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00:13The mechanized infantry. That's us. We're known as the 24th Infantry Division of the United States Army. During the last
00:2330 years, our men and machines have served in many places, in many lands.
00:32At first, we used to travel by ship. Later, we moved by jet airlift and we got on the job
00:41fast. As part of the United States military force serving on the NATO team in Europe, we stayed alert and
00:50stood ever ready to carry the ball if trouble should start.
00:54In years gone by, we handled our share of troubles with a variety of shooting enemies. And according to the
01:02record, when we set our minds to do something, it was done.
01:08Wherever we've gone and whatever job we've been given to do, we've brought honor to our country and to our
01:14official unit insignia.
01:18The green taro leaf of the United States Army, 24th Infantry Division.
01:31Hawaii was our original home. That's how we came to have a taro leaf insignia. To the Hawaiians, the taro
01:39leaf is the symbol of life.
01:43On the 1st of October, 1941, our birthday, the 24th Infantry Division was activated at Schofield Barracks.
01:51Our ranks were made up of units from the historic old Hawaiian Division and some other support elements.
02:00Being a soldier in Hawaii in those days was beautiful, like some kind of a pleasant dream.
02:14The dream lasted exactly 68 days. President Roosevelt called it the day of infamy.
02:21When it was over, we had brought down five enemy planes with small arms fire.
02:34But eight of our taro men lay dead.
02:43We began a program of intensive training, first in Hawaii, then in Australia,
02:48which went on for nearly two years after Pearl Harbor.
02:53All this time, the men of the 24th were itching to get on with it, to hit back at the
02:59enemy.
03:03In early April, 1944, we got our wish.
03:16The long fight to regain the Philippines began.
03:20We landed at Taramira Bay in New Guinea and began the assault to liberate the airfield in Hollandia.
03:28General MacArthur had a personal interest in this campaign, and he was right there with us.
03:33He commended our boss, Major General Frederick Irving, for a brilliant plan of attack.
03:47The troops of the Rising Sun fought fanatically to hold the airroom at Hollandia.
03:52It was the key to air support for much of the Philippines.
03:56But we couldn't be denied.
03:59For hundreds of the enemy defenders, the sun had set.
04:05On April 27, 1944, Hollandia Airdrome became an American airfield.
04:13We spent the summer hunting down the enemy in New Guinea and preparing for the invasion of the Philippines.
04:19One of the largest ship convoys ever to assemble sailed from Hollandia Bay on the 13th of October.
04:26We were aboard some of the 470 ships.
04:32We were aboard some of the 470 ships.
04:52Seven days later, on October 20, we landed at Lady Harbor.
04:57The place was literally crawling with enemy troops.
05:00And they were ready for us.
05:04They were dug in behind every rock and tree and bush.
05:09It was rough.
05:10Rooting them out and pushing them back took guts.
05:13Our casualties seward.
05:16We found out one thing, though.
05:18They weren't invincible.
05:33The worst of it came at a place called Breakneck Ridge.
05:37We had a bad time of it there.
05:39The enemy forces had built their defenses deep into the hillsides.
05:43Sometimes using hidden caves for their artillery.
05:46The place was alive with machine gun nests.
05:51We set some kind of record for continuous combat when the battle went on for 78 straight days.
06:00Well, we won that battle and a lot of others in the Philippines before it was over.
06:05But it wasn't easy.
06:07The Japanese were well organized, tough and tenacious.
06:14We were fighting on the island of Mindanao when VJ Day came.
06:18The Filipinos hailed us as the Victory Division.
06:24Two months after VJ Day in the fall of 1945, we were serving as occupation troops in Japan, where our
06:33first job was to disarm the Japanese military forces.
06:37Then, for the next five years, we worked to build a climate of cooperation and friendly relations with our former
06:44enemy.
06:53Just when everything was coming up roses, the Communists attacked in Korea.
06:59July 1950 found us moving north from Busan to meet thousands of North Korean troops backed by Russian-built T
07:06-34 tanks.
