28th Infantry Division (United States)

The 28th Infantry Division ("Keystone" ) is a unit of the Army National Guard and is the oldest division-sized unit in the armed forces of the United States. The division was officially established in 1879 and was later redesignated as the 28th Division in 1917, after the entry of America into the First World War. It continues its service today as part of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

It is nicknamed the "Keystone Division," as it was formed from units of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard; Pennsylvania is known as the "Keystone State". It was also nicknamed the "Bloody Bucket" division by German forces during the Second World War due to its red insignia. The 28th is the first Army National Guard division to field the Stryker infantry fighting vehicle, as part of the Army's reorganization in the first decade of the 2000s.

The 28th is also one of the most decorated infantry divisions in the United States Army.

Pre-28th Lineage
The 28th Infantry Division and the PA National Guard trace their lineage back to the militia organized by Benjamin Franklin in 1747 known as the Associators. Franklin organized artillery and infantry units to defend the city of Philadelphia against French and Spanish privateers. The first meeting of the Associators occurred on 21 Nov. 1747, and on 7 Dec. 1747, the enlistees and officers were formally commissioned by the Provincial Council President, Anthony Palmer. On that day, hundreds of armed Associators presented themselves to Palmer at the Philadelphia Courthouse and he wisely stated their activities were "not disapproved" and duly commissioned all of them.

The 28th is the oldest continuously serving division in the United States Army. On 12 March 1879, Governor Henry Hoyt signed General Order Number One appointing Maj. Gen. John Hartranft as the first division commander of the National Guard of Pennsylvania, and one of the most storied and renowned Divisions in the history of the U.S. Army was born. The keystone was prescribed as the designated symbol of the National Guard of Pennsylvania on 27 Aug. 1879.

From 11–18 August 1894, Camp Samuel W. Crawford was the "Division Encampment at Gettysburg".

The division was mustered into service for the Spanish-American War in 1898, and three regiments, three artillery batteries, and three cavalry troops were deployed for service. In 1916 the division, then designated the 7th Division, was mustered into service and deployed to El Paso, Texas, to serve along the Mexican border.

World War I
The 28th Infantry Division traces its history from the briefly active 7th Division. Headquarters, 7th Division was mustered into federal service 29 June 1916 at Mount Gretna for service in the Punitive Expedition. In response to World War I, the division was drafted into federal service on 5 Aug. 1917, and trained at Camp Hancock, Ga. While in Georgia, the division was reorganized as the 28th on 11 Oct. 1917. After arriving in France, the 28th gained fame as a result of its gallant stand on 15 July 1918. As the division took up defensive positions along the Marne River east of Chateau-Thierry (Battle of Chateau Thierry (1918)), the Germans commenced their attack with a fierce artillery bombardment. When the German assault collided with the main force of the 28th, the fighting became bitter hand-to-hand combat. The 28th repelled the German forces and decisively defeated their enemy. After the battle, Gen. John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force, visited the battlefield and declared that the 28th soldiers are "Men of Iron" and named the 28ID his "Iron Division." The 28th developed a red keystone-shaped shoulder patch, officially adopted 27 Oct. 1918.

Its initial organization included the 55th Infantry Brigade (109th and 110th Infantry Regiments) and the 56th Infantry Brigade (111th and 112th Infantry Regiments). Other units included the 107th, 108th, 109th and 229th Field Artillery Battalions and the 103rd Engineer Combat Battalion. During World War I it was involved in the Meuse-Argonne, Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, and Ypres-Lys (FA) operations. During the war it took a total of 14,139 casualties (KIA-2,165 ; WIA-11,974). An honor battalion of Pennsylvania National Guardsmen of the "Iron Division" (These are not soldiers, these are iron men. Gen. Pershing) dedicated the Pennsylvania World War Memorial in Argonne, France, in 1928.

Interwar period

 * Demobilized 17 May 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey.
 * Reorganized and federally recognized 22 December 1921 in the Pennsylvania National Guard at Philadelphia.
 * Headquarters Detachment, 28th Division, organized and federally recognized 21 December 1921 at Philadelphia.
 * Location of Headquarters changed 12 March 1933 to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

World War II

 * Activated: 17 February 1941 Camp Livingston Louisiana. Lineage data gives the same date, but as the date the HHD 28th Division, was inducted into federal service 17 February 1941 at Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
 * Reorganized and redesignated 17 February 1942 as Headquarters, 28th Infantry Division.
 * Overseas: 8 October 1943.
 * Campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe.
 * Days of combat: 196.
 * Awards: MH-1; DSC-29 ; DSM-1; SS-435; LM-27; SM-21 ; BSM-2,312 ; AM-100.
 * Returned to U.S.: 2 August 1945.
 * Inactivated: 13 December 1945.

