2nd Infantry Division ( United States ) The 2nd Infantry Division ( " Indianhead " ) ( 2ID or 2nd ID ) is a formation of the United States Army . Its current primary mission is the defense of South Korea in the initial stages of an invasion from North Korea until other American units can arrive . There are approximately 17 , 000 soldiers in the 2nd Infantry Division , with 10 , 000 of them stationed in South Korea , accounting for about 35 % of the United States Forces Korea personnels . The 2nd Infantry Division , unlike any other division in the Army , is made up partially of Korean soldiers , called KATUSA s ( Korean Augmentation to US Army ) . This program began in 1950 by agreement with South Korean President Syngman Rhee . Some 27 , 000 KATUSAs served with the US forces at the end of the Korean War . As of May 2006 , approximately 1 , 100 KATUSA soldiers serve with 2ID . There were also more than 3 , 000 Dutch soldiers assigned to the division between 1950 and 1954 . History . World War I . The 2nd Infantry Division was first constituted on 21 September 1917 in the Regular Army . It was organized on 26 October 1917 at Bourmont , Haute Marne , France . At the time of its activation , the Indianhead Division was composed of the 3rd Infantry Brigade , which included the 9th Infantry Regiment and the 23rd Infantry Regiment ; the 4th Marine Brigade , which consisted of the 5th Marine Regiment , the 6th Marine Regiment and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion ; a battalion of field artillery ; and various supporting units . Twice during World War I the division was commanded by US Marine Corps generals , Brigadier General Charles A . Doyen and Major General John A . Lejeune ( after whom the Marine Corps Camp in North Carolina is named ) , the only time in U . S . Military history when Marine Corps officers commanded an Army division . The division spent the winter of 1917 – 18 training with French Army veterans . Though judged unprepared by French tacticians , the American Expeditionary Force ( AEF ) was committed to combat in the spring of 1918 in a desperate attempt to halt a German advance toward Paris . The 2nd Infantry Division drew its first blood in the nightmare landscape of the Battle of Belleau Wood and contributed to shattering the four - year - old stalemate on the battlefield during the Château - Thierry campaign that followed . On 28 July 1918 , Major General Lejeune assumed command of the 2nd Infantry Division and remained in that capacity until August 1919 , when the unit was demobilized . The division went on to win hard - fought victories at Soissons and Blanc Mont . Finally the Indianhead Division participated in the Meuse - Argonne Offensive which spelled the end of any German hope for victory . On 11 November 1918 the Armistice was declared , and the 2nd Infantry Division marched into Germany , where it performed occupation duties until April 1919 . 2nd Infantry Division returned to U . S . in July 1919 . The 2nd Infantry Division was three times awarded the French Croix de guerre for gallantry under fire at Belleau Wood , Soissons , and Blanc Mont . This entitles serving members of the division and of those regiments that were part of the division at that time ( including the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments ) to wear a special lanyard , or fourragère , in commemoration . The Navy authorized a special uniform change that allows hospital corpsmen assigned to 5th and 6th Marine Regiments to wear a shoulder strap on the left shoulder of their dress uniform so that the fourragère can be worn . Interwar years . Upon returning to the United States , the division was stationed at Fort Sam Houston , at San Antonio , Texas as one of three divisions to remain intact and on active duty for the entire interwar period . It remained there for the next 23 years , serving as an experimental unit , testing new concepts and innovations for the Army . The 2nd Infantry Division stationed at Camp Bullis and Fort Sam Houston , Texas was the first command reorganized under the new triangular concept of organization theory of warfare , which provided for three separate regiments in each division . Indianhead soldiers pioneered concepts of airmobility and anti - tank warfare , which served the army for the next two decades on battlefields in every corner of the globe . The 2nd Division started participated in maneuvers at Christine , Texas between 3 and 27 January 1940 . It then moved to Horton , Texas for maneuvers from 26 April to 28 May 1940 , followed by maneuvers at Cravens , Louisiana from 16 to 23 August 1940 . It returned to Fort Sam Houston , where it continued training and refitting , until it moved to Brownwood , Texas for the VIII Corps Maneuvers from 1 June through 14 June 1941 at Comanche , Texas . The division was then sent to Mansfield , Louisiana from 11 August through 2 October 1941 for the August – September 1941 Louisiana Maneuvers . The division was transferred to the VIII Corps Louisiana maneuver Area on 27 July 1941 , being redesignated as the 2nd Infantry Division in August , and remained there until 22 September 1942 , whereupon the formation returned to Fort Sam Houston . They then moved to Camp McCoy at Sparta , Wisconsin on 27 November 1942 . Four months of