Band of Brothers Back for Iraq

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Band of Brothers Back for Iraq

James Joyner | Wednesday, October 19, 2005

The regiment made famous by Stephen Ambrose’s “Band of Brothers” has been reactivated for Iraq.

The 101st Airborne Division on Thursday reactivated a historic unit whose actions during World War II were the subject of the book “Band of Brothers.” The 506th Regimental Combat Team – also known as the “Currahees,” a Cherokee Indian word meaning “stands alone” – returned to the division just as its soldiers were completing final preparations to return to Iraq. “Our Currahees have trained hard and are ready to join their brothers,” Col. Thomas Vail, said as the unit’s 3,500 soldiers stood behind him. “They are ready to sacrifice their personal comfort and safety to answer a call to duty.”

The reactivation is part of the 101st Airborne Division’s recent expansion from three to four brigade combat teams under a Pentagon plan to reorganize the Army into smaller, easily deployable units.

The unit – then called the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment – was among the first to land in Normandy during World War II. The Army deactivated and reactivated the unit several times, sending its soldiers to Korea and Vietnam, where the unit was critical to winning the battles on Hamburger Hill.

Given the Army’s recruiting woes, I’m just glad it’s not the original Band of Brothers getting called back to active duty.

This is a smart move from an espirit de corps standpoint. Indeed, it’s rather odd that the Army allowed the unit to be deactivated, given the number of regimental units with little heraldry that remained standing.

About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

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