509th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Significant Events

Significant Events

• Constituted 14 March 1941 in the Army of the United States as the 504th Parachute Infantry Battalion, consisting of HHC and Companies A, B & C.
• Activated 5 October 1941 at Fort Benning, Georgia
• Reorganized and redesignated 24 February 1942 as the 2d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, consisting of HHC and Companies D, E, and F. Battalion Deployed detached from the Regiment to England.
• 2/503 PIR arrived in England, and Reorganized and redesignated 2 November 1942 as the 2d Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, consisting of HHC and Companies D, E, and F. Remainder of 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment proceeded to Pacific Theater and separate Lineage with new 2nd Battalion.
• 2/509 PIR Assaulted Oran and Youks-les-Bains Airfield in North Africa as part of Operation TORCH.
• TORCH assignment terminated, and unit attached to the 82nd Airborne Division on 15 November 1942.
• 2/509 PIR Assaulted Sicily as part of Operation HUSKY on 9 July 1943.
• 2/509 PIR Assaulted Salerno. Italy on 9 September 1943 as part of Operation Avalanche.
• 2/509 PIR Parachuted onto Avellino on 14 September 1943. The unit was immediately engaged upon landing by German Forces, and was badly decimated. Unit was subsequently withdrawn from Combat, and temporarily assigned as Security for Headquarters, 5th U.S. Army
• 2/509 PIR located at Venafro, Italy, and Reorganized and redesignated 10 December 1943 as the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, consisting of HHC and Companies A, B, and C.
• Battalion arrived in France on 15 August 1944, for the start of Operation Dragoon.
• Operation Dragoon finished successfully on 14 September 1944, and Battalion released for
• 509 PIB engaged in Rhineland Campaign on 5 September 1944.
• 509 PIB relieved from Rhineland Campaign, and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division on 18 November 1944.
• 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion Relieved From Assignment to 101st Airborne Division 18 December 1944 and prepared for unit disbandment and personnel and equipment reassignment.
• 509 PIB Disbanded 1 March 1945 in France, with Personnel and Equipment reassigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.
• Unit Reconstituted 12 May 1947 in the Regular Army as the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion
• Reorganized and redesignated 1 April 1963 as the 509th Infantry, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System. 509th Infantry assigned to the 8th Infantry Division and was activated same date in Germany.
• 3-509th Infantry Organic elements constituted 15 January 1972
• 3-509th Infantry activated 15 January 1973 in Germany
• 2-509th Infantry and 3-509th Infantry inactivated 31 August 1973 in Germany and relieved from assignment to the 8th Infantry Division
• 1-509th Infantry relieved 1 September 1973 from assignment to the 8th Infantry Division
• Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry redesignated 1 July 1975 as Company C, 509th Infantry and activated at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
• 1-509th Infantry inactivated 1 July 1983 in Italy.
• 509th Infantry withdrawn 16 January 1986 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System
• Headquarters, 509th Infantry transferred 18 December 1987 to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, and activated at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
• C-509th Infantry transferred 2 October 1988 to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and reorganized at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
  • 509th Infantry transferred same date to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
• 1-509th Infantry activated 21 May 1988 at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas
• 1-509th Infantry inactivated 31 May 1993 at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, and Withdrawn from the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.
  • C-509th Infantry inactivated same date at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and withdrawn form the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
• 1-509th Infantry activated 15 January 1994 at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
• A CO and B CO 1-509th Infantry Deployed in June 2004 in support of OIF to Baghdad, Iraq. The two airborne infantry companies were attached to 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. A CO was attached to 2-14 IN and B CO was attached to 4-31 IN. Both Companies returned from combat in March 2005.
• C-509th Infantry redesignated 10 December 2004 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry.
• HHC, 3-509th Infantry Regiment assigned 16 September 2005 to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, and activated at Fort Richardson, Alaska
• 3-509th Infantry Regiment is currently in Afghanistan, and has been since at least December, 2011.