10th Mountain Division

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"10th Mountain" redirects here. For the Ukrainian unit, see 10th Mountain Assault Brigade.

10th Mountain Division
XVIII Airborne Corps
Garrison/HQFort Drum, New York
Nickname(s)The Tenth Legion, The Mountaineers
Motto(s)Climb to Glory[1]
ColorsRed and Blue
Engagements
Commanders
Current
commander
Combat service identification badge
Division flag
NATO Map Symbol
10
US Infantry Divisions
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9th Infantry Division see Infantry divisions (1941–present)

The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is an elite light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to receive specialized training for fighting in mountainous conditions. More recently, the 10th Mountain has been conducting operations in Iraq and Syria advising and assisting Iraqi Security Forces and People's Defense Units, respectively.

Originally activated as the 10th Light Division (Alpine) in 1943, the division was redesignated the 10th Mountain Division in 1944 and fought in the mountains of

U.S. Seventh Army. A status quo was maintained until the enemy headquarters involved had completed their surrender to the Seventh. On 6 May, 10th Mountain troops met the 44th Infantry Division of Seventh Army.[2]

Following the war, the division was deactivated, only to be reactivated and redesignated as the 10th Infantry Division in 1948. The division first acted as a training division and, in 1954, was converted to a full combat division and sent to Germany before being deactivated again in 1958.

Reactivated again in 1985, the division was designated the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) to historically tie it to the World War II division and to also better describe its modern disposition. Since its reactivation, the division or elements of the division have deployed numerous times. The division has participated in

Operation Joint Guardian (Kosovo), and several deployments as part of the Multinational Force and Observers (Sinai Peninsula
).

Since 2002, the 10th Mountain Division has been the most deployed regular Army unit.

Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
. It took the nickname The Tenth Legion while deployed in Afghanistan in late 2001 into 2002.

History

Formation

The 10th Division was originally organized during World War I in July 1918 as a Regular Army and National Army division and was commanded by Major General Leonard Wood, formerly the Chief of Staff of the United States Army and a Medal of Honor recipient. However, due to the Armistice with Germany in November 1918 which ended hostilities, the division did not go overseas and was demobilized in February 1919 at Camp Funston, Kansas. It was redesignated the Panama Canal Division after the war and shares no connection with the 10th Mountain Division activated during World War II.[4]

In November 1939, two months after World War II broke out in Europe, during the

Greco-Italian War. The Italian military had lost a disastrous 25,000 men in the campaign because of their lack of preparedness to fight in the mountains.[12][13] On 22 October 1941, General Marshall decided to form the first battalion of mountain warfare troops for a new mountain division.[14] The Ski Patrol would assist in its training.[15]

On 8 December 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent American entry into World War II, the army activated its first mountain unit, the 87th Mountain Infantry Battalion (which was later expanded to the 87th Infantry Regiment) at Fort Lewis, Washington, south of Tacoma.[14] It was the first mountain warfare unit in U.S. military history.[16] The National Ski Patrol took on the unique role of recruiting for the 87th Infantry Regiment and later the division, becoming the only civilian recruiting agency in military history.[14] Army planners favored recruiting experienced skiers for the unit instead of trying to train standing troops in mountain warfare, so Dole recruited from schools, universities, and ski clubs for the unit.[17] The 87th trained in harsh conditions, including Mount Rainier's 14,411-foot (4,392 m) peak, throughout 1942 as more recruits were brought in to form the division.[18][19] Initial training was conducted by Olympian Rolf Monsen.[20] A new garrison was built for the division in central Colorado at Camp Hale, at an elevation of 9,200 feet (2,800 m) above sea level.[21][22]

World War II

Brigadier General Lloyd E. Jones observes troops land at Amchitka Island during the Aleutians Campaign, shortly before assuming command of the 10th Light Division.
Lt. Gen. George P. Hays assumed command after Jones fell ill in 1944.

