“Bastogne” Brigade History

 

The major organic unit with the 1st Brigade is the 327th Infantry Regiment, composed of “Above the Rest”, “No Slack”, and “Battle Force” Battalions. The Regiment traces its history to the 164th Infantry Brigade of the 82nd Infantry Division on 17 September 1917 at Fort Gordon, GA. That unit, too, has a long history of campaigns and honors.

The “Bastogne” Brigade has been involved in three conflicts and one peacekeeping mission: World War I, Vietnam, Southwest Asia, and Haiti. During World War II, it participated in the following campaigns: Normandy (with Arrowhead), Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland (with Arrowhead), and Central Europe. The “Bastogne” Brigade-consisting of 1st and 2nd battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment deployed to Vietnam from July 1965 to December 1971. The Brigade participated in numerous campaigns to include the Defense: Counteroffensive Phases I-IV; TET Counteroffensive; TET 69 Counteroffensive; Summer-Fall 1969; Winter-Spring 1970; Cease-Fire, and Consolidated Phases I and II. The Brigade redeployed back to Fort Campbell in January 1972 and since has become an Air Assault Infantry Brigade. The call came once again on 29 August 1990. The “Bastogne” Brigade was ordered to deploy to Saudi Arabia to defend against Iraqi aggression. This culminated with the Brigade spearheading the largest Air Assault in history into Forward Operating Base Cobra in Iraq. Kuwait was liberated, and again the “Bastogne” Brigade was victorious. From October 1995 to March 1996, the “Bastogne” Brigade provided the nucleus for JTF Bastogne, a combined, joint task force, that served in Port Au Prince, Haiti as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping mission. JTF Bastogne provided a country-wide quick reaction force and ensured security during their presidential election and inauguration.

The shield is blue for infantry. Blue is also the color of the South Carolina state flag, the location of 327th Infantry between WWI and II. The palmetto tree also alludes to SC. The red bend is taken from the arms of the ancient province of Lorraine, and the fleurs-de-lis indicate the regiment’s three WWI campaigns.

The nebula delineation, a heraldic simulation for clouds, represents the regiment’s service as 327th Glider Infantry in WWII. The two spearheads surmounting the nebula pierced disc indicate the unit’s compact glider landings and it’s aggressive action in Normandy and in Rhineland. The oak leaves and acorn connote Bastogne in the Ardennes. The pierced white disc further alludes to the snow and to encircled Bastogne during Battle of the Bulge, for which the organization was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (Army). The colors red and green refer to the regiment’s French and Belgian decorations.