History of the 506 Infantry Regiment

The 506th Infantry Regiment was activated on 20 July 1942 as part of the newly formed 101st Airborne Division. The Division's first commander, Major General William C. Lee observed that "the 101st has no history, but it has a rendezvous with destiny." Likewise, the 506th Infantry was destined to write its history in places such as Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, the Central Highlands of Vietnam, and Cambodia.

The Regiment's first commander was Colonel Robert F. Sink, one of the pioneers of Airborne operations and tactics. He activated the Regiment, trained it, and led the 506th to victory during World War II. During the war he would participate in every battle and campaign in which the Regiment fought.

The Regiment was activated on Currahee Mountain at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Currahee is a Cherokee Indian word meaning "Stands Alone"; a phrase which later became the Regiment's motto. The 506th was an Airborne Infantry unit – a new breed of soldier – and they were determined to prove themselves. Each member of the Regiment was personally screened by Colonel Sink, and led through one of the most rugged and strenuous training programs ever demanded of any unit. Colonel Sink stated that, "Being Airborne is 99% walking and 1% jumping." The 506th Infantry soon became famous for their speed marches and physical training. Elements of the Regiment conducted a 137-mile forced march from Camp Toccoa to Fort Benning to begin Airborne training. They were the first to complete Airborne training as a unit.

The 506th deployed to Littlecote, England in September 1943 to continue training in preparation for Operation OVERLORD. During this time they were commended during inspections by English Prime Minister Winston Churchill, British Field Marshall Montgomery, and General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Their training continued in England until 5 June, 1944 when the 506th suited up for a different kind of parachute jump: a night jump into German-occupied France.

At 0100 hours on 6 June 1944, the Regiment jumped into the skies over France as the lead element of the massive Allied D-Day invasion. Their objective was to seize the high ground immediately behind the Normandy beach in order to prevent the Germans from reinforcing their shoreline defensive positions. Unlike most of the other airborne units involved in Operation OVERLORD, the 506th was lucky enough to land on the correct drop zone. Unfortunately, the drop zone placed them in the middle of the German 17th SS Division's sector. The 506th rallied around Colonel Sink and gradually fought their way free. During the fighting Colonel Sink personally led an attack that resulted in the seizure of four German artillery guns. By the evening of 6 June, the Regiment had secured its objectives, and had linked up with other elements of the invasion force that had established a beachhead at Normandy.

For its exploits at Normandy, the 506th Infantry Regiment received a Presidential Unit Citation, and twenty-five of its members received the Distinguished Service Cross. On 20 June the Regiment was placed into reserve, and on 13 July it returned to England, its Normandy battle over.

After ten weeks of refitting and training, the 506th was once again called upon to parachute into combat, this time into Holland as part of Operation MARKET GARDEN. The Regiment's mission was to open the Eindhoven-Arnhem Road, and to seize and hold the Zon Bridge across the Wilhelmina Canal. The 506th fought to within twenty-five meters of the bridge when it was demolished by German explosives. Undaunted, elements of the 506th crossed the canal and secured the far bank. The Regiment went on to liberate the town of Eindhoven on 18 September and aided in the withdrawal of the beleaguered British 1st Airborne from Arnhem on 7 October.

It appeared that the 506th would sit out the rest of WWII in Holland; however, on the morning of 18 December the unit was hastily loaded onto trucks and transported to the vicinity of Bastogne to stem a major German attack on this critical city. Bastogne became the central focus of the Battle of the Bulge since it was at the junction of six key avenues of approach and lines of communication. If the left wing of the German attack was to be stopped, it had to be stopped at Bastogne. The mission of the 506th Infantry was to hold the town of Neville, four miles to the north. If Neville fell, then Bastogne would probably have to be abandoned. The Regiment successfully resisted the vicious German assaults, and earned its second Presidential Unit Citation for its actions at Bastogne.

The rest of the war was less eventful for the 506th Infantry. The final significant event occurred when the Regiment drove into Southeastern Germany and overran Hitler's famed "Eagle's Nest" in Berchtesgarden. Colonel Sink accepted the surrender of the German 82nd Corps from its commander, General Tolsdorff, at Gestein. In November 1945, the 506th Infantry was inactivated at Auxerre, France.

The Regiment was reactivated on 25 August 1950 as part of the Korean War buildup. The 506th remained in the States as a training unit throughout the Korean War and was inactivated again on 1 December 1953. On 25 April 1957, the 506th Infantry was reactivated, once again as part of the 101st Airborne Division, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In addition to being an Airborne unit, it tested new Army airmobile concepts and was part of the Army's strategic reserve.

In December 1967, the 506th Infantry arrived in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. While in Vietnam, the Regiment was converted from Airborne to Airmobile Infantry. Here they would serve for four years, earn twelve more battle streamers, and be awarded a third Presidential Unit Citation for action at Dong Ap Bia Mountain near the Ashau Valley.

The 506th soon found itself involved in thwarting the Tet Offensive. The Regiment prevented the Viet Cong from seizing Phan Thiet. During this battle, the 506th annihilated the Viet Cong, and from then on they would face only NVA regulars. It was also during this action that the Regiment received their first awards for bravery during the Vietnam conflict. 2LT John Harrison, SGT Alan Mayfield, and SP4 John Milguard were each awarded the Silver Star for gallantry during the execution of a night patrol to recover the bodies of fallen comrades.

In May 1968, the 506th was the first American unit to deploy into the Dalat area. For the next eighteen months the regiment operated in this area. They also worked to train indigenous units and assisted in building a positive rapport with local Vietnamese people. In April 1970, the Regiment was selected to conduct operations in Cambodia. The 506th was responsible for killing over ninety NVA and the destruction of huge quantities of enemy material. The Regiment participated in numerous actions during the period of Vietnamization.

In December 1971, the 506th redeployed to Fort Campbell to begin a new chapter in its distinguished history. At Fort Campbell, the Regiment began training in the new Air Assault concept, just as their predecessors had done with the airmobile concepts almost twenty years before. The unit was declared fully combat ready on 20 June 1973. As a result of changes in the Air Assault force structure, the 506th Infantry was deactivated in May 1984.

The 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry was reactivated on 15 April 1987 at Camp Greaves, Republic of Korea (with A Company at Camp Liberty Bell). Its mission was to man the guard posts, provide quick reaction forces, and patrol the United Nations Command MACHA "B" sector of the Demilitarized Zone during the harsh Korean winter months of December through February. During the other nine months of the year, the battalion trained and remained ready to relieve the DMZ battalion in place in the event of hostile contact with the North Koreans. In September of 1991, DMZ responsibilities were transferred to the ROKA 1st Infantry Division, and A Company was relocated to Camp Giant in 1992. Until August 2004, the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry stood alone as the only permanently forward-deployed battalion in the United States Army, stationed less than 3 km from the DMZ.

From August 2004 to July 2005, 1-506th was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq in the middle of the notorious Sunni Triangle. During that time they made huge strides in reducing the insurgent menace in their battlespace. They were responsible for ensure freedom of movement along MSR Michigan west of Habbaniyah to Ramadi, one of the most contested stretches of highway in the theater. They conducted numerous search, raid, and sweep missions, resulting in the detention of hundreds of insurgents and destruction of tons of weapons and ordinance caches.

During its relatively short history, the 506th Infantry has fought in three wars on two continents, participating in sixteen campaigns. The 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry has been decorated twelve times. Each of these honors serves as a district reminder of the unit's proud heritage, and its dedication to the preservation of freedom. CURRAHEE!