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29th Infantry Division (United States)

April 09, 2023

The 29th Infantry Division (29th ID), also known as the "Blue and Gray Division",[1] is an infantry division of the United States Army based in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It is currently a formation of the U.S. Army National Guard and contains units from Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia.

29th Infantry Division
Active1917–1919, 1923–1968, 1985–present
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeInfantry unit
SizeDivision
Part ofThe Army National Guards of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida,West Virginia and Kentucky
Garrison/HQFort Belvoir, Virginia, U.S.
Nickname(s)"Blue and Gray" (special designation)[1]
Motto(s)"Twenty-nine, let's go!"
EngagementsWorld War I

World War II

NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Global War on Terrorism

Commanders
Current
commander		MG John M. Rhodes
Command Sergeant MajorCSM Daryl Plude
Notable
commanders		Charles Gould Morton
Milton Reckord
Leonard T. Gerow
Charles H. Gerhardt
H Steven Blum
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
Flag
Shoulder sleeve insignia (subdued)
Shoulder sleeve insignia (full color)

Formed in 1917, the division deployed to France as a part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. Called up for service again in World War II, the division's 116th Regiment, attached to the First Infantry Division, was in the first wave of troops ashore during Operation Neptune, the landings in Normandy, France. It supported a special Ranger unit tasked with clearing strong points at Omaha Beach. The rest of the 29th ID came ashore later, then advanced to Saint-Lô, and eventually through France and into Germany.

Following the end of World War II, the division saw frequent reorganizations and deactivations. Although the 29th did not see combat through most of the next 50 years, it participated in numerous training exercises throughout the world. It eventually saw deployments to Bosnia (SFOR10) and Kosovo (KFOR) as command elements, and units of the division continue to deploy to locations such as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and to the War in Afghanistan as a part of the Global War on Terrorism's Operation Enduring Freedom, and also to the Iraq War, as a part of its Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. In recent years, the Division has continued answering the call supporting Operation Spartan Shield in forward deployed locations.

In 2016, two separate elements of the 29th deployed overseas. In July more than 80 soldiers deployed in support of anti-ISIL operations (dubbed Operation Inherent Resolve by the U.S. government).[2][3] In October, more than 450 29th soldiers deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield.[4][5]

History

The 29th Division was first constituted on paper on 18 July 1917, three months after the American entry into World War I, in the U.S. Army National Guard.[6]: 319  Troops came from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. As the division was composed of men from states that had units that fought for both the North and South during the American Civil War, it was nicknamed the "Blue and Gray" division, after the blue uniforms of the Union and the gray uniforms of the Confederate armies.[7] The division was organized as a unit on 25 August 1917 at Camp McClellan, Alabama.[6]: 319  In January 1918, the Delaware units were relieved from assignment to the division.

World War I

The division, commanded throughout its existence by Major General Charles G. Morton, departed for the Western Front in June 1918 to join the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF).[8] The division's advance detachment reached Brest, France on 8 June. In late September, the 29th received orders to join the U.S. First Army's Meuse–Argonne offensive as part of the French XVII Corps. During its 21 days in combat,[9] the 29th Division advanced seven kilometers, captured 2,148 prisoners, and knocked out over 250 machine guns or artillery pieces. Thirty percent of the division became casualties—170 officers and 5,691 enlisted men were killed or wounded.[10] Shortly thereafter the Armistice with Germany was signed on 11 November 1918, ending hostilities between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers. The division returned to the United States in May 1919.[8] It demobilized on 30 May at Camp Dix, New Jersey,[6]: 319 

Order of battle, 1917–1918

  • Headquarters, 29th Division
  • 57th Infantry Brigade
    • 113th Infantry Regiment (former 4th New Jersey Infantry less Headquarters Company, Machine Gun Company, Company L, and part of Supply Company, 1st New Jersey Infantry less Company K, and 2nd New Jersey Infantry less band, Machine Gun Company, and Companies G and L)
    • 114th Infantry Regiment (former 3rd New Jersey Infantry less band, Machine Gun Company, and Companies I and L, and 5th New Jersey Infantry less Company F)
    • 111th Machine Gun Battalion (former Machine Gun Company, 4th New Jersey Infantry, and Machine Gun Company and Company L, 2nd New Jersey Infantry)
  • 58th Infantry Brigade
    • 115th Infantry Regiment (former 1st Maryland Infantry less Company H, 5th Maryland Infantry less Headquarters, Supply, and Machine Gun Companies, and 4th Maryland Infantry less band, Machine Gun Company, and Companies A, B, D, E, F, H, and I)
    • 116th Infantry Regiment (former 2nd Virginia Infantry, 1st Virginia Infantry less band) and Machine Gun Company, and 4th Virginia Infantry less Headquarters Company, Machine Gun Company, and Companies D, I, and M)
    • 112th Machine Gun Battalion (former Company H, 1st Maryland Infantry, Machine Gun Company, 4th Maryland Infantry, and Machine Gun Company and Company D, 4th Virginia Infantry)
  • 54th Field Artillery Brigade
    • 110th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) (former Headquarters and Supply Companies, 5th Maryland Infantry, Batteries A, B and C, Maryland Field Artillery, Batteries A and B, D.C. Field Artillery, 1st Squadron, D.C. Cavalry, and detachment from Company A, Virginia Signal Corps)
    • 111th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm) (former 1st Virginia Field Artillery, Headquarters Company and Companies I and M, 4th Virginia Infantry, and detachment from Company A, Virginia Signal Corps)
    • 112th Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm) (former 1st New Jersey Field Artillery less Battery F, Troops B and D, 1st New Jersey Cavalry, and detachment from Company A, Virginia Signal Corps)
    • 104th Trench Mortar Battery (former Battery F, New Jersey Field Artillery)
  • 110th Machine Gun Battalion (former Machine Gun Company, 5th Maryland Infantry, Machine Gun Company, 4th New Jersey Infantry, and Machine Gun Company, 1st Virginia Infantry)
  • 104th Engineer Regiment (former 1st Battalion. New Jersey Engineers, Company K, 1st New Jersey Infantry, Company G, 2nd New Jersey Infantry, Companies I and L, 3rd New Jersey Infantry, Co. L, 4th New Jersey Infantry, and Co. F, 5th New Jersey Infantry)
  • 104th Field Signal Battalion (former Companies A and C, New Jersey Signal Corps, and Company B, D.C. Signal Corps)
  • Headquarters Troop, 29th Division (detachment from 1st Squadron, New Jersey Cavalry)
  • 104th Train Headquarters and Military Police (former Troops A and C, 1st Squadron New Jersey Cavalry, and Troop A, Maryland Cavalry)
    • 104th Ammunition Train (former 1st Squadron, Virginia Cavalry, and individual transfers)
    • 104th Supply Train (individual transfers)
    • 104th Engineer Train (individual transfers)
    • 104th Sanitary Train
      • 113th, 114th, 115th, and 116th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals (former 1st Maryland Ambulance Company, 1st Virginia Ambulance Company, 1st New Jersey Field Hospital, 1st Maryland Field Hospital, and 1st Virginia Field Hospital)[11]

Interwar period

The 29th was reconstituted in the National Guard in 1921, assigned to the III Corps, and allotted to the states of Maryland and Virginia, and the District of Columbia. New Jersey units that had been part of the 29th Division in World War I were assigned to the new 44th Division, that encompassed troops from New Jersey and New York. When 155 mm howitzers were returned to infantry divisions beginning in 1929, a formerly non-divisional unit from Pennsylvania was assigned to the division. The division trained as a unit during the 1935 First Army maneuvers at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, and during the 1939 First Army maneuvers at Manassas, Virginia.

Order of battle, 1939

Italics indicates state of headquarters allocation; headquarters not organized or inactive.

World War II

At the outbreak of World War II, the U.S. Army began buildup and reorganization of its fighting forces. The division was called into active service on 3 February 1941.[8] Elements of the division were then sent to Fort Meade, Maryland for training.[10] The 57th and 58th Infantry Brigades were inactivated as part of an army-wide removal of brigades from divisions.[12]: 159  Instead, the core units of the division were its three infantry regiments, along with supporting units. On 12 March 1942, over three months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent American entrance into World War II, with this reorganization complete the division was redesignated as the 29th Infantry Division and began preparing for overseas deployment to Europe.[6]: 320 

Order of battle, 1943–1945

  • Headquarters, 29th Infantry Division
  • 115th Infantry Regiment
  • 116th Infantry Regiment
  • 175th Infantry Regiment
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 29th Infantry Division Artillery
    • 110th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
    • 111th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
    • 224th Field Artillery Battalion (105 mm)
    • 227th Field Artillery Battalion (155 mm)
  • 121st Engineer Combat Battalion
  • 104th Medical Battalion
  • 29th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
  • Headquarters, Special Troops, 29th Infantry Division
    • Headquarters Company, 29th Infantry Division
    • 729th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
    • 29th Quartermaster Company
    • 29th Signal Company
    • Military Police Platoon
    • Band
  • 29th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment[8]

The 29th Infantry Division, under the command of Major General Leonard Gerow, was sent to England on 5 October 1942 on RMS Queen Mary.[8] It was based throughout England and Scotland, where it immediately began training for an invasion of northern Europe across the English Channel. In May 1943 the division moved to the Devon–Cornwall peninsula and started conducting simulated attacks against fortified positions.[10] At this time the division was assigned to V Corps of the U.S. First Army.[13][14]: 30  In July the divisional commander, Major General Gerow, was promoted to command V Corps and Major General Charles Hunter Gerhardt assumed command of the division, remaining in this post for the rest of the war.

