187th Infantry Regiment (United States) - Korean War

Korean War

The 187th was selected as an airborne regimental combat team responding to the crisis in Korea. On 1 August 1950 the regiment became the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (ARCT) when supporting units were added and deployed to Japan, arriving on 20 September 1950. The advance party of the Third Battalion of the Rakkasans was the first to arrive in Korea, arriving at Kimpo Airfield on 23 September. On 24 September, it was placed under the operational control of the First Marine Division, relieving the 2d Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment, arriving almost a week after Douglas MacArthur's surprise landing at Inchon on 17 September 1950.

One month later, on 20 October 1950, the regiment made successful combat parachute assaults near the towns of Sukchon and Sunchon, North Korea as part of the Battle of Yongju. The published purpose of that drop was to capture members of the North Korean Government fleeing Pyongyang and also to free American POWs being moved from Pyongyang toward the Manchurian border. Neither objective was realized. Followed by battles at Suan, Wonju, Kaesong, Munsan-ni, and Inje.

The 187th led the second and last parachute assault in Korea on 23 March 1951(Operation Tomahawk).

Under BG Thomas J. H. Trapnell, it redeployed to Japan on 26 June 1951 where it became a strategic reserve but returned to Korea on 24 May 1952 to assist in the suppression of the prisoner rebellion at the Geoje POW Camp (aka. Koje Pow Camp during the Korean War) where prisoners had forcibly seized and held Brigadier General Francis Dodd, camp commandant, hostage for 4 days from May 7, 1952 (Koje Island Incident). After this, it once more returned to Japan on 18 October 1952 but made its final return to Korea on 22 June 1953. The unit returned the United States in July 1955 and, the following year, became part of the newly reactivated 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY.

The 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team consisted of the following units: The following units were assigned by General Order 34 (Confidential) Headquarters 11th Airborne Division.

• 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment
• 674th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion (105mm)
• Battery "A", 88th Airborne Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
• Company "A", 127th Airborne Engineer Battalion

The following units were added on 23 August 1950 by General Order 41, 11th Airborne Division dated 22 August 1950.

• Detachment, 11th Airborne Military Police Company
• Detachment, 11th Airborne Quartermaster Company
• Parachute Maintenance Company
• Pathfinders from 11th Airborne Division

The following units were attached on 26 August 1950 per General Order 42, Headquarters 11th Airborne Division dated 25 August 1950.

• Platoon, Ambulance Company, 11th Airborne Medical Battalion
• Platoon, Clearing Company, 11th Airborne Medical Battalion

On 28 August 1950, Operations Order Number 1, IX Corps, the 2348th Quartermaster Air Packaging and Resupply Company was attached to the Command of Colonel Bowen, Sr.

Attached units

• 2nd and 4th Ranger Infantry Companies (Airborne) (3 March 1951 – 4 April 1951)
• 5-man FECOM Tactical Liaison Office Team, 8177th Army Unit. (Tactical Intelligence)

Note: Many personnel from the 511PIR in the 11th Airborne Division were transferred to the 187th ARCT to bring it up to full strength for overseas deployment.

During the Korean War, three members of the Regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor, Lester Hammond, Jr., Rodolfo P. Hernandez and Richard G. Wilson.

The 1950s and early 1960s were a turbulent time for 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry. It returned to the US in 1955, this time to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. As part of a larger realignment of the Army, under the Pentomic Division Concept, the Iron Rakkasans road marched to Fort Campbell in February 1956 to serve as the nucleus of the newly reactivated 101st Airborne Division.