The 10th Mountain Division opened the Afghanistan theater in 2001, deploying to Uzbekistan and then Bagram in the months after 9/11 as the first conventional HQ there.
It is fitting then that 10th Mountain is the final conventional HQ out of Afghanistan.
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In between, the 10th Mountain has gone in and out of Afghanistan repeatedly.
The Climb To Glory division’s commitment throughout our war in Afghanistan is exemplified by one Soldier in particular.
That Soldier is this man, Jeff Becker.
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Jeff Becker, a combat engineer, deployed with 10th Mountain to Afghanistan right after 9/11.
First In.
He fought in Operation Anaconda as a young buck sergeant.
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Operation Anaconda began before dawn on March 2nd, 2002.
Jeff was there.
General F.L. Hagenbeck, commander of the @10thmtn, led 2,000 coalition forces during the operation to clean out the remaining al-Qaeda & Taliban fighters from the Shahikot Valley.
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Hagenbeck: “They just kept sending them into our meat grinder. We’ve killed several hundred of them, but they just keep coming.”
The battle ended as an American victory at the cost of eight Americans killed and more than 50 wounded.
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Jeff came home in March, 2002. Not for long.
He deployed to fight in Afghanistan again and again and again. Each time with the 10th Mountain Division.
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2003: Paktika
2010: Balkh
2015: Helmand
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20 years after that initial deployment, the 10th Mountain Division was the final conventional force out of Afghanistan.
Along with them was Jeff Becker – completing his fifth deployment with as the 10th Mountain Division operations sergeant.
Last out.
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Jeff embodies the legacy of the Climb to Glory Soldier during the war in Afghanistan: Tough. Disciplined. Quiet. Humble in support of our Nation's interests.
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Today saw a milestone moment in the lifespan of one of our Army’s reliable, rock-steady organizations: the blue-and-white colors of the @10MTNDIV changed hands for the 30th time.
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Over its lifespan, some of our Nation's most important leaders and most memorable characters commanded the 10th Mountain Division.
Let's consider some of the Soldiers who have led the Climb To Glory Division.
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LLoyd Jones, the first commander, assumed the 10th Light Division (Alpine) in July, 1943.
Lloyd Jones, set in motion this grand institution, developing a division of tough Soldiers.
#TDIDCH: July 5, 1950 - Over the previous 4 days, #TDIDCH has been following the movement of Task Force Smith from Japan into Korea. 71 years ago today, saw the Battle for Osan, the first engagement between the US and North Korea during the Korean War.
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TF Smith was the lead US force during this battle.
To recap the preceding days: Dawn on Sunday, 25 June 1950, North Korean People’s Arm) crashed through the 38th Parallel into democratic South Korea; 8th Army sends a delaying force of 400 (TF Smith) into Korea by sea
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July 5, 1950 - Early, early morning: Task Force Smith moves out of Pyeongtaek in dozens of trucks in blackout condition in a pouring rain. The men reach their position at 3 a.m and are dug in by daylight.
18th Airborne Corps Patch Week™️ continues. The first patch we're going to cover is this one.
The story of the 82nd Airborne Division patch is wrapped up in myth and misunderstood history. So, let's explain it.
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The story of this patch goes back to the summer of 1917. The 82nd Division (25 years before it was Airborne) formed on Camp Gordon, Georgia for WWI. The new division needed an insignia.
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This was the unit patch. What did this design mean? Nothing at all. This was simply the shipping label used to mark the 82nd Division's equipment on boats headed to France. Eben Swift, 1st Division commander, lazily appropriated this shipping label for the unit patch!
Here is the real, full story of the Army birthday.
On this day in Dragon Corps History (June 14, 1775), the Continental Congress raised 10 rifle companies to fight for the Continental Army [the Continental Army is the lineal ancestor of the U.S. Regular Army].
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John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, directed that these companies be filled by “expert riflemen” from three specific states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Thus far, these states had not provided troops to fight against British oppression
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By June, 1775, only Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York were doing all the fighting.
Some of the fighters were just random volunteers looking to fight the Brits on their own. Some were just rowdy fellas looking for something to do.
More than 3,000 US Paratroopers jumped into Normandy on #DDay. Among them: Father Francis Sampson, chaplain for the @101stAASLTDIV's 501st PIR.
Francis, an Iowa native and Notre Dame grad, landed in the Douve River and had to cut off all his gear to avoid drowning.
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Hours later, Francis along with 27 US Soldiers (from various units) were captured by German forces in Saint-Come-du-Mont.
Francis refused efforts by his captors (some of whom were Catholic) to move him to safety.
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Francis remained at an exposed medic station at Saint-Come-du-Mont and helped treat both German and American Soldiers in the face of an artillery bombardment.
He also gave his own blood in a transfusion to a wounded American Soldier.