82nd Airborne

Extracted Attributes

• Size

  Brigade combat team of roughly 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers

• Nickname

  All American

• Headquarters

  Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States

• Shoulder Patch

  AA (All American)

• Specialization

  Parachute assault and joint forcible entry operations

• Current Commander

  Major General Brandon Tegtmeier

• Secondary Nickname

  Those devils in baggy pants

• Deployment Readiness

  Strategic deployment within 18 hours of notification

• Command Sergeant Major

  James Bradshaw

Timeline

• The 82nd Division is constituted in the National Army. (Source: Web Search)

  1917-08-05

• The division is officially activated at Camp Gordon, Georgia. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1917-08-25

• The division serves on the Western Front in World War I, participating in the Battle of Lorraine and the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1918-01-01

• The division is demobilized at Camp Mills, New York. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1919-05-27

• General Omar Bradley reconstitutes the 82nd as the first airborne division of the U.S. Army. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1942-08-15

• The 82nd Airborne conducts parachute assaults during the Normandy invasion (D-Day). (Source: Web Search)

  1944-06-06

• The division returns to the United States on the RMS Queen Mary. (Source: Web Search)

  1946-01-03

• The 82nd is designated a Regular Army division with a permanent home at Fort Bragg. (Source: Web Search)

  1948-11-15

• The division joins Operation Uphold Democracy to restore Jean-Bertrand Aristide to the presidency in Haiti. (Source: Web Search)

  1994-09-16

• Paratroopers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team exit a C-130J Super Hercules during a Joint Forcible Entry Airborne Operation at Fort Johnson, Louisiana. (Source: Web Search)

  2025-03-21

• The division holds an All American Week pass in review rehearsal at Fort Bragg. (Source: Web Search)

  2025-05-21

82nd Airborne Division

The 82nd Airborne Division ("All American") is a United States Army airborne infantry division, that specializes in parachute assault, based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Currently, the division is commanded by Major General Brandon Tegtmeier. It was first officially activated at Camp Gordon, in Georgia on 25 August 1917, though, it would later be demobilized on the 27th of May 1919, at Camp Mills, New York. During the summer of 1921, it would be reconstituted, placed into the Organized Reserves, as Headquarters, 82nd Division, and it would later be transferred to the Federal Building at Columbia, South Carolina. The 82nd Infantry Division was the second United States Army infantry-combat division of eight to deploy and return in England, and fight in France. The 82nd Infantry Division served with distinction on the Western Front in the final months of World War I. Since its initial members came from all 48 states, the division acquired the nickname All-American, which is the basis for its "AA" (pictured), on the shoulder patch. The Division took part in the Battle of Lorraine 1918, and the campaigns of St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne 1918. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii on 7 December 1941 the 82nd Airborne Division would see combat with the command of United States Army General Omar Bradley who later on 15 August 1942, reconstituted the 82nd as the first airborne division of the US Army and fought in numerous campaigns during the war.

Web Search Results

• 82nd Airborne Division - Wikipedia

  The 82nd Airborne division returned to the United States on 3 January 1946 on the RMS Queen Mary. The 82nd initially was staged at Camp Shanks, New York, where they drilled for the coming Victory Parade, to be held in New York City on 12 January 1946. In 1947 the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was assigned to the 82nd and was reflagged as the 3d Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (redesignated as the 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment effective 15 December 1947). Instead of being demobilized, the 82nd found a permanent home at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, designated a Regular Army division on 15 November 1948. The 82nd was not sent to the Korean War, as both presidents Truman and Eisenhower chose to keep it in strategic reserve in the event of a Soviet ground attack anywhere in [...] On 16 September 1994, the 82nd Airborne Division joined Operation Uphold Democracy. The 82nd was scheduled to make combat parachute jumps into Pegasus Drop Zone and PAPIAP Drop Zone (Port-au-Prince Airport), to help oust Raoul Cédras and to restore Jean-Bertrand Aristide to the presidency. At the same time, former US president Jimmy Carter and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell were negotiating with Cédras to restore Aristide to power, the 82nd's first wave was in the air, with paratroopers waiting at Green Ramp to air-land in Haïti once the airfields there had been seized. When the Haitian military verified from sources outside Pope Air Force Base that the 82nd was on the way, Cédras stepped down, averting the invasion.[citation needed] [...] On 5 and 6 June these paratroopers, parachute artillery elements, and the 319th and 320th, boarded hundreds of transport planes and gliders to begin history's largest airborne assault at the time (only Operation Market Garden later that year would be larger). During the 6 June assault, a 508th platoon leader, First lieutenant Robert P. Mathias, would be the first US Army officer killed by German fire during the invasion. On 7 June, after this first wave of attack, the 325th GIR would arrive by glider to provide a division reserve.