Operation Overlord

D-Day of Operation Neptune, the cross-channel invasion of Normandy, finally came on 6 June 1944. Neptune was the assault phase of the larger Operation Overlord, codename for the Allied campaign to liberate France from the Germans. The 29th Infantry Division sent the 116th Infantry to support the western flank of the veteran 1st Infantry Division's 16th Infantry at Omaha Beach.[15]: 92  Omaha was known to be the most difficult of the five landing beaches, due to its rough terrain and bluffs overlooking the beach, which had been well fortified by its German defenders of the 352nd Infantry Division.[15]: 86 [16] The 116th Infantry was assigned four sectors of the beach; Easy Green, Dog Red, Dog White, and Dog Green. Soldiers of the 29th Infantry Division boarded a large number of attack transports for the D-Day invasion, among them landing craft, landing ship, tank, and landing ship, infantry ships and other vessels such as the SS Empire Javelin, USS Charles Carroll, and USS Buncombe County.[15]: 86 

 
Allied battle plan for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy.

As the ships were traveling to the beach, the heavy seas, combined with the chaos of the fighting caused most of the landing force to be thrown off-course and most of the 116th Infantry missed its landing spots.[15]: 95  Most of the regiment's tank support, launched from too far off-shore, foundered and sank in the channel. The soldiers of the 116th Infantry were the first to hit the beach at 0630, coming under heavy fire from German fortifications. Company A, from the Virginia National Guard in Bedford was annihilated by overwhelming fire as it landed on the 116th's westernmost section of the beach, along with half of Company A, B, and C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion and the 5th Rangers Battalion which was landing to the west of the 116th.[15]: 98  The catastrophic losses suffered by this small Virginia community led to it being selected for the site of the National D-Day Memorial. The 1st Infantry Division's forces ran into similar fortifications on the eastern half of the beach, suffering massive casualties coming ashore. By 0830, the landings were called off for lack of space on the beach, as the Americans on Omaha Beach were unable to overcome German fortifications guarding the beach exits. Lieutenant General Omar Bradley, commanding the American First Army, considered evacuating the survivors and landing the rest of the divisions elsewhere.[14]: 29 [15]: 100  However, by noon, elements of the American forces had been able to organize and advance off the beach, and the landings resumed.[15]: 103  By nightfall, the division headquarters landed on the beach with about 60 percent of the division's total strength, and began organizing the push inland. On 7 June, a second wave of 20,000 reinforcements from both the 1st and 29th Divisions was sent ashore. By the end of D-Day, 2,400 men from the two divisions had become casualties on Omaha Beach.[15]: 106–7  Added to casualties at other beaches and air-drops made the total casualties for the Normandy landings 6,500 Americans and 3,000 British and Canadians, lighter numbers than expected.[16]

 
Memorial of the 29th Infantry Division's embarkation for D-Day in Trebah, United Kingdom.

The entire division had landed in Normandy by 7 June.[13]: 122  By 9 June, Omaha Beach was secure and the division occupied Isigny.[8] On 14 July, the division was reassigned to XIX Corps, part of the First Army, itself part of the 12th Army Group.[13]

Breakout

The division cut across the Elle River and advanced slowly toward Saint-Lô, fighting bitterly in the Normandy hedgerow country.[17]: 17  German reserves formed a new defensive front outside the town, and American forces fought a fierce battle with them two miles outside of the town.[14]: 31  German forces used the dense bocage foliage to their advantage, mounting fierce resistance in house-to-house fighting in the ravaged Saint-Lô. By the end of the fight, the Germans were relying on artillery support to hold the town following the depletion of the infantry contingent.[17]: 72–73  The 29th Division, which was already undermanned after heavy casualties on D-Day, was even further depleted in the intense fighting for Saint-Lô. Eventually, the 29th was able to capture the city in a direct assault, supported by airstrikes from P-47 Thunderbolts.[17]: 74–75 

Brittany

After taking Saint-Lô, on 18 July, the division joined in the battle for Vire, capturing that strongly held city by 7 August. It continued to face stiff German resistance as it advanced to key positions southeast of Saint-Lô[17]: 105  It was then reassigned to V Corps, and then again to VIII Corps.[13] Turning west, the 29th took part in the assault on Brest which lasted from 25 August until 18 September.[8]

Germany

After a short rest, the division returned to XIX Corps and took part of the Battle of Aachen by moving to defensive positions along the Teveren-Geilenkirchen line supporting the 30th Infantry Division in Germany and maintained those positions through October.[8] On 16 November, the division began its drive to the Roer River, blasting its way through Siersdorf, Setterich, Durboslar, and Bettendorf, and reaching the Roer by the end of the month.[8] Heavy fighting reduced in Jülich Sportplatz and the Hasenfeld Gut on 8 December. The Division did not take part in the Battle of the Bulge as they were held in reserve for equipment refitting and received replacements of fresh troops arriving from England and France after training for weeks.[8]

From 8 December 1944 to 23 February 1945, the division was assigned to XIII Corps and held defensive positions along the Rur and prepared for the next major offensive, Operation Grenade. The division was reassigned to XIX Corps,[13] and the attack jumped off across the Rur on 23 February, and carried the division through Jülich, Broich, Immerath, and Titz, to Mönchengladbach by 1 March 1945.[8] The division was out of combat in March. In early April the division was reassigned to XVI Corps, where the 116th Infantry helped mop up in the Ruhr Pocket.[13] On 19 April 1945 the division, assigned to XIII Corps, pushed to the Elbe River and held defensive positions until 4 May and also made contact with Soviet troops.[8] Meanwhile, the 175th Infantry cleared the Klotze Forest. After V-E Day, the division was on military occupation duty in the Bremen enclave.[8] It was assigned to XVI Corps again for this assignment.[13]

Losses, decorations, demobilization

Casualties

  • Total battle casualties: 20,620[18]
  • Killed in action: 3,887[18]
  • Wounded in action: 15,541[18]
  • Missing in action: 347[18]
  • Prisoner of war: 845[18]

From July 1943, the 29th Infantry Division was commanded by Major General Charles H. Gerhardt. The division had such a high casualty rate that it was said that Gerhardt actually commanded three divisions: one on the field of battle, one in the hospital and one in the cemetery. The 29th Infantry Division lost 3,887 killed in action, 15,541 wounded in action, 347 missing in action, 845 prisoners of war, in addition to 8,665 non-combat casualties, during 242 days of combat. This amounted to over 200 percent of the division's normal strength. The division, in turn, took 38,912 German prisoners of war.

Soldiers of the 29th Infantry Division were awarded five Medals of Honor, 44 Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, 854 Silver Star Medals, 17 Legion of Merit Medals, 24 Soldier's Medals, 6,308 Bronze Star Medals, and 176 Air Medals during the conflict. The division itself was awarded four distinguished unit citations and four campaign streamers for the conflict.[13]: 123 

The division remained on occupation duty until the end of 1945. Camp Grohn near Bremen was the division headquarters until January 1946. The 29th Infantry Division returned to the United States in January 1946 and was demobilized and inactivated on 17 January 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.[6]: 321 

Reactivation

On 23 October 1946, the division was reactivated in Norfolk, Virginia.[6]: 320  However, its subordinate elements were not fully manned and activated for several years. It resumed its National Guard status, seeing weekend and summer training assignments but no major contingencies over the next few years.[10]

In 1959, the division was reorganized under the Pentomic five battle group division organization. Ewing's 29th Infantry Division: A Short History of a Fighting Division says that several Maryland infantry and engineer companies were reorganized to form 1st Med Tank Bn, 115th Armor; the 29th Aviation Company was established; and the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, 183rd Armor, was established in Virginia as the division's reconnaissance squadron.[19] In 1963, the division was reorganized in accordance with the Reorganization Objective Army Divisions plan, eliminating its regimental commands in favor of brigades. The division took command of 1st Brigade, 29th Infantry Division and 2nd Brigade, 29th Infantry Division of the Virginia Army National Guard,[6]: 322  as well as 3rd Brigade, 29th Infantry Division of the Maryland Army National Guard.[6]: 323  The division continued its service in the National Guard under this new organization.[10]

In 1968, in the middle of the Vietnam War, the Army inactivated several National Guard and Reserve divisions as part of a realignment of resources. The 29th Infantry Division was one of the divisions inactivated. During that time, the division's subordinate units were reassigned to other National Guard divisions. 1st Brigade was inactivated, while 2nd Brigade was redesignated as the 116th Infantry Brigade, and the 3rd Brigade was redesignated as 3rd Brigade, 28th Infantry Division.[12]: 193–94 

On 6 June 1984, 40 years after the landings on Omaha Beach, the Army announced that it would reactivate the 29th Infantry Division, organized as a light infantry division, as part of a reorganization of the National Guard.[10] On 30 September 1985, the division was reactivated at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with units from the Virginia Army National Guard (VAARNG) and Maryland Army National Guard (MDARNG).[6]: 320  The 116th Infantry Brigade was redesignated the 1st Brigade, 29th Division, while the 58th Infantry Brigade became the 3rd Brigade.[12]: 194  That year, the division also received its distinctive unit insignia.[7]

Organization 1989

 
29th Infantry Division (Light) 1989 (click to enlarge)

At the end of the Cold War the division was a joint Virginia Army National Guard (VAARNG) and Maryland Army National Guard (MDARNG) unit. Virginia provided the division's headquarters, the 1st and 2nd Brigade, the Division Artillery (with one MDARNG artillery battalion) and other minor units, while Maryland provided the 3rd Brigade, Aviation Brigade, 29th Infantry Division (with two VAARNG aviation companies), the Division Support Command (with one VAARNG aviation company) and other minor units.[20] The division was organized as follows:

Post Cold War

At the end of the Cold War, the Army saw further drawdowns and reductions in spending. The 29th Infantry Division was retained, however 2nd Brigade was inactivated in favor of assets from the inactivating 26th Infantry Division, which was redesignated the 26th Brigade, 29th Infantry Division.[12]: 194 

The largest National Guard training exercise ever held in Virginia took place in July 1998, bringing units from the 29th Infantry Division together for one large infantry exercise. The Division Maneuver Exercise, dubbed Operation Chindit, brought together Guard units from Virginia and Maryland, as well as Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and the District of Columbia. The exercise began with the insertion of troops from the 29th Infantry Division's 1st and 3rd Brigades by UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters into strategic landing zones. NATO-member forces trained with the 29th Infantry Division throughout the exercise.[10] In December 2008, the division also dispatched a task force to Camp Asaka near Tokyo, Japan for exercises with the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force called Yama Sakura 55, a bilateral exercise simulating an invasion of Japan.[35][36]

Present day

In March 1994, during a time of post-Cold War reductions in the size of the Regular Army, the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment was tasked to test a new concept. The Regiment's task was to organize, train, certify, and deploy a multi-component battalion-sized task force made up of National Guard, Army Reserve and Regular Army Soldiers to serve as the US Army's rotational Infantry Battalion for the Multi-National Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. The Soldiers selected for the unit reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in July 1994 to begin their training for the mission.