Siegfried Line
The 28th would begin its protracted struggle on the Dragon's teeth (fortification) infested Westwall with a small night patrol of the 109th Infantry Regiment crossing the Our River by bridge from Weiswampach, Luxembourg into Sevenig (Our), Germany, making it the first of the Allied armies to reach German soil. The 28th persevered for three months that autumn in a battle of attrition. The campaign was the longest continuous battle of World War II. Finally, a tenuous line along the Our and Sauer Rivers was held at the end of November, only to be abruptly broken by two Panzer divisions, three infantry divisions and one parachute division (including 352nd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht) and the 5th Parachute Division (Germany)) in an infantry-tank attack on the "Ridge Road" just west of the Our River on 16 December.

Ardennes offensive
The Ardennes Offensive was launched in Belgium on 16 December along the entire divisional front by the Fifth Panzer Army led by General der Panzertruppe Hasso von Manteuffel. The 28th, which had sustained heavy casualties in the First Army drive to the Roer, fought doggedly in place using all available personnel and threw off the enemy timetable before withdrawing to Neufchâteau on 22 December for reorganization, as its units had been badly mauled.

Colmar Pocket
At the end of November 1944, a German "pocket" of resistance formed in the French Alsace region with the center on the city of Colmar. This pocket consisted of a strength of eight German divisions and a brigade of Panzer tanks. Combined forces of French and American armies were initially unsuccessful in closing this pocket.

Supreme Commander Allied (Expeditionary) Force General Dwight David Eisenhower called the Colmar Pocket "a sore" on 6th Army Group's Commander Jacob L. Devers's western front. First Army (France) Commanding General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny and Devers met on 11 January 1945 and agreed it was long since time to drive the Germans back out of France. Two days later, de Lattre and Devers made a request to Eisenhower for reinforcements so their armies could make an offensive on the Colmar Pocket. Eisenhower's aide Major General Walter Bedell Smith subsequently told Devers that the 10th Armored Division (United States) and the 28th were being placed under his command. Smith also warned Devers that, after three months of intense fighting on the Siegfried Line as well as fighting off the initial thrust of the Ardennes Offensive, the 28th -put back into action in a defensive position along the Meuse River from Givet to Verdun on 2 January 1945- was "capable of only limited offensive action." Battle plans were soon made and, on 19 January, the 28th went into action on the northwestern section of the pocket in the Kaysersberg Valley supporting the beleaguered 3rd Infantry Division (United States), which had been holding there since late November of 1944. Despite the bitterly cold conditions, the battle broke the Allies' way. German intelligence knew nothing about the 10th and 28th until they were deployed. The 28th kept advancing its line westward and pressing in steadily toward the city of Colmar. In less than 10 days the pocket was diminished by half and no less than the German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler gave the order in the early morning of 29 January for a partial retreat of his troops in the northern sector of the pocket. By the 2 February, the 28th had cleared Colmar's surrounding areas and the 5th Armored Division (France) led the way into the town. On 9 February, the final organized German troops in Alsace were pushed back across the Rhine. The 109th Infantry Regiment (United States) received the French Croix de guerre from French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle.

Assignments in the ETO

 * 22 October 1943: V Corps, First Army.
 * 14 April 1944: XX Corps, Third Army
 * 24 April 1944: Third Army, but attached to First Army
 * 26 July 1944: XIX Corps
 * 30 July 1944: XIX Corps, First Army
 * 1 August 1944: XIX Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group
 * 28 August 1944: V Corps
 * 19 November 1944: VIII Corps
 * 20 December 1944: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group.
 * 5 January 1945: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to Oise Section, Communications Zone, for supply.
 * 6 January 1945: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group.
 * 8 January 1945: Third Army, 12th Army Group.
 * 9 January 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group.
 * 16 January 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to Seventh Army, 6th Army Group.
 * 20 January 1945: French II Corps.
 * 28 January 1945: XXI Corps.
 * 14 February 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group, but attached to Seventh Army, 6th Army Group.
 * 19 February 1945: 12th Army Group.
 * 21 February 1945: V Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.
 * 16 March 1945: VIII Corps, Third Army, 12th Army Group.
 * 22 March 1945: V Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.
 * 28 March 1945: III Corps.
 * 7 April 1945: First Army, 12th Army Group.
 * 10 April 1945: Fifteenth Army, 12th Army Group.
 * 13 April 1945: XXII Corps.
 * 26 April 1945: XXIII Corps.

