Post Vietnam
When the 101st returned from Viet Nam, most of its personnel in the rank of staff sergeant and below were discharged upon arrival at Oakland, California, or Seattle, Washington. What remained largely consisted of a command group of staff officers and senior NCOs. The division settled into buildings recently vacated by the "U.S. Army Training Center, Fort Campbell, Kentucky."
When the 101st was rebuilt, the separate 173rd Airborne Brigade was inactivated and its assets used to form the 3rd Brigade as an Airborne unit consisting of 1–503rd INF, 2–503rd INF, and 3–187th INF. The partial Airborne capability also extended to supporting units of the division (i.e., one company of three in a supporting unit was Airborne). This lasted only until April 1974, when jump status for the 3rd Brigade was terminated, and the Airmobile Badge (renamed Air Assault Badge later that year) was introduced.
In October 1983 the 1st, 2d, and 4th Battalions, 187th Infantry, were activated, and on 21 November 1984 a 5th Battalion was activated. The 1st and 2nd Battalions were assigned to the 193rd Infantry Brigade in Panama and the 3rd, 4th and 5th were assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell. The 4th and 5th were created by reflagging the existing 1–503rd and 2–503rd, the colors of which were soon reactivated in Korea within the 2nd Infantry Division. The Panama-based 2–187th included one Airborne company (Moatengators) within the battalion, and later jump status was expanded to the entire battalion. 2/187th was the last Airborne Battalion of the 187th. During a realignment of the United States Army's combat forces in 1987 the 1st and 2d Battalions were inactivated and the 5th and 4th Battalions were reflagged as the 1st and 2d Battalions, respectively. Upon moving to the 101st, the 187th became Air Assault.
From September 1988 through March 1989, 1st Battalion reorganized as Task Force 1–187 and deployed to the Sinai Desert, Egypt as the United States' contingent of the Multinational Force and Observers peacekeeping mission .
Read more about this topic: 187th Infantry Regiment (United States)
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