Nicknamed "Geronimo", the 509th conducted the U.S. Army's first combat jump during World War II on 8 November 1942, flying 1,500 miles from England to seize Tafarquay airport in Oran, Algeria.

The advent of World War II ushered in a need for highly mobile units capable of quick insertion within the theater of battle by the Allies.

This unit trained with the British 1st Parachute Brigade in England, earned the honorary title "Red Devils", and were authorized to wear the maroon beret.

In June 1942, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Edson Duncan Raff, the battalion was detached from the 503rd PIR and sailed to Scotland, becoming the first American parachute unit to go overseas in World War II.

The main objective of Torch was to seize French Northwest Africa and, for political reasons, the Americans would lead operation.

The airborne segment of the operation entailed flying 1,500 miles from England to seize two French airfields near Oran.

Forty-six paratroopers from the 509th's Scout Company (the first pathfinders) participated in the liberation of Ventotene, a small Italian island, on 9 September 1943.

The Italian mainland campaign began with a combat jump at Avellino, on 14 September 1943 was widely dispersed and failed,[5] incurring significant casualties.

Corporal Paul B. Huff, a member of the 509th, became the first US paratrooper to be awarded the Medal of Honor, on 29 February 1944, after an action at Anzio.

The 509th Infantry Regiment's service during World War II concluded at the end of January 1945 near St. Vith, Belgium.

After a brief training period at Rhine Kaserne Barracks in West Germany, the unit moved to Vicenza, Italy, as a separate Airborne Battalion Combat Team.

On 1 July 1975 the lineage of Co C, 509th PIB was again reactivated, this time at Fort Rucker, Alabama, as the separate Company C (Pathfinder), 509th Infantry.

Even if the 5th Infantry Detachment (Pathfinder) had not already existed, the Army would not have reduced the strength of its forward-deployed Airborne Battalion Combat Team in Europe when sufficient manning was available in CONUS.

For example, documents on file at the United States Army Center of Military History in Washington, DC, indicate that when the company was activated in 1975 by replacing the 5th Infantry Detachment (Pathfinder), it was authorized 4 officers and 108 enlisted soldiers.

The orange and black flash, seen on the right, was first worn by the 5th Infantry Detachment (Pathfinder), matching the colors of the shoulder sleeve insignia of the U.S. Army Aviation Center and School to which the unit was assigned.

The 5th was expanded and reflagged to become C-509th in 1975 and subsequently the company adopted the same flash and wing oval worn by 1-509th in Vicenza, Italy.

The lineage of 1-509th was reactivated provisionally in 1987 to serve as the OPFOR at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

The era of a Pathfinder unit at Fort Rucker ended on 31 October 1995 when A-511th was inactivated to meet budget cut ceilings.

In May 2004 Companies A and B, with attachments from Troop D of the 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II to the areas surrounding Baghdad to reinforce the 10th Mountain Division.

The Battalion consolidated in June at FOB Kalsu and began concerted efforts to stabilize their area of operation in Babil Province.

In the months following, the Geronimos took on the role as a strike force, where they made great strides in fostering reconciliation between Sunnis and Shias in the cities of Haswah and Iskandariyah, and the surrounding areas.

They also captured numerous suspects, extremists, and terrorists considered to be high value targets, found a myriad of weapons caches, IED making facilities, al-Qaeda safe houses, and facilities used for detaining and torturing Iraqi citizens by performing countless operations, day and night, on the ground and by air assault.

509th Infantry Regiment [1] Archived 9 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine Official website: Gules, a fess nebuly counter wavy Argent a barrulet wavy Azure, on a pile Sable fimbriated of the second, between in base 4 arrowheads points down palewise of the same, another of the like below a stylized figure of a parachutist Or.