The 10th Light Division (Alpine) was constituted on 10 July 1943[23] and activated five days later at Camp Hale under the command of Brigadier General Lloyd E. Jones, with Brigadier General Frank L. Culin Jr. assigned as his assistant division commander (ADC).[24] At the time, the division had a strength of 8,500 out of the 16,000 planned, so the military transferred troops from the 30th, 31st, and 33rd Infantry Divisions along with volunteers from the National Guards of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Washington State (Specifically men who are from the Rocky Mountains region and those who are from the Northern States specifically close to the 45th Parallel of the US-Canadian Border), to fill out the remainder of the division.[25] This lowered morale and the division faced many difficulties in the new training, which had no established army doctrine.[22] The 10th Light Division was centered on regimental commands; the 85th, 86th, and 87th Infantry Regiments.[26] Also assigned to the division were the 604th, 605th, and 616th Field Artillery battalions, the 110th Signal Company, the 710th Ordnance Company, the 10th Quartermaster Company, the 10th Reconnaissance Troop, the 126th Engineer Battalion, the 10th Medical Battalion, and the 10th Counter-Intelligence Detachment.[26][27] The 10th Light Division was unique in that it was the only division in the army with three field artillery battalions instead of four.[26] It was equipped with vehicles specialized in snow operation, such as the M29 Weasel,[28] and winter weather gear, such as white camouflage and skis specifically designed for the division.[29][30] The division practiced its rock climbing skills in preparation for the invasion of Italy on the challenging peaks of Seneca Rocks in West Virginia.

On 22 June 1944, the division was shipped to

"Mountain" tab was authorized for the division's new shoulder sleeve insignia.[1] Also in November, the division received a new commander, Brigadier General George Price Hays, a Medal of Honor recipient and a distinguished veteran of World War I. On January 4, 1945 he received a promotion to major general.[33]

Italy

A machine gunner and two riflemen of Company "K" of the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, cover an assault squad routing Germans out of a building in the background. Sassomolare Area, Italy. Porretta-Modena Highway. March 4, 1945.

The division sailed for the

Pisa as part of the Fifth Army massing for this attack.[34]

By 20 January, all three of the 10th's regiments were on or near the front line between the Serchio Valley and Mt. Belvedere. Col. Raymond C. Barlow commanded the 85th Regiment, Col. Clarence M. Tomlinson the 86th, and Col. David M. Fowler the 87th.[citation needed]

Preliminary defensive actions in mid-February were followed by Operation Encore, a series of attacks in conjunction with troops of the 1st Brazilian Infantry Division, to dislodge the Germans from their artillery positions in the Northern Apennines on the border between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna regions, in order to make possible the Allied advance over the Po Valley.[37] While the Brazilian division was in charge of taking Monte Castello and Castelnuovo di Vergato, the 10th Mountain Division was responsible for the Mount Belvedere area, climbing nearby Riva Ridge during the night of 18 February and attacking Mount Della Torraccia on 20 February. These peaks were cleared after four days of heavy fighting, as Axis troops launched several counterattacks in these positions.[38]

Elements of the 10th Mountain Division advancing in Italy in April 1945.

In early March, the division fought its way north of Canolle and moved to within 15 miles (24 km) of

counteroffensive by the German forces.[39]

Members of the 86th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, march north, near Malcesine, on Lake Garda, without meeting any resistance, April 29, 1945.

The division resumed its attack on 14 April, attacking Torre Iussi and Rocca Roffeno to the north of Mount Della Spe. On 17 April, it broke through the German defenses, which allowed it to advance into the Po Valley area.

U.S. Seventh Army. A status quo was maintained until the enemy headquarters involved had completed their surrender to the Seventh. On the 6th, 10th Mountain Division troops met the 44th Infantry Division of the Seventh Army.[2] Between the 2nd and Victory in Europe Day on 8 May the 10th Mountain Division received the surrender of various German units and screened areas of occupation near Trieste, Kobarid, Bovec and Log pod Mangartom, Slovenia.[39] The division moved to Udine on 20 May and joined the British Eighth Army in preventing further westward movement of ground forces from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[40]

Casualties

Demobilization

Originally, the division was to be sent to the

campaign streamers.[35]

Cold War

In June 1948, the division was rebuilt and activated at

training division. Without its "Mountain" tab, the division served as the 10th Infantry Division for the next ten years. The unit was charged with processing and training replacements in large numbers. This mission was expanded with the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. By 1953, the division had trained 123,000 new Army recruits at Fort Riley.[45]

In 1954, the division was converted to a combat division once again, though it did not regain its "Mountain" status.

