The enormous amounts of ordnance expended by both forces had turned the once-lush tropical jungle into a scarred and torn landscape.. Today, the 173rd Airborne Brigade - 173rd Airborne Brigade | Facebook [141][142], Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta received the Medal of Honor for heroic actions as a rifle team leader in Company B, 2503 INF (Airborne) when his squad was caught in a near-ambush the night of 25 October 2007 during Operation Rock Avalanche in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. verso bottom right in pencil "Ambush of 173rd airborne / Iron Triangle 9/1965" in pencil on stamp "2/2k8" Signed in pencil on verso lower right: "Tim Page 8/25" Circular stamp on verso lower right: "chromacolour.com.au * / ARCHIVAL / ILFOCHROME / CLASSIC" Cataloguing data may change with further research. [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. Masthead | Ethan Phelan Melzer, aka Etil Reggad, 24, of Louisville, pleaded guilty to attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information on June 24, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods, who imposed todays sentence. Melzer, who is from Louisville, Ky., joined the Army in 2018. Neo-Nazi ex soldier sentenced to 45 years for plotting to murder soldiers Read the full press release at the DOJ's website. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist at campaign watchdog Public Citizen, explained to Business Insider Friday that non-monetary goods or services, including "non-public opposition research, provided to a candidate free of charge or at a discount for campaign purposes, is defined under the campaign finance law as an in-kind contribution, subject to the reporting requirements and contribution limits.". Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect.. [7] The 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry colors were moved to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina to serve under the 82nd Airborne Division. War Zone 'C' ambush of the 173rd Airborne during the - reddit The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team ("Sky Soldiers") is an airborne infantry brigade combat team of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. Vietnamization, as later conceived in 1969, was not an objective, and, in fact, the entire effort represented a return to the old strategy of pacification, with American combat operations now tied much closer to the overall task of local security. Gold Star, Active Duty, etc.). "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. Download full-resolution image Following is a description of the unit which operated from Late Summer of 1968 and was disolved just prior to the Battalion move to Phan Thiet on September 1, 1969. On May 18, 1967, its D Platoon went on a short patrol and chased a lone NVA scout, who led them into an ambush. The enemy loss in lives was about four times that of the allies.. Unknown to the Americans, they had walked into a carefully prepared ambush by the 2nd Battalion of the 174th PAVN Regiment. Casper platoon was part of the HHC 173rd Airborne Brigade and its members wore the brigade patch. [114] This program was known as Fearless Guardian which was congressionally approved under the Global Contingency Security Fund. The Vietnam War: The Pictures That Moved That Most - TIME.com The 173d Airborne Brigade was constituted 5 August 1917 as an infantry brigade and organized 25 August 1917 at Camp Pike, Arkansas as an element of the 87th Division. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to provide a Europe-based neo-Nazi, Satanist, and pro-jihadist group by giving it classified information to attack his. Story tips can be sent tolouis.casiano@fox.com. Despite reportedly higher enemy body counts, Maj. Gen. William B. Rosson, earlier commander of Task Force Oregon, estimated 1,000 NVA were killed. He was the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War. [96] These operations, though successful, would have been more effective if the 4th Infantry Division's four heavy brigades were able to enter Iraq through Turkey as originally planned. Interrogators also employed a technique called the "water rag", which involved pouring water onto a rag covering the captive's nose and mouth, which creates the sensatation of drowning and can lead to death by asphyxiation. Neither battalion faced heavy resistance as the NVA had decamped during the night, denying the Americans a chance at some revenge. The paratroopers attempted to continue the advance, but the PAVN, well concealed in interconnected bunkers and trenches, opened fire with small arms and grenades. In May 2020, Melzer joined a unit set to deploy to Turkey, according to the Justice Department. These include Congressmen Duncan Hunter and Charlie Norwood,[133][134] Archbishop of Baltimore Edwin Frederick O'Brien,[135] Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert M. Kimmitt,[136] business owner Barney Visser,[137] activists Stan Goff and Ted Sampley,[138] and Sergeant Major of the Army Gene C. Regt. Abandoned weapons, helmets, rucksacks, clothing, canteens and empty ration containers littered the battlefield. [I]t would be another war I wouldve died successfully cause another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark.. US Army soldier gets 45 years