87th Infantry Regiment ( United States ) The 87th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army . The regiment ' s 1st battalion is a light infantry unit assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team , 10th Mountain Division located at Fort Drum , New York . Around 1991 , the 3rd Battalion was active in the U . S . Army Reserve in Colorado . History . World War II . The 87th Mountain Infantry Battalion was activated on 15 November 1941 at Fort Lewis , Washington , with Lt Col Onslow S . Rolfe as the commanding officer . This unit was the first American regiment of mountain troops . It was expanded into a regiment in 1943 . On 12 May 1942 , the regiment was reorganized as the 87th Mountain Infantry at Fort Lewis Washington . The 87th joined the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale , Colorado and trained there during 1942 - 43 on winter military operations and mountaineering . On 29 July 1943 , the regiment sailed to the Aleutian Islands as part of Amphibious Task Force 9 . Also included in Task Force Force 9 were the First Special Service Force and the 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade . The regiment conducted an amphibious assault along the Kiska coastline and quickly climbed the rock cliffs to obtain its initial objectives . During November and December 1943 the entire regiment moved to Camp Carson , Colorado and was then assigned to the 10th Division at Camp Hale to prepare for deployment to the European theater . On 3 February 1945 , the regiment deployed to Italy with the newly redesigned 10th Mountain Division and entered combat on 28 January 1945 as part of the 5th US Army . In February 1945 , after three days of bitter fighting , the regiment helped capture Mount Belvedere and other key mountain peaks . On 15 April 1945 they spearheaded the Northern Apennines offensive and cut the main route to the Brenner Pass . The regiment overcame every obstacle , including the Po River Valley , the old walled city of Verona and the pre - war frontier defenses of the Italian - Austrian border . German resistance in Italy ended on 2 May 1945 . After the end of hostilities , the regiment performed occupation duty until its return to the US in August 1945 . The unit was deactivated in November 1945 at Camp Hale , Colorado . Operation Just Cause . On 20 December 1989 , the executive order was given to put Operation Just Cause into effect . Task Force " Wildcat " ( 5th Battalion , 87th Infantry ) attacked and seized critical objectives in Panama City to include the Balboa DENI ( " Direccion Especial Nacional de Investigaciones " ) , the PDF ' s investigative branch , the DNTT ( " Direccion Nacional de Transporte Terrestre " , which served as the Headquarters of the National Police ) , the Ancon DENI , and the PDF Engineer complex on Albrook AFB . Each of these objectives lay astride the key lines of communication into the center of Panama city . In the days following the initial assault , TF 5 - 87 conducted stability operations and was involved in the security of the Santa Felipe , Santa Anna , El Marana , and Chorillo sections of the city . During the remainder of the operation , TF Wildcat secured key sites in Panama City and reacted to security and civil military tasking . On 17 January 1991 , 3rd Battalion , 87th Infantry ( U . S . Army Reserve , based Colorado ) , was mobilized . It arrived at Fort Carson for training on 19 January 1991 , and moved to Germany on 5 February 1991 . There it performed anti - terrorist security missions for V Corps . It returned to Fort Carson on 1 May 1991 , and was released for terminal leave on 15 May 1991 . Operation Restore Hope . In December 1992 , 2 - 87th Infantry , with A Co 1 - 87 Infantry deployed to Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope . Alpha 1 - 87 was attached to 2 - 87 Infantry and participated in numerous missions , including several air assault operations ( such as an air field seizure in Belet Weyne , Somalia ) , cordon and search operations , search and destroy missions and quick reaction force missions . Members of A CO 1 - 87 were first awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge for actions in the Mogadishu suburb of Afgoye in January 1993 . Although the battalion never deployed to Somalia as a unit , its companies deployed as attachments to other units and participated in numerous missions , including the Battle of Mogadishu . Operation Uphold Democracy . In September 1994 , the 1st Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division , which included 1 - 87 Infantry , conducted the Army ' s first Air Assault operation from the deck of a naval vessel , the USS Dwight D . Eisenhower ( CVN - 69 ) , in support of Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti . This was the Army ' s first air operation from a naval vessel since the Doolittle Raid of World War II . To the twenty - first century . In the mid - 