How — and why — the 11th Airborne Division is being resurrected in Alaska
By Davis Winkie
Wednesday, May 25
Army paratroopers from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, stage on the flightline prior to boarding an aircraft for a jump at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, May 11, 2021. (Alejandro Peña/Air Force)
The Army’s newest division is taking shape in Alaska, and its commanding general explained to Army Times last week how a major training exercise is influencing the unit’s form and structure, which is still being finalized.
Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, who currently commands Army Alaska and will command the new division, said it will activate on June 6. There’s no D-Day symbolism, though — the 11th Airborne Division only fought in the Pacific during World War II, including combat jumps in the Philippines.
Soon, Alaska’s soldiers will become “Arctic Angels,” he said, an update to the division’s original “Angels” nickname.
Army leaders have said that they hope the new division will help address what they perceive as an identity crisis that is compounded by — or perhaps contributing to — a mental health crisis. Eifler agrees.
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/05/25/how-and-why-the-11th-airborne-division-is-being-resurrected-in-alaska/
