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Born in the steamy jungles and mountains of
New Caledonia during World War II, the Americal Division is the Army's
only named division on active duty. It is also the largest infantry
division operating in the Republic of Vietnam with three light infantry
brigades and a squadron of armored cavalry.
The current Americal Division got its start in Vietnam as Task Force Oregon in April 1967, marking the first time that Army troops were employed in I Corps. The task force initially moved into the Quang Ngai and Quang Tien provinces of southern I Corps to ease the pressure on Marines operating near the Demilitarized Zone. On Sept. 25, 1967, Task Force Oregon was reconstituted and redesignated as the Americal Division. The rugged terrain of southern I Corps, where the Americal Division makes its home at Chu Lai, runs the gamut from marshy, coastal lowlands to triple-canopy jungle on steep mountain slopes. On every front the Americal soldiers have won significant battles and inflicted more than 30,000 casualties in less than two years in such operations as Vernon Lake II, Fayette Canyon, Russell Beach, Iron Mountain, Geneva Park and Frederick Hill. |