The task force was designated as the 4th Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and carried the lineage of Company D, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which had served throughout World War II and into the 1950s. Also known as Task Force 4-505 or "The Sinai Battalion," it was formally activated on 4 November 1994. The battalion was made up of 88% National Guardsmen and Army Reservists from 32 different states, and 12% Regular Army Soldiers, most from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. Virginia and Maryland Army National Guardsmen from the 29th Infantry Division (Light) provided the largest contingent for the battalion. All of the National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers volunteered for a year of active duty in order to serve in the unit. After completing six months of peacekeeping training at Fort Bragg, the 4th Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment deployed to the Sinai from January through June 1995, then redeployed to Fort Bragg. On 15 July 1995, the 4th Battalion was inactivated at Fort Bragg, and its Soldiers returned to their parent units.

 
A 2005 oil painting depicting soldiers from the 2–124th participating in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
 
29th Infantry Division soldiers conduct a large-scale exercise at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo in May 2009.
 
29th Infantry Division sergeant in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force, 2011.

Hundreds of soldiers from the 29th Infantry Division completed nine days of training on 16 June 2001 at Fort Polk, Louisiana, to prepare for their peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, as the second division headquarters to be deployed as a part of SFOR 10. In all, 2,085 National Guard soldiers from 16 states from Massachusetts to California served with the multinational force that operated in the US sector, MND-N. Their rotation began in October 2001 and lasted six months.[10]

The 29th Infantry Division completed a two-week warfighter exercise at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in late July 2003. Nearly 1,200 soldiers of the division participated in the training, which was overseen by First United States Army. Also engaged in the simulation war were about 150 soldiers of the New York Army National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division. The exercises covered a variety of operations, ranging from large scale contingencies to airborne and civil affairs operations.[10]

In March 2004, the 3rd Battalion 116th Infantry of 500+ soldiers was mobilized for 579 days in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan. Following 4-month train up, the battalion deployed to Bagram Air Base Afghanistan where the unit split into two operational elements. One element was stationed at Bagram where they were responsible for near base security and the theater-north Quick Reaction Force. They executed 5, 10, and 20 kilometer ring patrols to increase force security and stayed ready to react at a moments notice to deploy anywhere in Afghanistan to react to "troops in contact" that requested support. The other element moved south with the Bn Commander to control and shape operations in the Wardak and Ghazni provinces. It was here that the 116th would take its first casualties by enemy contact since World War II. SGT Bobby Beasley and SSG Craig Cherry were killed in an IED attack on a patrol in southern Ghazni near Gilan. Within the first three months, the unit would deploy nearly every soldier around Bagram, and throughout the Wardak and Ghazni provinces during the first Afghan elections in which President Hamid Karzai was elected. The unit would redeploy back to the United States in July 2005 highly decorated for its efforts during their mission following hundreds of successful combat patrols and engagements.

In 2005, 350 veterans, politicians, and soldiers representing the division went to Normandy and Paris, in France for the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The Army National Guard organized a major ceremony for the 60th anniversary, as many of the veterans who participated in the invasion were in their 80s at that time, and the 60th anniversary was seen as the last major anniversary of the landings in which a large number of veterans could take part.[37]

The division underwent major reorganization in 2006. A special troops battalion was added to the division's command structure, and its three brigades were redesignated. It as organized around three brigades; the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team of North Carolina, the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of Virginia, and the Combat Aviation Brigade, 29th Infantry Division of Maryland.[38]

In December 2006, the division took command of the Eastern region of Kosovo's peacekeeping force, to provide security in the region. The division's soldiers were part of a NATO multi-national task force consisting of units from the Ukraine, Greece, Poland, Romania, Armenia and Lithuania under the command of U.S. Army Brigadier General Douglas B. Earhart who concurrently served as the 29th's Deputy Commanding General. The division returned to Fort Belvoir in November 2007.

After a three-month pre-deployment train-up at Mississippi's Camp Shelby, the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in September 2007, as part of the Iraq War's Operation Iraqi Freedom, returning home in May 2008.

Approximately 72 Virginia and Maryland National Guard soldiers with the 29th ID deployed to Afghanistan from December 2010 to October 2011. As part of the 29th ID Security Partnering Team, the Soldiers were assigned to NATO's International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Security Partnering Team with the mission of assisting with the growth and development of the Afghan National Security Forces where they served as advisers and mentors to senior Afghan leaders. They were part of a NATO Coalition of 49 troop-contributing nations that Security Partnering personnel interacted with daily across Afghanistan.[39][40][41]

They were replaced in November 2011 by a new team from the 29th Infantry Division. A team of 65 29th ID soldiers served in Afghanistan as a Security Partnering Team until July 2012.[42][43][44]

The 29th ID suffered one casualty during this deployment. Maj. Robert Marchanti of the Maryland Army National Guard, was killed on 25 February 2012.[45][46]

In 2014 the 29th ID twice sent soldiers to the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany to assist in the training of U.S. and multinational soldiers preparing to head to Kosovo as part of the Kosovo Force[47] mission. The 29th ID soldiers performed as the KFOR staff, serving as subject matter experts, enforcing KFOR orders, systems and procedures, and working with JMRC to help the deploying troops achieve their training objectives.[48][49]

The 29th ID currently serves as the Domestic All-Hazards Response Team (DART) in FEMA Regions 1 through 5 (states east of the Mississippi). In this role the 29th ID is prepared to assist state National Guard in their service to governors and citizens during an incident response.[50] The DART provides defense support of civil authority capabilities in response to a catastrophic event. The DART conducts joint reception, staging, onward-movement and Integration of inbound OPCON forces and establishes base support installations and /or forward operating bases for sustaining operations.[51]

On 24 July 2015, Brig. Gen. Blake C. Ortner took command of the 29th Infantry Division from Maj. Gen. Charles W. Whittington.[52]

On 19 December 2016 the 29th Infantry Division assumed command of U.S. Army Central's intermediate division headquarters, Task Force Spartan, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. This deployment includes 450 Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina Army National Guard soldiers and is the first time the 29th Infantry Division has been a part of Third Army since 1944, during WWII.[53]

More than 80 members of the 29th deployed to Jordan in August 2016 where they assumed command of the military's joint operations center there to support Operation Inherent Resolve.[2] Soldiers of the 29th led engagements and joint training with the Jordan Armed Forces and allied countries before returning in July 2017.[3]

On 5 May 2018, Brig. Gen. John M. Epperly took command of the 29th Infantry Division from Maj. Gen. Blake C. Ortner.[54] On 3 October 2020, Epperly was succeeded by Maj. Gen. John M. Rhodes.[55]

Current organization

 
Structure 29th Infantry Division

The 29th Infantry Division exercises training and readiness oversight of the following units,[56] which are not organic: there is a division headquarters battalion, an armored brigade combat team, two infantry brigade combat teams, a combat aviation brigade, a field artillery brigade, a maneuver enhancement brigade, and a division sustainment brigade.

Honors

Unit decorations

Ribbon Award Year Notes
  French Croix de guerre, World War II (with Palm) 1944 Embroidered "BEACHES OF NORMANDY"
  Meritorious Unit Commendation 2017 Embroidered "SOUTHWEST ASIA 2016–2017"

Campaign streamers

Conflict Streamer Campaign Year(s)
World War I   Alsace 1918
World War I   Meuse-Argonne 1918
World War II   Normandy (With Arrowhead) 1944
World War II   Northern France 1944
World War II   Rhineland 1945
World War II   Central Europe 1945
Global War on Terror   Inherent Resolve 2016–21

Legacy

The 29th Infantry Division has been featured numerous times in popular media, particularly for its role on D-Day. The division's actions on Omaha Beach are featured prominently in the 1962 film The Longest Day,[61] as well as in the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan.[62][63] Soldiers of the division are featured in other films and television with smaller roles, such as in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds and the 2005 film War of the Worlds.[citation needed]

The 29th Infantry Division is also featured in numerous video games related to World War II. The division's advance through Normandy and Europe is featured in the games Close Combat, Company of Heroes and Call of Duty 3, in which the player assumes the role of a soldier of the division.[64]

A number of soldiers serving with the 29th Infantry Division have gone on to achieve notability for various reasons. Among them are highly decorated soldier Joseph A. Farinholt, soccer player James Ford, United States federal judge Alfred D. Barksdale,[65] and historian Lawrence C. Wroth,[66] generals Milton Reckord,[67] Norman Cota,[68] Charles D. W. Canham, and Donald Wilson.[69] Major Thomas D. Howie who commanded 3d Battalion, 116th Infantry during the battle of St. Lo became immortalized as "The Major of St. Lo" for the honors rendered to him after being killed in action.[70]

U.S. soldiers who received the Medal of Honor during service with the 29th Infantry Division include Henry Costin,[71] Earle Davis Gregory,[72] and Patrick Regan[73] from World War I and Frank D. Peregory and Sherwood H. Hallman.[74][75][76][77] from World War II.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Special Designations". United States Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b Tan, Michelle (8 August 2017). "FORSCOM Commander: 'We Are Not in an Inter-War Period'". Defense News.
  3. ^ a b "More than 100 Fort Belvoir-based 29ID Soldiers return from federal duty in Jordan". U.S. Central Command. from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  4. ^ Tan, Michelle (7 August 2017). "More than 450 Guard soldiers to deploy to the Middle East". Army Times.[permanent dead link]
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Sources

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 29th Infantry Division (United States).
  • History of the Twenty-ninth Division, "Blue and Gray," 1917–1919
  • 29th Infantry Division Historical Society
  • "29:Let's Go: The Story of the 29th Infantry Division" (World War II Stars & Stripes History Booklet)
  • American D-Day: Omaha Beach, Utah Beach & Pointe du Hoc
  • The short film Big Picture: The 29th Division is available for free download at the Internet Archive.

