Besides Melzer and O9A, the Neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen whose leader was arrested for plotting to attack Baltimores energy grid and other groups have tried to recruit active-duty and veteran service members or have their own members join the military for training. [113], In March 2015, a 173rd Airborne battalion of around 600 American paratroopers headed to Ukraine to train Ukrainian national guard troops. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe. Close air support was impossible for the same reasons. [60] This time the Americans gained the crest, but the PAVN had already abandoned their positions, leaving only a few dozen charred bodies and weapons. [94] The entire battle for Kirkuk cost the brigade only nine casualties. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. The 23rd and 26th Mike Force companies (indigenous outfits led by Green Berets) were engaged as well. [77] This meant that the entire northern front of the war would be conducted by the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Army special forces operating with aircraft from Europe as their only supply line. [110] The brigade returned in early 2013. Melzer, who also went by the name Etil Reggad, enlisted in the Army in 2018 as part of an insight role to further his goals as part of the terrorist organization, according to the Justice Department. [143] On 13 May 2014, former 503rd Infantry Regiment Sergeant Kyle White received the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony. [Y]ou just gotta understand that currently I am risking my literal free life to give you all this, he told members of O9A on an encrypted messaging application. It is a merciless land of steep limestone ridges, some of them exceeding 4,000 feet, wrote Robert Barr Smith in, Vietnam magazine. Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. ; and the attached 2nd Sqdn., 1st Cav Regt. In May 2020, the Army told Melzer he would be assigned to another unit slated for deployment where they would be guarding a military base. [5] They were supported by the 173rd Support Battalion, 173rd Engineer Company, Troop E/17th Cavalry and Company D/16th Armor. The battalion lost 12 KIA. 98. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to provide a Europe-based neo-Nazi, Satanist, and pro-jihadist group by giving it classified information to attack his. [3][25] As the Pacific quick-reaction force, they were the first brigade to be sent to South Vietnam two years later when hostilities escalated there. Pre-deployment workups in the weeks that followed provided Melzer with terrorist threat training and access to numerous classified briefings, information that he immediately funneled via encrypted messaging applications to members of the Order of the Nine Angles. The training took place at the Yavoriv training center near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. The centerpiece of the battle was the 110-hour fight for Hill 875. (the Red Warriors), participated in the final assault on Hill 875. (Photo: U.S. Army) The 173rd Support Battalion and the 173rd Combat Support Company provided logistical support from Kandahar, while sending individual soldiers to assist at other forward operating bases. In approximately early May 2020, the Army informed Melzer that he would be reassigned to a unit scheduled for a further foreign deployment, where the unit would be guarding an isolated and sensitive military installation (the Military Base). Exactly five years ago today, Veterans from the 173d Airborne Brigade gathered on the. [20] The 173rd Brigade was selected to become a separate brigade and a special airborne task force, which could deploy rapidly and act independently. The Order of the Nine Angles, a U.K.-based anarchist operation that espouses antisemitic and satanic beliefs, is known for encouraging its membership to infiltrate the military, among other organizations, with the goal of dismantling from within, according to court documents. [6] During the operation, some of the troops discovered at least two caches of Iraqi gold, totaling more than 2,000 bars. He then eliminated nine enemy soldiers who were assaulting his position. Women in the military: Moving beyond firsts, Issues with the Armys Europe-based equipment trigger readiness alarms, Veterans Affairs drops mask requirement for all agency medical offices, Tax scams How to report them Money Minute, Capitol Hill weighs action on two controversial topics: medical marijuana and abortion, Lockheed wins hypersonics contract | Defense Dollars, Go inside a secret nuclear fallout bunker sealed for decades, Black Vietnam vet at last getting his due: Medal of Honor, Junior NCO promotions have collapsed heres the data, and why, Army artillery officer dies during assignment in Thailand. C/4-503 was then assigned the mission of relieving Task Force Black and they too encountered significant PAVN fire, but they made it, reaching the trapped men at 15:37. As part of this intensive training, Melzer learned details about the purpose, layout, and security of the Military Base. U.S. aircraft hit enemy positions as close as 50 meters to the perimeter as GIs dug in for an NVA night attack. [103] Throughout their 15-month deployment, the brigade participated in more than 9,000 patrols throughout the region. Though they were severely bloodied, the paratroopers inflicted even heavier losses on the NVA. A year later, he allegedly joined O9A, which expresses admiration for Nazis, such as Adolf Hitler, and Islamic jihadists, the Justice Department said. ALSO IN THE NEWS: Americans belief in God hit an all-time low about 6 months ago here's why. Headquarters and Headquarters Company In November 1967, the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 4th Infantry Divisions 1st Brigade slugged it out with four NVA regiments in the Central Highlands. 