Pacific War
In February 1942, the 111th Regiment was re-formed as a regimental combat team in the Army Ground Forces Reserve to guard militarily important facilities in the Chesapeake Bay area. From this assignment, it was transferred to the Pacific Theater in late 1943. Throughout the rest of the war, the companies of the 111th would be used as replacement or additional units in combat conditions. The Third Battalion of the 111th was used for mopping up operations on Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands in December 1943. The 111th B Company was assigned to the Seventh Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop of the Seventh Division for the assault on Kwajalein Island in February 1944. In other actions, I Company of the 111th was involved in assaulting and capturing Ujeland Atoll in the Marshall Islands in April 1944. And in September 1944, both the D and H Companies were assigned to the 81st Division for an attack on Peleliu and Auguar Islands in the Palaus chain. Later, in February 1945, the entire 111th returned to Peleliu Island for mopping-up operations. When the war ended in September 1945, the 111th had added three battle streamers, Central Pacific, Eastern Mandate and Western Pacific, for a total of 38 on its flag.

Congressional Medal of Honor
Technical Sergeant Francis J. Clark, U.S. Army, "K" Co., 109th Infantry Regiment received the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siegfried Line Campaign.

Disgrace
Edward Donald Slovik (18 February 1920 — 31 January 1945) was a private in the 109th Infantry Regiment during WWII and the only American soldier to be executed for cowardice since the American Civil War. Although over 21,000 soldiers were given varying sentences for desertion during World War II, including 49 death sentences, Slovik's was the only death sentence carried out.

Post World War II service
After being inactivated as part of the Army on 13 December 1945 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, the 28th Infantry Division was reorganized on 20November 1946 and returned to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard at Harrisburg.

The 28th was ordered into active federal service 5 September 1950 at Harrisburg. following the outbreak of the Korean War. The Division re-opened the mothballed Camp Atterbury, Indiana and remained there from 13 September 1950 to 23 November 1951. It was sent to Germany to augment NATO forces in Germany.During the Korean War, the 28th was mobilized and deployed to Europe as a part of the NATO command defending Western Europe from the threat of Soviet attack and remained on federal service until 22 May 1953. The Division was not mobilized during the Vietnam War, although in 1965 it was selected as one of three divisions in the Army Selective Reserve Force. Nor was it mobilized in force for Operation Desert Storm in 1991; however, the 121st Transportation Company, one of its constituent units, served in Saudi Arabia and volunteers from the Division were deployed overseas, some in the Middle East.

In 1996, after the signing of the Dayton Agreement, some units of the divisional artillery were called up to serve as peacekeeping forces in Bosnia; elements of the 28th served in Bosnia as peacekeepers for several years following this. In 2002, the 28th Division took command of the Northern Brigade Task Force (Task Force Eagle), as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Bosnia as part of SFOR 12. The leading combat arms units under the 28th while in Bosnia were the 109th Infantry and the 104th Cavalry. The division was the third reserve component division headquarters to take on this role in Bosnia (previously the Army National Guard's 49th and 29th Divisions had commanded Task Force Eagle).

21st Century
In 2003, the 28th Division again led the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo as part of KFOR 5A for a 9-month rotation. The 28th was the first reserve component division headquarters to take on this role in Kosovo. Later in 2005, elements of the 28th Division would again return to Kosovo as part of Kosovo ForceKFOR 6B, the first year-long rotation by U.S. troops to the region.

During the "Global War on Terror" following the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US the Keystone Division has provided troops for Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Noble Eagle and – most significantly – several thousand troops for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Company A, 28th Signal Battalion deployed to Iraq in February 2004. The 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor and 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery deployed to Iraq in January 2004. The division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq for a year-long rotation in July 2005. Elements of the division would again return in 2006 and revolving deployments to Iraq seem likely in the future. The 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) deployed in 2006 to Iraq. The Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division deployed to Iraq in May 2009.

