4th Infantry Division

4th Infantry Division
Unit name	4th Infantry Division
Caption	Shoulder sleeve insignia
Dates	1917–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Garrison	Fort Carson
Nickname	"Ivy Division"
Motto	"Steadfast and Loyal"
Notable commanders	George S. Patton, Raymond O. Barton, Raymond T. Odierno

4th Infantry Division is a division of the United States Army with origins in World War I and continuous service through World War II, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), and the Iraq War. The division has been stationed at posts including Camp Greene, Camp Kearny, Fort Polk, and Fort Carson, and has been involved in major operations such as the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Known as the "Ivy Division", it has distinctive unit heraldry and an operational history linking it to leaders like George S. Patton and generals who later served in the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

History

Organized in 1917 at Camp Greene, the division trained under officers who later served in the American Expeditionary Forces during the First World War and fought in offensives including the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the St. Mihiel Offensive. Between the wars it was stationed at posts such as Camp Kearny and reorganized under interwar plans influenced by the National Defense Act of 1920. Reactivated and expanded for World War II, the division landed in Normandy in 1944, took part in the breakout during the Normandy campaign, and later fought in the Battle of the Bulge and the Siegfried Line operations. During the Cold War the division rotated through assignments in the United States Army Europe framework and converted to a mechanized role amid doctrinal shifts influenced by the Pentomic Division concept and later the Reorganization Objective Army Divisions. In Vietnam era deployments, elements served in combat operations linked to II Field Force, Vietnam and the division adapted to counterinsurgency environments. Post-1990, the division deployed formations to Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and sustained rotations to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Organization and Structure

Traditionally organized with multiple infantry regiments and supporting artillery regiments, the division evolved into brigade-based structures, incorporating separate brigades such as infantry, armored, and support brigades under modular transformation. Its typical order of battle has included brigade combat teams, a division artillery headquarters, a combat aviation brigade, a sustainment brigade, and reconnaissance elements drawn from units like Task Force 4-12 Cavalry and 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment. The division’s command element has been located at Fort Carson with subordinate units administratively associated with the 1st Infantry Division model of combined-arms brigades and doctrinal constructs promulgated by United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and U.S. Army Forces Command.

Combat Operations

In World War I the division executed offensive operations in coordination with French and British armies during the Hundred Days Offensive and suffered casualties alongside formations such as the 1st Division (United States) and the 2nd Division (United States). In World War II its combat operations included amphibious and assault landings in the Normandy landings sector, rapid mechanized advances across France, defensive and offensive actions during the Battle of the Bulge, and river crossings against elements of the Wehrmacht and German Army (1935–1945). During the Cold War and Vietnam era, the division’s elements conducted air assault, counterinsurgency, and conventional missions alongside United States Army Pacific and United States Army Europe commands. In the Gulf War the division participated in VII Corps maneuvers and the maneuver to liberate Kuwait City against Iraq’s Republican Guard. In post-9/11 operations, brigades conducted counterinsurgency and stability operations in Baghdad, Mosul, and provinces of Afghanistan, coordinating with coalition partners such as United Kingdom Armed Forces, Canadian Forces, and NATO-led ISAF elements.

Campaigns and Honors

The division’s campaign credits span World War I actions including Meuse-Argonne, World War II campaigns including Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe, Vietnam-era campaigns, the Southwest Asia campaign in Operation Desert Storm, multiple campaigns in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and several rotations supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Decorations awarded to the division and its subordinate units include the Presidential Unit Citation, Valorous Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, foreign awards from the French Republic such as the Croix de guerre, and campaign streamers affixed to the colors representing participation in major 20th and 21st century campaigns.

Notable Commanders and Personnel

Commanders and personnel who served with the division include George S. Patton (early World War I service connections), Raymond O. Barton (World War II), Raymond T. Odierno (later Chief of Staff of the United States Army), and other officers who later held senior positions in NATO commands, United States Central Command, and the Pentagon. Notable enlisted and junior officers who served include recipients of the Medal of Honor and leaders who later influenced doctrine at United States Army War College and United States Army Command and General Staff College.

Equipment and Insignia

Over its history the division employed weapons and systems such as the M1903 Springfield, M1 Garand, M4 carbine, M2 Bradley, M1 Abrams, M109 Paladin, rotary-wing assets like the AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk, and logistics vehicles including the M939 truck. The division’s insignia—featuring an ivy leaf motif representing the Roman numeral IV—has been displayed on shoulder sleeves, flags, and unit guidons, and its heraldry is recorded by the Institute of Heraldry (United States) with distinctive unit insignia and motto devices used in ceremonies at installations like Fort Carson.

Category:United States Army divisions Category:Military units and formations established in 1917