2023 Stars and Stripes. During the battle, Father Watters had ventured outside the perimeter at least five times, carrying wounded troops back to the aid station. We were ambushed by the NVA a short distance from where we landed. All rights reserved. .] Soldiers with the 173rd have faced some of the fiercest fighting in Afghanistan over the past decade. The package also includes a provision authorizing the state to fine, suspend, or revoke the license of any public lodging establishment or public food service establishment if the establishment admits a child to a live adult performance that depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, or lewd exposure., Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at Harvard Law Schools Cyberlaw Clinic in a tweet described the measure as a full elimination of recognition and a limitation on access to care for all trans people, including adults.. He then began passing information to O9A members using an encrypted application. O9A has had active members in Britain, the United States, Italy, Brazil, and New Zealand for several decades and has promoted terrorism, sexual violence, polarization, separatism, and racial hatred, according to the U.K.-based Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. To walk away from Hill 875 would have diminished the importance of their sacrifices, Murphy concluded. [126], The 173rd's service, particularly in Vietnam, has been featured several times in popular culture. Former Army private Ethan Melzer planned to ambush soldiers and cause a "mass casualty" attack in the service of a Neo-Nazi group. [78] Task Force 1-63 consisted of HHC/1-63rd Armor, C/1-63rd Armor and B/2-2nd Infantry. The LRS detachment and 5th Group ODA conducted many combined and individual operations to ensure the stability of the region. "Grand Junction Police approached Peters in a bagel shop in Feb. 8, 2022, to execute a warrant related to her iPad, on which she is suspected of improperly recording a court hearing for her deputy clerk," said the report. Forward-based in Italy and Germany, the Brigade routinely trains alongside NATO allies and partners to build interoperability and . [64], The intense fighting during the Battle of Dak To took a heavy human toll on the 173rd. [106] The brigade repositioned the base three days later. NAME AND TYPE OF OPERATION: Unnamed ambush patrol on Route 19, RVN. The NVA poured thousands of troops into an area where the borders of Cambodia, Laos and South Vietnam meet. Kirkuk. Melzer and his co-conspirators used the information that he attained to plan what they referred to as a jihadi attack with the objective of causing a mass casualty event victimizing his fellow service members. contact us. [7] The 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry colors were moved to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina to serve under the 82nd Airborne Division. In the process the American officers tried to increase pressure on local enemy forces through intensive patrolling and to encourage ARVN battalion, company, and platoon-level leadership through longer, more decentralized operations. DEDICATION. Melzer admitted to sharing sensitive information about his imminent deployment with the 173rd Airborne Brigade including unit location, movements and security with an occult-based neo-Nazi group called the Order of the Nine Angles. The goal, Melzer said in an unsealed indictment, was to plot an insider mass casualty attack. Melzer and his alleged co-conspirators used this information to plan what they referred to as a "jihadi attack" with the objective of causing a "mass casualty" event victimizing his fellow service members. just looking for anyone from Aco 3/503 173rd abn{sep}Iwas with this unit from12/3/67through 68 saw combat 12/27/67 bad stuff. [7] The 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry was reflagged as 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment to resume the Vietnam-era lineage of the 503rd Infantry battalions under the 173rd IBCT(A). Americans serving their country overseas should never have to fear a terrorist attack from within their own ranks, and todays sentence holds him accountable for his deadly plan to attack the brave men and women of the armed forces who protect our nation.. While retrieving more ammo, Barnes saw a grenade tossed among a group of severely wounded soldiers. Six helicopters from the 335th Aviation Company attempting to resupply the pinned-down troopers were shot down during the day. Accessed 26 November 2015. A paratrooper in the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Sky Soldiers, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, in Vicenza, Italy, in 2019 through 2020 plotted an ambush on his unit, "to result in the deaths of as many of his fellow service members as possible. Copyright 2023 Raw Story Media, Inc. PO Box 21050, Washington, D.C. 20009 | The following year, he deployed to Italy with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Email: wambicook@aol.com Specifically, Melzer