By 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs
Fort Campbell, KY – Soldiers from the Third Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Rakkasans, honored distinguished members of the 187th Infantry Regiment in a recognition ceremony at Fort Campbell on February 23rd.
The ceremony coincided with the 68th anniversary of the regiment’s activation as part of the 11th Airborne Division, a glider infantry unit who participated in combat campaigns in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
59 current and former Rakkasans were inducted as Distinguished Members of the Regiment for their meritorious combat service in various campaigns fought since World War II.
Additionally, the ceremony also recognized nine recipients as honorary members of the regiment for their outstanding contributions to the 187th.
The ceremony also marked the end of a month-long redeployment processes for the unit. All 3rd BCT Soldiers have returned from Afghanistan, where they led off their division’s deployment in January 2010.
In total, more that 4,000 Soldiers from the brigade served during the BCT’s second deployment to Afghanistan which ended Jan. 30.
During Operation Enduring Freedom X-XI, Task Force Rakkasan conducted over 12,000 combat patrols in Khowst, Paktika and Paktya provinces and Andar and Deh Yak districts in Eastern Afghanistan. Elements of the brigade also served in the Panjawa’i district in Southern Afghanistan.
While deployed, Task Force Rakkasan was responsible for taking more than 2,000 enemy fighters off of the battlefield. Soldiers from the brigade also earned more than 200 awards for valor for their combat actions.
17 Task Force Rakkasan soldiers died during the deployment.
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