07:10Our commander in those days was Major General William Dean.
07:14He later became a legend when, separated from our forces during battle, he dodged the enemy for 36 days, living
07:22off the land, until he was betrayed and finally captured.
07:35We slugged it out with the aggressors all up and down the Korean Peninsula for the next year.
07:40We were in the thick of it when the Red Chinese Army tried to crush the United Nations forces and
07:46failed.
07:53Finally, in 1957, after nearly six years of service in Korea, they decorated us and announced that the 24th Infantry
08:02Division would join the honored list of inactive U.S. Army divisions.
08:11The inactive period didn't last long.
08:14Early in 1958, we were reactivated, and the new 24th Infantry Division was sent to West Germany to replace the
08:2211th Airborne Division in Bavaria.
08:25In July, we participated in a demonstration exercise.
08:30We had become part of the U.S. Army Europe team, serving with our NATO allies.
08:40Our home in Bavaria was the colorful Old World city of Augsburg, though some of our units were housed at
08:46nearby Munich.
08:48Augsburg is one of the oldest cities in Europe, having been built by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago.
08:58So, the 24th had come to Germany.
09:00Our mission was to safeguard the frontiers of the South Bavaria district, an area of more than 21,000 square
09:09miles.
09:10We called our Kassara area, Ries Barracks, and we were soon given the nickname, the Shield of Bavaria.
09:20In 1963, five years after our arrival in Germany, we became the first U.S. Division to be reorganized under
09:28the Army's new concept of increased mobility and firepower.
09:34The changeover was accomplished in 27 days, and the new United States Army, 24th Infantry Division, mechanized, became one of
09:46the most powerful fighting forces in NATO.
09:54Under terms of an agreement with our NATO allies in 1967, two brigades of the 24th were returned to the
10:02States to Fort Riley, Kansas.
10:03They moved out with their dependents by specially chartered aircraft.
10:09The two units remained committed to NATO, however, and stood ready to return upon call.
10:16Under this plan, we were an outfit with two homes, one in West Germany and one in the U.S.
10:26To make sure the plan would work, the heavy armored vehicles of the rotated units were dispersed to selected storage
10:34areas.
10:39At these pre-positioned vehicle parks, our European maintenance personnel kept the storage machines in a constant state of readiness,
10:47awaiting the day when our stateside units would return and use them in the event of an emergency situation.
10:58To test this new on-call system, the U.S. Army Command, Europe, staged a huge deployment exercise called Reforger
11:06One in January and February 1969.
11:09Major General Linton S. Boatwright, then our division commander, and other top military leaders were the first to arrive for
11:17the giant exercise.
11:19In this massive deployment, more than 12,000 troops would be returning to Germany from the United States.
11:36On the 6th of January, the Tarot men began coming in.
11:40From the beginning, everything was done in a planned, orderly fashion.
11:45Everything went like clockwork.
11:47Despite the snow on the airfield and hazardous weather conditions, the huge airlift continued day and night.
12:00As the first contingents moved out toward their assigned vehicular storage areas, fresh troops kept arriving in Germany by airlift.
12:08The entire delivery schedule of 12,000 men was completed in a week.
12:14And the 24th Infantry Division was once again at full strength in West Germany.
12:22The pre-positioned vehicle storage park swarmed with crews of men moving their armored machines.
12:28The armored personnel carriers, tanks, and other equipment were loaded aboard special trains, all headed for the U.S. 7th
12:36Army Training Center at Grafenois.
12:40The best way to test men and machines, the commanders decided, was to take them out on a huge field
12:47training exercise called carbide ice.
12:50So, the maneuvered troops and their equipment moved off to the training areas.
12:58Once at Grafenois, the troops took up positions on the range and began test firing their weapons.
13:09Taking a personal interest in the mass exercise, General William C. Westmoreland, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, arrived on
13:16an inspection trip.
13:20And he wasn't the only noted visitor we had.