April 09, 2023
29th, infantry, division, united, states, 29th, infantry, division, 29th, also, known, blue, gray, division, infantry, division, united, states, army, based, fort, belvoir, virginia, currently, formation, army, national, guard, contains, units, from, virginia,. The 29th Infantry Division 29th ID also known as the Blue and Gray Division 1 is an infantry division of the United States Army based in Fort Belvoir Virginia It is currently a formation of the U S Army National Guard and contains units from Virginia Maryland Kentucky North Carolina South Carolina and West Virginia 29th Infantry Division29th ID s combat service identification badgeActive1917 1919 1923 1968 1985 presentCountry United StatesBranch United States ArmyTypeInfantry unitSizeDivisionPart ofThe Army National Guards of Virginia Maryland North Carolina Florida West Virginia and KentuckyGarrison HQFort Belvoir Virginia U S Nickname s Blue and Gray special designation 1 Motto s Twenty nine let s go EngagementsWorld War I Meuse ArgonneWorld War II Normandy Northern France Rhineland Central EuropeNATO intervention in Bosnia and HerzegovinaGlobal War on Terrorism Iraq War War in AfghanistanCommandersCurrentcommanderMG John M RhodesCommand Sergeant MajorCSM Daryl PludeNotablecommandersCharles Gould MortonMilton ReckordLeonard T GerowCharles H GerhardtH Steven BlumInsigniaDistinctive unit insigniaFlagShoulder sleeve insignia subdued Shoulder sleeve insignia full color Formed in 1917 the division deployed to France as a part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I Called up for service again in World War II the division s 116th Regiment attached to the First Infantry Division was in the first wave of troops ashore during Operation Neptune the landings in Normandy France It supported a special Ranger unit tasked with clearing strong points at Omaha Beach The rest of the 29th ID came ashore later then advanced to Saint Lo and eventually through France and into Germany Following the end of World War II the division saw frequent reorganizations and deactivations Although the 29th did not see combat through most of the next 50 years it participated in numerous training exercises throughout the world It eventually saw deployments to Bosnia SFOR10 and Kosovo KFOR as command elements and units of the division continue to deploy to locations such as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and to the War in Afghanistan as a part of the Global War on Terrorism s Operation Enduring Freedom and also to the Iraq War as a part of its Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn In recent years the Division has continued answering the call supporting Operation Spartan Shield in forward deployed locations In 2016 two separate elements of the 29th deployed overseas In July more than 80 soldiers deployed in support of anti ISIL operations dubbed Operation Inherent Resolve by the U S government 2 3 In October more than 450 29th soldiers deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield 4 5 Contents 1 History 1 1 World War I 1 1 1 Order of battle 1917 1918 1 2 Interwar period 1 2 1 Order of battle 1939 1 3 World War II 1 3 1 Order of battle 1943 1945 1 3 2 Operation Overlord 1 3 3 Breakout 1 3 4 Brittany 1 3 5 Germany 1 3 6 Losses decorations demobilization 1 3 7 Casualties 1 4 Reactivation 1 4 1 Organization 1989 1 5 Post Cold War 1 6 Present day 2 Current organization 3 Honors 3 1 Unit decorations 3 2 Campaign streamers 4 Legacy 5 See also 6 References 7 Sources 8 External linksHistory EditThe 29th Division was first constituted on paper on 18 July 1917 three months after the American entry into World War I in the U S Army National Guard 6 319 Troops came from Delaware Maryland New Jersey Virginia and the District of Columbia As the division was composed of men from states that had units that fought for both the North and South during the American Civil War it was nicknamed the Blue and Gray division after the blue uniforms of the Union and the gray uniforms of the Confederate armies 7 The division was organized as a unit on 25 August 1917 at Camp McClellan Alabama 6 319 In January 1918 the Delaware units were relieved from assignment to the division World War I Edit The division commanded throughout its existence by Major General Charles G Morton departed for the Western Front in June 1918 to join the American Expeditionary Forces AEF 8 The division s advance detachment reached Brest France on 8 June In late September the 29th received orders to join the U S First Army s Meuse Argonne offensive as part of the French XVII Corps During its 21 days in combat 9 the 29th Division advanced seven kilometers captured 2 148 prisoners and knocked out over 250 machine guns or artillery pieces Thirty percent of the division became casualties 170 officers and 5 691 enlisted men were killed or wounded 10 Shortly thereafter the Armistice with Germany was signed on 11 November 1918 ending hostilities between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers The division returned to the United States in May 1919 8 It demobilized on 30 May at Camp Dix New Jersey 6 319 Order of battle 1917 1918 Edit Headquarters 29th Division 57th Infantry Brigade 113th Infantry Regiment former 4th New Jersey Infantry less Headquarters Company Machine Gun Company Company L and part of Supply Company 1st New Jersey Infantry less Company K and 2nd New Jersey Infantry less band Machine Gun Company and Companies G and L 114th Infantry Regiment former 3rd New Jersey Infantry less band Machine Gun Company and Companies I and L and 5th New Jersey Infantry less Company F 111th Machine Gun Battalion former Machine Gun Company 4th New Jersey Infantry and Machine Gun Company and Company L 2nd New Jersey Infantry 58th Infantry Brigade 115th Infantry Regiment former 1st Maryland Infantry less Company H 5th Maryland Infantry less Headquarters Supply and Machine Gun Companies and 4th Maryland Infantry less band Machine Gun Company and Companies A B D E F H and I 116th Infantry Regiment former 2nd Virginia Infantry 1st Virginia Infantry less band and Machine Gun Company and 4th Virginia Infantry less Headquarters Company Machine Gun Company and Companies D I and M 112th Machine Gun Battalion former Company H 1st Maryland Infantry Machine Gun Company 4th Maryland Infantry and Machine Gun Company and Company D 4th Virginia Infantry 54th Field Artillery Brigade 110th Field Artillery Regiment 75 mm former Headquarters and Supply Companies 5th Maryland Infantry Batteries A B and C Maryland Field Artillery Batteries A and B D C Field Artillery 1st Squadron D C Cavalry and detachment from Company A Virginia Signal Corps 111th Field Artillery Regiment 75 mm former 1st Virginia Field Artillery Headquarters Company and Companies I and M 4th Virginia Infantry and detachment from Company A Virginia Signal Corps 112th Field Artillery Regiment 155 mm former 1st New Jersey Field Artillery less Battery F Troops B and D 1st New Jersey Cavalry and detachment from Company A Virginia Signal Corps 104th Trench Mortar Battery former Battery F New Jersey Field Artillery 110th Machine Gun Battalion former Machine Gun Company 5th Maryland Infantry Machine Gun Company 4th New Jersey Infantry and Machine Gun Company 1st Virginia Infantry 104th Engineer Regiment former 1st Battalion New Jersey Engineers Company K 1st New Jersey Infantry Company G 2nd New Jersey Infantry Companies I and L 3rd New Jersey Infantry Co L 4th New Jersey Infantry and Co F 5th New Jersey Infantry 104th Field Signal Battalion former Companies A and C New Jersey Signal Corps and Company B D C Signal Corps Headquarters Troop 29th Division detachment from 1st Squadron New Jersey Cavalry 104th Train Headquarters and Military Police former Troops A and C 1st Squadron New Jersey Cavalry and Troop A Maryland Cavalry 104th Ammunition Train former 1st Squadron Virginia Cavalry and individual transfers 104th Supply Train individual transfers 104th Engineer Train individual transfers 104th Sanitary Train 113th 114th 115th and 116th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals former 1st Maryland Ambulance Company 1st Virginia Ambulance Company 1st New Jersey Field Hospital 1st Maryland Field Hospital and 1st Virginia Field Hospital 11 Interwar period Edit The 29th was reconstituted in the National Guard in 1921 assigned to the III Corps and allotted to the states of Maryland and Virginia and the District of Columbia New Jersey units that had been part of the 29th Division in World War I were assigned to the new 44th Division that encompassed troops from New Jersey and New York When 155 mm howitzers were returned to infantry divisions beginning in 1929 a formerly non divisional unit from Pennsylvania was assigned to the division The division trained as a unit during the 1935 First Army maneuvers at Fort Indiantown Gap Pennsylvania and during the 1939 First Army maneuvers at Manassas Virginia Order of battle 1939 Edit Headquarters 29th Division Washington D C Headquarters Special Troops 29th Division Washington D C Headquarters Company 29th Division Washington D C 29th Military Police Company Washington D C 29th Signal Company Norfolk Virginia 104th Ordnance Company Medium Washington D C 29th Tank Company Light Danville Virginia 58th Infantry Brigade Baltimore Maryland 1st Infantry Regiment MD Frederick Maryland 5th Infantry Regiment MD Baltimore Maryland 91st Infantry Brigade Richmond Virginia 1st Infantry Regiment VA Richmond Virginia 116th Infantry Regiment Lynchburg Virginia 54th Field Artillery Brigade Norfolk Virginia 104th Ammunition Train Virginia National Guard 110th Field Artillery Regiment 75 mm Pikesville Maryland 111th Field Artillery Regiment 75 mm Hampton Virginia 176th Field Artillery Regiment 155 mm Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 121st Engineer Regiment Washington D C 104th Medical Regiment Baltimore Maryland 104th Quartermaster Regiment Baltimore Maryland Italics indicates state of headquarters allocation headquarters not organized or inactive World War II Edit At the outbreak of World War II the U S Army began buildup and reorganization of its fighting forces The division was called into active service on 3 February 1941 8 Elements of the division were then sent to Fort Meade Maryland for training 10 The 57th and 58th Infantry Brigades were inactivated as part of an army wide removal of brigades from divisions 12 159 Instead the core units of the division were its three infantry regiments along with supporting units On 12 March 1942 over three months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent American entrance into World War II with this reorganization complete the division was redesignated