intensive training for winter warfare followed . In September 1943 the division received their staging orders , and moved to the Camp Shanks staging area at Orangeburg , New York on 3 October 1943 , where they received Port Call orders . On 8 October the division officially sailed from the New York Port of Embarkation , and started arriving in Belfast , Northern Ireland on 17 October . They then moved over to England , where they trained and staged for forward movement to France . World War II . Narrative . After training in Northern Ireland and Wales from October 1943 to June 1944 , the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the channel to land on Omaha Beach on D plus 1 ( 7 June 1944 ) near St . Laurent - sur - Mer . Attacking across the Aure River on 10 June , the Division liberated Trévières and proceeded to assault and secure Hill 192 , a key enemy strongpoint on the road to Saint - Lô . After three weeks of fortifying the position and by order of Commanding General Walter M . Robertson the order was given to take Hill 192 . On 11 July under command of Col . Ralph Wise Zwicker the 38th Infantry Regiment and with the 9th and the 23rd by his side the battle begun at 5 : 45am . Using an artillery concept used in World War I ( Rolling barrage ) and with the support of 25 , 000 rounds of HE / WP that were fired by 8 artillery battalions the hill was taken . Except for 3 days during the Battle of the Bulge , this was the heaviest expenditure of ammunition by the 38th Field Artillery Battalion ; And was the only time during the 11 months of combat that 2nd Division Artillery used a rolling barrage . < Axis history forum < / ref > The division went on the defensive until 26 July . After exploiting the Saint - Lo breakout , the 2nd Division then advanced across the ( Vire ) to take ( Tinhebray ) on 15 August 1944 . The division then raced toward ( Brest / France ) , the heavily defended port fortress which happened to be a major port for German U - Boats . After 39 days of fighting the battle was won , and was the first place the Army Air Corps used bunker busting bombs . The division took a brief rest 19 – 26 September before moving to defensive positions at St . Vith , Belgium on 29 September 1944 . The division entered Germany on 3 October 1944 , and the Second was ordered , on 11 December 1944 , to attack and seize the Roer River dams . The German Ardennes offensive in mid - December forced the division to withdraw to defensive positions near Elsenborn Ridge , where the German drive was halted . In February 1945 the division attacked , recapturing lost ground , and seized Gemund , 4 March . Reaching the Rhine 9 March , the 2ID advanced south to take Breisig , 10 – 11 March , and to guard the Remagen bridge , 12 – 20 March . The division crossed the Rhine on 21 March and advanced to Hadamar and Limburg an der Lahn , relieving elements of the 9th Armored Division , 28 March . Advancing rapidly in the wake of the 9th Armored , the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the Weser at Veckerhagen , 6 – 7 April , captured Göttingen 8 April , established a bridgehead across the Saale , 14 April , seizing Merseburg on 15 April . On 18 April the division took Leipzig , mopped up in the area , and outposted the Mulde River ; elements which had crossed the river were withdrawn 24 April . Relieved on the Mulde , the 2nd moved 200 miles , 1 – 3 May , to positions along the German - Czech border near Schonsee and Waldmünchen , where 2 ID relieved the 97th and 99th ID ' s . The division crossed over to Czechoslovakia on 4 May 1945 , and attacked in the general direction of Pilsen , attacking that city on VE Day . 2nd Infantry Division returned to the New York Port of Embarkation on 20 July 1945 , and arrived at Camp Swift at Bastrop , Texas on 22 July 1945 . They started a training schedule to prepare them to participate in the scheduled invasion of Japan , but they were still at Camp Swift on VJ Day . They then moved to the staging area at Camp Stoneman at Pittsburg , California on 28 March 1946 , but the move eastward was canceled , and they received orders to move to Fort Lewis at Tacoma , Washington . They arrived at Fort Lewis on 15 April 1946 , which became their home station . From their Fort Lewis base , they conducted Arctic , air transportability , amphibious , and maneuver training . Korean War . With the outbreak of hostilities in Korea during the summer of 1950 , the 2nd Infantry Division was quickly alerted for movement to the Far East Command . The division arrived in Korea , via Pusan on 23 July , becoming the first unit to reach Korea directly from the United States . Initially employed piecemeal , the entire division was committed as a unit on 24 August 1950 , relieving the 24th Infantry Division at the Naktong River Line . The first big test came when the North Koreans struck in a desperate human wave attack on the night of 31 August . In the 16 - day battle that followed , the division ' s clerks , bandsmen , technical and supply personnel joined in the fight to defend against the attackers . Shortly thereafter , the 2ID was the first unit to break out of the Pusan Perimeter and they led the Eighth Army drive to the Manchurian Border . The Division was within fifty miles of the Manchurian border