13:24General James H. Polk, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army, Europe, came out to Wilsack Airfield with West German Defense
13:31Minister Gerhard Schroeder.
13:36Together, they inspected the various types of helicopters which would be used in the field training exercise.
13:46In an atmosphere of suspense and excitement, the massive air assault demonstration phase of exercise carbide ice was staged on
13:55the 1st of February.
13:58General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, then Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, headed the delegation of top-ranking NATO officials and a host
14:06of high-level American military leaders.
14:11As the training exercise got underway, armored units of the 24th Infantry Division rolled out, heading for predetermined blocking positions.
14:23These mechanized units were to prevent the imaginary enemy from escaping the trap when the airborne assault forces would strike.
14:32The attack upon the maneuver enemy forces began with phantom jets of the U.S. Air Force striking the target
14:38area.
14:45As the jets zoom away, phase two of the assault finds the division artillery beginning to pound the target area.
15:00The artillery crews complete their fire mission as the troops who will make the airborne assault are already flying toward
15:07the objective landing zones.
15:12In the assault target area, phase three of the operation is underway.
15:20Helicopter gunships come over the target to reconnoiter and to suppress enemy movement in the area.
15:31A low-level smoke screen is laid down to prevent the maneuver enemy from zeroing in on the assault helicopters
15:38as they bring in the troops.
15:40The troop helicopters of the assault force are moving into the objective landing zones.
15:49The West German Air Aviation Group, also participating in the exercise, delivers nearly 400 American troops.
16:06With the airborne assault troops now in control of the landing zones, the logistics support elements swing into action.
16:13105-millimeter howitzers are sling carried into the tactical zone by Chinook cargo helicopters.
16:20These artillery units move in with full crews and ammunition ready to fight.
16:29Giant CH-54 sky cranes hustle the heavier artillery into position as the tempo of the attack quickens.
16:36By now, armored elements are rolling toward the scene of the simulated battle.
16:41The purpose of the exercise is achieved.
16:45It has demonstrated how a large number of troops and their equipment can be delivered to a combat landing zone
16:52while keeping the enemy under constant fire.
16:55The entire operation required only 45 minutes.
16:59The Tarot men of the 24th Infantry Division had left no doubt as to their state of preparedness, or that
17:06of their supporting elements.
17:08Those who came to see, saw, and the experience was something they would never forget.
17:17In April 1970, the Victory Division began its final historic adventure.
17:24Forbes Air Force Base, outside of Topeka, Kansas, was where it started.
17:29Our band and honor guard went to welcome troop elements of another U.S. Army fighting team, the men of
17:36the Big Red One, the 1st Infantry Division.
17:42In the process of streamlining our nation's great army, the 24th was ordered inactivated, and our men and equipment to
17:50become part of a newly organized 1st Infantry Division mechanized.
17:59Our banners and battle streamers were to be retired to America's proud military past.
18:07Flying in from Vietnam, the gleaming jets suddenly appeared in the blue skies of Kansas.
18:13Our comrades in arms had arrived, the honor guard contingent of the 1st Infantry Division.
18:21We watched them approach with measured tread, veterans of a thousand battles since the days of Captain Alexander Hamilton in
18:291775.
18:31Their history was as old as our country.
18:38When last these flags were flown, it was in the face of the enemy in Southeast Asia.
18:44Now they rippled in the prairie winds of their native land.
18:47The men who bore them appeared as the very spirit of our nation.
18:56Brigadier General John Hennion had brought his fighting first home to meet their new boss, Major General Robert Linville.
19:04We already knew General Linville, for he was not only the commander of the Tarot Men, but was also the
19:10post commander at Fort Riley, our home base.
19:15Soon the greetings were over, and the Vietnam veterans were moving out for the trip to the historic cavalry post
19:22at Fort Riley.
19:23They would be given a few days of rest before the official ceremonies, re-designating them as the 1st Infantry
19:30Division mechanized.
19:33As the honor guard representative group arrived at Fort Riley, those who had long awaited their return pressed forward eagerly
19:41for this moment of joy.
