Post World War
Company D (Ranger), 151st Infantry was one of a small number of National Guard units mobilized for service in the Republic of Vietnam and was one of the most highly decorated units to serve in that conflict. Since 11 September 2001, the 38th Infantry Division has provided headquarters and forces for a variety of operational rotations including Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq), Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Joint Forge (Bosnia), Operation Joint Guardian (Kosovo), Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (Djibouti), Multinational Force and Observers (Egypt), United States Air Forces Europe(USAFE) Force Protection (England, Germany, Italy, and Belgium), and Operation Noble Eagle (Continental United States) Rotations I through IV.
In 1996, over 7,000 soldiers from the 38th Infantry Division (from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan) supported the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2005, the Division Headquarters mobilized in the support of Hurricane Katrina relief operations (dubbed "Task Force Cyclone") and exercised command and control of all National Guard forces in the State of Mississippi.
Team Gator in Al Anbar-Operation Iraqi Freedom
From October 2006 to September 2007, a company from the 38th Infantry Division saw extensive combat in Ramadi and Fallujah, Iraq. This company and its parent battalion were administratively assigned to the 38th Infantry Division, but operationally assigned to the 76th Infantry Brigade (Separtate) just prior to the mobilization and deployment of 2006–2007. Originally known as Company A, 2nd Battalion (Mechanized), 152nd Infantry Regiment, the unit became an expeditionary force with members from all companies in the battalion, and was renamed Headquarters, and Headquarters Company (-), and would come to be known as "Team Gator". Upon arrival in Al Anbar Province, the unit was operationally assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division's "Ready First Combat Team" and conducted extensive joint patrols and enemy clearing operations in both the Ramadi and Fallujah AOs during the some of the most intense fighting of the 2006–2007 campaign. One platoon would be assigned under the tactical control of USMC Regimental Combat Teams in the Fallujah AO, with the rest of the company being assigned to the Ready First Brigade in Ramadi. The company would also have a platoon from the Minnesota National Guard under its operational control.
When the Ready First Brigade departed Ramadi, the company would be assigned to a new brigade, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division (Raider Brigade), and it would participate in major clearing operations during the Surge of 2007. It was also during this time that the company would be reconsolidated in Ramadi when the Fallujah platoon was returned to the operational control of its company headquarters. Team Gator, or the "Cyclones" as they were known by their call sign, opened 8 new police stations in Al Anbar Province, including western, southern, and eastern Ramadi; as well as in and around the Falllujah AO. During the process, the unit participated in 8 battalion sized enemy clearing operations, conducted hundreds of joint patrols with Iraqi Security Forces, and was credited with the capture of over 100 insurgents, and an unknown number killed. The company would pay heavily for its accomplishments with 27 Purple Hearts, and one soldier killed in action, Staff Sergeant Bradley D. King, who was killed on 2 April 2007, by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during a raid on a known insurgent bomb maker's house in the village of Fuhaylat, southwest of Fallujah. Soldiers of the unit earned 27 Bronze Stars, with two for Valor. The company received the Naval Unit Commendation and the Meritorious Unit Commendation. The company had many soldiers who committed numerous acts of heroism that have not been truly known to this day. The unit is second only to Company D Rangers for being the most decorated and combat experienced company sized element in the Indiana Army National Guard since World War II.
Read more about this topic: 38th Infantry Division (United States)
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