Valorous Unit Award (2) Meritorious Unit Commendation (5) French Croix de Guerre with Palm Netherlands Orange Lanyard Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm Vietnam War Iraq Campaign The 506th Infantry Regiment, originally designated the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (506th PIR) during World War II, is an airborne light infantry regiment of the United States Army.

Members of the unit wear the spade (♠) symbol on the helmet outer and the Screaming Eagle patch (indicating membership in the 101st Airborne Division) on the left sleeve.

[citation needed] Sink read in Reader's Digest about a Japanese Army unit that held the world record for marching.

[citation needed] Like almost all paratrooper units, the 506th was widely scattered during the Mission Albany night drop on the morning of D-Day.

XXX Corps then continued its advance into the 82nd Airborne's area of operations where it was halted just shy of Arnhem due to German counterattacks along the length of the deep penetration.

[citation needed] The 101st Airborne continued to support XXX Corps advance during the remainder of Operation Market Garden with several running battles over the next several days.

On 5 October after the operation had ended the 101st then came up to the Nijmegen salient and relieved the British 43rd Wessex Division to defend against the German counter offensive.

After the U.S. Third Army, under General George Patton, broke the encirclement, the 506th stayed on the line and spearheaded the offensive by liberating Foy and Noville in January.

[citation needed] The regiment was put back on the line on 2 April, and continued for the rest of the war, taking light casualties.

The Battlegroup left Oxford and redeployed to Millington Naval Air Station where they remained for some time in the event of renewal of rioting.

When the 101st was reformed in 1973 at Fort Campbell (after its return from Vietnam), the 1st Battalion was the only active unit of the regiment, assigned to the division's 2nd Brigade.

After redeployment from Fort Polk, "Hardcore Charlie" was detached to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry, for Exercise Bright Star 81 in September, to "round out" that unit when it deployed to the Sinai Peninsula for peacekeeping duties.

Instead of returning to Korea, the battalion redeployed to Fort Carson, Colorado on 30 September 2005 to be reflagged to 2-12th Infantry Regiment.

[citation needed] During this time, forward observers from Task Force 1-506 were the first to call in a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System strike in combat.

1st Battalion was deployed to the Ghazni, Wardak, and Western Paktika Provinces with the exception of Company A, split in half (1st and 2nd platoons) along with a platoon from Company D to assist a team from 10th Special Forces Group in Kapisa Province in the outpost FOB Kutchsbach for the first six months of the deployment.

After completing their mission in establishing a safe area of operation in the Tagab Valley and a large compound to support a French Army battalion, the units rejoined their companies that were scattered in the other provinces.

The three-man "Shamsheer" team, part of the Operations Coordination Center Province, was widely used in collecting intel, locating enemy positions and high-value targets, and finding caches with the Afghan National Police.

[citation needed]1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Red Currahee, deployed to Paktya and Khowst Provinces at the end of April 2013 and assumed responsibility of over two thirds of the entire brigade AOR in May.

TF Red Currahee maintained responsibility for approximately 2,809 square miles (7,280 km2) of battlespace (adding approximately 560 square miles (1,500 km2) of Paktika Province in the final months of the deployment) and three assistance platforms with an 8,500-strong ANSF contingent, and executed over 270 partnered patrols, 180 partnered named operations, and over 70 quick reaction force and time-sensitive target missions, during which TF Red Currahee fired over 2,291 rounds of artillery, conducted 14 close air support strikes, and executed 11 ISR kinetic strikes (a 144 percent increase from the years prior, making it the most kinetic province in Train Advise Assist Command – East).

2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, Task Force White Currahee, in conjunction with three SFAAT teams, advised and assisted ANSF in Khost Province.

Using a warrant-based targeting methodology, TF White Currahee and ANSF elements detained 53 enemy combatants, with most being convicted and imprisoned.

[citation needed] In honor of a fallen ANSF soldier, the "Hero of Khowst" competition was created by CSM Lamont Christian to mirror the U.S. Army's Sergeant Audie Murphy Club.

Select NCOs from 3rd BN, 1st BDE, 203rd ANA Corps, were put through physical and mental tests and the top four competitors were recognized and awarded at FOB Salerno in the beginning of October,[when?]

In March 2024, 1st Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment was the first U.S. Army unit to be issued the XM7 rifle and XM250 squad automatic weapon.

[6] Current assignments of active units of the regiment: Constituted 1 July 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 506th Parachute Infantry[3] Activated 20 July 1942 at Camp Toccoa, Georgia[3] Assigned 10 June 1943 to the 101st Airborne Division[3] Inactivated 30 November 1945 in France[3] Redesignated 18 June 1948 as the 506th Airborne Infantry[3] Allotted 25 June 1948 to the Regular Army[3] Activated 6 July 1948 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky[3] Inactivated 1 April 1949 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky[3] Activated 25 August 1950 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky[3] Inactivated 1 December 1953 at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky[3] Activated 15 May 1954 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina[3] Relieved 25 April 1957 from assignment to the 101st Airborne Division; concurrently reorganized and redesignated as the 506th Infantry, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System[3] Withdrawn 16 March 1987 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System Constituted 16 September 2004 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky[9] (The 4th BCT, 101st Abn Div was the next highest echelon above 1-506th and 2-506th and has a separate lineage from the 506th Infantry Regiment.

)[10][3] Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 506th Infantry Regiment[3] Re-aligned 16 April 2014 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky under 1st and 3d BCTs, 101st Abn Div.