James Swann

The 3rd Battalion, 73rd Armor Regiment (Airborne), based at Fort Bragg, NC, was a unique unit within the U.S. Army, serving as the only airborne armor battalion. Reactivated in 1988, the battalion provided rapidly deployable armored support for the 82nd Airborne Division, utilizing the M551 Sheridan light tank. The 3-73rd Armor saw action during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989 and participated in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The battalion was inactivated in 1997 as the Army retired the Sheridan and restructured its airborne forces.