as the 29th Infantry Division and began preparing for overseas deployment to Europe 6 320 Order of battle 1943 1945 Edit Headquarters 29th Infantry Division 115th Infantry Regiment 116th Infantry Regiment 175th Infantry Regiment Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 29th Infantry Division Artillery 110th Field Artillery Battalion 105 mm 111th Field Artillery Battalion 105 mm 224th Field Artillery Battalion 105 mm 227th Field Artillery Battalion 155 mm 121st Engineer Combat Battalion 104th Medical Battalion 29th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop Mechanized Headquarters Special Troops 29th Infantry Division Headquarters Company 29th Infantry Division 729th Ordnance Light Maintenance Company 29th Quartermaster Company 29th Signal Company Military Police Platoon Band 29th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment 8 The 29th Infantry Division under the command of Major General Leonard Gerow was sent to England on 5 October 1942 on RMS Queen Mary 8 It was based throughout England and Scotland where it immediately began training for an invasion of northern Europe across the English Channel In May 1943 the division moved to the Devon Cornwall peninsula and started conducting simulated attacks against fortified positions 10 At this time the division was assigned to V Corps of the U S First Army 13 14 30 In July the divisional commander Major General Gerow was promoted to command V Corps and Major General Charles Hunter Gerhardt assumed command of the division remaining in this post for the rest of the war Operation Overlord Edit D Day of Operation Neptune the cross channel invasion of Normandy finally came on 6 June 1944 Neptune was the assault phase of the larger Operation Overlord codename for the Allied campaign to liberate France from the Germans The 29th Infantry Division sent the 116th Infantry to support the western flank of the veteran 1st Infantry Division s 16th Infantry at Omaha Beach 15 92 Omaha was known to be the most difficult of the five landing beaches due to its rough terrain and bluffs overlooking the beach which had been well fortified by its German defenders of the 352nd Infantry Division 15 86 16 The 116th Infantry was assigned four sectors of the beach Easy Green Dog Red Dog White and Dog Green Soldiers of the 29th Infantry Division boarded a large number of attack transports for the D Day invasion among them landing craft landing ship tank and landing ship infantry ships and other vessels such as the SS Empire Javelin USS Charles Carroll and USS Buncombe County 15 86 Allied battle plan for Operation Overlord the Allied invasion of Normandy As the ships were traveling to the beach the heavy seas combined with the chaos of the fighting caused most of the landing force to be thrown off course and most of the 116th Infantry missed its landing spots 15 95 Most of the regiment s tank support launched from too far off shore foundered and sank in the channel The soldiers of the 116th Infantry were the first to hit the beach at 0630 coming under heavy fire from German fortifications Company A from the Virginia National Guard in Bedford was annihilated by overwhelming fire as it landed on the 116th s westernmost section of the beach along with half of Company A B and C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion and the 5th Rangers Battalion which was landing to the west of the 116th 15 98 The catastrophic losses suffered by this small Virginia community led to it being selected for the site of the National D Day Memorial The 1st Infantry Division s forces ran into similar fortifications on the eastern half of the beach suffering massive casualties coming ashore By 0830 the landings were called off for lack of space on the beach as the Americans on Omaha Beach were unable to overcome German fortifications guarding the beach exits Lieutenant General Omar Bradley commanding the American First Army considered evacuating the survivors and landing the rest of the divisions elsewhere 14 29 15 100 However by noon elements of the American forces had been able to organize and advance off the beach and the landings resumed 15 103 By nightfall the division headquarters landed on the beach with about 60 percent of the division s total strength and began organizing the push inland On 7 June a second wave of 20 000 reinforcements from both the 1st and 29th Divisions was sent ashore By the end of D Day 2 400 men from the two divisions had become casualties on Omaha Beach 15 106 7 Added to casualties at other beaches and air drops made the total casualties for the Normandy landings 6 500 Americans and 3 000 British and Canadians lighter numbers than expected 16 Memorial of the 29th Infantry Division s embarkation for D Day in Trebah United Kingdom The entire division had landed in Normandy by 7 June 13 122 By 9 June Omaha Beach was secure and the division occupied Isigny 8 On 14 July the division was reassigned to XIX Corps part of the First Army itself part of the 12th Army Group 13 Breakout Edit The division cut across the Elle River and advanced slowly toward Saint Lo fighting bitterly in the Normandy hedgerow country 17 17 German reserves formed a new defensive front outside the town and American forces fought a fierce battle with them two miles outside of the town 14 31 German forces used the dense bocage foliage to their advantage mounting fierce resistance in house to house fighting in the ravaged Saint Lo By the end of the fight the Germans were relying on artillery support to hold the town following the depletion of the infantry contingent 17 72 73 The 29th Division which was already undermanned after heavy casualties on D Day was even further depleted in the intense fighting for Saint Lo Eventually the 29th was able to capture the city in a direct assault supported by airstrikes from P 47 Thunderbolts 17 74 75 Brittany Edit After taking Saint Lo on 18 July the division joined in the battle for Vire capturing that strongly held city by 7 August It continued to face stiff German resistance as it advanced to key positions southeast of Saint Lo 17 105 It was then reassigned to V Corps and then again to VIII Corps 13 Turning west the 29th took part in the assault on Brest which lasted from 25 August until 18 September 8 Germany Edit After a short rest the division returned to XIX Corps and took part of the Battle of Aachen by moving to defensive positions along the Teveren Geilenkirchen line supporting the 30th Infantry Division in Germany and maintained those positions through October 8 On 16 November the division began its drive to the Roer River blasting its way through Siersdorf Setterich Durboslar and Bettendorf and reaching the Roer by the end of the month 8 Heavy fighting reduced in Julich Sportplatz and the Hasenfeld Gut on 8 December The Division did not take part in the Battle of the Bulge as they were held in reserve for equipment refitting and received replacements of fresh troops arriving from England and France after training for weeks 8 From 8 December 1944 to 23 February 1945 the division was assigned to XIII Corps and held defensive positions along the Rur and prepared for the next major offensive Operation Grenade The division was reassigned to XIX Corps 13 and the attack jumped off across the Rur on 23 February and carried the division through Julich Broich Immerath and Titz to Monchengladbach by 1 March 1945 8 The division was out of combat in March In early April the division was reassigned to XVI Corps where the 116th Infantry helped mop up in the Ruhr Pocket 13 On 19 April 1945 the division assigned to XIII Corps pushed to the Elbe River and held defensive positions until 4 May and also made contact with Soviet troops 8 Meanwhile the 175th Infantry cleared the Klotze Forest After V E Day the division was on military occupation duty in the Bremen enclave 8 It was assigned to XVI Corps again for this assignment 13 Losses decorations demobilization Edit Casualties Edit Total battle casualties 20 620 18 Killed in action 3 887 18 Wounded in action 15 541 18 Missing in action 347 18 Prisoner of war 845 18 From July 1943 the 29th Infantry Division was commanded by Major General Charles H Gerhardt The division had such a high casualty rate that it was said that Gerhardt actually commanded three divisions one on the field of battle one in the hospital and one in the cemetery The 29th Infantry Division lost 3 887 killed in action 15 541 wounded in action 347 missing in action 845 prisoners of war in addition to 8 665 non combat casualties during 242 days of combat This amounted to over 200 percent of the division s normal strength The division in turn took 38 912 German prisoners of war Soldiers of the 29th Infantry Division were awarded five Medals of Honor 44 Distinguished Service Crosses one Distinguished Service Medal 854 Silver Star Medals 17 Legion of Merit Medals 24 Soldier s Medals 6 308 Bronze Star Medals and 176 Air Medals during the conflict The division itself was awarded four distinguished unit citations and four campaign streamers for the conflict 13 123 The division remained on occupation duty until the end of 1945 Camp Grohn near Bremen was the division headquarters until January 1946 The 29th Infantry Division returned to the United States in January 1946 and was demobilized and inactivated on 17 January 1946 at Camp Kilmer New Jersey 6 321 Reactivation Edit On 23 October 1946 the division was reactivated in Norfolk Virginia 6 320 However its subordinate elements were not fully manned and activated for several years It resumed its National Guard status seeing weekend and summer training assignments but no major contingencies over the next few years 10 In 1959 the division was reorganized under the Pentomic five battle group division organization Ewing s 29th Infantry Division A Short History of a Fighting Division says that several Maryland infantry and engineer companies were reorganized to form 1st Med Tank Bn 115th Armor the 29th Aviation Company was established and the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron 183rd Armor was established in Virginia as the division s reconnaissance squadron 19 In 1963 the division was reorganized in accordance with the Reorganization Objective Army Divisions plan eliminating its regimental commands in favor of brigades The division took command of 1st Brigade 29th Infantry Division and 2nd Brigade 29th Infantry Division of the Virginia Army National Guard 6 322 as well as 3rd Brigade 29th Infantry Division of the Maryland Army National Guard 6 323 The division continued its service in the National Guard under this new organization 10 In 1968 in the middle of the Vietnam War the Army inactivated