Overview
Duty First: Military Assistance
Briefly defined as “training and helping the armies of friendly foreign countries,” 1 ID soldiers have helped train and modernize foreign militaries in many different locations, including in South Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan. They’ve rebuilt armies and police forces following war, such as in Afghanistan. They’ve also trained in conjunction with the emergence of a new state or with existing nations, such as South Africa. They have shared techniques with local forces for providing humanitarian aid within their own borders.
Military Transition Teams
In this theme-section learn about how Big Red One soldiers conducted airborne operations with the South African military and view several esprit de corps Military Transition Teams (MiTTs) posters. MiTTs consisted of 10 to 15 American service members who lived with their Iraqi and Afghani counterparts while training, advising and sometimes fighting with them. MiTT members often created unique posters depicting strong bonds they developed. One particular poster resembles an R-rated film poster complete with cast of characters—the soldiers. From 2006 to 2009 Big Red One soldiers trained MiTTs at Fort Riley, Kansas, for overseas deployment.