19:49Fort Riley, Kansas. You can feel the spirit of our nation here.
19:53Over a hundred years have passed since the blue-clad men of the 7th Cavalry rode forth to battle the
20:00massive Indian war parties of the plains.
20:03In this house lived one of those legendary figures, General George Armstrong Custer, who met a tragic death at the
20:12hands of the Sioux Indians.
20:13Here, too, the historic old parade grounds, where men and mounts passed in review as the sound of horses mingled
20:22with a plaintive note of bugles blown in the sun.
20:25In the heartland of America, the home of the Tarot Division.
20:30And now, the new home of the Army's oldest fighting unit, the 1st Infantry Division, the Big Red One.
20:40For us, the Tarot Men of the 24th, the time for change was at hand.
20:46Our proud green tarot leaf was being replaced by the shining olive shield with the red numeral 1 in the
20:52center.
21:00April 15th, 1970.
21:02The final day of service to the nation by the 24th Infantry Division.
21:08In one moment, these thousands of men and machines were the Tarot Men, the Victory Division.
21:15In the next, they would be part of the new 1st Infantry Division, mechanized.
21:21From every point on the compass, friends, families, and a host of military guests had come to witness the final
21:28ceremonies for a great combat division and the impressive rebirth of the Big Red One.
21:37From the reviewing stand, our commanders came to the center of the field as the throngs of onlookers watched the
21:44massing of the colors of both divisions.
21:51Somehow, it was hard to realize that this was the end of the 24th, that the Tarot Men would be
21:58no more, that the adventure which had begun in Hawaii nearly 30 years before was coming to a close.
22:10Goodbye, Pearl Harbor, Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Germany, and to all those who so bravely fought and
22:20lived behind the sign of the green tarot leaf.
22:24Memories of the United States Army 24th Infantry Division will dwell in the hearts of free men forevermore.
22:36Moments later, our commander, Major General Robert Linville, accepted the flag of the newly reorganized 1st Infantry Division mechanized.
22:44In that instant, we all turned our faces to the future as members of the Big Red One.
22:57It was a momentous occasion for all of us in uniform and our families alike.
23:01We were honored by the presence of many dignitaries, including the Secretary of Defense, Melvin R. Laird, who made us
23:11proud to be part of the Big Red One.
23:13First Infantry Division in Vietnam in March of 1969.
23:19This was my first visit to your division in Vietnam, and it followed visits which I had made here at
23:29Fort Riley to your division in 1962 and in 1963.
23:39In my visit with you in Vietnam, I had the opportunity of seeing your great professionalism and your dedication.
23:50The matchless courage, the devotion to duty of the thousands of men who were serving in Vietnam with this 1st
24:00Infantry Division,
24:01made it possible for us to help thwart aggression and to turn over to the people of South Vietnam the
24:10ever-increasing responsibility of achieving for themselves the right of self-determination.
24:19And so today, after returning from far across the Pacific, you assume new responsibilities as part of our forces committed
24:30and committed to the fulfillment of our obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
24:40With this commitment with our NATO allies, you will help provide adequate strength to deter aggression and to preserve the
24:54peace which NATO has made possible in Western Europe.
25:00But for the moment, let us not look either to the past achievements or to future challenges.
25:14Let us say in the plain talk of the great plain state, welcome home.
25:22It's good to have you back.
25:25And with this, and with the greetings of the President of the United States, our Commander-in-Chief, I bid
25:35you welcome to Fort Riley, welcome to the United States, and congratulations on a job well done.
25:56As members of the Big Red One, our duties would remain the same.
26:01Part of our outfit would continue its service in Germany, and the rest of us will stand ready to deploy
26:07if the call should come.
26:09The changeover was complete.
26:12For the first time, the newly reorganized 1st Infantry Division mechanized displayed its might, and we were part of it.
26:31For the first time, the last twooe directly attended a tune in lamps return to the candles.
26:32For the lost
28:21We are the men of the United States Army Mechanized Infantry.
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