The battalion was made up of world-famous skiers, mountaineers, forest rangers, trappers, lumberman, guides, cowboys, muleskinners, horseman, and Regular Army cadre.

The 2–87 Mountain Infantry took part in regimental amphibious assault of Kiska on 1–16 August 1943 and occupied the island until withdrawal to Camp Carson, Colorado in December 1943.

In late June 1944, the battalion moved with the newly designated 87th Infantry Regiment, Light as a part of the 10th Mountain Division to Camp Swift, Texas.

They believed them to be a hand-picked elite corps, made up of physically superior soldiers, sports personalities and young men from politically significant American families.

In late December, Apache and Blackhawk Companies conducted an Air Assault to seize Belet Uyene Airfield in order to allow the expansion of the coalition footprint.

While Blackhawk Company secured Baledogle airfield, the remainder of the battalion air assaulted into the port of Marka in support of civil agencies' efforts.

In September 1998, elements of the battalion deployed to Central Asia to participate in CENTRAZBAT '98, a multi-national peacekeeping exercise involving soldiers from six former Eastern Bloc nations.

During the period 29 January 2006 to 28 May 2007, Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Toner 2d Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment and its subordinate units deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) VII and VIII.

B Co. 2-87 (Featured in Outlaw Platoon) was deployed throughout RC East with its main body at FOB Bermel, located on the rugged terrain of the Pakistan border.

The regiment facilitated the disruption of Taliban operations alongside multinational forces to oversee the transfer of authority, successfully captured one of the most significant weapons caches in OEF and detained or eradicated several key insurgent commanders.

* (Additional Overall History provided from 2007 Catamount Yearbook page 7) In December 2008, under the command of LTC Kimo Gallahue and as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, the battalion again deployed to Afghanistan, this time taking control of the embattled Wardak Provence.

As part of Task Force Spartan (3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI), Soldiers of the Catamount Battalion took up positions in the Nherk, Maidan Shar, Saydabad, Jalrez, Jaghatu, Chak, and Tangi Valley districts, with the primary missions of securing Afghanistan's primary highway and establishing positive relationships with the people of Wardak Provence in order to drive the insurgency from the area.

During the year-long deployment, the early spring and summer saw intense combat, centralized in the jungle-like terrain of the "Green Zone," or vegetated portion of the Arghandab River Valley.

Due to high cover and concealment attributable to the thick vegetation and trench-like grape fields, coupled with multiple Taliban IED cells operating in the area between Ashoqueh and Salim Akah, the Green Zone became one of the most kinetic environments in RC South.

Common Taliban tactics in the area were IED initiated ambushes, followed immediately by suppressive PKM and RPK machine gun fire and 82mm recoil-less rifle volleys.

The success of Blackhawk Company progressively clearing each village eastward and confiscation of several 82mm Recoil-less rifles from hidden weapons caches forced the Taliban to adopt new IED placements.

As the year progressed, successful offensive operations pressured the Taliban to regress south of the Arghandab River, effectively separating them from the local population.

The SECFOR Platoon provided battlefield circulation capability and Guardian Angel support for the SFAAT teams working at Camp Maiwand on FOB Shank and at DSP Pul-e-Alam at the Operational Coordination Center- Provincial (OCC-P).

Fox Company continued their sustainment operations and also provided essential support for retrograde efforts and closing down the north side of FOB Shank.

This Operation was unprecedented for its coordination and integration of numerous coalition and ANSF elements and resulted in a marked drop of IDF attacks for a period of 4–5 weeks.

2-87IN prepared for the upcoming Afghan presidential elections by providing support to the ANSF as they conducted security and clearance operations in order to facilitate voting.

The advisory efforts of the BN's SFAAT team were critical to ensuring the ANSF were capable of properly preparing for the elections and also securing Logar Province, allowing for a historic number of voters being able to cast their votes.

After accurate suppressive fire killed the PKM Machine Gun team 3/B Wolverines broke contact and returned to post at OP English.

In the early morning of 28 April 2014, 3rd Platoon Blackhawk Company was conducting a dismounted nocturnal joint mission with ANSF starting from OP English.

On the Afternoon of 28 April 2014, 1st Platoon Blackhawk Company was conducting a patrol west of FOB Shank across the Little Logar River when it was ambushed by enemy insurgents approximately 100 meters away in the village of Shehk Khel.

2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, under the command of LTC David Preston and CSM Michael Eiermann, deployed from Fort Drum, New York to Contingency Location (CL) Dwyer in Helmand Province, Afghanistan from 20 October 2018 through 17 July 2019.

TF Catamount's efforts directly contributed to the success of the RS mission and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA), by securing CL Dwyer, and disrupting the Taliban’s ability to move MWE throughout the region.

The plans cell ensured that there was continuous presence in the GDA, to include over 450 patrols, and coverage from multiple ISR assets sourced from both CL Dwyer and TF Southwest.

Apache Company improved the defensive capability of CL Dwyer by laying over 37 km of C-Wire, established thirteen new engagement areas, and restoring two miles of berm with seven foot HESCO barriers.

Danger Company successfully neutralized eleven IEDs, and striking four, denying the enemy the ability to conduct significant operations within the GDA throughout the deployment.