5th INF DIV Challenge coin

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Owner:: wilmhaley Message this owner
Recently Spotted:: In Cúchulainn's Castle

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I served with the 5th Inf Div in Vietnam in 1970-71, and am currently a member the Society of the Fith division, US Army. AS the Red Devils were stationed in Ireland training for the Invasion of Normandy in 1943-44, I decided to release the TB while visiting IRELAND and assigning it the mission of visiting a few of the battlefields of Europe and returning to the States.

About This Item

5th Inf Div Coin

The Fifth Division (Regular) was activated 24 November, 1917, for service in World War 1. The insignia was a red diamond six inches tall and four inches wide in the center of which was a two-inch figure '5' in white. After arrival in France, the "5" was removed. It was the German enemy in the St. Mihiel campaign who gave the men of the division the name by which they are known today. They called them "Die rote Teufel"- -which in English is "Red Devils!"
In World War 1 the 5th Division received combat participation credit for the following campaigns: Alsace, Lorraine, St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne.

The 5th Division was reactivated 16 October 1939. In August 1941, a Regimental Team, was shipped out to Iceland arriving 16 September. The remainder of the Division, shipped out piecemeal, the last units arriving 16 May 1942. In August 1943 the Division moved from Iceland to England then in October 1943, to Northern Ireland for advanced training for the invasion of France. The 5th Division landed in France at Utah Sugar Red Beach, in the St. Mere Eglise area, 9 July 1944... The 5th Division, from it's landing in Normandy July 9, 1944 to the last Division Headquarters in Vilshofen, Germany had traveled 2049 miles and had engaged in all five of the ETO's major campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Asace, Central Europe.

The 1st Brigade 5th Inf Div was deployed to Vietnam on June 1968. In January 1971, a reinforced 1st Brigade initiated operation Lam Son 719. The Brigade opened the QL9 Road from Dong Ha to the Laotian border. The 1st Brigade's missions were to secure QL9 as a supply route and provide mobile defense for the huge forward support area of Vandergrift and Khe Sanh. The 1/5th Inf Div left Vietnam on Aug 1971.

The final action seen by the 5th Division was in Panama in May 1989

The last inactivation was on November 24, 1992, by coincidence, 75 years from the exact date of its first order to activate, November 24, 1917.

Gallery Images related to 5th INF DIV Challenge coin

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Tracking History (226.4mi) View Map

9/5/2007	Netdrum placed it in Cúchulainn's Castle	Ireland - 102.85 miles	Visit Log

6/19/2007	Netdrum retrieved it from 3rd Annual Irish Cache Event (2007) - Donegal	Ireland	Visit Log
Hi have retrieved this bug at the 3rd Annual Irish Cache Event in Donegal. I will drop it off again soon so it can continue it travels Netdrum
5/19/2007	klaus23 placed it in 3rd Annual Irish Cache Event (2007) - Donegal	Ireland - 123.58 miles	Visit Log

5/19/2007	klaus23 retrieved it from Lord Haw-Haw	Ireland	Visit Log
This will be going to geocachingireland.com's 3rd Annual Irish Caching Event in Donegal next fortnight. It really is a small world. I/we can only imagine what it must have been like in Vietnam. We'll try and get your coin to Europe. About Donegal and it's relevance to the coin - during WWII USAAF aircraft were allowed to overfly County Donegal (in the Free State, later the Irish Republic) to bases in County Fermanagh (Northern Ireland). Many of these aircraft were manufactured in the United States, to be flown by the RAF. This was known as the 'Donegal Corridor'. Navigational markings are still, faintly, visible on mountains in Donegal. There were many unfortunate crashes into these mountains. The bodies of dead airmen were handed over at the border. At the border the Guard of Honour performed a drill with reversed arms, a Bugler sounded the Last Post and a Chaplain gave a Blessing. An Allied officer, embarrassed that the coffins' journeys were being continued in open lorries, thanked the Irish for the "honour". The reply was: "Ours is the honour, but yours is the glory". (some of the above from wikipedia, on "Irish Neutrality" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_neutrality)
5/16/2007	wilmhaley placed it in Lord Haw-Haw	Ireland	Visit Log
This coin represents the soldiers of the 5th Inf Div. I felt that it was appropriate to start off this coin's travel by placing it int a cache that represented as aspect of the units histor. I am sure that one the units hardships was putting up with the propaganda that this chap put out on the air. [This entry was edited by wilmhaley on Friday, May 18, 2007 at 8:55:39 PM.] [This entry was edited by wilmhaley on Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 4:44:18 AM.]
3/10/2007	wilmhaley grabbed it		Visit Log
Still have it in my pocket
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