Fort Benning, Georgia, and was inactivated on 14 June 1958.[45]

Reactivation

On 13 February 1985, the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) was reactivated at

27th Infantry Brigade.[47] The division was specially designed as a light infantry division able to rapidly deploy. In this process, it lost its mountain warfare capability, but its light infantry organization still made it versatile for difficult terrain.[48] Equipment design was oriented toward reduced size and weight for reasons of both strategic and tactical mobility.[45] The division also received a distinctive unit insignia.[1]

Structure in 1989
10th Mountain Division (Light) 1989 (click to enlarge)

At the end of the Cold War, the division was organized as follows:

Contingencies

Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division sweep a Somali village for weapons in 1993.

In 1990, the division sent 1,200 soldiers to support

Operation Desert Storm.[72] Two infantry platoons from the division were among those sent: 1st Platoon Bravo Company 1/22 and the 1/22 Scout Platoon. Once in Iraq, the scouts were sent home and First Platoon was left as a counterintelligence force. Performing three-man 24hr patrols through the remainder of their deployment, this platoon was widely regarded as the division's best at that time. Following a cease-fire in March 1991, the support soldiers began redeploying to Fort Drum through June of that year.[45]

Task Force Mountain.[72] Division soldiers set up relief camps, distributed food, clothing, medical necessities, and building supplies, as well as helping to rebuild homes and clear debris. The last of the 6,000 division soldiers deployed to Florida returned home in October 1992.[45]

Operation Restore Hope

Members of the 10th Mountain Division with President George H. W. Bush, January 1993.

On 3 December 1992, the division headquarters was designated as the headquarters for all Army Forces (ARFOR) of the

Major General Steven L. Arnold, the division Commander, was named Army Forces commander. The 10th Mountain Division's mission was to secure major cities and roads to provide safe passage of relief supplies to the Somali population suffering from the effects of the Somali Civil War.[72]

Due to 10th Mountain Division efforts, humanitarian agencies declared an end to the food emergency and factional fighting decreased.

SAR team were pinned down during a raid in what later became known as the Battle of Mogadishu, the 10th Mountain Division provided infantry for the UN quick reaction force sent to rescue them. The 10th Mountain Division had two soldiers killed in the fighting, which was the longest sustained firefight by regular US Army forces since the Vietnam War.[48] The division began a gradual reduction of forces in Somalia in February 1994, until the last soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry returned to the United States in March 1994.[73]

Operation Uphold Democracy

Port-au-Prince International Airport
in 1994.

The division formed the nucleus of the Multinational Force Haiti (MNF Haiti) and Joint Task Force 190 (JTF 190) in Haiti during

Port-au-Prince International Airport. This was the largest Army air operation conducted from a carrier since the Doolittle Raid in World War II.[73]

The division's mission was to create a secure and stable environment so the government of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide could be reestablished and democratic elections held. After this was accomplished, the 10th Mountain Division handed over control of the MNF-Haiti to the 25th Infantry Division on 15 January 1995. The division redeployed the last of its soldiers who served in Haiti by 31 January 1995.[74]

Operation Joint Forge

In the fall of 1998, the division received notice that it would be serving as senior headquarters of

Texas National Guard. By early summer 2000, all 10th Mountain Division soldiers had returned safely to Fort Drum.[74]

Operation Joint Guardian

Readiness controversy

During the

US General Accounting Office in July 2000 also noted that although the entire 10th Mountain Division was not deployed to the contingencies at once, "deployment of key components—especially headquarters—makes these divisions unavailable for deployment elsewhere in case of a major war".[76] Conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation agreed with these sentiments, charging that the US military overall was not prepared for war due to post-Cold War drawdowns of the US Military.[76] The Army responded that, though the 10th Mountain Division had been unprepared following its deployment as Task Force Eagle, that the unit was fully prepared for combat by late 2000 despite being undermanned.[77] Still, the Army moved the 10th Mountain Division down on the deployment list, allowing it time to retrain and refit.[75]

In 2002, columnist and highly decorated military veteran David Hackworth again criticized the 10th Mountain Division for being unprepared due to lack of training, low physical fitness, unprepared leadership, and low morale. He said the division was no longer capable of mountain warfare.[78]

War on Terrorism

Initial deployments and 2004 reorganization

10th Mountain Soldier on patrol in Afghanistan's Nuristan Province.
Soldiers of the 350th Tactical Psychological Operations, 10th Mountain Division drop propaganda leaflets over a village near Hawija, Iraq in March 2008.

