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The history of the 4th Infantry Division
dates back to 1917, when the division was organized at Camp Greene, N.
C. During World War I, division troops fought through the bitter
campaigns of Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne. From the outset,
their presence on the battlefield was feared by enemy troopers, who
referred to them as the "men with the terrible green crosses."
In the Meuse-Argonne, the 4th Division achieved its initial triumph by
cracking the Hindenburg line and stopping the Kaiser's all-out drive to
Paris.
During World War II at Normandy, the 4th Division smashed ashore at Utah beach and later spearheaded the drive to Cherbourg. Elements of the hard-hitting 4th were the first U.S. troops into Paris and the first Allied troops to set foot on German soil. In 1966 the division deployed to Vietnam in four major increments. The 2nd Brigade, soon to become known as the Highlanders, landed in August, and by mid-October the entire division was operating in the Central Highlands. No time was wasted in going into full-scale operations. On Oct. 18, the division launched Operation Paul Revere IV. Since that time the division has continued to mete out heavy punishment on Viet Cong and main line North Vietnamese Army Forces. |