when Chinese forces entered the fight . During the Battle of the Ch ' ongch ' on River , soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division were given the mission of protecting the rear and right flank of the Eighth Army as it retired to the South . After this battle , while surrounded and outgunned , the division had to fight it ' s way south through what was to become known as " The Gauntlet " - a Chinese roadblock 6 miles long where the 23rd Infantry Regiment fired off its stock of 3 , 206 artillery shells within 20 minutes , and the massive barrage shocked the Chinese troops from following the regiment . This fighting around Kunu - ri cost the division nearly one third of its remaining strength . The Chinese winter offensive was finally blunted by the 2nd Infantry Division on 31 January at Wonju . Taking up the offensive in a two - prong attack in February 1951 , the division repulsed a powerful Chinese counter - offensive in the epic battles of Chipyong - ni and Wonju . The United Nations front was saved and the general offensive continued . Again in April and May 1951 , the 2nd Infantry Division was instrumental in smashing the communists ' spring offensive . For its part in this action the 2nd Infantry Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation . What followed were alternating periods of combat and rest , with the division participating in the Battle of Bloody Ridge and Battle of Heartbreak Ridge . Finally , on 9 April 1954 , the division was moved to a rear area near Ing - ching - gwee and on 20 August 1954 , four years after its last unit arrived in Korea , the 2ID was alerted for re - deployment to the United States . Reorganization . In the summer of 1954 the 2nd Infantry Division was transferred from Korea to Fort Lewis , Washington , where it remained for only two years , until being transferred to Fort Richardson , Alaska in August 1956 . On 8 November 1957 , it was announced that the division was to be deactivated . However , a few short months later , in the spring of 1958 , the Department of the Army announced that the 2nd Infantry Division would be reorganized at Fort Benning , Georgia , with personnel and equipment of the 10th Infantry Division returning from Germany . Fort Benning remained the home of the new 2nd Infantry Division from 1958 to 1965 , where they were initially assigned the mission of a training division . To improve combat readiness , in March 1962 the 2ID was designated as a Strategic Army Corps ( STRAC ) unit . Following this the division became engaged in intensified combat training , tactical training , and field training exercises , in addition to special training designed to improve operational readiness . Back to Korea . As a result of the formation of the 1st Cavalry Division ( Airmobile ) at Fort Benning in 1965 , the 2nd Infantry Division ' s stateside unit , along with 11th Air Assault Division ' s personnel and equipment , were merged to form a new formation , and the existing 1st Cavalry Division in Korea took on the title of the 2nd Infantry Division . Thus the division formally returned to Korea in July 1965 . From 1966 onwards North Korean forces were engaging in increasing border incursions and infiltration attempts and the 2nd Infantry Division was called upon to help halt these attacks . On 2 November 1966 , soldiers of the 1st Battalion , 23d Infantry Regiment were killed in an ambush by North Korean forces . In 1967 enemy attacks in the Korean Demilitarized Zone ( DMZ ) increased , as a result , 16 American soldiers were killed that year . In 1968 the 2nd Infantry Division was headquartered at Tonggu Ri and responsible for watching over a portion of the DMZ . In 1968 North Koreans continued to probe across the DMZ , and in 1969 , while on patrol , four soldiers of 3d Battalion , 23d Infantry were killed . On 18 August 1976 , during a routine tree - trimming operation within the DMZ , two American officers of the Joint Security Force ( Joint Security Area ) were axed to death in a melee with North Korean border guards called the Axe Murder Incident . On 21 August , following the deaths , the 2nd Infantry Division supported the United Nations Command in " Operation Paul Bunyan " to cut down the " Panmunjeom Tree " . This effort was conducted by Task Force Brady ( named after the 2nd ID Commander ) in support of Task Force Vierra ( named after the Joint Security Area Battalion commander ) . The 2nd Infantry Division is still stationed in Korea , with a number of camps near the DMZ . Command headquarters are at Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu . Korean schoolgirls highway fatality incident . On June 13 , 2002 , a 2ID armored vehicle struck and killed two 14 - year - old South Korean schoolgirls on the Yangju highway as the vehicle was returning to base in Uijeongbu after training maneuvers . Sergeants Mark Walker and Fernando Nino , the two soldiers involved , were found not guilty of negligent homicide in a subsequent General Court - martial . The deaths and court - martial was the subject of anti - American sentiment in South Korea . Operation Iraqi Freedom . From November 2003 to November 2004 , the 3rd Brigade Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed from Fort Lewis , Washington in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . In