Learn the history of the 25th Infantry Division | U.S. Army

Formed on the Leilahua Plains of Hawaii, the 25th Infantry Division was activated October 1st, 1941 at Schofield Barracks under Major General Maxwell Murray. Only two short months later, the division would be drawn into the Second World War. On December 7th, 1941, Japanese forces attacked the island of Oahu, bombing Pearl Harbor and neighboring Wheeler Airfield, pulling the division to the forefront of the war in the Pacific. After months of intensive jungle and amphibious warfare training, the division was given its first major mission, relieve the Marines at Guadalcanal, and finish the job of defeating the remaining Japanese forces on the island. Within a month, and against a determined enemy who offered fierce resistance, the division conducted an envelopment through the jungle, forcing the Japanese remnants to evacuate Guadalcanal. The unprecedented speed at which the division was able to secure the island earned it the nickname, Tropic Lightning. The interwar years would go by quickly, seeing the division stay abroad in the theater. North Korea's surprise invasion of South Korea set the 25th Infantry Division once again on the road to war. The Tropic Lightning Division was a vital contributor to the successful breakout of the Pusan perimeter as part of the United Nations forces. Driving the enemy back past the 38th parallel and into North Korean territory. Following 37 months of continuous battle in every major offensive during the Korean War, the division was able to redeploy home to Hawaii after being abroad for 12 years. Returning to Schofield Barracks, the division's path towards becoming jungle experts began. As an initial jungle school was formed, while simultaneously conducting joint exercises alongside regional allies and partners. But in late 1965, the division would once again be called to battle, this time in Vietnam. The 3rd Brigade was the first division element alerted for Vietnam, where they executed Operation Blue Light, the largest airlift of division ground forces ever undertaken up to that time, and participated in the defense of Saigon. Upon redeploying back to Hawaii by December 1970, the Tropic Lightning Division had served gallantly for nearly 5 years in Vietnam. Although no longer in combat, the soldiers of the 25th continued to play a critical role in protecting and defending the national interests of the United States during the remainder of the Cold War. From World War II through the Cold War, the division has had the honor of being the division of action in the Pacific Theater. In that time, 43 Tropic Lightning soldiers have been awarded the Medal of Honor for their gallantry and self-sacrifice, while engaged in combat against the enemies of the United States. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, led the nation into the global war on terrorism. Once again, the division was called to action. In 2004, the division deployed the 2nd Brigade to Iraq, and the remainder of the division deployed to Afghanistan, where it took the lead as Combined Joint Task Force 76. In both countries, Tropic Lightning soldiers made possible the democratic process for the Iraqi and Afghan people. Elements from the division deployed to Iraq in 2006, as it was on the edge of civil war. By 2008, the strategy in Iraq started to shift from counterinsurgency operations to partnership operations. The division began taking on a new role of assisting and training the Iraqi forces to be able to continue operations on their own. In 2010, Operation Iraqi Freedom had transformed into Operation New Dawn. The division was tasked with reposturing forces to draw down and systematically close down bases in preparation for withdrawal. And by 2013, all Tropic Lightning brigades had returned home. After almost a decade in the Middle East, the U.S. military repostured and shifted focus to the Pacific. With the drawdown in the Middle East, and the emergence of a pacing threat in the Pacific, entering into the Great Power Competition, the 25th Infantry Division once again took on the role of America's Pacific Division and premier jungle experts. As part of the refocus on the Pacific, the division began operation pathways in earnest, working and training alongside allies and partners across the Pacific theater. To this day, as the only U.S. Army division to remain at its birthplace, the 25th Infantry Division, alongside our regional allies and partners, remain postured and ready to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.