for neo-Nazi plot to ambush his own paratrooper unit . He used his membership in the military to pursue an appalling goal: the brutal murder of his fellow U.S. service members in a carefully plotted ambush. Ethan Melzer infiltrated the U.S. Army in service of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and jihadist group, said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. I wouldve died successfully . Of the 3,200 paratroopers from the 173rd deployed to Dak To, 27% were either killed (208) or wounded (645). cause another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark. Melzer also acknowledged in his messages that he deleted some of the communications regarding the planning of the attack because the plot amounted to treason. He was arrested in May 2020 while in Italy, before he could carry it out. [86] The force had been strung out over a 10,000-yard drop zone, and it took 15 hours before it was completely assembled. [There were] heaps of dead after that bomb, a survivor remembered. Market data provided by Factset. For example, after describing the units weaponry during the deployment and providing information consistent with the briefings he had received Melzer described to his co-conspirators how an attack would essentially cripple the units fire-teams.. In approximately October 2019, Melzer deployed abroad with the Army to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. 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. If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please Not long after its reactivation, elements were deployed to Kosovo as part of Operation Rapid Guardian in support of Kosovo Force (KFOR). McKinney. [91] By 29 March the entire brigade was in Iraq and ready to conduct offensive operations.[91]. On Nov. 20, 1967, Pfc. On 23 June, the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment (1st Brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Division) arrived to bolster the 173rd. [67]:396400, The unit then served in An Kh until mid-1969, seeing little in the way of heavy fighting. (the Red Warriors), participated in the final assault on Hill 875. Amazon.com: 173rd Airborne Hat We were surrounded, and we were firing in all directions.. Capt. [60] This time the Americans gained the crest, but the PAVN had already abandoned their positions, leaving only a few dozen charred bodies and weapons. According to the PAC, the maximum penalty for such a "prohibited corporate contribution" is five years in prison and fines of 200% of the value of the contribution. [102] The 173rd IBCT(A) officially relieved the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division on 6 June 2007.[102]. The dust-offs started coming within 30 minutes. The 173rd Airborne paratroopers trained the Ukrainians on how to better defend themselves against Russian and rebel artillery and rockets. 2nd Battalion was initially attached to 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and conducted stability and combat operations in Kunar Province for the first half of the deployment. ; 1st and 3rd battalions of the 12th Inf. [47] In August of that year, the brigade received its distinctive unit insignia. First Military Choice. The 173rd had been operating near Bien Hoa Air Base outside Saigon and had been in combat only against NLF guerrillas. 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. . From April 1969 until its withdrawal from South Vietnam in 1971, the brigade served in Bnh nh Province. The centerpiece of the battle was the 110-hour fight for Hill 875. [3][15], From 1961 to 1963, the Army began reorganizing its force so that each division would have a similar structure, which would vary depending on the type of division it was. (U.S. Army Photo by Visual Information Specialist Davide Dalla Massara) Read more Image Jumping in July, 173rd Airborne at Aviano Division doctors at Dak To kept busy, too, often getting by on only three or four hours of sleep a night. 16 December 1967. The battalion lost 12 KIA. Consequently, the HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade was designated as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop in February 1942 and activated on 15 December 1942. Private Olive's body absorbed the full, deadly blast of the grenade and he died saving his comrades. Parents would be allowed to kidnap their children and take them out of state if they are receiving gender-affirming care or are considered at risk of receiving such care under a proposed Florida law, Vice News reports. a private assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy, Soldier indicted for conspiring with neo-Nazi group seeks dismissal because grand jury wasn't racially diverse, Paratrooper pleads not guilty to charges he plotted with satanic Neo-Nazis to ambush his unit, Italy-based paratrooper charged with plotting with satanic neo-Nazi group to attack his unit, Gallantry: Biden presents Medal of Honor to retired Army Col. Paris Davis for his heroics in Vietnam, US to send bridge-launching vehicles for tank deployments to Ukraine in new $400M aid package, Japan complains to US over Utah senators remarks on imprisoned Navy officer, Military, VA provide troops, vets more gun safety options to help reduce suicides, Pentagon tells service members to stop displaying giant US flags at major