173d history

Viet Nam	Iraq	Afghanistan

The memorial embraces the entire Brigade and its span as a distinguished combat unit. In 1963, we were formed up to jump and fight on our own as a unit. That’s the same mission that the 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team now conducts and will continue to fulfill in the 21st century, bringing even greater honor to the Brigade’s name.

The Memorial is designed to highlight the Brigade’s remarkable record: it remains the only separate airborne brigade in U.S. history; it conducted the only combat jump in Vietnam as well as the only combat jump in Iraq; it has the unenviable record of the longest continuous service in combat of any American unit since the Revolutionary War. These accomplishments must be preserved; our monument, together with information in the National Infantry Museum, will help tell our story.

The Facts

Total of All U.S. Army Direct Combat Deaths in Vietnam War 38,190

Total of 173rd ABN BDE KIAs during the Vietnam War 1643

Attached Aussie KIAs 1965 -1966 30

The Brigade Accounted for Approximately 5% of the Total Army KIAs in the Vietnam War

War on Terror: Brigade KIAs in Iraq & Afghanistan 59

About the memorial.