Antioch this week named that portion of Route 173 which passes through the bustling burg, the 173rd Airborne Brigade Highway. Actually, it should be Sky Ranger Road as most veterans of the 173rd know they are.
While the 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions have gotten all the silk glory in wars gone by, the 173rd quietly did its share. Guess that happens when you're members of a brigade, not a division.
The 173rd was the first Army infantry unit deployed to Vietnam in the early days of ground combat and was the last to leave. Its troopers were the only airborne unit to make a drop in Vietnam. It was the first U.S. unit to make a jump in the Iraqi War, sending 1,000 paras into northern Iraq to open the northern front in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Members remain in Afghanistan.
How about Zion and Wadsworth join the parade and do the same in their communities? Matter of fact, the county should jump to it, too. Airborne -- all the way!
Leave a comment