Page:John Banks Wilson - Maneuver and Firepower (1998).djvu/366

344 Meanwhile, in September 1969 President Nixon announced another troop withdrawal. The only large unit in that increment was the 3d Brigade, 82d Airborne Division, which returned to Fort Bragg in December to replace the division's 4th Brigade. As noted, the Army released the reserve units in December, including the 69th Infantry Brigade, To maintain a full division at Fort Carson, the Fifth U.S. Army activated the 4th Brigade, 5th Infantry Division, a Regular Army unit.

A pattern of redeployment soon emerged. As one group of units left Vietnam the president announced another reduction. Under redeployment policies, selected units ceased to receive replacements sixty days before leaving the command; their equipment was turned in for storage or redistribution; and personnel were generally reassigned elsewhere in Vietnam. Usually each returning unit had only a small detachment to safeguard its colors or flags and essential records. Few soldiers had opportunity to participate in any welcome-home ceremonies. Unneeded company-size or smaller units were inactivated in Vietnam, while battalion-size and larger units, including divisions and brigades, returned to the United States for retention or inactivation, The Army generally followed these policies over the next two and one-half years as divisions and brigades left Vietnam (Table 31).

To accommodate some redeploying units, the Army rearranged the location of divisional designations in the Regular Army. In 1970 the 1st Infantry Division replaced the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Riley and in Germany, and the 4th Infantry Division succeeded the 5th Infantry Division at Fort Carson. The 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, replaced the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, in Hawaii. The 1st and 4th Infantry Divisions simultaneously became mechanized infantry units, adapting to a NATO reinforcement role, In the 1st, the maneuver elements consisted of 4 armor and 6 mechanized infantry battalions, while the 4th included 1 infantry, 2 armor, and 7 mechanized infantry battalions.

Another complex exchange of divisions took place in 1971 when the 1st Cavalry Division returned to the United States. At that time the Army planned to test a new air cavalry combat brigade in conjunction with airmobile and armor units, The staff had programmed the 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood as the test unit, but when the 1st Cavalry Division returned from Southeast Asia it replaced the armored division, which was to be inactivated, Protests by former members of "Old Ironsides" against taking the unit designation out of the active force led Westmoreland, now Army chief of staff, to retain the division on the active rolls by transferring it to Germany where it replaced the 4th Armored Division. The 1st Cavalry Division, less its 3d Brigade, which remained in Vietnam, was reorganized at Fort Hood.

The 173d Airborne Brigade posed a problem for redeployment planners because it had been the first large unit sent to Vietnam. They wanted to retain it in the force, but the brigade was no longer needed in Okinawa as negotiations were under way to return the island to Japan. Westmoreland decided to station the brigade at Fort Campbell until the 101st Airborne Division returned and to use the unit or some of its elements later to reorganize the 101st. The 173d