Melzer joined the U.S. Army in approximately 2018 and infiltrated its ranks as part of an insight role to further his goals as an O9A adherent. Supporting the Veterans, Soldiers and Friends of the 4th Infantry Division Since 1919. After the new units were integrated into the brigade, the preponderance of the forces within the brigade were stationed in Germany, apart from the brigade headquarters in Italy. While there, he consumed extensive propaganda from numerous extremist groups, including O9A and ISIS, and routinely downloaded and accessed videos of jihadist attacks and executions, court documents showed. Melzer, who was a private assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy, planned a jihadist attack on his Army unit in the days leading up to a deployment to Turkey and sent sensitive details about the unit including information about its location, movements and security to members of the extremist organization Order of the Nine Angles, according to court documents. Abandoned weapons, helmets, rucksacks, clothing, canteens and empty ration containers littered the battlefield. The Americans reacted to the NVA buildup by launching Operation Mac-Arthur, with the 4th Infantry Division assuming operational control over the 173rd Airborne Brigade. And about 60 of the dead paratroop-ers29%were killed by friendly fire.. [54] Task Force Blue drew the job of going to the relief of the beleaguered task force; however, Task Force Blue ran into resistance and was pinned down by enemy fire on all sides. The noncoms kept shouting, Get up the hill, get up the goddamn hill. But we couldnt. Unknown to the Americans, they had walked into a carefully prepared ambush by the 2nd Battalion of the 174th PAVN Regiment. [20] It was then designed uniquely from other separate brigades. Watters. TWS is the largest online community of Veterans existing today and is a powerful Veteran locator. ALSO IN THE NEWS: Americans belief in God hit an all-time low about 6 months ago here's why. Todays sentence makes clear that Melzers brazen actions backfired and that this office along with our partners in law enforcement and the military will work tirelessly to bring traitors like Melzer to justice and to protect the safety and integrity of our armed services., Melzer betrayed his fellow soldiers and his country, said Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBIs Counterterrorism Division. (67.1 51.8 3.2 cm), Museum purchase funded by the Mundy Family Foundation, courtesy of David and Stephanie Mundy. In November 1967, North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units were determined to rid the Central Highlands of American forces. "He used his membership in the military to pursue an appalling goal: the brutal murder of his fellow U.S. service members in a carefully plotted ambush.". Today, the 173rd Airborne Brigade pauses to remember the loss of 48 Paratroopers during Operation Hump in Vietnam, on this day 52 years ago. The brigade returned most recently from a deployment stretching from late 2013 to late 2014. [6] Controlling the oil fields had been a specific operational goal of the Task Force[85] because they were viewed as the most valuable strategic asset in northern Iraq. U.S. Army paratroopers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade and Cypriot troops train on the M4A1, Tavor x95, MG3, Negev 7.62, and RPG-7V in Larnaca . Prosecutors said Melzer was involved with the group starting in 2017 and joined the U.S. Army the next year specifically to help O9A "infiltrate its ranks," according to a Justice Department statement Friday. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The 3rd Battalion, 503rd joined the brigade at Tuy Ha Province in September 1967 following the former's activation and training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. III, No. U.S Army badge is seen on a uniform of American soldier. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In approximately early May 2020, the Army informed Melzer that he would be reassigned to a unit scheduled for a further foreign deployment, where the unit would be guarding an isolated and sensitive military installation (the Military Base). Find 173rd Airborne Brigade unit information, patches, operation history, veteran photos and more on TogetherWeServed.com. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. He had been quietly discharged from the Ohio National Guard last year after his arrest, Military.com reported. By unlawfully disclosing his units location, strength, and armaments to other O9A members and jihadists in furtherance of this ambush, Melzer traitorously sought to attack the very soldiers he was entrusted to protect.. