*Note: This page only covers the time period through 2009. Thank you.
Following their occupation duty with the 82nd Airborne Division in Berlin, the Devils reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Regiment remained at Fort Bragg until 1957, when it reorganized into the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Airborne Battle Groups, and 504th Infantry. The 1st and 2nd Airborne Battle Groups were reassigned to duty in Germany with the 8th Infantry Division and the 11th Infantry Division respectively, while the 3rd Airborne Battle Group was inactivated. Although its battalions were not always co-located, the 504th remained as a strategic reserve for the United States during Korea, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnam.
The Dominican Republic, April 1965
On 26 April 1965, the 82nd Airborne Division received orders to prepare to deploy forces to the Dominican Republic. Two days earlier, a revolution had erupted in the Caribbean nation, which put the safety of almost 3,000 American citizens in jeopardy. The initial deployment of 82nd Airborne soldiers came on 30 April, and the 504th followed on 3 May, landing at San Isidro Air Base to perform both military and humanitarian missions in support of Operation Power Pack. The Regiment conducted military operations to help establish and maintain control of Santo Domingo and to provide security along the All-American Expressway that ran through the city.
During these operations, the 504th was often subject to sniper fire and in repeated contact with enemy factions, as it contributed greatly to the establishment of security and to the distribution of food and medical supplies to those in need. Only five days after the arrival of the first U.S. forces, approximately 2,700 American citizens and 1,400 civilians from other nations were evacuated without injury. However, it became apparent that to restore stability to the Dominican Republic would require a continued U.S. presence, so the 504th remained as part of the Inter-American Peace Force for over a year, not returning to Fort Bragg until the summer of 1966.
Operation Golden Pheasant, Honduras 1988
In March 1988, 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 504th were joined by soldiers from the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Ord, California in a deployment to Honduras as part of Operation Golden Pheasant — a deployment ordered by President Reagan in response to actions by the Cuban and Soviet-supported Nicaraguan Sandinistas that threatened the stability of Honduras’ democratic government. On 17 March, 1st Battalion landed at Palmerola Airfield, a Honduran Air Force Base that was the headquarters for the U.S. military presence in Honduras. 2nd Battalion jumped onto the airfield a day later and the troopers of the 504th began rigorous training exercises with orders to avoid the fighting on the border. Had those orders changed, the Devils were prepared to fight, but the invading Sandinista troops had already begun to withdraw. In only a few days, the Sandinistan government negotiated a truce with Contra leaders and by the end of March the paratroopers of the 504th had returned to Fort Bragg. Parachutes in Panama, 1989
On 20 December 1989, the 504th was again sent into battle as part of Operation Just Cause. The intent of this operation was to protect U.S. civilians in Panama, secure key facilities, neutralize both the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) and the “Dignity Battalions,” and restore the elected government of Panama by ousting General Manuel Noriega. The 3rd Battalion had been pre-positioned at Fort Sherman two weeks prior to the operation and was under the control of the 7th Infantry Division. The battalion conducted air and sea assaults in northern and central Panama to seize the dam that controlled the water in the Panama Canal, a prison, several police stations, several key bridges, a PDF supply point, the PDF demolitions school and an intelligence training facility. The operations were designed to neutralize the PDF while protecting U.S. nationals and the canal itself during the first few hours of the battle.
The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 504th, along with 4th Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment, conducted a parachute assault on the Omar Torrijos International Airport. Following the airborne assault, the paratroopers soon found themselves engaged in fierce combat in urban and rural areas. As a testament to the discipline of the soldiers, however, the unit achieved all key objectives while causing only minimal collateral damage.
Devils in the Desert, 1990
On 2 August 1990, the Iraqi Army (the worlds fourth largest) attacked Kuwait with a viciousness that angered the world. Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division was quickly committed to the defense of Saudi Arabia and was positioned against an enemy that greatly outnumbered them. As diplomatic efforts failed, it became clear that the Iraqi Army would not withdraw. Plans were thus developed for the liberation of Kuwait.
President Bush’s warning to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait by 15 January 1990 went unheeded, and on 17 January the air war began. Allied sorties pounded the enemy for more than a month as the XVIII Airborne Corps made a rapid movement westward to position its units to roll up the flank of the multi-echeloned Iraqi defense. In a powerful offensive lasting only
100 hours, the Allied forces — with the 82nd on the far western flank — crossed into Iraqi territory, devastated the Iraqi Army and captured thousands of enemy soldiers. The 82nd troopers quickly completed the dangerous task of clearing countless enemy bunkers, and the 504th returned to Fort Bragg in April 1991.
Hurricane Andrew, 1992
In August 1992, 2nd Battalion, 504th PIR was alerted to deploy with a task force to the hurricane-ravaged area of South Florida to provide humanitarian assistance following Hurricane Andrew. For more than thirty days, the troopers provided the citizens with food, shelter and medical attention, instilling a sense of hope and confidence in a grateful Florida population.
Operation Uphold Democracy, Haiti 1994
Demonstrating its readiness again in September 1994, the Regiment was called upon to take part in Operation Uphold Democracy — an operation intended to be the largest airborne invasion in history. As the main effort of the 82nd Airborne Division, the 504th, along with 2nd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, was tasked to conduct an airborne assault to seize Port Au Prince International Airport and to secure key objectives in Port Au Prince and the surrounding area to oust Haiti’s military dictator. Several months of rigorous training had been conducted prior to the invasion to ensure that the mission would be a success. Less than three hours from drop time, however, the mission was terminated, and the aircraft returned with the 82nd units to Pope Air Force Base. Last minute negotiations and the knowledge that paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne were enroute proved to be the decisive factors in the Haitian dictator’s decision to submit to United Nations directives and U.S. resolve to restore the duly elected government to power.
Today, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment stands more ready than ever to deploy anywhere in the world within eighteen hours, fully prepared to fight and win. The Regiment remains a vital element of Americas Guard of Honor and continues to uphold the standards and traditions that have made “The Devils in Baggy Pants” one of the most prestigious and deadly fighting forces in American military history.
Strikehold – Airborne all the way!