several National Guard and Reserve divisions as part of a realignment of resources The 29th Infantry Division was one of the divisions inactivated During that time the division s subordinate units were reassigned to other National Guard divisions 1st Brigade was inactivated while 2nd Brigade was redesignated as the 116th Infantry Brigade and the 3rd Brigade was redesignated as 3rd Brigade 28th Infantry Division 12 193 94 On 6 June 1984 40 years after the landings on Omaha Beach the Army announced that it would reactivate the 29th Infantry Division organized as a light infantry division as part of a reorganization of the National Guard 10 On 30 September 1985 the division was reactivated at Fort Belvoir Virginia with units from the Virginia Army National Guard VAARNG and Maryland Army National Guard MDARNG 6 320 The 116th Infantry Brigade was redesignated the 1st Brigade 29th Division while the 58th Infantry Brigade became the 3rd Brigade 12 194 That year the division also received its distinctive unit insignia 7 Organization 1989 Edit 29th Infantry Division Light 1989 click to enlarge At the end of the Cold War the division was a joint Virginia Army National Guard VAARNG and Maryland Army National Guard MDARNG unit Virginia provided the division s headquarters the 1st and 2nd Brigade the Division Artillery with one MDARNG artillery battalion and other minor units while Maryland provided the 3rd Brigade Aviation Brigade 29th Infantry Division with two VAARNG aviation companies the Division Support Command with one VAARNG aviation company and other minor units 20 The division was organized as follows 29th Infantry Division Light Fort Belvoir VAARNG 20 21 22 Headquarters and Headquarters Company Fort Belvoir VAARNG 1st Brigade Staunton VAARNG 20 23 22 Headquarters and Headquarters Company Staunton 1st Battalion 116th Infantry Roanoke 22 2nd Battalion 116th Infantry Lynchburg 22 3rd Battalion 116th Infantry Winchester 22 2nd Brigade Fort A P Hill VAARNG Would receive an additional infantry battalion from the 3rd Brigade during wartime 20 22 Headquarters and Headquarters Company Fort A P Hill 1st Battalion 170th Infantry Alexandria 22 1st Battalion 183rd Infantry Richmond 22 3rd Brigade Pikesville MDARNG 21 22 Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Battalion 115th Infantry Silver Spring 21 22 2nd Battalion 115th Infantry Chestertown 21 22 1st Battalion 175th Infantry Baltimore 21 24 22 2nd Battalion 175th Infantry Dundalk 24 22 Aviation Brigade 29th Infantry Division Weide Army Airfield MDARNG 20 21 22 Headquarters and Headquarters Company Weide Army Airfield 1st Squadron 158th Cavalry Annapolis OH 58A Kiowa amp AH 1E Cobra helicopters 20 21 22 1st Battalion 224th Aviation Attack Weide Army Airfield OH 58A Kiowa amp AH 1E Cobra helicopters 20 21 22 Company D 224th Aviation Assault Sandston Army Airfield VAARNG UH 60A Black Hawk helicopters 21 Company E 224th Aviation General Support Sandston Army Airfield VAARNG UH 1H Iroquois helicopters 21 29th Infantry Division Artillery Sandston VAARNG 20 25 26 27 22 Headquarters and Headquarters Battery Sandston 2nd Battalion 110th Field Artillery Pikesville MDARNG 18 M101 105mm towed howitzers 21 28 26 27 25 29 22 1st Battalion 111th Field Artillery Norfolk attached 18 M198 155mm towed howitzers unit 30 31 26 27 25 29 2nd Battalion 111th Field Artillery Richmond 18 M101 105mm towed howitzers 31 26 27 25 29 22 1st Battalion 246th Field Artillery Danville 18 M101 105mm towed howitzers 26 27 25 29 22 Battery E 111th Field Artillery Emporia 8 M198 155mm towed howitzers 31 26 27 25 29 29th Infantry Division Support Command Towson MDARNG 20 21 22 Headquarters and Headquarters Company Towson 104th Medical Battalion Catonsville 21 22 229th Supply amp Transportation Battalion Baltimore 21 22 729th Maintenance Battalion Havre de Grace 21 22 Company F 224th Aviation Aviation Intermediate Maintenance Weide Army Airfield VAARNG 21 3rd Battalion 111th Air Defense Artillery Portsmouth VAARNG 20 229th Engineer Battalion Fredericksburg VAARNG 20 32 22 129th Signal Battalion Bel Air MDARNG 33 22 629th Military Intelligence Battalion Greenbelt MDARNG 20 29th Military Police Company Pikesville MDARNG 229th Chemical Company Roanoke VAARNG 34 29th Division Band Roanoke VAARNG 22 Post Cold War Edit At the end of the Cold War the Army saw further drawdowns and reductions in spending The 29th Infantry Division was retained however 2nd Brigade was inactivated in favor of assets from the inactivating 26th Infantry Division which was redesignated the 26th Brigade 29th Infantry Division 12 194 The largest National Guard training exercise ever held in Virginia took place in July 1998 bringing units from the 29th Infantry Division together for one large infantry exercise The Division Maneuver Exercise dubbed Operation Chindit brought together Guard units from Virginia and Maryland as well as Massachusetts New Jersey Connecticut and the District of Columbia The exercise began with the insertion of troops from the 29th Infantry Division s 1st and 3rd Brigades by UH 60 Blackhawk helicopters into strategic landing zones NATO member forces trained with the 29th Infantry Division throughout the exercise 10 In December 2008 the division also dispatched a task force to Camp Asaka near Tokyo Japan for exercises with the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force called Yama Sakura 55 a bilateral exercise simulating an invasion of Japan 35 36 Present day Edit In March 1994 during a time of post Cold War reductions in the size of the Regular Army the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment was tasked to test a new concept The Regiment s task was to organize train certify and deploy a multi component battalion sized task force made up of National Guard Army Reserve and Regular Army Soldiers to serve as the US Army s rotational Infantry Battalion for the Multi National Force and Observers MFO in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt The Soldiers selected for the unit reported to Fort Bragg North Carolina in July 1994 to begin their training for the mission The task force was designated as the 4th Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment and carried the lineage of Company D 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment which had served throughout World War II and into the 1950s Also known as Task Force 4 505 or The Sinai Battalion it was formally activated on 4 November 1994 The battalion was made up of 88 National Guardsmen and Army Reservists from 32 different states and 12 Regular Army Soldiers most from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg Virginia and Maryland Army National Guardsmen from the 29th Infantry Division Light provided the largest contingent for the battalion All of the National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers volunteered for a year of active duty in order to serve in the unit After completing six months of peacekeeping training at Fort Bragg the 4th Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment deployed to the Sinai from January through June 1995 then redeployed to Fort Bragg On 15 July 1995 the 4th Battalion was inactivated at Fort Bragg and its Soldiers returned to their parent units A 2005 oil painting depicting soldiers from the 2 124th participating in the 2003 invasion of Iraq 29th Infantry Division soldiers conduct a large scale exercise at Camp Bondsteel Kosovo in May 2009 29th Infantry Division sergeant in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force 2011 Hundreds of soldiers from the 29th Infantry Division completed nine days of training on 16 June 2001 at Fort Polk Louisiana to prepare for their peacekeeping mission in Bosnia as the second division headquarters to be deployed as a part of SFOR 10 In all 2 085 National Guard soldiers from 16 states from Massachusetts to California served with the multinational force that operated in the US sector MND N Their rotation began in October 2001 and lasted six months 10 The 29th Infantry Division completed a two week warfighter exercise at Fort Leavenworth Kansas in late July 2003 Nearly 1 200 soldiers of the division participated in the training which was overseen by First United States Army Also engaged in the simulation war were about 150 soldiers of the New York Army National Guard s 42nd Infantry Division The exercises covered a variety of operations ranging from large scale contingencies to airborne and civil affairs operations 10 In March 2004 the 3rd Battalion 116th Infantry of 500 soldiers was mobilized for 579 days in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan Following 4 month train up the battalion deployed to Bagram Air Base Afghanistan where the unit split into two operational elements One element was stationed at Bagram where they were responsible for near base security and the theater north Quick Reaction Force They executed 5 10 and 20 kilometer ring patrols to increase force security and stayed ready to react at a moments notice to deploy anywhere in Afghanistan to react to troops in contact that requested support The other element moved south with the Bn Commander to control and shape operations in the Wardak and Ghazni provinces It was here that the 116th would take its first casualties by enemy contact since World War II SGT Bobby Beasley and SSG Craig Cherry were killed in an IED attack on a patrol in southern Ghazni near Gilan Within the first three months the unit would deploy nearly every soldier around Bagram and throughout the Wardak and Ghazni provinces during the first Afghan elections in which President Hamid Karzai was elected The unit would redeploy back to the United States in July 2005 highly decorated for its efforts during their mission following hundreds of successful combat patrols and engagements In 2005 350 veterans politicians and soldiers representing the division went to Normandy and Paris in France for the 60th anniversary of the D Day landings The Army National Guard organized a major ceremony for the 60th anniversary as many of the veterans who participated in the invasion were in their 80s at that time and the 60th anniversary was seen as the last major anniversary of the landings in which a large number of veterans could take part 37 The division underwent major reorganization in 2006 A special troops battalion was added to the division s command structure and its three brigades were redesignated It as organized around three brigades the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team of North Carolina the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of Virginia and the Combat Aviation Brigade 29th Infantry Division of Maryland 38 In December 2006 