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. On the afternoon of 21 November, both battalions moved out to take the crest. This dynamic was intended to last only until additional facilities were constructed at the Dal Molin, now Del Din, airbase near Caserma Ederle at Vicenza. Artillery support was rendered ineffective by the limited range of visibility. In approximately October 2019, Melzer deployed abroad with the Army to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He then began passing information to O9A members using an encrypted application. Regt ., and supporting units such as the 335th Aviation Company. Melzer and his co-conspirators used this information to plan what they referred to as a jihadi attack with the objective of causing a mass casualty event victimizing his fellow service members. The 173rd Airborne Brigade has received 21 campaign streamers and several unit awards, including the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the Battle of Dak To during the Vietnam War. [There were] heaps of dead after that bomb, a survivor remembered. Of the 3,200 paratroopers from the 173rd deployed to Dak To, 27% were either killed (208) or wounded (645). [20] The 173rd Brigade was selected to become a separate brigade and a special airborne task force, which could deploy rapidly and act independently. Afghan War veteran Sgt Ryan Pitts, also of the 503rd, received the Medal of Honor later that year. [82], On 26 March 2003, 954 soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted a combat jump from C-17 aircraft onto Bashur Airfield in Northern Iraq[3][86] under the command of Colonel Mayville. [5] They were supported by the 173rd Support Battalion, 173rd Engineer Company, Troop E/17th Cavalry and Company D/16th Armor. Melzer joined the U.S. Army in approximately 2018 and infiltrated its ranks as part of an insight role to further his goals as an O9A adherent. Step 2 - Use PayPal with the highest . Want to write for Task & Purpose? Engineers of 1st Air Cav at Chu Phong Mt. He was dead, but he kept me warm.. Click here. Market data provided by Factset. Haynes never questioned anything until Spc. [19] The reorganization also allowed for the use of "separate" brigades which had no division headquarters and could be used for missions that did not require an entire division. "An arrest affidavit says that when officers tried to seize the iPad, people sitting at the table with her started passing around the tablet. [105] Though the platoon was able to drive the insurgents back with air support, the fight resulted in 9 soldiers killed and 16 wounded; the deadliest attack on troops in the country since 2005. After he was notified of the assignment, Melzer joined his new unit and attended weeks of training, including classified and unclassified briefings, to prepare for the deployment. [76] Supported by the 1st Infantry Division and the 10th Special Forces Group, the 4th Infantry Division was to assemble in Turkey and use its heavy mechanized brigades to attack through Tikrit and eventually assist V Corps, which would attack from the south, in surrounding Baghdad. On Nov. 19, 1967, Chaplain Watters repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire in order to aid fallen men outside the perimeter. Legal Statement. [3] With combat experience already earned in other similar mountain regions in 2007 and 2008, the Brigade distinguished itself in combat regularly against the Taliban and fought tenaciously against them, while still promoting and attempting to legitimize the Afghan government. cause another 10 year war in the Middle East would definitely leave a mark.. William G. Cromie's medal was presented by Maj.. She's scheduled for sentencing April 10," reported Janet Oravetz. As far as brutal fighting goes, 4th ID commander Maj. Gen. William R. Peers told news correspondents, I would say this is the worst weve had., That was confirmed by the 1st Brigades Presidential Unit Citation for defeating a numerically superior enemy during 33 days of violent, sustained combat., Slept with Corpses Tragically, one air strike hit too close to the paratroopers. The training took place at the Yavoriv training center near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. He was arrested in May 2020 while in Italy, before he could carry it out. | Article | The United States Army", "US Sending Around 600 Paratroopers to Ukraine to Train Troops", 173rd Airborne Brigade Association Website, 173rd Airborne Brigade Lineage and Honors Certificate, Vanity Fair article from Spring '08 focusing on 2503 in Afghanistan, "Into The Valley of Death", New York Times article from Spring '08 focusing on 2503 in Afghanistan, "Battle Company Is Out There", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=173rd_Airborne_Brigade&oldid=1141762434, 19171919; 19211945; 19471951; 19631972; 2000present, European and African area quick response force, BG Otho B. Rosenbaum, July 15, 1918 - July 26, 1918, COL John O'Shea, July 27, 1918 - July 28, 1918, BG Otho B. Rosenbaum, July 29, 1918 - September 19, 1918, COL John Shea, September 20, 1918 - December 2, 1918, COL John Shea, December 4, 1918 - December 20, 1918, BG Marcus D. Cronin, December 21, 1918 - January 9, 1919, COL John Shea, January 10, 1919 - January 19, 1919, BG Marcus D. Cronin, January 20, 1919 - February 8, 1919, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 17:39. [82] The brigade would take off from Aviano Air Base in Italy, a 4.