2nd Battalion, 377th Field Artillery (Airborne)
"Spartan Steel"
An original member of the 2nd Battalion, 377th Field Artillery (Airborne), from the unit’s combat action in World War II was on hand 16 November 2005 to see the unit return to the Army’s active rolls. The beret flash was approved on 27 April 2004. It was redesignated for the 2d Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment on 9 June 2005.
The 2-377th conducted combat jumps into St. Martin-de-Varreville, France, in the initial assault on the northern coast of Normandy with the 101st Airborne Division, and also into Nijmegen, Holland, as part of Operation Market Garden. In addition to these two combat jumps, the 2-377th defended Bastogne, Belgium, against heavy German attacks during the Battle of the Bulge.
In attendance at the activation ceremony for Spartan Steel was William Priest, who served as a cannoneer and a machine gunner in the 2-377th in World War II. “I was one of the thousands of men who stormed the beaches of France,” said Priest. “I can never forget the things that I saw during combat in France, Holland and the Battle of the Bulge. “I am honored to be here today to see my unit,” said Priest. “If I could I would put on my jump boots right now and be ready to go.”
After WWII, the 2-377th was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division and activated at Fort Bragg, N.C., Sept. 1, 1957 and deactivated July 8, 1965. From 1974 to 1987, the unit was re-designated as Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 377th Artillery, and activated in Germany and deactivated on July 16, 1987.
In 2003, the HHB, 2nd Battalion, 377th FA, re-designated Dec. 16 as Battery B, 377th Parachute Field Artillery, and activated at Forward Operation Base Salerno, Afghanistan and re-designated here as the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Filed Artillery Regiment.
The 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, is the final of seven units to be activated in the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.
