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Posted on 11/14/2004 8:40:56 AM PST by snippy_about_it
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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 Structure of the U.S. Army An Overview  Functional Organization: The Army is organized by function. Combat forces include Infantry, Armor, Cavalry, and Special Operations Forces. Combat support troops include Artillery, Army Air Corps, Army Corps of Engineers, Army Quartermaster Corps, Army Medical Corps, Army Transportation, Army Ordnance Corps, Adjutant General's Corps, Signal Corps. Support troops include the Judge Advocate General's Corps.  Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division fight street to street in Fallujah, Iraq. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Johancharles Van Boers. Officially, a member of the U.S. Army is called a 'Soldier,' with a capital letter. The U.S. Army is structured roughly: army group - when required field army corps - which consists of two or more divisions and usually has an armored cavalry regiment in support. division, brigade or group: Most American Army divisions are organized in three or more brigades. battalion - or squadron: Infantry, artillery and armor units are organized into battalions. Cavalry units are formed into squadrons. A battalion-sized unit is commanded by a lieutenant colonel. brigade or group: Most American Army divisions are organized in three or more brigades. company (military unit) or battery or troop: Artillery units are formed into batteries. Cavalry units are formed into troops. A company-sized unit is usually led by a captain. platoon - Platoons are usually led by a first or second lieutenant. squad or section crew or fire team  Sgt. Ariel King, from the Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, welds a new antenna brace for a tactical vehicle in the brigade’s Forward Maintenance Company shop at Forward Operating Base Marez, Iraq. Photo by Spc. Aaron Ritter. Cavalry - Modern cavalry units are generally not mounted on horseback (save for ceremonies), but are generally armored forces, who fight from armored vehicles, or are embarked in aircraft. Corps A corps (a word that immigrated from french, but originating in the Latin "corps, corporis" meaning body) is a large military unit. In the United States and other armies, it refers to a unit of approximately 30,000 troops, composed of two or more divisionss, and typically commanded by a lieutenant general. As of 2003, the United States Army has four corps. The structure of a corps is not permanent; many of the units that it commands are allocated to it as needed on an ad hoc basis. On the battlefield, the corps is the highest level of the forces that is concerned with actually fighting and winning the war. (Higher levels of command are concerned with administration rather than fighting, at least in current doctrine.) The corps provides operational direction for the forces under its command. Corps are designated by consecutive Roman numerals. The present active corps in the US Army are I Corps ("eye core"), III Corps, V Corps, and XVIII Airborne Corps; their numbers derive from four of the 30-odd corps that were formed during WWII. Division A division is a large military unit usually consisting of around 10,000 soldiers. In most armies a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps. Divisions are usually designated by an ordinal number (e.g., Finnish 6th Division), less commonly named (e.g., Royal Naval Division), and often a category, such as "rifle", "infantry", "armored", "mechanized" etc. (e.g., US 1st Armored Division). In the United States Army, a divisional unit typically consists of 10,000 to 20,000 troops commanded by a major general. Two divisions usually compose a corps and each division is composed of about 3 brigades, along with a number of smaller specialized units. Brigade Brigade is a term from military science which refers to a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). A brigade is smaller than a division and roughly equal to or a little larger than a regiment. Strength typically ranges between 1,500 and 3,500 personnel. In the United States Army the term brigade is used instead of the term regiment, except in the cavalry. A brigade is usually commanded by a brigadier general or a colonel. The term derives from Italian "brigata" or Old French "brigare," for company, which in turn derives from a Celtic root "briga," which means strife. Regiment A regiment is a military unit, typically consisting of around 500-700 soldiers. The term came into use in Europe around the end of the 16th century, when armies evolved from a collection of retinues following knights to a more formally organized structure. The number of soldiers in a regiment fluctuates, generally depending on casualties and the manpower of the associated army. At its creation, the typical Civil War-era American regiment contained upwards of 1,000 troops. However, at the end of the war, Confederate regiments sometimes had less than 100 troops (barely company-sized). The United States Army was also once organized into regiments, but presently uses the brigade instead, except for cavalry. Although every battalion or squadron is associated with a regiment for historical purposes, the only combat regiments are cavalry regiments which are attached to a corps. These regiments, who are associated generally for historical purposes, can be known as "parent regiments". Battalion or Squadron In military terminology, a battalion consists of two to six companies typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. The nomenclature varies by nationality and by branch of arms, e.g. some nations will organize their infantry into battalions but call similarly sized units of cavalry, reconnaisance, or tanks a squadron instead. There may even be subtle distinctions within a nation's branches of arms, such a distinction between a tank battalion and an armored squadron, depending on how the unit's operational role is perceived to fit into the army's historical organization. A battalion is potentially the smallest independent military unit (i.e. not attached to a higher command) but is usually part of a regiment or in the United States Army a brigade. Battalions are ordinarily homogeneous with respect to type, i.e. an infantry battalion or a tank battalion, though there are occasional exceptions. Company A company is a military unit, typically consisting of about 100-200 soldiers. In the United States military, it refers to a group of 150-300 soldiers formed into three to six platoons, and typically commanded by a captain. Several companies form a battalion. Individual companies are identified by letter - "B company", "company K", and so forth. The letters are often pronounced using the NATO phonetic alphabet or formerly the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, resulting in names such as Charlie Company and Easy Company, some of which have become familiar. Able Company Alpha Company Baker Company Bravo Company Charlie Company Dog Company Delta Company Easy Company Echo Company Fox Company Foxtrot Company George Company Golf Company How Company Hotel Company Item Company India Company Jig Company Juliet Company King Company Kilo Company Love Company Lima Company Mike Company November Company Oscar Company Platoon Platoon is a term from military science. In an army, a platoon is a unit of thirty to forty soldiers typically commanded by a first lieutenant who is assisted with either a second lieutenant or sergeant major as platoon lieutenants; a platoon may also be commanded by a second lieutenant with a sergeant major as his platoon lieutenant. A platoon is usually formed of at least two squads and is smaller than a company. Most platoons are infantry platoons; some carry other designations such as mortar or heavy weapons platoons. A platoon is the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer. The word is derived from 17th Century French peleton, meaning a small ball or small detachment of men, which came from pelote, a ball. Squad A squad is a military unit consisting of several soldiers, larger than a fireteam but smaller than a platoon. In most armies a squad consists of between eight (8) and twelve (12) soldiers, sometimes as many as fourteen (14). In the United States Army, a squad is composed of two fireteams, or 8-10 infantry. Fireteam Fire teams usually consist of four Soldiers: a fire team leader, a grenadier, and two riflemen. The United States Army particularly emphasizes the fire team concept, as do most Special Operations units. The creation of effective fireteams is seen as essential for creating an effective military. Psychological studies by the United States army have indicated that the willingness to fight is more heavily influenced by the desire to defend and avoid a loss of face among other members of the fireteam and the squad than by abstract concepts.  Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division prepare to enter and clear a building during fighting in Fallujah, Iraq. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Johancharles Van Boers.
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Looks Great!!!!
Lots of work I see.....
Goodness gracious man! Where have you been? It's so good to see you at the Foxhole.
WOW this is fantastic!!
Early on October 7th, before the relieving Allied troops arrived, the German Commanding Officer who surrounded the Americans sent a letter to Whittlesey by an American prisoner requesting his battalion's surrender. Whittlesey and George McMurtry, his second- in-command, refused to acknowledge this request and even pulled in the white panels used to signal Allied planes for fear the Germans would mistake them for surrender flags. It was widely reported in the American press that Whittlesey had responded "Go to Hell!" immediately upon reading the letter. He later denied having made the statement, suggesting that no reply was necessary.
The eventual relief occurred when several runners were able to break through the German lines to the south and lead the advancing troops to the 'Pocket'. Whittlesey was promoted from Major to Lieutenant Colonel upon the relief of his beleaguered troops. He was relieved from further duty on October 29th and returned to the United States. On December 5th, through the issue of Special Orders No. 259 from Headquarters at Fort Dix, NJ, he was honorably discharged from the United States Army. The following day, December 6th, he was named a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest award given by the U.S. Army. His subordinates, Capts. McMurtry and Holderman would also be awarded Medals of Honor for their service in the pocket.
Whittlesey served the Red Cross Roll Call in New York City beginning in late 1919, perhaps out of a sense of duty to aid those men with whom he had served and who were suffering after their return to the States. In 1921, he was promoted to Colonel and given charge of the reserve division of the 108th, a post he did not feel he could refuse. He also was asked to act as a pall bearer at the ceremonies to honor the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, yet another reminder of all the pain caused by the War.
On November 24, 1921, Whittlesey booked passage on the S.S. Toloa, a steamship owned by the United Fruit Co. bound for Havana. Prior to this, he had put his affairs in order and paid the rent to his landlady for the following month. On November 26th, after having stayed up late drinking and talking with other passengers, Whittlesey walked to the rail of the ship and jumped overboard. None of his friends or relatives had known about his travel plans and were thus disbelieving when the news arrived from the captain of the ship that Whittlesey had been lost at sea and that he had left behind letters to those close to him. The letters were addressed to his parents, his brother Elisha, his brother Melzar, his uncle Granville Whittlesey, and to his friends George McMurtry, J. Bayard Pruyn, Robert Forsyth Little and Herman Livingston, Jr. None of the letters revealed the reason for his suicide and the recipients refused to make them public.
Much more to be found here...http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/whitt.htm
BTW hope all is well with you archy!
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Cute cardinal, thanks feather.
You showed up on just the right day. Thanks for helping everyone out with the questions. I could read it all day and still be confused.
Did I say it was good to see you. ;-)
Thanks for the links to the charts. Copying charts from a source code is tough work. Sam's had to do it with his Treadhead threads and it takes a lot of html work to get it right even when copying source code! Links are better. ;-)
LOL, and you were....
Thanks Phil for the Emblem and Seal.
LOL. We took your advice and had a short day, finished about an hour ago for today. I'm free!
LOL. Great article, thanks for the link.
I feel...
Thank you feather. It does look good for a couple of amateurs.
Wow, it's looking great!
This is the "Lost Battalion" right? What a sad end to the Major.
Thank you!
With the rotation of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the redeployment of troops in Korea, that is going to be hard to pin down.
I assume you have explored this site:
http://www.army.mil/organization/
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