1st Battalion 107th Cavalry Regiment
In September 2001, the 1st Battalion 107th Cavalry Regiment, was transferred from the 37th Brigade, 38th Infantry Division ("Cyclone") (Indiana Army National Guard) to the 2nd Brigade, 28th Infantry Division with its headquarters remaining in Stow, Ohio. With its return to the 28th Infantry Division the 1–107th CAV provided many of the first soldiers to wear the Bloody Bucket in combat since World War II. In October 2003, B and C Companies, and elements of Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) and Company A, of the 1st Battalion, 107th Cavalry were activated at their home stations and traveled to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Stewart, Georgia, for five months of mobilization training. There they were then attached to the 1st Battalion, 150th Armor (West Virginia Army National Guard), the 1st Battalion, 252nd Armor (North Carolina Army National Guard), and Troop E, 196th Cavalry (North Carolina Army National Guard) respectively, for deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom II with North Carolina's 30th Brigade Combat Team under the 1st Infantry Division. These elements of the 1st Battalion operated in Iraq from February to December 2004, serving in Kirkush, Tuz Khurmatu, Jalawla, and Baghdad. They participated in the Transition of Iraq and Iraqi Governance campaigns and returned home in late December 2004.

The Battalion Commander LTC Richard T. Curry and CSM Albert Whatmough along with the remaining companies continued their regular training cycle until October 2004, when the remaining companies of the 1–107th Cavalry were activated for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom III. One element of HHC 1–107th CAV was then deployed to Fort Dix, New Jersey for mobilization training and left for Kuwait in January 2005. The companies operated in Baghdad, Iraq and performed detainee operations at Camps Cropper and Victory with a high profile mission of guarding the deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein while he stood trial. The Headquarters moved to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin and arrived in Kuwait in December 2004 and deployed to Mosul, Iraq in late December. This element included LTC Curry and CSM Whatmough who both deployed with the battalion in 2004–2005 to establish Forward Operating Base (FOB) Endurance which later became known as FOB Q-West Base Complex 30 Kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq. The mission of LTC Curry and his staff were to provide command & control of the base, establish the Base Defense Operations Center, provide life support functions, establish base defense security, conduct combat patrols and build the FOB from the ground up into the largest logistical hub operating in northern Iraq by the end of 2005, a mission that was accomplished prior to their departure.

The FOB Endurance/Q-West Base Complex HQ elements of the 1–107th CAV were attached to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and received the Army Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC) for their accomplishments. The HHC/A Convoy Security Company conducted operations throughout Iraq logging in thousands of miles with no fatalities and provided excellent security for convoy elements. Elements of the 1st Battalion, 107th Cavalry served within the 1st Cavalry Division, 4th Infantry Division, and 3rd Infantry Division areas of operations as units of the 18th and 42nd MP Brigades. The final elements returned home from Iraq in January 2006 reuniting the battalion. Both HHC/A detachments received the U.S. Army Meritorious Unit Commendation for their service. In September 2007 the 1–107th Cavalry Regiment was transitioned, reorganized and reformed becoming the 1st Battalion 145th Armor and transferred as a separate heavy battalion assigned to the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Ohio National Guard. Its sister unit the 2–107th Cavalry Regiment took its place in the 28th Infantry Division in 2008.

2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry
Assigned to the 28th Infantry Division in September 2008, the 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Target Acquisition) during the years 2006–2010 deployed at different times Troops A, B, & C in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom conducting various SECFOR and convoy escort missions.

1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery
In December 2003 the 1st Battalion 107th FA was activated and received Military Police training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Following a month of training, the soldiers of the 107th where deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The different batteries where dispersed throughout Iraq serving as MPs. The members of the 107th returned home in February 2005. C Battery saw action in Fallujah during Operation Valiant Resolve in the spring campaign. Members of C Battery also saw combat in the area surrounding Camp Anaconda and Abu Ghraib, a military prison. Another contingent provided security for Ambassador Paul Bremer and other high-ranking State Department officials at Coalition HQ.