the division took command of the Eastern region of Kosovo s peacekeeping force to provide security in the region The division s soldiers were part of a NATO multi national task force consisting of units from the Ukraine Greece Poland Romania Armenia and Lithuania under the command of U S Army Brigadier General Douglas B Earhart who concurrently served as the 29th s Deputy Commanding General The division returned to Fort Belvoir in November 2007 After a three month pre deployment train up at Mississippi s Camp Shelby the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in September 2007 as part of the Iraq War s Operation Iraqi Freedom returning home in May 2008 Approximately 72 Virginia and Maryland National Guard soldiers with the 29th ID deployed to Afghanistan from December 2010 to October 2011 As part of the 29th ID Security Partnering Team the Soldiers were assigned to NATO s International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Security Partnering Team with the mission of assisting with the growth and development of the Afghan National Security Forces where they served as advisers and mentors to senior Afghan leaders They were part of a NATO Coalition of 49 troop contributing nations that Security Partnering personnel interacted with daily across Afghanistan 39 40 41 They were replaced in November 2011 by a new team from the 29th Infantry Division A team of 65 29th ID soldiers served in Afghanistan as a Security Partnering Team until July 2012 42 43 44 The 29th ID suffered one casualty during this deployment Maj Robert Marchanti of the Maryland Army National Guard was killed on 25 February 2012 45 46 In 2014 the 29th ID twice sent soldiers to the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels Germany to assist in the training of U S and multinational soldiers preparing to head to Kosovo as part of the Kosovo Force 47 mission The 29th ID soldiers performed as the KFOR staff serving as subject matter experts enforcing KFOR orders systems and procedures and working with JMRC to help the deploying troops achieve their training objectives 48 49 The 29th ID currently serves as the Domestic All Hazards Response Team DART in FEMA Regions 1 through 5 states east of the Mississippi In this role the 29th ID is prepared to assist state National Guard in their service to governors and citizens during an incident response 50 The DART provides defense support of civil authority capabilities in response to a catastrophic event The DART conducts joint reception staging onward movement and Integration of inbound OPCON forces and establishes base support installations and or forward operating bases for sustaining operations 51 On 24 July 2015 Brig Gen Blake C Ortner took command of the 29th Infantry Division from Maj Gen Charles W Whittington 52 On 19 December 2016 the 29th Infantry Division assumed command of U S Army Central s intermediate division headquarters Task Force Spartan at Camp Arifjan Kuwait This deployment includes 450 Virginia Maryland and North Carolina Army National Guard soldiers and is the first time the 29th Infantry Division has been a part of Third Army since 1944 during WWII 53 More than 80 members of the 29th deployed to Jordan in August 2016 where they assumed command of the military s joint operations center there to support Operation Inherent Resolve 2 Soldiers of the 29th led engagements and joint training with the Jordan Armed Forces and allied countries before returning in July 2017 3 On 5 May 2018 Brig Gen John M Epperly took command of the 29th Infantry Division from Maj Gen Blake C Ortner 54 On 3 October 2020 Epperly was succeeded by Maj Gen John M Rhodes 55 Current organization Edit Structure 29th Infantry Division The 29th Infantry Division exercises training and readiness oversight of the following units 56 which are not organic there is a division headquarters battalion an armored brigade combat team two infantry brigade combat teams a combat aviation brigade a field artillery brigade a maneuver enhancement brigade and a division sustainment brigade 29th Infantry Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion 10 Headquarters and Support Company Fort Belvoir Virginia VA NG Company A Operations Fort Belvoir Virginia VA NG Company B Intelligence and Sustainment Annapolis Maryland MD NG Company C Signal Cheltenham Maryland MD NG 29th Infantry Division Band VA NG 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team ABCT NC NG 10 Headquarters and Headquarters Company HHC 1st Squadron 150th Cavalry Regiment WV NG 1st Battalion 252nd Armor Regiment NC NG 4th Battalion 118th Infantry Regiment SC NG 1st Battalion 120th Infantry Regiment NC NG 1st Battalion 113th Field Artillery Regiment FAR NC NG 236th Brigade Engineer Battalion BEB 230th Brigade Support Battalion BSB NC NG 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team IBCT FL NG HHC 1st Squadron 153rd Cavalry Regiment 1st Battalion 124th Infantry Regiment 2nd Battalion 124th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 167th Infantry Regiment AL NG 2nd Battalion 116th FAR 753rd BEB 53rd BSB 116th IBCT VA NG 10 HHC 2nd Squadron 183rd Cavalry Regiment 1st Battalion 116th Infantry Regiment 3rd Battalion 116th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion 149th Infantry Regiment KY NG 1st Battalion 111th FAR 229th BEB 429th BSB Combat Aviation Brigade 29th Infantry Division MD NG 57 1st Battalion 285th Aviation Regiment AZ NG 2d Battalion 224th Aviation Regiment VA NG 8th Battalion 229th Aviation Regiment USAR 1st Battalion 111th Aviation Regiment FL NG 248th Aviation Support Battalion IA NG 1297th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion 142nd Field Artillery Brigade 58 59 Headquarters and Headquarters Battery HHB Fayetteville Arkansas 1st Battalion 142nd FAR Bentonville Arkansas 2nd Battalion 142nd FAR Barling Arkansas 217th BSB Booneville Arkansas Battery F 142nd FAR Fayetteville Arkansas 142d Signal Company Fayetteville Arkansas 226th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade 60 29th Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade 60 Honors EditUnit decorations Edit Ribbon Award Year Notes French Croix de guerre World War II with Palm 1944 Embroidered BEACHES OF NORMANDY Meritorious Unit Commendation 2017 Embroidered SOUTHWEST ASIA 2016 2017 Campaign streamers Edit Conflict Streamer Campaign Year s World War I Alsace 1918World War I Meuse Argonne 1918World War II Normandy With Arrowhead 1944World War II Northern France 1944World War II Rhineland 1945World War II Central Europe 1945Global War on Terror Inherent Resolve 2016 21Legacy EditThe 29th Infantry Division has been featured numerous times in popular media particularly for its role on D Day The division s actions on Omaha Beach are featured prominently in the 1962 film The Longest Day 61 as well as in the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan 62 63 Soldiers of the division are featured in other films and television with smaller roles such as in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds and the 2005 film War of the Worlds citation needed The 29th Infantry Division is also featured in numerous video games related to World War II The division s advance through Normandy and Europe is featured in the games Close Combat Company of Heroes and Call of Duty 3 in which the player assumes the role of a soldier of the division 64 A number of soldiers serving with the 29th Infantry Division have gone on to achieve notability for various reasons Among them are highly decorated soldier Joseph A Farinholt soccer player James Ford United States federal judge Alfred D Barksdale 65 and historian Lawrence C Wroth 66 generals Milton Reckord 67 Norman Cota 68 Charles D W Canham and Donald Wilson 69 Major Thomas D Howie who commanded 3d Battalion 116th Infantry during the battle of St Lo became immortalized as The Major of St Lo for the honors rendered to him after being killed in action 70 U S soldiers who received the Medal of Honor during service with the 29th Infantry Division include Henry Costin 71 Earle Davis Gregory 72 and Patrick Regan 73 from World War I and Frank D Peregory and Sherwood H Hallman 74 75 76 77 from World War II See also EditJoseph Balkoski military historian and author of a five volume history of the 29th Division in World War II Saving Private Ryan beach landing sceneReferences Edit a b Special Designations United States Army Center of Military History Retrieved 15 December 2022 a b Tan Michelle 8 August 2017 FORSCOM Commander We Are Not in an Inter War Period Defense News a b More than 100 Fort Belvoir based 29ID Soldiers return from federal duty in Jordan U S Central Command Archived from the original on 6 May 2021 Retrieved 29 October 2021 Tan Michelle 7 August 2017 More than 450 Guard soldiers to deploy to the Middle East Army Times permanent dead link Staff Reports Fort Belvoir based 29th Infantry Division to mobilize on federal active duty Virginia National Guard Archived from the original on 20 September 2020 Retrieved 12 July 2017 a b c d e f g h i Wilson John B 1999 29th Infantry Division Armies Corps Divisions and Separate Brigades United States Army Center of Military History ASIN B000OJKX1S Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 6 August 2014 a b 29th Infantry Division The U S Army Institute of Heraldry Archived from the original on 20 October 2016 Retrieved 11 November 2012 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Army Almanac A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States United States Government Printing Office 1959 pp 531 32 ASIN B0006D8NKK Archived from the original on 24 January 2021 Retrieved 11 November 2012 Source book operations of the 29th Division east of the Meuse river October 8th to 30th 1918 full text a b c d e f g h i j k l GlobalSecurity org 29th Infantry Division GlobalSecurity org Archived from the original on 24 June 2009 Retrieved 2 July 2009 Composition of National Guard Divisions and Disposition of Former National Guard Units Washington D C U S Government Printing Office 1918 pp 7 13 a b c d McGrath John J 2004 The Brigade A History Its Organization and Employment in the US Army Combat Studies Institute Press ISBN 978 1 4404 4915 4 a b c d e f g h Order of Battle of the United States Army World War II European Theater of Operations Department of the Army 1945 p 128 ISBN 978 0 16 001967 8 a b c Hart Russell 2003 The Second World War Vol 6 Northwest Europe 1944 1945 Osprey Publishing ISBN 978 0 415 96850 8 a b c d e f g h Van Der Vat Dan 2010 D Day The Greatest Invasion A People s History Madison Press Books ISBN 978 1 897330 27 2 Archived from the original on 12 June 2019 Retrieved 13 December 2015 a b Stewart