Following the

Combined Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC) (Forward).[79] This command served as the representative for Lieutenant General Paul T. Mikolashek, the Third US Army/CFLCC commanding general (CG) in the theater of operations. As such, Hagenbeck's headquarters was responsible for commanding and controlling virtually all Coalition ground forces and ground force operations in the theater, including the security of Coalition airfields in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan, as well as the logistics operations set up to support those forces. The division was also intended to defend Uzbekistan against attacks by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which was seeking to overthrow Islam Karimov's secular government.[80]

On 13 February 2002, Mikolashek ordered Hagenbeck to move CFLCC (Forward) to Bagram airfield located at Bagram and 2 days later the headquarters was officially redesignated as Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) Mountain.[81] It assumed responsibility for the planning and execution of what had then become known as Operation Anaconda.[citation needed]

Elements of the division, primarily 1-87th Infantry, remained in the country until mid-2002, fighting to secure remote areas of the country and participating in prominent operations such as

Combined Task Force 82 relieved CJTF Mountain as the major subordinate headquarters to Combined Joint Task Force 180.[82] Upon the return of the battalions, they were welcomed home and praised by President Bush.[83]

In 2003, the division's headquarters, along with the 1st Brigade, returned to Afghanistan. During that time, they operated in the frontier regions of the country such as Paktika Province, going to places previously untouched by the war in search of Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces. Fighting in several small-scale conflicts such as Operation Avalanche, Operation Mountain Resolve, and Operation Mountain Viper, the division maintained a strategy of small units moving through remote regions of the country to interact directly with the population and drive out insurgents.[84] The 1st Brigade also undertook a number of humanitarian missions.[73]

In 2003 and into 2004, the division's aviation brigade deployed for the first time to

medevac missions, and other duties involving combat with Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces in the country. The 10th Mountain Division was the first unit to introduce contract working dogs into southern Afghanistan. In the spring of 2004, they had Patriot K-9 Services supply 20 dog teams based at KAF. The teams were trained to detect explosives and perform patrol duties throughout the region. The brigade returned to Fort Drum in 2004.[85]

On the return of the division headquarters and 1st Brigade, the 10th Mountain Division began the process of

Fort Polk, Louisiana.[89] 2nd Brigade Combat Team would not be transformed until September 2005, pending a deployment to Iraq.[48]

Iraq deployments

In late 2004, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team was deployed to Iraq supporting

Route Irish. It returned to the US in late 2005.[48] Around that time, the 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed back to Iraq, staying in the country until 2006.[87]

The next time the 1st Brigade Combat Team was deployed was during the Surge for 15 months in Iraq. Northern Iraq was the theater of operations for 1 BCT from August 2007 until November 2008.[citation needed]

The 4th BCT operated in Northeast Baghdad under the 4th Infantry Division headquarters from November 2007 until January 2009. The 10th Mountain participated in larger-scale operations, such as Operation Phantom Phoenix.[citation needed]

After a one-year rest, the headquarters of the 10th Mountain Division was deployed to Iraq for the first time in April 2008. The division headquarters served as the command element for southern Baghdad until late March 2009, when it displaced to Basrah to replace departing British forces on 31 March 2009 to coordinate security for the Multinational Division-South area of responsibility, a consolidation of the previously Polish-led south-central and British-led southeast operational areas. The 10th Mountain Division headquarters transferred authority for MND-S to the 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota Army National Guard on 20 May 2009.[citation needed]

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team was scheduled to deploy to Iraq in the fall of 2009, as a part of the 2009–2010 rotation to Iraq.[90]

Afghanistan deployments

10th Mountain Division troops from the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry hike through Kunar Province.

