Want to write for Task & Purpose? (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images), Black Vietnam veteran receives long-awaited Medal of Honor. Melzer and his co-conspirators used the information that he attained to plan what they referred to as a jihadi attack with the objective of causing a mass casualty event victimizing his fellow service members. "Melzer allegedly attempted to orchestrate a murderous ambush on his own unit by unlawfully revealing its location, strength, and armaments to a neo-Nazi, anarchist, white supremacist group, then-Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York at the time, Audrey Strauss, said in a statement at the time. [121], In May 2021, as part of the NATO training exercise Swift Response 2021, soldiers of the brigade were simulating seizing and securing the decommissioned Cheshnegirovo airfield in Bulgaria. These battalions were: the 4th Battalion (Airborne), 319th Field Artillery Regiment, the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne), and the Special Troops Battalion[100] stationed at Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany, as well as the 1st Squadron (Airborne), 91st Cavalry Regiment, stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany. [3] With combat experience already earned in other similar mountain regions in 2007 and 2008, the Brigade distinguished itself in combat regularly against the Taliban and fought tenaciously against them, while still promoting and attempting to legitimize the Afghan government. The Order of the Nine Angles, a U.K.-based anarchist operation that espouses antisemitic and satanic beliefs, is known for encouraging its membership to infiltrate the military, among other organizations, with the goal of dismantling from within, according to court documents. most respected brigade in the army. [53] The following morning Bravo Company was relieved by Lieutenant Colonel David J. Schumacher's 1503, which (against the admonitions of Colonel Livsey) was divided into two small task forces. The paratroopers esprit de corps, elitism and personal pride would not permit that.. Download full-resolution image 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. [97] The Turkish forces were eventually released. MICHAEL LEVENSON. Rick Holmes of C company, 2nd battalion, 503rd infantry, 173rd airborne brigade, sits down on January 3, 1966, in Vietnam. [18], In the late 1990s, Army leaders including General Eric Shinseki began shifting the Army force toward brigade centered operations. Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Members of O9A have openly expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden, among others. Americans serving their country overseas should never have to fear a terrorist attack from within their own ranks, and todays sentence holds him accountable for his deadly plan to attack the brave men and women of the armed forces who protect our nation.. [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. According to the Department of Justice, Melzer schemed to ambush soldiers at a base in Turkey, aiming to cripple the bases fire teams and cause a mass casualty attack. 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. Though they were severely bloodied, the paratroopers inflicted even heavier losses on the NVA. 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. The affidavit claims that Peters then attempted to kick an officer, and shouted when ordered to stop kicking. | Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The LRS detachment and 5th Group ODA conducted many combined and individual operations to ensure the stability of the region. Upon learning the importance and sensitivity of his upcoming deployment, Melzer immediately began passing that information to members of O9A. [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]. [3][30] The brigade, organized as Task Force Bayonet, assumed control of Regional Command-South (RC South). (47.9 32.5 cm), Frame (outer): 26 3/8 20 3/8 1 1/4 in. He then began passing information to O9A members using an encrypted application. Assisting the LRS and 5th Group ODA were elements of the 82nd Airborne, Iowa National Guard, and ANA. Short Range Ambush Platoon 1968 - 1969. [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". IE 11 is not supported. [123][124][122][120][121][119][125] He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. [106] The brigade repositioned the base three days later. Story tips can be sent tolouis.casiano@fox.com. Those of us fortunate enough to be there will. After. | 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. "Melzer joined the U.S. Army in approximately 2018 and infiltrated its ranks as part of an insight role to further his goals as an O9A adherent," the DOJ said. She is the spouse of an Army veteran and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. "Combat Operations After Action Report, Operation GREELEY." [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. Noted for its roles in Operation Hump and Operation Junction City, the 173rd is best known for the Battle of Dak To, where it suffered heavy casualties in close combat with North Vietnamese forces. One of these was the 101st Airborne Division, which had also been redeployed to Fort Campbell. 