Members of A Battery with attachments from Headquarters Battery were provisionally renamed Alpha Company 107th Military Police and deployed to Mosul, Iraq. Alpha Company was assigned to I Corps (Task Force Olympia) from Ft Lewis, WA. 1st Platoon, located on LSA Diamondback, finished construction of the military detention facility and continued to run it until re-deployment. 2nd Platoon provided external base security for the detention facility, a quick reaction force for the company and an additional security detachment for top military officials in Iraq including the Task Force Olympia's Commanding General, Deputy Commander, Provost Marshal and various VIPs at Camp Freedom. 3rd Platoon conducted Military Police combat operations with the 3rd SBCT, 2nd Infantry Division, as well as security missions for the Iraqi National Guard, Iraqi police forces, and other coalition provisional governmental organizations in Mosul. Alpha Company also provided logistic support and additional convoy and unit security for separate units with no local higher headquarters including the 330th MP Company (L&O), CID detachment and soldiers from the 3rd platoon of the 293d MP Company which was briefly attached. The Company served from February 2004 to February 2005.

2nd Battalion, 103rd Armor
In January 2004, B and C Companies of the 2nd Battalion, 103rd Armor Regiment were activated and, with attachments from several other Pennsylvania Army National Guard units, reconfigured as military police companies and trained at Ft. Dix for deployment to Iraq. They were designated as companies of the 89th MP Brigade and left for Iraq in March 2004 with days of each other. Once in Iraq, they were assigned to some of the most sensitive missions of OIF II. Three platoons of Bravo Company (1st, 3rd and Headquarters) were attached to the Iraq Survey Group; while 2nd and 4th Platoons served in military police operations, to include area patrols and traffic control points supporting 1st Marine Division out of Camp Fallujah and eventually relocated to the Green Zone/ International Zone as security escorts attached to the U.S.Navy for high-ranking Interim Iraqi government officials. Charlie Company was assigned to the HVD facility at Camp Cropper, with an entire platoon assigned solely to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The units both redeployed in March 2005.

1st Battalion, 103rd Armor
In June 2004, the 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor was activated at Fort Bliss, Texas and deployed to Iraq in November in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This marked the first deployment of a 28th ID combat battalion to a war zone since World War II. The battalion, now designated as a Task Force (Task Force DRAGOON), was stationed at Forward Operating Base Summerall, near Bayji. Attached initially to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, and then the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, the 800 man TF 1–103rd Armor, commanded by LTC Philip J. Logan, engaged in combat operations for 12 months before redeploying to the United States in November 2005. Thirteen soldiers from TF Dragoon were killed in action during combat operations in Salah Ad Din Province, a heavily Sunni Muslim area in the north part of the "Sunni Triangle".

Task Force 1–103rd Armor (Dragoons)
 * June 2004 – December 2004
 * Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1–103rd Armor
 * A Company, 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry
 * A Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry
 * B Company, 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor
 * C Company, 103rd Engineer Battalion
 * December 2004 – March 2005
 * HHC 1–103 AR (TF HQ)
 * A/1-111 IN (MTZ)
 * B/1-103 AR (MTZ)
 * C/1-7 FA (Mech)
 * C/103 EN (Mech)
 * 1/A/1-7 FA (Paladin)
 * March 2005 – November 2005
 * HHC 1–103 AR (TF HQ)
 * A/1-111 IN (MTZ)
 * B 1–103 AR (MTZ)
 * B/2-7 IN (Mech)
 * 173 IN DET (LRS)
 * C/103 EN (MTZ)
 * 1/A/1-41 FA (Paladin)

2nd Brigade Combat Team
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division (2/28 BCT) was mobilized in January 2005. 2/28 BCT consisted of approximately 4,000 National Guardsmen from over 30 states and was commanded by COL John L. Gronski. Over 2,000 of the soldiers were from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Other states that contributed large units included Vermont, Utah, Michigan, Kentucky, New Jersey and Nebraska. 2/28 BCT conducted its post mobilization training at Camp Shelby, MS. The soldiers were trained in full spectrum operations and received additional equipment.

In May 2005, 2nd Brigade soldiers trained at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA to prepare for their upcoming mission in Iraq due to start in July 2005.

In late June and early July 2005 2nd Brigade soldiers began deploying to the Al-Anbar province and were under the command of the 2nd Marine Division through February 2006 and then were under command of 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Forward through June 2006.

The 2/28 BCT received 'transfer of authority' for its area of operations (AO) in central Al Anbar Province in July 2005. The area of operations was very large, but 2/28 BCT focused operations along the Euphrates River Valley from Ramadi to Al Habanyah, about 35 kilometers to the east. Ramadi was the 2/28 BCT main effort for the following reasons: 1) capital of Al Anbar province and home to the provincial governor and government center 2) large urban area with a population of approximately 400,000 Iraqi citizens 3) Al-Qaeda in Iraq focused on the area. The Ramadi area was known as one of the most violent and dangerous areas in Iraq.