events, K-Town Now features the latest news from the Kaiserslautern Military Community. By unlawfully disclosing his units location, strength, and armaments to other O9A members and jihadists in furtherance of this ambush, Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect. The 173rd Airborne Brigade currently consists of 3,300 soldiers[6] in seven subordinate battalions as well as a headquarters company:[7], All of these units are airborne qualified, making the 173rd Airborne Brigade the only separate airborne IBCT in the United States Army. Far too often, the part played by Ivy Division GIs at Dak To is glossed over. (Department of Justice). Besides Melzer and O9A, the Neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen whose leader was arrested for plotting to attack Baltimores energy grid and other groups have tried to recruit active-duty and veteran service members or have their own members join the military for training. At 06:58 the following morning, Alpha Company began moving alone up a ridge finger and triggered an ambush by the 6th Battalion of the 24th PAVN Regiment. Melzer provided RapeWaffen membership with information on troop movements, relevant dates and locations, security details, weaponry and topography to facilitate a mass casualty jihadi attack, according to court documents. Melzer was taken into custody by the FBI on June 10, 2020. Phone: (626)664-0219. The 2-503rd conducted combat operations in Zabul Province. Prior to its deployment to the highlands, Peers' operations officer, Colonel William J. Livsey, attempted to warn the Airborne officers of the hazards of campaigning in the Central Highlands. Following on the heels of TF Blacks ordeal, A and B companies from the 2nd Bn., 503rd Inf., fought for more than four hours near Fire Support Base 16, located about five miles south of Hill 823. NVA snipers made the going slow, but B Company finally reached the perimeter by dusk. . As part of this intensive training, Melzer learned details about the purpose, layout, and security of the Military Base. Ethan Phelan Melzer, a 24-year-old from Louisville, Ky., pleaded guilty in June in a federal courtroom in New York to charges of attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information, according to the Justice Department. 173d Airborne Brigade Association - Apply for New Membership Online In October 2019, Melzer and his unit were deployed to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. 173rd Airborne Brigade - United States European Command 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. [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. A gavel rests on the judges bench in the courtroom of the 39th Air Base Wing legal office at Nov. 14, 2019, at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. (U.S. Army Photo by Visual Information Specialist Davide Dalla Massara) Read more. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced Friday to 45 years in prison, the maximum, for plotting what prosecutors described as a "murderous ambush" overseas on members of his own troop. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. You slept with corpses. The obstruction charge carries a minimum sentence of six months in jail. [131] In the 1998 movie The Siege, fictional Major General William Devereaux, played by Bruce Willis, states that he was in the 173rd Airborne Brigade at the same time that character Anthony Hubbard was in the 82nd Airborne Division. Engineers of 1st Air Cav at Chu Phong Mt. The 4th Infantry Divisions 1st Brigade included the 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 8th Inf. Official websites use .gov The brigade returned to its home station in Europe in November 2010. There is something gut-wrenching about severely wounded men that I will never forget, recalled Earle Jackson, a 173rd medic who served on Hill 875. By unlawfully disclosing his units location, strength, and armaments to other O9A members and jihadists in furtherance of this ambush, Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect.. On Nov. 23, the 4th Battalion from the north slope coordinated a final assault on the hilltop with the 1st Bn., 12th Inf., 4th Inf. Melzer began active service as an Army infantryman in June 2019 and deployed that October to Vicenza, Italy, as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. [93] The brigade used field artillery assets, as well as coordinated airstrikes to attack Iraqi Republican Guard units defending the city. 173rd Airborne trooper dives onto live grenade, saving comrades Company D, 16th Armor was engaged in a battle that took place on 4 March 1968 at North Tuy Ha. Div., at Dak To. [34] The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment[35] and the 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery[36] were attached to the brigade for one year in 1965. Army paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade conduct a combined arms exercise in Germany. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. By integrating these support elements, the unit became able to maintain its fighting forces with all that is required to keep the ground soldiers supplied and moving. Prosecutors said Eric Melzer, 24, of Kentucky, gave information about the location and layout of a U.S. military installation overseas to the anti-government group Order of Nine Angles. Former Army soldier who plotted 'jihadi attack' on fellow service We were ambushed by the NVA a short distance from where we landed. was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, which . One hit outside the perimeter, killing 25 NVA troops. On 1 December 1951, the troop was inactivated and released from its assignment to the 87th Infantry Division. But the GIs had fulfilled their objective. | (Staff Sgt. He said Melzer's fellow paratroopers in the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team were left feeling angry as . Mariah Y. Gonzalez). You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Headquarters, 173rd Airborne Brigade. III, No. This photo provided by the Justice Department seized from an iCloud account belonging to former Army Pvt. "[69], From April until August 1971, the unit underwent the process of redeployment to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the first time that the 173rd Airborne Brigade in name had returned to the United States since 1942. The next day, American forces advanced to Kirkuk during Operation Option North, hoping to control oil fields and military airfields in and around the city. To further the attack plan, Melzer and his co-conspirators passed these messages to a purported member of al Qaeda. [92] Between 30 March and 2 April, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, along with the Special Forces detachment and the Kurdish forces, engaged and destroyed the 2nd, 4th, 8th and 38th Iraqi Infantry divisions as well as a force loyal to Ansar al-Islam. Former U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Attempting Melzer told members of O9A in his encrypted electronic communications [y]ou just gotta understand that currently I am risking my literal free life to give you all this and that he was expecting results. Melzer further acknowledged that he could be killed during the attack and described his willingness to die for O9As goals, writing who gives a fuck [. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Matthew J.C. Hellman and Kimberly J. Ravener for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorneys Alicia Cook of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section and Scott Claffee of the National Security Divisions Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Watters received a posthumous Medal of Honor. [73], In 2002, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (2-503rd) activated, providing a second infantry battalion. 173rd Airborne Afghanistan Veteran Enduring Freedom Patch Design Military Cap Black. The 173rd Airborne Brigade fielded the 1st, 2nd and 4th battalions of the 503rd Inf. [79][80][81], The 173rd Airborne Brigade was made part of Task Force Viking, a special operations task force that contained elements of the 10th Mountain Division[82] and the 10th Special Forces Group. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison Friday after he plotted to ambush his unit and illegally shared classified information with a violent transnational extremist organization, of which he was a member. The 1/91st Cavalry was given a mission to transform western Logar province into a secure environment; a mission that was not greeted as an easy task. Reproduced from VFW Magazine, March 2006 issue, article by Tim Dyhouse. . BDE History Home But they certainly did no more than the many other non-elites did, like 4th Division grunts, the artillery and others.. [79] The force also received force field artillery headquarters from the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery, which brought a Tactical Operations Center, a Q-36 counterfire radar and Combat Observation and Lasing Team (COLT)a pair of Dragoneye Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from the US Marine Corps, to be operated by the Brigades Ground Surveillance Systems (GSS) team. 25th Div Support Troops Taking Cover from Prop Wash. One of the most notable units to operate out of a FOB was the brigade's 74th Long-Range Surveillance (LRS) detachment. [3][4] The remaining units of the 173rd were inactivated. A South Vietnamese Marine, severely wounded in a Viet Cong ambush, is comforted by a comrade in a sugar-cane field at Duc Hoa, about 12 miles from Saigon, on August 5, 1963. . Former Army private Ethan Melzer planned to ambush soldiers and cause a "mass casualty" attack in the service of a Neo-Nazi group. or redistributed. Women in the military: Moving beyond firsts, Issues with the Armys Europe-based equipment trigger readiness alarms, Veterans Affairs drops mask requirement for all agency medical offices, Tax scams How to report them Money Minute, Capitol Hill weighs action on two controversial topics: medical marijuana and abortion, Lockheed wins hypersonics contract | Defense Dollars, Go inside a secret nuclear fallout bunker sealed for decades, Black Vietnam vet at last getting his due: Medal of Honor, Junior NCO promotions have collapsed heres the data, and why, Army artillery officer dies during assignment in Thailand. 12 June 2005. Following his time in service . Rick Holmes of C company, 2nd battalion, 503rd infantry, 173rd airborne brigade, sits down on January 3, 1966, in Vietnam. [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.
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