Tropic Lightning

America’s Pacific Division

The United States Army formed the Hawaiian Division in 1921 to protect the islands and growing interests in the Pacific. On October 1, 1941, the Hawaiian Division was split, creating the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions. The 25th Infantry Division was stationed at Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu. Just over two months old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the 25th Infantry Division would move to Guadalcanal and take part in some of the most bitter fighting in the Pacific Theater.  

In 1953, “Tropic Lightning” became the official moniker adopted by the 25th Infantry Division, representing the speed at which they accomplish their missions. In September 1954, after 12 years abroad, the 25th Infantry Division returned home to Hawaii.

“ELECTRIC STRAWBERRY”

The 25th Infantry Division’s iconic shoulder insignia is a lightning bolt superimposed on a taro leaf. The colors of gold and red were those of the late Hawaiian monarchy. While soldiers over the years have jokingly referred to the patch as the “Electric Strawberry”.

Battle of Pusan Perimeter

When you must defend a 100-by-50 mile rectangle of mountainous terrain against 14 enemy divisions with your back against an ocean, you get disciplined and you get creative. The story of the Year 1950 meets the Year 2020.

In July 1950, the United States and the United Nations responded to the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) attack across the 38th Parallel with whatever forces were available, to include the undermanned US 24th and  25th Infantry Divisions, the 1st Cavalry Division, as well as 5 divisions of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army. Even after desperate fighting and the arrival of reinforcements in the form of the 5th Regimental Combat Team, the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade, the 2nd Infantry Division, and the British 27th Infantry Brigade, Lieutenant General Walton Walker realized in early August that his only alternative lay in defending a small perimeter to buy some time. The Commander of the US Eighth Army needed the southeastern Port of Pusan, Korea to build reinforcements and eventually regain the offensive.

The successful defense of the Pusan Perimeter that followed has gone down in history as one of the most skillful executions of a battle of “interior lines” ever fought. Teamwork and discipline on a grand scale paved the way for multiple units to fight interchangeably in a tight circle. Individual regiments became “fire brigades,” giving leadership the flexibility to reinforce threatened weak points when needed and accept risk when it wasn’t. Walker made use of every domain available to aid the critical defense on the ground—the US 5th Air Force dominated the skies while the Navy’s 7th Fleet provided close-air and naval artillery support.  By mid-September, Eighth Army’s success allowed reinforcements in the form of troops and materiel to pour into Korea and set the conditions for the amphibious invasion of Inchon and the eventual linkup of UN Forces.

“We had acquired some Chinese documents stating that Americans were afraid of hand-to-hand fighting and cold steel….when I read that, I thought, “I’ll show you!”

— Lewis Millet

Racial Integration of Combat Units

The Korean war was one of the first American wars in which military units were not segregated by race. President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981 in July 1948 ordering the full desegregation of the United States Armed Forces, a process that would take nearly six years to complete. By the summer of 1950, with American soldiers deploying to fight in Korea, the Army had made little progress at integration. Only the press of battle and the threat of defeat that summer at the Pusan Perimeter forced changes to Army policy that broke down segregation barriers and made the Army more capable in combat.

The largest segregated unit committed to battle in the summer of 1950 was the 24th Infantry Regiment, one of the original “Buffalo soldier” units organized by an act of Congress in 1866. By 1947 the 24th Infantry was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division with occupation duty in Japan. The regiment arrived in South Korea in time for the general withdrawal to the Pusan Perimeter, where it gained an unfair reputation for combat failure. This regiment suffered from many of the same difficulties that affected all other combat units struggling to contain the North Korean attack, but instead of attributing its poor combat record to racial prejudices that negatively affected the quality of its leadership and material support, many choose to presume that black soldiers would not fight.

However, the demand for troops at the front was becoming critical enough in the months of August and September that Eighth United States Army Korea personnel officers began assigning replacements—whatever their skin color—to all units that needed them. Thus, desegregation was being accomplished de facto by the demands of battle.

Notwithstanding the challenges the soldiers of the 24th Infantry faced, they went on to fight with the 25th Infantry Division until October 1951, when the Far East Command deactivated the 24th Infantry Regiment. Racial prejudice made the job of the soldiers of 24th Infantry far more difficult, but despite all they faced, two members of the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor for their demonstrated valor in battle.

INSPIRED FONT