1990s the 87th Infantry Regiment deployed soldiers to participate in several multi - national training events in places like Pakistan , Panama , Kyrgyzstan , and Uzbekistan . The 87th Infantry Regiment has also been active in keeping peace abroad by conducting the MFO mission in the Sinai . In 1999 , B Company completed a deployment to Bosnia - Herzegovina , in support of Operation Joint Forge . C Company completed a similar deployment from October 1998 to March 1999 . Other combat and peace keeping deployments of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 87th Infantry Regiment include Iraq ( 1991 , present ) , Somalia ( 1992 , 1993 ) , Haiti , Bosnia and Afghanistan ( particularly Operation Anaconda , where 1 - 87 was the first unit on the ground during the initial invasion of Afghanistan . A detachment from C company 1 / 87 was attached to 2 / 14th Infantry and the QRF during the 3 – 4 October Battle of Mogadishu . 1 / 87 never deployed to Somalia as a unit , but all companies were attached to other units while deployed to Somalia , including 2 / 87 and 2 / 14 Infantry , 10th Mountain Division . The 1st Battalion deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from July 2003 to May 2004 . Although originally slotted as a six month deployment they were extended to ten months due to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 . From 2005 to 2006 the 1st Battalion 87th Infantry Regiment deployed to Baghdad , Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III - IV . The unit deployed in 2007 - 2008 to the northern Kirkuk area of Iraq , near the small city of Hawijah . The unit was part of the " Surge " and remained in Kirkuk for 15 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom VII - VIII . The 87th Infantry Regiment deployed to Northern Afghanistan in early 2010 . The unit ' s mission was to support Operation Enduring Freedom by partnering with ISAF forces to help establish Afghan government influence in the region . The battalion was tasked with clearing and securing several districts including Aliabad , Char - a - dara , and city of Kunduz aiding the Afghan secrurity forces in doing so . C co supported by the rest of the battalion was sent to clear the valley of Gortepa . The battalion was successful in this by clearing villages of Taliban presence then establishing Afghan local police outposts in the newly acquired areas . This was an arduous task that took several weeks , starting with securing the district of Aliabad to the south to impede on the Talibans ability to reinforce and resupply the Gortepa valley . By the end of March 2011 , the last of 1 - 87 had returned to Fort Drum . The New York Times followed the 87th throughout the deployment in order to produce an online feature titled " A Year at War " . Lineage . Constituted 31 July 1918 in the Regular Army as the 87th Infantry and assigned to the 18th Infantry Division . Organized September 1918 at Camp Dodge , Iowa from personnel of the 35th Infantry . Relieved from the 19th Division and demoblized 27 January 1919 at Camp Dodge . Reorganized and Redesignated 87th Mountain Infantry and assigned to the 10th Mountain Division 6 November 1944 . Inactivated 21 June 1945 at Camp Carson , Colorado . Redesignated 87th Infantry and assigned to 10th Infantry Division 18 June 1948 , allotted to the regular Army 25 June 1948 . Activated 1 July 1948 at Fort Riley , Kansas . Relieved from the 10th Infantry Division 1 July 1957 and reorganized as the 87th Infantry , a Parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System . Campaign streamers . World War II Vietnam A silver color metal and enamel device in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned : Azure , on a mountain issuant from base Argent , an ice axe , and ski pole in saltirewise , points to base Proper , a horseshoe , points to base Gules . Attached below the shield is a silver scroll inscribed " VIRES MONTESQUE VINCIMUS " in red letters . The snow capped mountains is where the organization first received its specialized training and the normal home of mountains troops . The crossed ski pole and ice axe are symbolic of the tools used by mountain troops and the horseshoe indicates the pack element of the organization . The 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment was the organization of its kind indicated by the single red horseshoe . The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment on 21 October 1942 . It was redesignated for the 87th Infantry Regiment on 13 December 1948 . The coat of arms was originally approved for the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment on 21 October 1942 . It was redesignated on for the 87th Infantry Regiment on 13 December 1948 . On 21 May 1956 the symbolism was amended to correct the translation of the motto . On 7 December 1964 the coat of arms was amended to change the wording in the blazonry of the shield and to add the crest .