500 Soldiers from the Big Red One will deploy to Iraq this fall, the Army said on Friday.They will support Operation Inherent Resolve out of Fort Riley, Kansas. They will be replacing soldiers from the 101^st Airborne Division in Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command-Iraq.The Screaming Eagle soldiers have been in Iraq since February.The 1^st ID will support the Iraqi Security Forces through training, advising and assisting. In addition, they will be the main land componenet of the United States’ detachment in Iraq."Our Big Red One soldiers are well-trained and ready to continue the tremendous support the 101st Airborne Division and the coalition are providing to our Iraqi allies," said Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin, incoming commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division. "We will assist in training Iraqi commanders, staffs, soldiers and police officers as they plan and conduct counter-ISIL operations in both the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys, with a central focus on the City of Mosul."

Division Has Long History Of Combat in Iraq and Elsewhere

The Big Red One traces its history back all the way to June 8^th, 1917, when it was raised and deployed to France. In World War II, the 1^st ID found itself fighting as early as 1942 in North Africa during Operation Torch. The division then fought in Sicily, as well as the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6^th,1944.During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 1^st ID prepared to invade Cuba, but never got the chance. The unit fought valiantly in Vietnam, and was the leading division spearheading the assault into Iraq in 1991.After Bosnia and Kosovo, the Big Red One was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in its piecemeal units countless times.In 2008, the unit relocated from Germany to Ft. Riley, Kansas, with a Brigade Combat Team based at Ft. Knox, an air cavalry regiment at Ft. Carson, and a Brigade Combat Team at Ft. Hood. Its commander was relieved in 2016 for undisclosed reasons.