This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSG Arch Kennedy (Reb)
to remember
Kennedy, Michael, COL.
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When the Pentomic concept that replaced regiments and battalions with battle groups was introduced in 1957, Companies A, B, and C of the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment were redesignated as HHCs of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Airborne Battle Groups, 187th Infantry, respectively. The 1st ABG, 187th Infantry was assigned to the 11th Airborne Division in Germany from 1 March 1957 to 1 July 1958, when the 11th was inactivated and reflagged as the 24th Infantry Division. During its assignment to the 24th it was involved in the Lebanon intervention. On 8 February 1959 it was relieved from the 24th, rotated back to the United States and was assigned to the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. Its colors were inactivated on 25 May 1964 and concurrently consolidated with the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry (constituted and activated 1 February 1964 at Fort Benning, Georgia, as an element of the 11th Air Assault Division, and the consolidated unit designated as the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry, an element of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) at Fort Benning, GA.
Chain of Command Served as Commanding Officer, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 187th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division (after it was reflagged) in both Lebanon and Germany
Other Memories Shortly after his parent unit, the 11th Airborne Division, was reflagged as the 24th Infantry Division, LTC Kennedy was part of a deployment to Lebanon in July 1958. The deployment, called Operation Blue Bat, was part of the "Eisenhower Doctrine" that was supposed to prevent the spread of Communism. The 1st ABG/187th reployed to Germany at the end of October 1958 and shortly thereafter LTC Kennedy moved on to his next overseas assignment.