The division headquarters, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, and two Battalion Task Forces from the 4th Brigade Combat Team deployed to Afghanistan in 2006, staying in the country until 2007. The division and brigade served in the eastern region of the country, along the border with

173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team which was rerouted from Iraq.[92]

In the winter of 2006, the 10th Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, was deployed again to Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom as the only aviation brigade in the theater, stationed at

Afghan National Security Force's capability and allow the Afghan government to increase its capabilities. In addition, the Task Force provided logistical and combat support for International Security Assistance Force forces throughout the country.[93]

The

Wardak Provinces, eastern Afghanistan to relieve the 101st Airborne Division, as part of a new buildup of US forces in that country.[94] The brigade was responsible for expanding forward operating bases and combat outposts (COPs) in the region, as well as strengthening US military presence in preparation for additional US forces to arrive.[95]

1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment infantry engaging Taliban.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team was scheduled to deploy to Iraq in late 2009 but deployed instead to Afghanistan in March 2010 for 13 months.

1-87th Infantry deployed to Kunduz and Baghlan Provinces, establishing remote combat outposts (COPs) against the Taliban after they had taken control of these provinces over the last several years. Notably, elements of the regiment were responsible for numerous large-scale engagements, including The Battle of Shahabuddin[97] and securing a High-Value Target (HVT) after an air assault raid. Some elements of the Brigade deployed to Afghanistan in late January 2013 to Ghazni Provence for nine months.[citation needed
]

10th Mountain Soldiers during an operation in Logar Province.

The

Arghandab Districts of Kandahar Province. The brigade was redeployed to Fort Drum in March 2012 after a twelve-month deployment.[citation needed
]

The 4th Brigade Combat Team deployed to Regional Command East, under the 101st Airborne Division from October 2010 until their redeployment in October 2011. The 4th BCT deployed to both Wardak and Logar provinces. During this deployment, they went to places such as Chakh Valley in Wardak Province and Charkh Valley in Logar Province in search of elements of the Haqqani Network. In May 2013, the brigade deployed again to Afghanistan returning home in February 2014.[98]

In 2015, Diana M. Holland became the first woman to serve as a general officer at Fort Drum, and the first woman to serve as a deputy commanding general in one of the Army's light infantry divisions (specifically, the 10th Mountain Division.)[99]

In February 2015,

Post ISAF phase of the War in Afghanistan[100] between late summer and early fall 2015, 300 troops from 10th Mountain's headquarters at deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel, along with about 1,000 troops from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team.[101]
In February 2016, the Taliban began a new
assault on Sangin, Helmand Province, the US responded by deploying 500 to 800 troops from 2nd battalion 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division to Helmand Province in order to prop up Afghan army's 215th Corps in the province, particularly around Sangin, joining US and British special operations forces already in the area.[102][103][104]

On 5 December 2019, the Department of the Army announced that the 1st Brigade Combat Team would replace the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division as part of a unit rotation in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel.[105] The brigade deployed to Afghanistan in February 2020.[citation needed]

Operation Atlantic Resolve

On 3 November 2016, Stars and Stripes reported that the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade would deploy 1,750 soldiers to

Russian intervention in Ukraine in 2014. The brigade arrived with approximately 60 aircraft, including CH-47 Chinooks, UH-60 Blackhawks, and medevac helicopters. The brigade was headquartered in Germany and the brigade's units were forward-based at locations in Latvia, Romania, and Poland.[106]

Operation Inherent Resolve

Between late summer and early fall 2015, as well as again in 2016, 1,250 soldiers from the

deployed to Iraq to support Operation Inherent Resolve.[107] During the two deployments the brigade spent in Iraq, they fought to regain control of the cities of Ramadi, Fallujah, and Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.[108] In 2022 the unit would redeploy again, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.[109]

Controversial shoot house training viral video

A viral video showed soldiers in the division conducting live fire training in a shoot house.[110][111][112] The soldiers violated numerous safety issues, including flagging and failure to follow norms of room clearing, such as failure to clear corners or follow points of domination, with observers giving no correction.[113][114][115] Responding to the viral incident, Division CSM Mario O. Terenas addressed the incident on Twitter: "it's 10th Mountain Division. We ran it down to the ground and it is 10th Mountain Division. It is our folks, and it really, really hurts to say that...It is not the standard, it is not how we do business, and it is not acceptable. We're running this thing down to the ground. We will investigate it, we will take action, and we will re-train. That is a guarantee."[116]

Honors

The 10th Mountain Division was awarded two campaign streamers in World War II, one campaign streamer for Somalia, and four campaign streamers in the War on Terrorism for a total of seven campaign streamers and three unit decorations in its operational history. Note that some of the division's brigades received more or fewer decorations depending on their individual deployments.[32]

