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The 2nd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, known as “Strike,” combines its own headquarters lineage with the heritage of the infantry battalions that have served within it. The Army's current Fort Campbell page identifies the formation as the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team.
Brigade Lineage and Regimental Heritage
The brigade headquarters traces its lineage to the 159th Infantry Brigade, 80th Division, organized during World War I. That formal headquarters record is distinct from the World War II history of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment.
The 502nd's service in Normandy, the Netherlands, and Bastogne forms an important part of the modern Strike community's inherited regimental heritage. It should not be described as combat undertaken by today's brigade headquarters under its present designation.
Vietnam and Air Assault Service
The 101st's 2nd Brigade deployed to Vietnam in December 1967. Its infantry battalions fought through the division's Vietnam campaigns as helicopter mobility became increasingly central to operations.
The division's formal designations also changed: Airmobile in 1968 and Air Assault in 1974. Strike's subsequent history includes service in the Persian Gulf and repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Particular battle credits and awards belong to the units named in the relevant records, rather than automatically to every battalion that later joined the brigade.
The Modern Strike Formation
The current official brigade page lists 1st and 2nd Battalions, 502nd Infantry, and 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry among its maneuver units. Army reporting from 2025 also documents the mobile brigade preparing for a European deployment.
The Strike identity connects veterans of changing organizations and eras. A brigade designation, a battalion's lineage, and a historic helmet symbol each contribute to that identity, but they describe different things.
Historical Sources
- 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army, Fort Campbell. Current designation, listed maneuver battalions, and the 159th Infantry Brigade headquarters antecedent.
- Fort Campbell unit histories. U.S. Army Garrison Fort Campbell. Strike service in Vietnam and later deployments; the 101st's airmobile and air assault transitions.
- BACH medical team recognized for expedited Soldier readiness processing. U.S. Army / DVIDS, 2025. Dated evidence of the mobile brigade preparing for its 2025 European rotation.
Airborne Apparel Company is proud to offer designs celebrating the Soldiers and heritage of the 101st Airborne Division's Strike Brigade.