FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of the Heroes: Sky Soldiers ~ November 5, 2007

Linked in thread | Dagwood

[StarCMC]

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.

Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!

~ Hall of Heroes ~

Sky Soldiers
173D Airborne Brigade

All info and photos from this website.

           

BRIGADE HISTORY

 

The 173D Airborne Brigade was activated on the island of Okinawa on March 26, 1963. From its beginning, it proved to be an aggressive and unique unit led by (then) Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson who established realistic training throughout the Pacific Region.

The "TIEN BING," as the Nationalist Chinese paratroopers called the 173d, loosely translated to SKY SOLDIER, made thousands of parachute jumps in a dozen different Pacific area countries. The Brigade was the first Army ground combat Unit sent to the Republic of South Vietnam in May, 1965. The major portion of the brigade landed at Bien Hoa Airfield and found an area that had been battered frequently by enemy raids and shelling attacks.

The 1st and 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment along with the 3rd Battalion of the 319th Artillery.  comprised the foxhole strength of the 173d. They were well supported by their own Support Battalion and Troop E, 17th Cavalry, D Company, 16th Armour.  The First Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, and the 105 Field Battery, 1 RAR AUST Group were later attached to the Brigade during the first year.  In Late August, 1966, the 173d received another Infantry Battalion, the 4th, 503rd which arrived from Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. A 3rd Battalion was formed in early 1967 at Fort Bragg, N.C. and was shipped to Vietnam to join the Brigade on October 2, 1967. 

In the combat operations to follow, the paratroopers made their superb training payoff. They were the first to go into War Zone D to destroy enemy base camps. They introduced the use of small, long range patrols. They fought the battles of the Iron Triangle, conducted the only major combat parachute jump in the Tay Ninh area, and blocked NVA incursions during some of the bloodiest fighting of the war at Dak To during the summer and fall of 1967, culminating in the capture of Hill 875. Elements of the brigade conducted an amphibious assault against NVA and VC forces as part of an operation to clear the rice-growing lowlands along the Bong Song littoral.

The troopers of the 173D Airborne Brigade (Sep) wear their combat badges and decorations with pride. During more than six years of nearly continuous combat, the brigade earned 14 campaign streamers and four unit citations. 13 Medal of Honor winners, over 6,000 Purple Hearts, the only Combat Parachute Assault of the War, and sadly, over 1700 names of Sky Soldiers on THE WALL. The Brigade was deactivated on January 14, 1972 at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.

The Brigade was reactivated in 2000 in Vicenza, Italy. No longer a separate Brigade, the 173d became the Southern European Task Force, early intervention element for Europe, Africa and portions of Asia, just as the original unit had the same responsibility in the Pacific prior to deployment to Vietnam. Operation Iraqi Freedom found the Brigade making it's second combat jump. This time into Northwest Iraq to secure the Northern Airfield and area. A year later it was subsequently redeployed to Italy to refit and retrain for deployment to Afghanistan where it is currently engaged in combat operations.

 

RECIPIENTS OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR

SGT Larry S. Pierce 20 September 65	PFC Milton L. Olive 22 October 65	Sp5/SFC Lawrence Joel 8 November 65
Sp4 Alfred Rascon 16 March 66	SGT/CSM Charles B. Morris 29 June 66	SP4 Don L. Michael 8 April 67
PFC John A. Barnes III 12 November 67	MAJ (Chaplain) Charles J. Watters 19 November 67	PFC Carlos J. Lozada 20 November 67
SSG Laszlo Rabel 13 November 68	CPL Terry T. Kawamura 20 March 69	SP4 Michael R. Blanchfield 3 July 69
	SSG Glenn H. English, JR. 7 September 70

 

Click the link for the video, with an introduction by Kris Kristofferson.  This song is the story of a Sky Soldier.

 Big & Rich - 8th of November video

Said goodbye to his mamma
As he left South Dakota
To fight for the Red, White, and Blue.
He was nineteen and green with a new M-16
Just doing what he had to do.

He was dropped in the jungle
Where the choppers would rumble
With the smell of napalm in the air.
And the sergeant said, "Look up ahead"

Like a dark, evil cloud
1,200 came down
on him and 29 more.
They fought for their lives
But most of them died
In the 173rd Airborne.

(Chorus)
On the 8th of November,
The angels were crying
As they carried his brothers away.
With the fire raining down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standing that day.
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November.

