24th Infantry Division (United States)

24th Infantry Division
24th Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia, with Taro leaf
Active1921–1970
1975–1996
1999–2006
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeInfantry
RoleMechanized infantry
SizeDivision (12,500–14,500) Mobilization (35,000–50,000)
Nickname(s)"Taro Division", "Victory Division" (special designation)[1]
Motto(s)First to Fight
Engagements
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Complete list
Insignia
Distinctive unit insigniaA hollow red circle with stars and the word "Victory", inside a green leaf
Combat service identification badgeA red circle with a black outline containing a green leaf shape with a yellow outline

The 24th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army that was inactivated in October 1996. Formed during World War II from the disbanding Hawaiian Division, the division saw action throughout the Pacific theater, first fighting in New Guinea before landing on the Philippine islands of Leyte and Luzon, driving Japanese forces from them. Following the end of the war, the division participated in occupation duties in Japan, and was the first division to respond at the outbreak of the Korean War. For the first 18 months of the war, the division was heavily engaged on the front lines with North Korean and Chinese forces, suffering over 10,000 casualties. It was withdrawn from the front lines to the reserve force for the remainder of the war after the second battle for Wonju, but returned to Korea for patrol duty at the end of major combat operations.

After its deployment in the Korean War, the division was active in Europe and the United States during the Cold War. It was based at Fort Stewart, Georgia and later reactivated at Fort Riley, Kansas. It did not see combat again until the Persian Gulf War, when it faced the Iraqi military. A few years after that conflict, it was inactivated as part of the post-Cold War U.S. military drawdown of the 1990s. The division was reactivated in October 1999 as a formation for training and deploying U.S. Army National Guard units before its deactivation in October 2006.

  1. ^ Wilson 1999, p. 287

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