The 101st Airborne Division, or Combat Service Identification Badge, features “Old Abe,” a bald eagle that had served as a mascot for a Wisconsin infantry regiment during the Civil War (the 101st was organized in Wisconsin in 1921) on a black shield. Black was chosen in homage of the Iron Brigade, another Civil War unit that included Wisconsin units that was also known as the “Black Hat Brigade” for its distinctive headgear. The insignia served as inspiration for the Division’s official special designation of “Screaming Eagles” and is also used for the 101st Airborne Division Shoulder unit patch (Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, or SSI).
Since its designation as an Airborne unit in 1942, the 101st has frequently been in the vanguard of U.S. military operations because of its mobility and firepower. In 1958, these capabilities led to the Division being designated as part of the Army’s newly established Strategic Army Corps, or STRAC, along with the rest of the XVIII Airborne Corps.
The creation of STRAC as a strike force capable of being rapidly deployed to almost any spot on the globe was prescient, foreshadowing the type of contingency operations that have become commonplace since the end of the Cold War and the rise of terrorism and asymmetrical warfare conducted by insurgency groups.
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101st Airborne Division Patch (SSI)
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One of the aspects of STRAC that was somewhat unique was that it was designed to be able to be deployed without the declaration of war or a national emergency, providing the Army with the ability to respond before a hotspot erupted into a wider conflict. STRAC’s first-line divisions included the 101st Airborne and the 4th Infantry division. In the 1960s, additional units were added to STRAC, including III Corps and the 2nd Infantry Division.
STRAC became part of the United States Strike Command in 1961, which in turn morphed into the United States Readiness Command (RECOM) in 1972. In 1979, the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force was established as a separate command with the REDCOM and became an independent Unified Combatant Command in 1983, while REDCOM was replaced by the United States Special Operations Command in 1987.