2nd Infantry Division

2nd Infantry Division
Unit name	2nd Infantry Division
Caption	Shoulder sleeve insignia
Dates	1917–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Combined arms operations
Size	Division
Garrison	Camp Humphreys
Nickname	"Indianhead"
Motto	"Second to None"
Colors	Gold and Black
Battle honors	World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War

2nd Infantry Division is a division of the United States Army with a history of expeditionary combat from World War I through the 21st century. Formed during the First World War, the division accumulated campaign credits across major 20th-century conflicts and maintained a forward presence on the Korean Peninsula during the Cold War. Its shoulder insignia and organizational evolution reflect transitions across infantry division (United States Army), mechanized infantry, and combined arms doctrines.

History

The division was organized in 1917 amid the American mobilization for the First World War and deployed to the Western Front where it participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, and other late-war operations alongside the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), the French Army, and the British Expeditionary Force. In the interwar period the division underwent reorganization under the National Defense Act of 1920 and trained at facilities such as Fort Sam Houston and Fort Lewis, interacting with institutions like the Army War College and the Infantry School at Fort Benning. Reactivated and expanded for World War II, elements of the division fought in the European Theater of Operations after training in the United Kingdom and in coordination with Eighth Air Force and First United States Army units. Postwar restructuring during the Korean War led to a rapid deployment to the Korean Peninsula where the division engaged in pivotal battles including the Battle of Chipyong-ni and operations around the Pusan Perimeter, operating with allies such as the Republic of Korea Army and coordinating with commanders from the United Nations Command. During the Vietnam War era, personnel and subunits rotated to support operations in the Republic of Vietnam under theaters commanded by MACV and US Army Vietnam (USARV). In the post-Cold War era the division deployed elements to Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War and later participated in missions connected to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, while maintaining a deterrent posture as part of combined defense arrangements with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.

Organization and Structure

The division's structure evolved from the World War I triangular division model to later modular configurations influenced by Army XXI and the U.S. Army Regimental System. Historically it comprised infantry regiments such as the 9th Infantry Regiment, 23rd Infantry Regiment, and 38th Infantry Regiment, artillery units like the 5th Field Artillery Regiment, cavalry and reconnaissance units including the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, and support elements drawn from the Signal Corps, Ordnance Corps, Quartermaster Corps, and Medical Department (United States Army). Organizational doctrine incorporated combined arms brigades, battalions, and companies with attachments from Engineer Battalion (United States Army), Military Intelligence Battalion (United States Army), and Sustainment Brigade (United States Army). The division headquarters worked within command relationships with higher echelons such as V Corps, Eighth United States Army, and theater commands including United States Forces Korea.

Combat Operations and Deployments

During World War I the division fought in operations coordinated with the Second United States Army and multinational forces, sustaining casualties during offensives across the Argonne Forest and supporting the final Allied push. In World War II its elements were engaged in European campaigns alongside Third United States Army and contributed to operations influenced by strategic bombing campaigns conducted by U.S. Army Air Forces units. In the Korean War the division executed defensive and counteroffensive operations during the Inchon Landing aftermath and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army intervention, frequently coordinating with commanders from United Nations Command and receiving logistical support through Military Sea Transportation Service. During the Persian Gulf War the division's brigades participated in the 100-hour ground campaign phases tied to Coalition (Gulf War) planning, and in the Global War on Terrorism era units were task-organized for rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan, integrating with multinational formations such as NATO-partnered contingents and liaison with commands like CENTCOM.

Honors and Insignia

The division earned campaign streamers for engagements in Meuse-Argonne, Lorraine, Rhineland, Central Europe, Korea Summer-Fall 1952 and numerous other campaigns, with unit awards from authorities including the Department of the Army and citations recognizing valor and service. Its distinctive shoulder sleeve insignia, featuring the "Indianhead" motif, reflects heraldic design registered with the Institute of Heraldry (United States). The division's heraldry includes distinctive unit insignia for regiments such as the 9th Infantry Regiment and decorations like the Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, and foreign campaign medals issued by allies including the Government of France and the Government of South Korea.

Notable Commanders and Personnel

Commanders and senior leaders who served with the division include generals and officers who later held prominent roles in institutions such as the Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and NATO commands; notable figures associated by assignment or command include leaders historically linked to campaigns alongside the division such as generals from the American Expeditionary Forces, Eighth United States Army and United States Army Europe. Prominent enlisted and officer awardees received honors including the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, and Silver Star, with individual citations referencing battles like Chipyong-ni and operations during World War I.

Training, Equipment, and Tactics

Training cycles for the division have integrated major U.S. training centers and programs such as National Training Center (Fort Irwin), Joint Readiness Training Center, and combined exercises with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and United Nations Command, employing doctrine from publications issued by the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). Equipment complements over time included small arms like the M16 rifle, crew-served weapons such as the M2 Browning, armored vehicles including M2 Bradley, main battle tanks like the M1 Abrams, artillery systems such as the M777 howitzer and M109 Paladin, aviation assets from the United States Army Aviation Branch, and sustainment platforms provided through Army Materiel Command. Tactical evolution involved transitions from trench and attrition methods of World War I to maneuver warfare concepts seen in World War II, counterinsurgency practices applied during Vietnam War deployments, and modern combined arms, network-centric operations emphasized in Army Future Combat Systems-influenced doctrine and joint interoperability with commands like INDOPACOM and USARPAC.

Category:Infantry divisions of the United States Army