1:501st ABN INF

• Origins in World War II: The 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (1/501st ABN INF) was activated on November 15, 1942, at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, as part of the famed 101st Airborne Division. • D-Day Airborne Assault: The unit made its combat debut during the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, parachuting into Normandy ahead of the seaborne invasion. • Battle of Carentan: The 1/501st played a vital role in the liberation of Carentan, a key objective in Normandy that linked Utah and Omaha beaches and secured the Allied beachhead. • Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge: In December 1944, the battalion was surrounded with the rest of the 101st Airborne in Bastogne, Belgium, holding out against German forces in one of WWII’s most famous defensive actions. • Vietnam War Service: Reactivated for Vietnam, the 1/501st served with distinction from 1967 to 1972, participating in major operations such as the Battle of Hamburger Hill. • Valorous Unit Award: The battalion has received multiple unit citations, including the Presidential Unit Citation and the Valorous Unit Award for extraordinary heroism in combat. • Alaska Assignment: Since the 1980s, the 1/501st has been based at Fort Richardson, Alaska, becoming one of the U.S. Army’s premier Arctic airborne infantry units. • Global War on Terror Deployments: The unit has deployed multiple times to Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001, conducting air assault and counterinsurgency missions. • Nickname “Geronimo”: The regiment’s nickname, “Geronimo,” honors the famous Apache leader and was adopted after a paratrooper shouted his name during a training jump in 1940s. • Distinctive Insignia: The unit’s insignia features a red, white, and blue shield with a parachute and a bayonet, symbolizing its airborne and infantry heritage.