Unit decorations

Ribbon Award Year Notes
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 2001–2002 for service in Central Asia
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 2003–2004 for service in Afghanistan
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 28 Feb 06 – 27 Feb 07 for service in Afghanistan[117]
Valorous Unit Award

(ARMY)

Aug 2006 - Oct 2007 For outstanding service in Iraq
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 2008–2009 for service in Iraq[118]
Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) 2014 for service in Afghanistan
Joint Meritorious Unit Award (Army) 1992–1995 for service in Somalia

Campaign streamers

Conflict Streamer Year(s)
World War II North Apennines 1945
World War II Po Valley 1945
Operation Restore Hope
 Somalia 1992–1994
Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan 2001–2002
Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan 2003–2004
Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan 2006–2007
Operation Iraqi Freedom
 Iraq 2008–2009
Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan 2010–2011

Legacy

Skiing associations subsequently contend that veterans of the 10th Mountain Division had a substantial effect on the post-World War II development of

ski resorts. Up to 2,000 of the division's troops were involved in skiing-related professions after the war, and at least 60 ski resorts were founded by men of the division.[119] As Maurice Isserman notes in his book The Winter Army, "The 10th Mountain Division was the only unit in the history of the US military to use wartime skills to promote a civilian pastime."[120]

Plaque in honor of 10th Mountain Division at Seneca Rocks, WV.

People associated with the 10th Mountain Division later went on to achieve notability in other fields. Among these are

Rawleigh Warner, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Mobil, civilian technical adviser Fritz Wiessner,[136] William John Wolfgram,[137] Olympic Ski jumper Gordon Wren, Massachusetts Congressional candidate Nathan Bech,[138] leader of Chalk 4 during the Battle of Mogadishu Matt Eversmann,[139] Middle East analyst, blogger, and author Andrew Exum, and author Craig Mullaney.[140]

Additionally, four members of the division have been awarded the Medal of Honor. In 1945 John D. Magrath became the first member of the division to receive this award (posthumously) during World War II.[141][142] The second, Jared C. Monti, received it posthumously in 2009, for actions during a combat operation on 21 June 2006 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.[143] The third, William D. Swenson, received it in 2013, for actions on 8 September 2009, during the Battle of Ganjgal in Afghanistan.[144] The fourth, Travis W. Atkins, received it posthumously on 27 March 2019, for actions on 1 June 2007 during a patrol in Iraq.[145]

The division's efforts in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and beyond led to the division being referred to as the "Tribe of Crossed Swords" by some Afghans.[146]

In popular culture

The 10th Mountain Division was the subject of the 1996 film

SCI FI film Manticore,[149] 2010 remake starring Keanu Reeves, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Sean Parnell's 2012 war memoir, Outlaw Platoon, about his platoon's experiences in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.[150]

Organization

Organization of the 10th Mountain Division in 2021

This division consists of a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, three infantry brigade combat teams, a division artillery, a combat aviation brigade, and a division sustainment brigade. The division artillery has training and readiness oversight over the division's field artillery battalions, which remain organic to their brigade combat teams.[citation needed]

Previous commanders

Individuals who have served as commanders and command sergeants major of the 10th Mountain Division include:[158]

Division commanders

Division commanders (continued)

Command Sergeants Major

  • CSM Southern W. Hewitt, January 1985 – July 1990
  • CSM Robert C. Sexton, July 1990 – May 1994
  • CSM Jesse G. Laye, June 1994 – July 1995
  • CSM Frank J. Mantia, July 1995 – February 1998
  • CSM Teddy Harman, February 1998 – July 2000
  • CSM Kenneth C. Lopez, October 2000 – August 2002
  • CSM Dennis M. Carey, August 2002 – June 2004
  • CSM Ralph C. Borja, July 2004 – May 2007
  • CSM James W. Redmore, July 2007 – March 2010
  • CSM Christopher K. Greca, March 2010 – November 2011
  • CSM Richard Merritt, January 2012 – January 2014
  • CSM R. Ray Lewis, January 2014 – January 2016
  • CSM Charles W. Albertson, January 2016 – September 2017
  • CSM Samuel Roark, November 2017 – March 2020
  • CSM Mario O. Terenas, March 2020 – July 2022
  • CSM Nema Mobarakzadeh, July 2022 – present

Notable former members

References

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