173rd Airborne Brigade
"Sky Soldiers"
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Formed in May 1963, the 173rd Airborne Brigade- Nicknamed the "Sky Soldiers"- went to work training for the type of warfare it would encounter in Vietnam. Arriving in May 1965, the 173rd was the first major U.S. Army ground combat unit to fight in Vietnam. The brigade is currently conducting operations in northern Binh Dinh Province in support of the Republic of Vietnam's pacification program. Among the brigade's responsibilities are: conducting training to upgrade Vietnamese armed forces- particularly Regional and Popular Forces, Rural Development Cadre and People's Self Defense Forces, helping provide security for key populated areas, reducing the VC infrastructure, increasing the number of Hoi Chanhs and securing a portion of Highway QL 1, Vietnam's only major north-south highway. The brigade received the Presidential Unit Citation for distinguishing itself in the battle of Dak To during November 1967. Brigade elements fought with an entrenched North Vietnamese Army regiment on Hill 875, and in some of the most bitter fighting of the war, captured the hill on Thanksgiving Day. More than 800 enemy were killed.