Richard W 2005 American Military History Volume II The United States Army in a Global Era 1917 2003 Army Historical Series United States Army Center of Military History pp 148 49 ISBN 978 0 16 072541 8 Archived from the original on 18 May 2015 Retrieved 15 June 2010 a b c d Whitaker Denis Shelagh Whitaker Terry Copp 2004 Normandy The Real Story Random House Inc ISBN 978 0 345 45907 7 Archived from the original on 10 June 2019 Retrieved 13 December 2015 a b c d e Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths Final Report Statistical and Accounting Branch Office of the Adjutant General 1 June 1953 Joseph H Ewing 1992 29th Infantry Division A Short History of a Fighting Division Turner Publishing Company p 66 ISBN 978 1 56311 010 8 Archived from the original on 30 September 2021 Retrieved 13 December 2015 a b c d e f g h i j k l Ewing Joseph H 1992 29th Infantry Division A Short History of a Fighting Division Turner Publishing Company ISBN 9781563110108 Archived from the original on 30 September 2021 Retrieved 29 June 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Maryland National Guard Annual Report Fiscal Year 1989 PDF Maryland Military Department Archived PDF from the original on 5 August 2019 Retrieved 29 June 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Reactivation Ceremony Program PDF Headquarters 29th Infantry Division Light Archived PDF from the original on 2 July 2020 Retrieved 2 July 2020 116th Brigade Combat Team 29th Infantry Division Lineage US Army Center of Military History Archived from the original on 15 April 2021 Retrieved 29 June 2020 a b 175th Infantry Regiment Lineage US Army Center of Military History Archived from the original on 30 June 2020 Retrieved 29 June 2020 a b c d e f Field Artillery February 1990 US Army Field Artillery School 1990 Archived from the original on 15 August 2021 Retrieved 28 June 2020 a b c d e f Field Artillery February 1987 US Army Field Artillery School 1987 Archived from the original on 30 January 2021 Retrieved 28 June 2020 a b c d e f Field Artillery December 1989 US Army Field Artillery School 1988 Archived from the original on 30 January 2021 Retrieved 28 June 2020 110th Information Operations Battalion Lineage US Army Center of Military History Archived from the original on 30 June 2020 Retrieved 29 June 2020 a b c d e McKenney Janice E Field Artillery Army Lineage Series Part 2 PDF US Army Center of Military History Archived PDF from the original on 28 June 2020 Retrieved 28 June 2020 329th Support Group Lineage US Army Center of Military History Archived from the original on 2 July 2020 Retrieved 29 June 2020 a b c 111th Field Artillery Regiment Lineage US Army Center of Military History Archived from the original on 30 September 2021 Retrieved 29 June 2020 Special Troops Battalion 116th Brigade Combat Team 29th Infantry Division Lineage US Army Center of Military History Archived from the original on 29 September 2021 Retrieved 29 June 2020 Raines Rebecca Robbins Signal Corps PDF US Army Center of Military History Archived PDF from the original on 29 August 2017 Retrieved 29 June 2020 229th Chemical Company US Army Center of Military History Archived from the original on 29 September 2021 Retrieved 29 June 2020 Military News Stafford County Sun 22 January 2009 Archived from the original on 11 August 2014 Retrieved 21 August 2009 Yama Sakura tests U S Army Pacific s new command posts U S Army Homepage 10 December 2008 Archived from the original on 17 September 2017 Retrieved 26 July 2015 Md Vets Return to France for 60th D Day Anniversary Associated Press Archived from the original on 16 September 2017 Retrieved 21 August 2009 LeDoux Julia 12 July 2007 Battalion holds its first change of command The Fort Belvoir Eagle Retrieved 6 August 2014 29th Division ADAB says farewell during ceremony Vko va ngb army mil 4 November 2010 Archived from the original on 15 March 2016 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Virginia National Guard Freedom Salute honors 29th Infantry Division service in Afghanistan Vaguard dodlive mil Archived from the original on 28 October 2020 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Soldiers from the 29th Infantry Division return from duty in Afghanistan Vko va ngb army mil 27 October 2011 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Virginia National Guard 29 June 2012 29th ID Soldiers return to Virginia after federal duty in Afghanistan Vaguard dodlive mil Archived from the original on 29 October 2020 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Virginia National Guard 29th ID Soldiers in Afghanistan serve at National Military Command Center Vaguard dodlive mil Archived from the original on 24 October 2020 Retrieved 24 December 2015 29th ID Soldiers in Afghanistan serve at National Military Command Center Vko va ngb army mil 13 February 2012 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Major Robert J Marchanti Md ngb army mil Archived from the original on 24 December 2015 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Virginia National Guard 29th ID officer from Maryland National Guard identified as casualty in Afghanistan Vaguard dodlive mil Archived from the original on 20 September 2020 Retrieved 24 December 2015 SHAPE SHAPE shape nato int Archived from the original on 8 January 2019 Retrieved 8 January 2019 Sgt Master 29th ID Soldiers travel to Germany to help train up next KFOR rotation Vaguard dodlive mil Archived from the original on 6 June 2020 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Virginia National Guard 29th ID teams up with partners from other states to help train next KFOR rotation Vaguard dodlive mil Archived from the original on 20 September 2020 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Virginia National Guard 1 October 2013 29th ID Soldiers support domestic response exercise in Maine Vaguard dodlive mil Archived from the original on 28 October 2020 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Domestic All Hazards Response Team army mil Stand To 19 October 2009 Archived from the original on 10 June 2019 Retrieved 19 October 2009 Coyne A J Ortner takes command of 29th Infantry Division Vaguard dodlive mil Archived from the original on 20 September 2020 Retrieved 24 December 2015 29th Infantry Division begins mission in the Middle East Vaguard dodlive mil Archived from the original on 9 January 2021 Retrieved 21 December 2016 Epperly takes command of 29th Infantry Division Archived from the original on 14 May 2019 Retrieved 14 May 2019 Puryear Cotton 3 October 2020 Rhodes succeeds Epperly as 29th Infantry Division commander Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Archived from the original on 14 October 2020 Retrieved 13 October 2020 Torchbearer Special Report PDF Association of the US Army 7 November 2005 Archived from the original PDF on 12 November 2011 Retrieved 2 October 2012 About the 29th CAB 29th Combat Aviation Brigade Maryland Army National Guard 29cab org Archived from the original on 25 July 2010 Retrieved 22 December 2010 annual report indd Archived 4 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine PDF Retrieved on 14 August 2010 Fort Sill Oklahoma Fires Center of Excellence PDF sill www army mil Archived PDF from the original on 11 June 2020 Retrieved 19 February 2016 a b Rhodes succeeds Epperly as 29th Infantry Division commander DVIDS Archived from the original on 14 October 2020 Retrieved 13 October 2020 The Longest Day Trivia IMDb Archived from the original on 1 February 2009 Retrieved 22 August 2009 Sunshine Linda 24 July 1998 Saving Private Ryan The Men The Mission The Movie A Steven Spielberg Movie Newmarket Press ISBN 1 55704 371 X Bentley David 12 June 2008 New Set Pictures Hugh Jackman films Second World War scenes for Wolverine Archived from the original on 15 June 2008 Retrieved 12 June 2008 Staines Daniel January 2007 Call of Duty 3 Hyper Next Media 159 60 ISSN 1320 7458 VMI Archives Online Photographs Database Virginia Military Institute Archived from the original on 20 July 2011 Retrieved 23 October 2007 Mitchell Martha 1993 Wroth Lawrence C Encyclopedia Brunoniana brown edu Archived from the original on 9 June 2008 Retrieved 3 June 2008 Papers on Milton Reckord University of Maryland Archived from the original on 17 January 2010 Retrieved 21 August 2009 Miller Robert A 1989 Division Commander A Biography of Major General Norman D Cota Reprint Company ISBN 978 0 87152 438 6 Archived from the original on 22 May 2016 Retrieved 13 December 2015 Ancell R Manning Miller Christine 1996 The Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers The US Armed Forces Westport Connecticut Greenwood Press p 457 ISBN 0 313 29546 8 OCLC 231681728 Hobie 17 July 2016 116th Infantry Regiment Roll of Honor MAJ Thomas Dry Howie Archived from the original on 6 January 2019 Retrieved 1 June 2018 Medal of Honor Recipients World War I United States Army Archived from the original on 30 April 2008 Retrieved 24 April 2008 Medal of Honor Recipients World War I United States Army Archived from the original on 30 April 2008 Retrieved 24 April 2008 Medal of Honor Recipients World War I United States Army Archived from the original on 30 April 2008 Retrieved 24 April 2008 Medal of Honor Recipients World War II A F United States Army Archived from the original on 20 April 2008 Retrieved 24 April 2008 Medal of Honor Recipients World War II G L United States Army Archived from the original on 30 April 2008 Retrieved 24 April 2008 Medal of Honor Recipients World War II M S United States Army Archived from the original on 30 April 2008 Retrieved 24 April 2008 Medal of Honor Recipients World War II T Z United States Army Archived from the original on 4 May 2008 Retrieved 24 April 2008 Sources EditBalkoski Joseph 1989 Beyond the Beachhead The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy Stackpole Books ISBN 978 0 8117 0221 8 Holmes Richard 2004 The D Day Experience From the Invasion to the Liberation of Paris Andrews McMeel Publishing LLC ISBN 978 0 7407 4509 6 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to 29th Infantry Division United States History of the Twenty ninth Division Blue and Gray 1917 1919 29th Infantry Division Historical Society 29 Let s Go The Story of the 29th Infantry Division World War II Stars amp Stripes History Booklet American D Day Omaha Beach Utah Beach amp Pointe du Hoc The short film Big Picture The 29th Division is available for free download at the Internet Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 29th Infantry Division United States amp oldid 1146587336, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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