the sands of Iraq the 3rd Brigade Stryker Brigade Combat Team proved the value of the Stryker brigade concept in combat and logistics operations . During the late spring of 2004 , many of the soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division ' s 2d Brigade Combat Team were given notice that they were about to be ordered to further deployment , with duty in Iraq . Units involved in this call - up included : 1st Battalion , 503rd Infantry Regiment ( Air Assault ) ; 1st Battalion , 506th Infantry Regiment ( Air Assault ) ; 2d Battalion , 17th Field Artillery Regiment ; 1st Battalion , 9th Infantry Regiment ( Mechanized ) ; 44th Engineer Battalion ; 2nd Forward Support Battalion ; Company A , 102nd Military Intelligence Battalion ; Company B , 122nd Signal Battalion , elements of the 2d Battalion , 72nd Armor Regiment , a team from the 509th Personnel Services Battalion , and B Battery 5th Battalion 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment ( Deployed as a combination of mechanized infantry and light infantry with two platoons of Bradley Fighting Vehicles and 1 platoon of armored HMMWVs ) . The time of the first notice of deployment to the actual " wheels - up " exit of the peninsula was very short . As such , an extreme amount of training was conducted by the brigade as they switched from a focus of the foreign defense of South Korea to the more offensive operations that were going to be needed in action in Iraq . Furthermore , time was given for the majority of the soldiers to enjoy ten days of leave . This was vital : many of the soldiers had been in South Korea for a year or more with only two weeks or less time in the United States during their stay of duty . More , they were about to depart on a deployment that was scheduled to last at least another year . Finally , in the beginning of August 2004 , the brigade deployed to Iraq . Upon landing in country , the 2d BCT was given strategic command to much of the sparsely populated area south and west of Fallujah . Their mission , however , changed when the major strategic actions began to take place within the city proper . At this time , the brigade combat team was refocused and given control of the eastern half of the volatile city of Ar - Ramadi . Within a few weeks of taking over operational control from the previous units , 2n Brigade began experiencing violent activity that began the WIA and KIA toll . Many of the units had to physically move to new camps in support of this new mission . The primary focus of the 2d BCT for much of their deployment was the struggle to gain local support and to minimize casualties . The brigade was spread out amongst many camps . To the west of the city of Ar - Ramadi sat the camp of Junction City . 2ID units stationed there included : HQ 2d BCT , 2nd ID ; 2 – 17th Field Artillery ; 1 – 9th Infantry ; 44th Engineer Battalion ; Company A , 102d Military Intelligence Battalion ; Company B , 122d Signal Battalion , and Company C ( Medical ) , 2d Forward Support Battalion . To the eastern end of the city sat a much more austere camp , known ironically as the Combat Outpost . This was home to the 1 - 503d Infantry Regiment . East of them but outside of the city proper itself was the town of Habbiniya and the 1 – 506th Infantry Regiment . Adjacent to this camp was the logistically important camp of Al - Taqaddum , where the 2d Forward Support Battalion was stationed . For this mission , the brigade fell under the direct command not of the 2d Infantry Division , but rather the Marine unit that was in control at the time . For the first six months while in Ramadi , the BCT fell under to the 1st Marine Division . For the second half of the deployment , they were attached to the 2nd Marine Division . While the Marines do not wear unit patches on their uniforms , the units of the 2d BCT involved are authorized to now wear any of the following combat patches : the 2nd Infantry Division patch , the 1st Marine Division unit patch or the 2nd Marine Division unit patch . The 2d Brigade Combat Team was in action in the city of Ramadi for many historical events but most notably the Iraqi national elections of January 2005 . Much manpower and effort was put into stabilizing the city for this event . While the voting went off without a hitch and little to no violence was seen within the city , a minimal amount of voters participated ( estimated to be in the 700 person range for the eastern half of the city , according to 2nd BCT officials ) . While the numbers left something to be desired , the BCT noted the lack of violence as a sign of success . The 2d BCT also left its mark on the area in other ways . They built several new camps within the city . For security reasons , many are left unverified , however ones that can be confirmed include Camps Trotter and Corregidor built to ease the burden on the accommodations at Combat Outpost . In July 2005 , the brigade began to get relieved by units of the United States National Guard , as well as the 3d Infantry Division of the Regular Army . Six months into the deployment , the units of the 2d BCT were given word that they would not be returning to South Korea but , rather , to Fort Carson , Colorado in an effort to restructure the Army and house more soldiers on American soil . From June 2006 to September 2007 , the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed from Fort Lewis , Washington in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . During the 3rd Stryker Brigade ' s second deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom their mission was to assist the Iraqi security forces with counter - insurgency operations in the Ninewa Province . 