corresponded with individuals belonging to an O9A subgroup known as the RapeWaffen Division, which is known to promote rape and murder as weapons in the groups pursuit of a race war. Brigadier General Ellis W. Williamson took command of the unit,[3][25] which was chartered to serve as the quick reaction force for the Pacific Command. A former soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to plot with a hate group to attack his unit. Melzer is a 22-year-old infantryman assigned to the 173rd Airborne's 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, in Vicenza, Italy, 173rd spokesman Maj. Chris Bradley told Military.com. The 173rd Airborne Brigade deployed to Afghanistan in March 2005 under the command of Colonel Kevin Owens, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. However, in the long run the operation appeared no more successful than Fairfax's efforts to clean up Gia Dinh Province around Saigon prior to the Tet Offensive. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets On 8 November 1965, the 173rd took part in Operation Hump, just north of Bin Ha on the outskirts of Saigon,[35] the capital of South Vietnam. The brigade returned to Europe and home station after once again proving itself in combat throughout the eastern mountains of Afghanistan. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Add the following CSS to the header block of your HTML document.Then add the mark-up below to the body block of the same document. These include Congressmen Duncan Hunter and Charlie Norwood,[133][134] Archbishop of Baltimore Edwin Frederick O'Brien,[135] Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert M. Kimmitt,[136] business owner Barney Visser,[137] activists Stan Goff and Ted Sampley,[138] and Sergeant Major of the Army Gene C. He was the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War. [72] Such units could be stationed in bases far from major commands, not requiring division-level unit support, an advantage in places like Alaska and Europe, where stationing entire divisions was unnecessary or impractical. The LRS detachment was also tasked at times for recon and intel gathering for other brigade assets, and target acquisition and designation for U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and RAF aircraft. The Justice Department will use all available resources to disrupt and bring to justice those who would aid foreign terrorist organizations and use violence to harm our men and women in uniform or any American anywhere., Ethan Melzer infiltrated the U.S. Army in service of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist and jihadist group, said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. Under the program, the United States trained three battalions of Ukrainian troops over a six-month period. [5] The infantry battalions and the brigade headquarters remained in Vicenza, Italy through the transition. Jon Simkins is a writer and editor for Military Times, and a USMC veteran. [69] Herbert was relieved of his command shortly after reporting to his superior the war crimes he had witnessed. Market data provided by Factset. A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempting to provide a Europe-based neo-Nazi, Satanist, and pro-jihadist group by giving it classified information to attack his unit, federal prosecutors said Friday. [3] The reorganized brigade consolidated at a single location in Vicenza, Italy. . (Department of Justice). An estimated 2 enemy battalions, the VC 85th Main Force and the PAVN 95th Regiment, were rendered ineffective as they had 297 killed, with D/16 Armor receiving credit for killing 218. The attached Assault Helicopter Company, the 335th AHC, the "Cowboys", deployed with the brigade all over Vietnam into mid-1968 and comprised the Airmobile capability along with the Caspers. Deadly Prelude The Battle of Dak To was actually a series of intense clashes culminating in the decisive battle for Hill 875. The 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (3-319th) of the 82nd Airborne Division, was attached to the brigade and organized as a maneuver task force (Task Force Gun Devil). [78] The resulting wear and tear of 4th ID's M1 Abrams and M2 Bradleys made them an ineffective unit in tight urban areas such as Jar Salah. The 173rd Airborne Brigade prides itself on being a forward stationed high-readiness unit, available to deploy to U.S. African, European and Central Commands within 18 hours of notification. Thus began the Battle of Dak To.. General Deane sent his forces 20 kilometres (12mi) west and southwest of Dak To to search for the PAVN 24th Regiment. [46] During the battle, the brigade operated out of the northeastern part of the war zone along with the 196th Infantry Brigade (Separate), as four other brigades from the 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions attempted to surround and destroy the 9th Division in the War Zone. (U.S. Army Photo by Visual Information Specialist Davide Dalla Massara) Read more. [3][15], From 1961 to 1963, the Army began reorganizing its force so that each division would have a similar structure, which would vary depending on the type of division it was. Seven soldiers from the brigade lost their lives during the deployment. While stationed abroad, Melzer consumed propaganda from multiple extremist groups, including O9A and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which is also known as ISIS. LRS