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}12-hour flight from northern Iraq. [40], The attached helicopter unit became the Casper Aviation Platoon, befitting a separate infantry brigade as the only separate aviation platoon deployed in Vietnam. He was arrested in June 20020 and pleaded guilty in 2022. . [3][24], On 26 March 1963, the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) was assigned to the Regular Army and activated on Okinawa. [citation needed], In July 2012, the 173rd IBCT(A) once again deployed to Afghanistan as part of Task Force Bayonet to relieve the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Task Force Bulldog in the Logar and Wardak Provinces. In-Depth Coverage . [141][142], Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta received the Medal of Honor for heroic actions as a rifle team leader in Company B, 2503 INF (Airborne) when his squad was caught in a near-ambush the night of 25 October 2007 during Operation Rock Avalanche in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. O9A has had active members in Britain, the United States, Italy, Brazil, and New Zealand for several decades and has promoted terrorism, sexual violence, polarization, separatism, and racial hatred, according to the U.K.-based Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The 173rd Airborne Brigade fielded the 1st, 2nd and 4th battalions of the 503rd Inf. A transphobic parent could kidnap their trans child in violation of custody agreements and abscond to Florida and be protected by Florida law under this despite likely committing felony kidnapping in their home state, Caraballo said. until 0400 est. It is a merciless land of steep limestone ridges, some of them exceeding 4,000 feet, wrote Robert Barr Smith in, Vietnam magazine. Name: walter d. {whity} elmore Email: maryaelmore@yhoo.com B1: Submit Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2009 Time: 09:10:34 PM News. This photo provided by the Justice Department seized from an iCloud account belonging to former Army Pvt. Melzer admitted to sharing sensitive information about his imminent deployment with the 173rd Airborne Brigade including unit location, movements and security with an occult-based neo-Nazi group called the Order of the Nine Angles. The goal, Melzer said in an unsealed indictment, was to plot an insider mass casualty attack. My plan was to make captain and go to Vietnam as an experienced company commander. Jesus, they were all over the place, one paratrooper recalled. Air Force). Headquarters and Headquarters Company A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. It was the first U.S. Army. 98. According to the Department of Justice, Melzer, 24, communicated not only with O9A members but also alleged members of al-Qaeda. At the same time that Hello Dollyopened at NhaTrang airbase, a company of 173rd Airborne had walked into an ambush in Viet Cong base zone, known as the Iron Triangle. The 173rds rifle companies sustained some 90% of the units casualties. [61], The battle of Hill 875 had cost 2-503 87 killed, 130 wounded, and three missing. Silver Falcon 23 is a bilateral exercise between the United States and Cyprus and is designed to enhance interoperability between both nations militaries to ensure they are prepared for any contingency, particularly those involving crisis response and non-combatant evacuation operations. A class of prime youth shredded in seconds. In October 2019, Melzer and his unit were deployed to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. [33], The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 503rd Infantry were the first Army combat units from the 173rd sent into South Vietnam, accompanied by the 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery. (Photo: U.S. Army) [86] The force had been strung out over a 10,000-yard drop zone, and it took 15 hours before it was completely assembled. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. According to court documents, Melzer planned a jihadist attack on his U.S. Army unit in the days leading up to a deployment to Turkey and sent sensitive details about the unit including information about its location, movements, and security to members of the extremist organization Order of the Nine Angles (O9A), a white supremacist Satanist, neo-Nazi, and pro-jihadist group. ", In messages to O9A, Melzer wrote, [y]ou just gotta understand that currently I am risking my literal free life to give you all this" -- in regards to the sensitive information he was sharing. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe. [3][4] The remaining units of the 173rd were inactivated. The Vietnamese then unleashed B-40 rockets and 57mm recoilless rifle fire on the Americans. Del Din hosts 173rd Brigade Headquarters, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, the Brigade Support Battalion, and the Brigade Special Troops Battalion. Four additional battalions were activated or designated at Bamberg and Schweinfurt, Germany. In approximately October 2019, Melzer deployed abroad with the Army to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. [110] The brigade returned in early 2013. Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. This legislation sends a strong message that Florida is a safe place to raise children. Thus began the Battle of Dak To.. The 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sky Soldiers) is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapid forces to the United States European, Africa and Central Commands areas of responsibilities. [126], The 173rd's service, particularly in Vietnam, has been featured several times in popular culture. $6.98 delivery Mar 14 - Apr 4 . Stanton, Vietnam Order of Battle, pp. [15] Though the brigade in name did not exist during the war, the redesignation meant that it carried the lineage of the 87th Reconnaissance Troop, and when the brigade was reactivated, it would include the troop's lineage and campaign streamers. She is the spouse of an Army veteran and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to provide a Europe-based neo-Nazi, Satanist, and pro-jihadist group by giving it classified information to attack his unit, federal prosecutors said Friday. "[119][120][121] He was charged in June 2020 with conspiring and attempting to murder military service members, and providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. By clicking below to download MFAH collection images, you agree that you have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions of MFAH Website Use: One of these was the 101st Airborne Division, which had also been redeployed to Fort Campbell. In November 2017, 2-503rd Infantry Regiment (The Rock) traveled in US Air Force C-130s to Belgrade, Serbia to conduct training with the Serbian Airborne Forces where they conducted two combined jumps at drop zones near Belgrade. Pre-deployment workups in the weeks that followed provided Melzer with terrorist threat training and access to numerous classified briefings, information that he immediately funneled via encrypted messaging applications to members of the Order of the Nine Angles. The next morning, Nov. 20, 4th Bn., 503rd Inf., set out to relieve the 2nd Battalion paratroopers. The Army did not immediately respond Friday to comment about when Melzer was discharged from the service. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced Friday to 45 years in prison, the maximum, for plotting what prosecutors described as a "murderous ambush" overseas on members of his own troop. After the end of major combat operations in mid-2003, the 173rd Airborne Brigade did not engage in any major battles, though it was regularly involved in skirmishes with Iraqi insurgents. Membership. [32] The brigade was put under the command of IIField Force, Vietnam. Soldier charged with plotting 'mass casualty' attack on his own unit", "Army soldier charged with giving classified info to satanic neo-Nazi group", "Press Release - Statement regarding incident in Cheshnegirovo", "Big and Rich talk about inspiration behind their '8 November', "Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR0886", "Medal of Honor Recipients Vietnam (A-L)", "Medal of Honor Recipients Vietnam (M-Z)", "Readout of the President's call with Specialist Salvatore Giunta", "Former sergeant to receive Medal of Honor for Afghanistan actions. The 1/91st Cavalry was given a mission to transform western Logar province into a secure environment; a mission that was not greeted as an easy task. [37] Late in August 1966, the 173rd received another infantry battalion, the 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. You slept with corpses. Before Hill 875 was even assaulted, the 173rd had already sustained 79 KIA and 287 WIA. [20] The brigade was also the only separate brigade to receive its own tank company,[21] in the form of Company D, 16th Armor. He was the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War. mfah.org/terms. Plan. The 1-508th (minus Company B) conducted combat operations in eastern Afghanistan, attached to 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. The group has expressed admiration both for Nazis, such as Adolf Hitler, and Islamic jihadists, such as Usama Bin Laden, the now-deceased former leader of al Qaeda. Reproduced from VFW Magazine, March 2006 issue, article by Tim Dyhouse. [101], In 2006, the brigade was notified for a second tour of duty in Iraq from 2007 to 2008, but its deployment plan was changed to Afghanistan in February 2007 when the Pentagon announced that it would relieve the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division along with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. I wouldve died successfully . Headquarters, 173rd Airborne Brigade. [3][44][45] The operation saw three brigades controlling eight battalions dropped by helicopters and US Air Force aircraft into War Zone C, in Ty Ninh Province. The participating US units brought substantial air, artillery, engineer, and other support to the combined endeavor from their parent units, and American and Vietnamese commanders generally colocated command posts, shared a common area of operation, and planned and carried out operations together.