The mission of the 2/28 BCT was to neutralize the insurgency and develop Iraqi Security Forces within the area of operations in order to create stable and secure conditions and allow for self-governance. The BCT conducted counterinsurgency operations to kill or detain insurgents, to locate weapons caches, to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs), to engage in on-going dialogue with community and government leaders, to recruit, train and integrate Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police, and to conduct civil affairs projects to improve sewer, water, energy, medical and school facilities.

2/28 BCT operations resulted in: 1) Millions of dollars of humanitarian assistance projects were completed 2)Over 3,000 insurgents and terrorists detained or killed 3)Successful referendum election in October 2005 and successful general election in December 2005 4) Approximately 5,000 Iraqi soldiers trained and integrated into all operations. This included transitioning area of operations to Iraqi brigades and battalions. 5)Hundreds of tons of explosives, ammunition, and weapons seized from insurgent caches 6) over 1,000 young men of Ramadi recruited into the Iraqi Police 7) Coalition force and Iraqi Army outposts established and areas controlled that had formerly been insurgent strongholds 8) Over 1,100 roadside bombs discovered before they could be used against civilians, Iraqi government officials, or coalition forces and Iraqi soldiers.

2/28 BCT was awarded the Naval Unit Commendation as part of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) for the period of 28 February 2006 until transition of authority to 1st Armored Division.

2nd Brigade – OIF Composition
 * Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade, 28th Infantry Division
 * 109th Infantry Regiment (PA NG)[detached to MAW, Al Asad]
 * 110th Infantry Regiment (PA NG)
 * 172nd Armor Regiment (VT NG)
 * C Company, 1/103rd Armor (PA NG)
 * A Company, 3/103rd Armor (PA NG)
 * B Troop, 1-104th Cavalry Regiment (PA NG)
 * A Troop, 167th Cavalry Regiment (NE NG)
 * 222nd Field Artillery Regiment (UT NG)
 * 876th Engineer Battalion (PA NG)
 * 228th Forward Support Battalion (PA NG)
 * B Company, 1/125 Infantry [MI NG]
 * A Company, 138th Signal Battalion (IN NG)
 * 231st Military Intelligence Company (KY NG)
 * 1st Platoon, 28th Military Police Company (PA NG)
 * 2–69th Armor (3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, GA), 2005–2006
 * 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry (101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Ft Campbell, KY), 2006
 * 1/5 Marines, 2005
 * 3/7 Marines, 2005–2006
 * 3/8 Marines, 2006

56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team


The brigade trained at Camp Shelby, Mississippi from 19 September 2008 until November 2008 when it moved to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in Fort Polk, Louisiana until December 2008. The brigade continued training at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in December 2008 and moved to Camp Buehring, Kuwait in the United States Central Command area of operations in January 2009 awaiting movement into Iraq. The 56th SBCT, based out Camp Taji, Iraq, conducted operations in the northern Baghdad Governorate from January to September 2009, before redeploying to Kuwait and returning home at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

56th Stryker Brigade – OIF Composition
 * Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 56th Brigade Combat Team (Stryker)
 * 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment
 * 2d Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 108th Field Artillery Regiment
 * Battery B, 1st Battalion, 109th Filed Artillery Regiment
 * 328th Brigade Support Battalion
 * 2d Squadron (RSTA), 104th Cavalry Regiment
 * 856th Engineer Company
 * 656th Signal Company
 * 556th Military Intelligence Company
 * Company D (Anti Tank), 112th Infantry Regiment

Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division
Soldiers of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division began mobilization on 29 January 2009 for Operation Iraqi Freedom 09-11. Over 2,000 soldiers from multiple states completed validation training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma before moving to Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Throughout the opening days of May 2009, soldiers flew into multiple Forward Operating Bases across Iraq with the majority of the brigade based out of Tallil, Al Kut, and Basrah.