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. In the process the American officers tried to increase pressure on local enemy forces through intensive patrolling and to encourage ARVN battalion, company, and platoon-level leadership through longer, more decentralized operations. [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. Not long after its reactivation, elements were deployed to Kosovo as part of Operation Rapid Guardian in support of Kosovo Force (KFOR). The 173rd Support Battalion and the 173rd Combat Support Company provided logistical support from Kandahar, while sending individual soldiers to assist at other forward operating bases. "Jurors found Peters guilty of obstruction of government operations but acquitted her on a charge of obstruction of a peace officer. Activated in 1915, as the 173rd Infantry Brigade, the unit saw service in World War I, but is best known for its actions during the Vietnam War . [71] The 173rd Airborne Brigade was reactivated in 2000 at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy,[3][5] using the assets of the SETAF Infantry brigade, primarily the 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry and Battery D, 319th Field Artillery. All rights reserved. Nicholas Slayton Cataloguing data may change with further research. Justin Hebert was killed on Aug. 1. [98] On 21 February 2004, the brigade returned to Italy for a one-year rest before a new deployment.[5]. [5], In mid-1968 at the instigation of II Corps commander General L Mng Lan, I Field Force, Vietnam commander General William R. Peers paired with the Brigade with the ARVN 22nd Division in Bnh nh Province in what was almost a replica of Operation Fairfax. [25] They took their theme song from the television series Rawhide. At the same time that Hello Dollyopened at NhaTrang airbase, a company of 173rd Airborne had walked into an ambush in Viet Cong base zone, known as the Iron Triangle. Prior to its deployment to the highlands, Peer's operations officer, Colonel William J. Livsey, attempted to warn the Airborne officers of the hazards of campaigning in the highlands. [47] In August of that year, the brigade received its distinctive unit insignia. Melzer admitted to sharing sensitive information about his imminent deployment with the 173rd Airborne Brigade including unit location, movements and security with an occult-based neo-Nazi group called the Order of the Nine Angles. The goal, Melzer said in an unsealed indictment, was to plot an insider mass casualty attack. Barnes manned a machine gun after its crew had been killed. "Ethan Melzer infiltrated the U.S. Army in service of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and jihadist group. She then had another arrest warrant issued against her after allegedly violating the terms of a protective order by contacting her former Mesa County office to demand a recount of that election. [3] As the father of four young boys, I know that childhood is as special as it is short. In fact, the first significant contacts were made by its elements on Nov. 3-4 around Hill 1338. [119][122][121] The paratrooper was charged with leaking classified information (including the unit's location) to the RapeWaffen Division and the Order of the Nine Angles (O9A), a European Satanic occult-based neo-Nazi and white supremacist group that is also anti-Semitic, and has expressed admiration for Nazis such as Adolf Hitler and Islamic jihadists. Under the program, the United States trained three battalions of Ukrainian troops over a six-month period. [3][15], During World War II, brigades were eliminated from divisions. Soldiers with the 173rd have faced some of the fiercest fighting in Afghanistan over the past decade. [23] The soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade created a patch with a wing on it to symbolize their status as an airborne unit, along with red, white, and blue, the national colors of the United States. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. [78] Task Force 1-63 consisted of HHC/1-63rd Armor, C/1-63rd Armor and B/2-2nd Infantry. The bill is part of a package of so-called parental empowerment and child safety legislation that includes a ban on instruction of sexual orientation or gender identity for students through Grade 8, and requiring licensed health care facilities to attest that they do not provide sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures to patients under 18 years of age, the State Senates office announced in a news release. Four days later, A, B, C and D companies of the 4th Bn., 503rd Inf., fought the NVA for four hours in the Ngok Kam Leat chain of hills and adjacent Hill 823, losing 16 KIA and 37 WIA. A former member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Friday for plotting with a white supremacist group to attack his fellow soldiers, officials . ALSO IN THE NEWS: Americans belief in God hit an all-time low about 6 months ago here's why. A Kentucky man was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information. from around the world. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade . 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. Throughout the movie, he wears the Vietnam-era, mustard yellow, "subdued" shoulder sleeve insignia worn by 173rd paratroopers on their jungle fatigues during the Vietnam War. SENATE GOP PLOTS CONFRONTATION OF WOKE PENTAGON AS MILITARY READINESS, MORALE PLUMMET, U.S Army badge is seen on a uniform of American soldier. He arrived in Italy in October 2019 and subscribed to encrypted online forums in which he downloaded and accessed videos of jihadist attacks on U.S. troops and facilities and jihadist executions of civilians and soldiers, in addition to far-right, neo-Nazi, and other white supremacist propaganda. The anguished cries of the wounded are what they remember most. verso bottom right in pencil "Ambush of 173rd airborne / Iron Triangle 9/1965", Signed in pencil on verso lower right: "Tim Page 8/25", Circular stamp on verso lower right: "chromacolour.com.au * / ARCHIVAL / ILFOCHROME / CLASSIC", Image: 18 3/8 12 3/8 in. Following his time in service . 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. [W]ho gives a f---? he wrote. The changing face of the 173d Airborne Brigade now offers opportunies for both Female and Male individuals. 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. The military has been dealing with an extremism problem for years, specifically far-right extremism, which has garnered increased attention recently. The first of the separate brigades was the 172nd Infantry Brigade, activated in 1998. Privacy Policy. The training took place at the Yavoriv training center near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. [70] However, with the ending of conscription following America's disengagement from Vietnam, many of the Army's formations had to be rebuilt for the volunteer force. Division doctors at Dak To kept busy, too, often getting by on only three or four hours of sleep a night. According to court documents, Melzer planned a jihadist attack on his U.S. 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 (O9A), a white supremacist Satanist, neo-Nazi, and pro-jihadist group. Four additional battalions were activated or designated at Bamberg and Schweinfurt, Germany. American and Vietnamese local intelligence was poor, the area was a traditional VC stronghold, and province and district officials were never able to eliminate the local VC infrastructure. New. Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. The next morning the three companies of 4-503 were chosen to set out and relieve the men on Hill 875. Legal Statement. The 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sky Soldiers) is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapid forces to the United States European, Africa and Central Commands areas of responsibilities. [43], On 22 February 1967, the 173rd conducted Operation Junction City, the only combat parachute jump of the Vietnam War. Market data provided by Factset. (Photo: U.S. Army) Unknown to the Americans, they had walked into a carefully prepared ambush by the 2nd Battalion of the 174th PAVN Regiment. DEDICATION. it would be another war . You slept with corpses. The LRS detachment was also tasked at times for recon and intel gathering for other brigade assets, and target acquisition and designation for U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and RAF aircraft. (46.7 31.4 cm) Sheet: 18 7/8 12 13/16 in. [3][27][28][29][30][31] Williamson boldly predicted on arrival that his men would defeat the Viet Cong (VC) quickly and that they "would be back in Okinawa by Christmas". 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The brigade returned to its home station in Europe in November 2010. [78] As the brigade had no heavy or mechanized forces and only a few Humvees and an artillery battery, heavier forces were attached to it in the form of two companies of M113 Armored Personnel Carriers, M1 Abrams tanks, and M2 Bradleys from a task force of 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor, which was attached to the brigade. remember that day and the jump that followed for the rest of our lives.. Lethal Fire: Enemy and Friendly According to the after-action report, GIs sustained 242 KIA and 876 WIA in the battles between Nov. 2 and Dec. 1, 1967. US Army soldier gets 45 years for neo-Nazi plot to ambush his own paratrooper unit . The brigade was the first major United States Army ground formation deployed in Vietnam, serving there from 1965 to 1971 and losing 1,533 soldiers. Artillery from A Bty., 3rd Bn., 319th Artillery Regt., and air strikes started ravaging the hilltop. At 14:30 PAVN troops hidden at the bottom of the hill launched a massed assault from the rear. Under the bill Republican state Sen. Clay Yarborough introduced Friday, any court could intervene if a child is receiving gender-affirming care, the report said. [3][4] The remaining units of the 173rd were inactivated. [71] These inactivations, along with subsequent reorganization of U.S. Army divisions, saw several divisional brigades stationed in bases that were far from the division's headquarters and support units.