Sam Spade's San Francisco

The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team is coming home!

The U.S. Army's 173rd ABN Combat Team was created in 1917 as an infantry brigade. The arrived in France in 1918, too late for action in WWI, but they fought valiantly in both WWII and particularly in Vietnam. The 173rd introduced the use of Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LLRP) units and they conducted the only combat parachute jump in Vietnam on February 22, 1967 - Operation Junction City.

In the photo: Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team jump over Grafenwoehr, Germany. This photo appeared on www.army.mil. Click on the image to enlarge in a separate window.

After a trying 15 months in eastern Afghanistan, U.S. Army Europe’s only airborne unit should be completely redeployed over the next several weeks. Many of the returnees have spent two of the last three years supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Welcome Home, men and women of the 173rd! Job well done!

Resources:
Source story: Stars and Stripes
173rd Airborne Combat Team - official website
About the 173rd ABN Sky Soldiers
Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP)
173rd Unit Flashes
173rd ABN Brigade History - Army Study Guide
Operation Junction City
U.S. Army