provided the 173rd Brigade command group with key recon and intel of the province, and held control of Helmand with a 5th Special Forces Group ODA element. As the father of four young boys, I know that childhood is as special as it is short. . The unit fought in the Iron Triangle, a VC stronghold north of Saigon,[35][39] seeing many engagements with VC forces during that time. When he learned in 2020 that his unit would help guard a sensitive military installation overseas, he transmitted location, schedule and security information to the O9A subgroup known as RapeWaffen Division, prosecutors said. Those of us fortunate enough to be there will. [5], After Vietnam, the Army retained the 173rd Airborne Brigade as a quick deploying contingency brigade. The army apologized and promised to improve their procedures for defining training areas. "Todays sentence holds Mr. Melzer accountable for an egregious and shameful act of betrayal against his own military unit and his country," said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Departments National Security Division. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. Abandoned weapons, helmets, rucksacks, clothing, canteens and empty ration containers littered the battlefield. NVA snipers made the going slow, but B Company finally reached the perimeter by dusk. The 173rd Airborne Brigade serves as the conventional airborne strategic response force for Europe. Every objective was taken. [3][30] The brigade, organized as Task Force Bayonet, assumed control of Regional Command-South (RC South). Leading up to that climactic end, the 173rd Airborne Brigade fought several engagements south of Ben Het. parade field at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza Italy, to help uncase the colors of the most valorous,. The 173rd Airborne Brigade United States Army Beanie Hat Winter Knitted Caps Unisex Warm Hat,Skull Cap Slouchy Beanies. [121], In May 2021, as part of the NATO training exercise Swift Response 2021, soldiers of the brigade were simulating seizing and securing the decommissioned Cheshnegirovo airfield in Bulgaria. "Combat Operations After Action Report, Operation GREELEY." The 173rd participated in various operations with the objective of ensuring security and subduing Taliban insurgents in the mountainous regions along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, near the Hindu Kush. [16] The brigade deployed to France along with the rest of the division in September 1918, but it did not participate in any campaigns and never saw combat, instead being utilized as a pool of laborers and reinforcements for frontline units. Todays sentence makes clear that Melzers brazen actions backfired and that this office along with our partners in law enforcement and the military will work tirelessly to bring traitors like Melzer to justice and to protect the safety and integrity of our armed services., Melzer betrayed his fellow soldiers and his country, said Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBIs Counterterrorism Division. The next morning, Nov. 20, 4th Bn., 503rd Inf., set out to relieve the 2nd Battalion paratroopers. Melzer was convicted of attempting to murder U.S. service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and illegally transmitting national defense information. [111] Also in mid-2013, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (ABN) moved from Schweinfurt, Germany to Grafenwoehr, Germany. No reviews. The brigade was dispersed throughout the east of the country, with units operating in Kunar, Paktika, and Laghman Provinces. The SSI would be given to them in May 1963. In April 1967, I was a first lieutenant commanding a rifle company in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. IE 11 is not supported. . Soon, U.S. air strikes and artillery fire were being called in, but they had little effect on the battle because of the dense foliage on the hillside. It was reorganized in December 1921 at Mobile, Alabama, redesignated on 23 March 1925 as the HHC 173rd Brigade, and redesignated as HHC 173rd Infantry Brigade on 24 August 1936. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS He used his membership in the military to pursue an appalling goal: the brutal murder of his fellow U.S. service members in a carefully plotted ambush. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. [66] The company commander, Captain Robert Helmick, was awarded the DSC. The following day, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's (ARVN) elite 1st Airborne Task Force (the 5th and 8th Battalions) and the 3rd Brigade, 1st Air Cavalry Division (5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry; and an additional infantry battalion) arrived to conduct search and destroy operations north and northeast of Kon Tum. [20] It was then designed uniquely from other separate brigades. Casper platoon was part of the HHC 173rd Airborne Brigade and its members wore the brigade patch. Melzer provided RapeWaffen membership with information on troop movements, relevant dates and locations, security details, weaponry and topography to facilitate a mass casualty jihadi attack, according to court documents. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. First Military Choice. The 173rd Airborne Brigade fielded the 1st, 2nd and 4th battalions of the 503rd Inf. [93] The brigade used field artillery assets, as well as coordinated airstrikes to attack Iraqi Republican Guard units defending the city. [91] By 29 March the entire brigade was in Iraq and ready to conduct offensive operations.