CAB – OIF Composition
 * HQ CAB
 * 2nd Battalion (General Support), 104th Aviation Regiment
 * Company A (Assault), 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment
 * Company B (Heavy Lift), 2d Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment
 * Company C (Attack), 3d Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment***
 * Company C (Medical Evacuation), 1/52nd Aviation Regiment
 * Company D (Maintenance), 2d Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment
 * Company E (Supply), 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation Regiment (Montana National Guard)
 * 1st Battalion (Assault Helicopter), 150th Aviation Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment
 * 628th Support Battalion (Aviation)

(*** Company C, 3d Battalion (Attack Reconnaissance), 159th Aviation Regiment is a Regular Army unit that was OPCON to the 2d Battalion (General Support), 104th Aviation Regiment during OIF 08-10. They are currently task organized as a part of 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, stationed in Germany.)

Current structure
As a modular division, the 28th consists of one Infantry Brigade Combat Team, one Heavy Brigade Combat Team, one Stryker Brigade Combat Team and one Combat Aviation Brigade. The division headquarters exercises Training and Readiness Oversight of the following elements, they cannot be considered organic:
 * Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion
 * 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team – Iron Brigade (PA NG)
 * Special Troops Battalion
 * 2nd Squadron, 107th Cavalry Regiment (OH NG)
 * 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment (MD NG)
 * 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery Regiment
 * 128th Brigade Support Battalion
 * 55th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (PA NG)
 * Special Troops Battalion
 * 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment
 * 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armor Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 109th Field Artillery Regiment
 * 228th Brigade Support Battalion
 * 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team – Independence Brigade (PA NG)
 * Headquarters and Headquarters Company
 * 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment
 * 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment
 * 2nd Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition)
 * 1st Battalion, 108th Field Artillery Regiment
 * 328th Brigade Support Battalion
 * Company D (Anti-Tank), 112th Infantry Regiment
 * 856th Engineer Company
 * 656th Signal Company
 * 556th Military Intelligence Company
 * Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division (Heavy) (PA NG)
 * Headquarters and Headquarters Company
 * 1st Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment (Attack) (PA NG)
 * 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment (Attack)
 * 1st Battalion, 150th Aviation Regiment (Assault) (NJ NG)
 * 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment (General Support)
 * 628th Support Battalion (Aviation)

28th Infantry Division shrine
A shrine dedicated to the 28th Infantry Division is located on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. This site was formerly the estate of Colonel Theodore Davis Boal. In 1916 Boal formed the Boal Troop, the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, State College, a horse-mounted machine gun unit which was accepted as a provisional unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. In April 1917, the Boal Troop was reconfigured as an infantry unit, Company A of the 107th Machine Gun Battalion, and deployed to France for service in World War I.

In 1919, soldiers of the Boal Troop returning from the war erected a monument on the Boal Estate dedicated to their fallen comrades. In the 1920s, other units of the 28th began erecting their own memorials, and began to refer to the area as a "shrine". In 1931, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased the site, and in 1969 the Pennsylvania Military Museum was opened. By 1971, memorials to most of the units of the 28th that served in World War I had been erected, and in 1997 a World War II memorial was dedicated at this site.

Members of the 28th Infantry Division have gathered for a memorial service at the shrine every third Sunday in May since 1919. U.S. Route 322, on which the shrine is located, is named the Pennsylvania 28th Division Highway.

Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Blazon
 * Description: A red Keystone.
 * Symbolism: The keystone, symbol of the state of Pennsylvania, alludes to the nickname of the division.
 * Background: The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved on 19 October 1918.
 * TIOH Drawing. No. A-1-231

Distinctive Unit Insignia

 * Description: On a gold disk divided per pairle reversed Gules, Argent and Azure, the crest from the National Guard of the State of Pennsylvania.
 * Symbolism:
 * 1) Purportedly, the device was designed byBenjamin Franklin, who aroused the people of Philadelphia.
 * 2) The shield on the device is that of William Penn, while the colors of the wreath, red and white, denote the predominantly English origin of the early settlements.
 * Background:
 * 1) The distinctive unit insignia was originally authorized for the 28th Infantry Division Headquarters; Headquarters Detachment, 28th Division; Headquarters Company, 28th Division; Headquarters Special Troops, 28th Division and Headquarters Detachment Special Troops, 28th Division on 6 February 1929.
 * 2) It was redesignated for the non-color bearing units of the 28th Infantry Division on 10 July 1968.

Movie Portrayals
The 28th Infantry Division was portrayed in the film When Trumpets Fade, a movie about the battle at Huertgen Forest. In the 1919 classic silent film J'accuse the US 28th Division is acknowledged as being in the film.