Now he's fifty-eight
And his ponytail's grey
But the battle still plays in his head.
He limps when he walks,
But he's strong when he talks
About the shrapnel they left in his leg.

He puts on a grey suit
Over his Airborne tattoo
And He ties it on one time a year
And remembers the fallen,
As he orders a tall one
And swallows it down with his tears.

(Chorus)
On the 8th of November,
The angels were crying
As they carried his brothers away.
With the fire raining down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standing that day.
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November.

Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965.

(Chorus)
On the 8th of November,
The angels were crying
As they carried his brothers away.
With the fire raining down
And the Hell all around
There were few men left standing that day.

(Chorus)
On the 8th of November,
The angels were crying
As they carried his brothers away.
With the fire raining down
And the Hell all around,
There were few men left standing that day.
Saw the eagle fly,
Through a clear, blue sky
1965, the 8th of November.

The 8th of November
The 8th of November

He said goodbye to his mamma
As he left South Dakota
To fight for the Red, White, and Blue.
He was nineteen and green with a new M-16
Just doing what he had to do.
 

THEY NEED OUR HELP

Where are the Sky Soldiers today?  They are serving in the War on Terror in Afghanistan.  And they need our help.  ConcreteBob is a FReeper who is currently working to see that these heroes have everything they need for their deployment.  Any help you can give him would be GREATLY appreciated.  Just FReepmail ConcreteBob for details.  C'mon guys - let's see what we can do to help them out.  After what they have given for us, it's the least we can do for them!

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[StarCMC]

Sky Soldier ping.

[BIGLOOK]

Aloha Star!

[StarCMC]

Thread’s up — please read the top — the Sky Soldiers need our help!

[StarCMC]

Aloha BIGLOOK! You’re FIRST!!

I’ll be back in a few minutes to catch up — (I hope!)

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, They're fighting for our Freedom.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

Prayers going up.

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT!

[eyedigress]

I'll Contact :^)

[Jet Jaguar]

http://2007.weblogawards.org/polls/funniest-blog-1.php

If you get a chance click on over the weblog awards for funniest blog. Freeper PJ Comix would appreciate the vote for DUmmie FUnnies.

[Jet Jaguar]

Awesome picture!

[AZamericonnie]

Supporting our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen
at more than 1,000 places across the U. S. and around the world.

~Tribute to Our Troops~

[The Mayor]

November 5, 2007

Boundaries

ODB RADIO: Listen Now | Download

READ: Jeremiah 5:20-29

[God has] placed the sand as the bound of the sea. —Jeremiah 5:22

Not a year goes by without a natural disaster causing chaos somewhere in the world. Floods, hurricanes, and tsunamis destroy lives, homes, and livelihoods.

No one would argue that the seas have a “right” to violate their established boundaries and crash across the coastline. In fact, people agree that disaster occurs whenever the sea breaches the shoreline. God Himself has “placed the sand as the bound of the sea” (Jer. 5:22).

God also established boundaries for human behavior. Yet not a day goes by without countless violations of His commands, resulting in disastrous physical and spiritual consequences. Amazingly, we often argue that we have the “right” to violate these boundaries.

In the days of the prophet Jeremiah, God’s people had stepped out of bounds, using deceit to become rich and refusing to defend the needy (5:27-28). The result was disaster. God said, “Your sins have withheld good from you” (v.25).

Within creation there is inherent order. Violating it has inherent consequences. God in His kindness simply and lovingly communicated to us the order of things so that we can avoid those consequences. We are wise to know and to stay within His prescribed boundaries.

Lord, keep us on the narrow way,
Where no corruption, woe, nor evil can destroy,
Where Your right hand defeats the worldly fray
To lead us into Your eternal joy.  —Mollon

Disregarding God’s order leads to disorder!

Bible in One Year:   Jeremiah 34-36; Hebrews 2

[StarCMC]

You’re second, Hopey!! :-)

[Tanniker Smith]

Good evening, everyone!

[StarCMC]

YOU ROCK!! Thank you, eyedigress!

[AZamericonnie]

Happy birthday Squeezit & many happy returns of the day! *Hugs*

[StarCMC]

BUMP THAT — gotta wait about 1 more hour! ;-)

And BTW - you’re FOURTH!

[StarCMC]

FIFTH! :-)

[StarCMC]

Good evening, your honor! Thank you for the good word from the Good Word!

[StarCMC]

Good evening TS! Goodtaseeya!