[91]. Melzer and his co-conspirators used this information to plan what they referred to as a jihadi attack with the objective of causing a mass casualty event victimizing his fellow service members. Membership. Scandal-plagued Republican former Mesa County, Colorado Clerk Tina Peters has been convicted of obstruction of government operations, reported 9News on Friday. Before this heroic act, according to his citation, Barnes dashed through the bullet-swept area, manned the machine gun [the team had been killed] and killed nine enemy soldiers as they assaulted his position.. [34] The 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment[35] and the 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery[36] were attached to the brigade for one year in 1965. Read the full press release at the DOJ's website. On 23 April 2014, four paratrooper companies of the 173rd were deployed to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to reassure America's NATO allies threatened by Russian military maneuvers along the borders of eastern Ukraine during the 201415 Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Companies C and D started up the hill at 9:43 a.m., with A Company providing rear security and attempting to cut out a landing zone at the bottom. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, a private assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy, Soldier indicted for conspiring with neo-Nazi group seeks dismissal because grand jury wasn't racially diverse, Paratrooper pleads not guilty to charges he plotted with satanic Neo-Nazis to ambush his unit, Italy-based paratrooper charged with plotting with satanic neo-Nazi group to attack his unit, Gallantry: Biden presents Medal of Honor to retired Army Col. Paris Davis for his heroics in Vietnam, US to send bridge-launching vehicles for tank deployments to Ukraine in new $400M aid package, Japan complains to US over Utah senators remarks on imprisoned Navy officer, Military, VA provide troops, vets more gun safety options to help reduce suicides, Pentagon tells service members to stop displaying giant US flags at major events, K-Town Now features the latest news from the Kaiserslautern Military Community. [W]ho gives a f---? he wrote. On 23 November, 2-503 and 4-503 were ordered to renew their assault while the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry assaulted 875 from the south. Legal Statement. Pfc. Lozadas actions garnered him a posthumous Medal of Honor. [43], On 22 February 1967, the 173rd conducted Operation Junction City, the only combat parachute jump of the Vietnam War. He also advised them that PAVN regulars were a much better equipped and motivated force than the VC. Cataloguing data may change with further research. Melzer, who was a private assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy, planned a jihadist attack on his Army unit in the days leading up to a deployment to Turkey and sent. In October 2019, Melzer and his unit were deployed to Italy as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. On Veterans Day, Task Force Black (170 men of the 1st Bn., 503rd Inf.) During fierce, close-quarters fighting, some of the paratroopers made it into the PAVN trench line but were ordered to pull back as darkness fell. The next day, American forces advanced to Kirkuk during Operation Option North, hoping to control oil fields and military airfields in and around the city. Former Army soldier Ethan Melzer was sentenced to more than four decades in prison for an attempted plot to ambush and kill his comrades in a jihadi attack while deployed abroad. [70] However, with the ending of conscription following America's disengagement from Vietnam, many of the Army's formations had to be rebuilt for the volunteer force. | At the same time that Hello Dolly opened at Nha Trang airbase, a company of 173rd Airborne had walked into an ambush in Viet Cong base zone, known as the Iron Triangle. He acknowledged that would likely be killed if he carried out the attack, writing, who gives a f--- [. Joshua Magbanua/U.S. Mariah Y. Gonzalez). The PAVN, in turn, had moved almost 6,000 troops in four infantry regiments and one artillery regiment. was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, which . William G. Cromie's medal was presented by Maj.. [123][124][122][120][121][119][125] He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. In more recent years, the group has become a source of inspiration for violent white supremacists in the United States, Brian Levin, a terrorism expert at California State University in San Bernardino, said in 2020. [63] For its combined actions during operations around Dak To, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Justin Hebert was killed on Aug. 1. They participated in Operation Crimp in 1966, a failed attempt to root out VC forces from the C Chi tunnels. Melzer, who held the rank of private while in the Army, was a member of the Order of Nine Angles, a Neo-Nazi and Satanic organization which has praised both Adolf Hitler and al-Qaeda. Artillery support was rendered ineffective by the limited range of visibility. Alpha Company managed to survive repeated attacks throughout the day and night, but the cost was heavy. [3] 4th ID had to relocate their forces from Turkey to Kuwait and were subsequently slowed down in Baghdad.