46 soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment . On 1 June 2006 at Fort Lewis , Washington the 4th Brigade , 2d Infantry Division was formed . From April 2007 to July 2008 the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team was deployed in as part of the surge to regain control of the situation in Iraq . The brigade assumed responsibility for the area north of Baghdad and the Diyala province . 35 soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment . From October 2006 to January 2008 , the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed from Fort Carson , Colorado in support of the Multi - National Division â€ “ Baghdad ( 1st Cavalry Division ) and was responsible for assisting the Iraqi forces to become self - reliant , bringing down the violence and insurgency levels and supporting the rebuilding of the Iraqi infrastructure . 43 soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment . SSG Christopher B . Waiters of the 5th Battalion , 20th Infantry Regiment , 3d Brigade Combat Team , 2nd Infantry Division . was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on 23 October 2008 for his actions on 5 April 2007 when he was a Specialist . Shortly after SPC Erik Oropeza of the 4th Battalion , 9th Infantry Regiment , 4th Brigade Combat Team , 2nd Infantry Division was also awarded the DSC for his actions on 22 May 2007 . Thus the division will be credited with the 17th and 18th Distinguished Service Cross awardings since 1975 . The 2nd Infantry Division ' s 4th Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq in the fall of 2009 . 3rd Brigade deployed to Iraq 4 August 2009 for the brigade ' s third deployment to Iraq , the most of any Stryker Brigade Combat Team ( SBCT ) . War in Afghanistan . On 17 February 2009 , President Barack Obama ordered 4 , 000 soldiers that are part of 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan , along with 8 , 000 Marines . Soldiers are being sent there because of the worsening situation in the Afghan War . These soldiers were deployed in the southeast , on the Afghanistan - Pakistan border . During deployment , 35 soldiers were killed in combat , six others were killed in accidents , and 239 were wounded . In July 2010 , the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team was inactivated and reflagged as the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team . The Brigade ' s Special Troops Battalion was also inactivated and reflagged and the rest of the subordinate units were reassigned to the reactivated 2nd SBCT . 3rd SBCT deployed in December 2011 and served in Afghanistan for one - year . 16 soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment . They were joined by their sister Stryker brigade , the 2nd SBCT in the spring The 4th Stryker BCT also deployed to its first deplyment to the country in fall 2012 . Rogue " kill team " criminal charges . During the summer of 2010 , the US Military charged five members of the 3rd Platoon , Bravo Company , 2nd Battalion , 1st Infantry Regiment with the formation of a " kill team " which staged three separate murders of Afghan civilians in Kandahar province . In addition , seven soldiers were also charged with crimes including hashish use , impeding an investigation and attacking a whistle blowing private who alerted MP ' s during an initially unrelated investigation into hashish use by members of the 3rd Platoon . The alleged ringleader was Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs . Christopher Winfield , the father of platoon member SPC Adam Winfield , attempted to alert the Army of the kill team ' s existence after his son explained the situation from Afghanistan via a Facebook chat . In response to the news from his son , Winfield called the Army inspector general ' s 24 - hour hotline , the office of Sen . Bill Nelson ( D - Fla . ) , and a sergeant at Joint Base Lewis - McChord who told him to call the Army Criminal Investigation Division . He then contacted the Fort Lewis command center and spoke to a sergeant on duty who agreed that SPC Winfield was in potential danger but that he had to report the crime to his superiors before the Army could take action . Current structure . 1st Brigade Combat Team . Heavy Brigade Combat Team ( " Iron Brigade " ) based at Camp Hovey , South Korea 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team . Based at Fort Lewis , Washington 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team . Based at Fort Lewis , Washington 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team . Inactivating in 2013 . Based at Fort Lewis , Washington Combat Aviation Brigade . Combat aviation brigade ( " Talon Brigade " ) based at Camp Humphreys , South Korea 210th Fires Brigade . The 210th Fires Brigade , based at Camp Casey , South Korea , is a separate artillery brigade under the division ' s operational control .