Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg’s The Airborne Trooper is the newest Iron Mike statue. Known as the "Home of the Airborne," Fort Bragg hosts the 82nd Airborne Division as well as the XVIII Airborne Corps. Sculpted by Leah Heibert in 1960 and 1961, using Sergeant Major James Runyon as a model, the statue depicts a World War II-era Airborne trooper with a Thompson submachine gun at the ready. The vision of former XVIII Airborne Corps Commander, Lt. Gen. Robert F. Sink, the statue was not named for any one man or unit, but rather dedicated to all paratroopers; past, present and future. Omar Bradley, Matthew Ridgeway, Anthony McAuliffe, Maxwell Taylor, Thomas Trapnell, and William Westmoreland were among the fifteen generals who attended the dedication ceremony. Originally installed at the southern entrance on Bragg Boulevard, the Airborne Trooper was moved to the traffic circle in front of the post headquarters in 1979 to prevent vandalism and increase visibility.
Fort Bragg’s original Iron Mike stood 16 feet 4 inches (4.98 m) tall from boot heel to the top of his helmet and weighed 3,235 pounds (1,467 kg). The original statue was made from polyester strips dipped in epoxy and stretched over a steel frame. Due to deterioration, it was replaced in 2005 with a bronze version. The original was refurbished and was moved to the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, North Carolina on June 14, 2010.
A digital model of the original was created and used as a guide for the new version to ensure faithful replication of Heibert's design. A ceremony to dedicate the new version was held September 23, 2005.
President George W. Bush spoke in front of the statue on July 4, 2006.
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