• The History of the 82nd Airborne Division | U.S. Army - American Flags

  The 82nd Airborne Division was constituted in the National Army on August 5, 1917 and was organized on August 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia, as 82nd Division. The unit acquired the nickname “All-American,” which is the basis for its famed “AA” shoulder patch, and the “AA” that appears in the center of its flag. During World War I, many units created nicknames for themselves to build camaraderie and boost morale. Shortly after its inception, the newly formed 82nd, in partnership with the Atlanta Georgian newspaper, held a contest to collect nickname ideas for the division. The winning nickname, “All American,” was submitted by Vivienne Goodwin and was chosen for its embodiment of the 82nd’s unique makeup. Unlike other divisions at the time, a diverse group of men from all 48 states [...] Recalled for World War II in March of 1942, the Division was re-designated as the 82nd Airborne Division the following August and became the first airborne division in the United States Army. During World War II, the 82nd Airborne Division made its name through parachute assaults into Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, and Holland. At the battle of Anzio in Italy, a German officer gave the paratroopers one of their myriad nicknames when he referred to them as “those devils in baggy pants.” [...] Skip to Content # The History of the 82nd Airborne Division An elite, active-duty airborne infantry division of the United States Armywhich specializes in parachute assault operations into hostile areas, the 82nd Airborne Division is located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and is the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps. The mission of the 82nd Airborne Division is to, within 18 hours of notification, strategically deploy, conduct forcible entry parachute assault and secure key objectives for follow-on military operations in support of U.S. national interests.

• A Living History of the 82nd Airborne in Desert Shield & Desert Storm

  Who are the 82nd Airborne? The 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army is an airborne infantry division; soldiers capable of being dropped by parachute into combat. They are the core of the United State’s “immediate response force” and are tasked with being able to deploy anywhere in the world with all due haste. The division was organized in 1917 at Camp Gordon in Georgia but moved to it’s current home at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville in 1946. [...] There are a couple reasons why I think the 82nd are a good topic for a website devoted to all things North Carolina. For one, Fort Bragg and Fayetteville as a civilian city are what they are because of the presence of the 82nd. The history of the 82nd is the history of Fayetteville. Second, I have family ties to the 82nd and spent 1993-1995 in Fayetteville as a result. I’ve seen troopers of the 82nd parachute out the back of a C-130 aircraft. So this topic is relevant and also personal. [...] The 82nd Airborne Division was lead into Desert Storm by Major General James Johnson.

• 82nd Airborne Division - U.S. Army

  A Paratrooper assigned to 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, fires his M249 light machine gun at a night qualification range during the 1st Sgt. Funk Deployment Readiness Exercise at... U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, exit a C-130J Super Hercules during the Joint Forcible Entry Airborne Operation at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Johnson, Louisiana, March 21, 2025.... The 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers stand in formation during the All American Week pass in review rehearsal on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, May 21, 2025. The 82nd Airborne Division pass in review showcases the Paratroopers of America's Guard... [...] On order, the 82nd Airborne Division rapidly deploys within 18 hours of notification, strategically deploys, conducts forcible entry parachute assaults and secures key objectives for follow-on military operations in support of U.S. national interests. [...] The 82nd Airborne Division is an active airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in joint forcible entry operations. Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps. The 82nd Division was constituted in the National Army on August 5th, 1917, and was organized on August 25th, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Since its initial members came from all 48 states, the unit acquired the nickname "All American," which is the basis for its famed "AA" shoulder patch. #### Leaders Maj. Gen. Brandon Tegtmeier Command Sgt. Maj. James Bradshaw #### Soldier and Family Readiness Dashboard

• US cancels 82nd airborne training, raising questions about possible ...

  The US Army recently canceled a major training exercise involving the headquarters element of an elite paratrooper unit, according to officials, raising speculation within the Defense Department that troops could soon be deployed to the Middle East as tensions with Iran escalate. The 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, maintains a brigade combat team of roughly 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers capable of deploying within 18 hours. The unit is trained for a variety of missions, including capturing airfields and critical infrastructure, reinforcing US embassies, and supporting emergency evacuations. Its headquarters staff coordinates the planning and execution of such operations.