returned to Afghanistan, this time to the provinces of Logar and Wardak. After the new units were integrated into the brigade, the preponderance of the forces within the brigade were stationed in Germany, apart from the brigade headquarters in Italy. Ethan Melzer displays personal effects, including paraphernalia associated with the extremist group Order of the Nine Angles. [3] The reorganized brigade consolidated at a single location in Vicenza, Italy. [20] The brigade was also the only separate brigade to receive its own tank company,[21] in the form of Company D, 16th Armor. Legal Statement. Every objective was taken. Every Objective was Taken Throughout the day, U.S. airstrikes and artillery continued to pound the top of the hill, as the NVA lobbed mortars at the U.S. perimeter. [15] The maneuver battalions of the Vietnam era 173rd trace their lineage to the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, which successfully assaulted the fortress island of Corregidor in the Philippines by parachute and waterborne operations, thereby earning the nickname "The Rock". Todays sentence took that opportunity from him.". As far as brutal fighting goes, 4th ID commander Maj. Gen. William R. Peers told news correspondents, I would say this is the worst weve had., That was confirmed by the 1st Brigades Presidential Unit Citation for defeating a numerically superior enemy during 33 days of violent, sustained combat., Slept with Corpses Tragically, one air strike hit too close to the paratroopers. Stanton, Vietnam Order of Battle, pp. The investigation was carried out by the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, with assistance from the FBIs Legal Attach Office in Rome, U.S. Army Counterintelligence and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, among others. A former soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to plot with a hate group to attack his unit. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. [5] It was a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army's VCorps and after June 2013, subordinate to US Army Europe. [87] The jump took a total of 58seconds, though 32 paratroopers were unable to jump because they would have landed too far from the rest of the force. [114] This program was known as Fearless Guardian which was congressionally approved under the Global Contingency Security Fund. The 173rds 2nd Bn., 503rd Inf., led the assault. IE 11 is not supported. The 173rd was also assigned Company N (Ranger), 75th Infantry. Soldier charged with plotting 'mass casualty' attack on his own unit", "Army soldier charged with giving classified info to satanic neo-Nazi group", "Press Release - Statement regarding incident in Cheshnegirovo", "Big and Rich talk about inspiration behind their '8 November', "Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0886", "Medal of Honor Recipients Vietnam (A-L)", "Medal of Honor Recipients Vietnam (M-Z)", "Readout of the President's call with Specialist Salvatore Giunta", "Former sergeant to receive Medal of Honor for Afghanistan actions. [91] By 29 March the entire brigade was in Iraq and ready to conduct offensive operations.[91]. The Army did not immediately respond Friday to comment about when Melzer was discharged from the service. The artist, Queensland, Australia; purchased by MFAH, 2010. Del Din hosts 173rd Brigade Headquarters, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, the Brigade Support Battalion, and the Brigade Special Troops Battalion. The 173d Airborne Brigade was now attached to JSOTF-N as the conventional force. The changing face of the 173d Airborne Brigade now offers opportunies for both Female and Male individuals. It was a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army's V Corps and after June 2013, subordinate to US Army Europe.. The 173rd Airborne Brigade prides itself on being a forward stationed high-readiness unit, available to deploy to U.S. African, European and Central Commands within 18 hours of notification. U.S. losses were 20 killed, 154 wounded, and two missing. In May 2020, Melzer was informed his unit would be deploying to another overseas location to guard a sensitive U.S. military base. [64], The intense fighting during the Battle of Dak To took a heavy human toll on the 173rd. Have You Heard of the 173rd - YouTube 0:00 / 3:45 Have You Heard of the 173rd Greg Johnson 53 subscribers 453 46K views 14 years ago Have you heard of the 173rd Airborne Brigade? At 06:58 the following morning, Alpha Company began moving alone up a ridge finger and triggered an ambush by the 6th Battalion of the 24th PAVN Regiment. [46] During the battle, the brigade operated out of the northeastern part of the war zone along with the 196th Infantry Brigade (Separate), as four other brigades from the 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions attempted to surround and destroy the 9th Division in the War Zone. On November 8th 1965, the 173rd Airborne Brigade on "Operation Hump", war zone "D" in Vietnam, were ambushed by over 1200 VC. On 1 July 2006, a documentary inspired by the song and based on the brigade's actions during the operation premiered on the GAC Channel. The New York Times. Abandoned weapons, helmets, rucksacks, clothing, canteens and empty ration containers littered the battlefield. Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. "[119][120][121] He was charged in June 2020 with conspiring and attempting to murder military service members, and providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. Consequently, the HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade was designated as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop in February 1942 and activated on 15 December 1942. He also advised them that PAVN regulars were a much better equipped and motivated force than the VC. Melzer, a private, was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, which was deployed to Italy. In May 2020, the Army told Melzer he would be assigned to another unit slated for deployment where they would be guarding a military base. [40], The attached helicopter unit became the Casper Aviation Platoon, befitting a separate infantry brigade as the only separate aviation platoon deployed in Vietnam. Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect.. A former counterintelligence officer gave a statement under oath that "he saw interrogators punch and kick prisoners, beat them with sticks, administer electrical shocks and urinate on them. [130] He was depicted as being in "the 505th battalion", although no such unit was ever part of the 173rd. to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade . The 173d Airborne Brigade was constituted 5 August 1917 as an infantry brigade and organized 25 August 1917 at Camp Pike, Arkansas as an element of the 87th Division. (47.9 32.5 cm), Frame (outer): 26 3/8 20 3/8 1 1/4 in. [5] The 173rd incurred 1,533 deaths and around 6,000 wounded. [51][52], The battle around Dak To became more costly as 4-503 of the 173rd was ordered to occupy Hill 823, south of Ben Het Camp, for the construction of Fire Support Base. . All rights reserved. it would be another war . The 3rd Brigade went off jump status on 1 April 1974, the same date on which the Airmobile Badge (Air Assault Badge as of 4 October 1974) was introduced. The 173rd Airborne Brigade currently consists of 3,300 soldiers in seven subordinate battalions as well as a headquarters company:. The 173rd Airborne Brigade serves as the conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to provide a Europe-based neo-Nazi, Satanist, and pro-jihadist group by giving it classified information to attack his. U.S Army badge is seen on a uniform of American soldier.