Activated on October 1, 1941, the 25th Infantry Division—like the 24th Infantry Division, originally designated the Hawaiian Division—was among the first U.S. Army units to suffer casualties during World War II as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A little over a year later, the division was deployed to the Solomon Islands, where its performance in that campaign and earned it the nickname “Tropic Lightning”—a moniker it turned into a motto over the coming months. Landing on Luzon on January 11, 1945, the division spent 165 consecutive days in combat without a break, earning a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for the role it played in liberating the island.
While on occupation duty in Japan, the outbreak of the Korean War resulted in the division’s deployment to Korea, where it helped establish the Pusan Perimeter and then take part in the rapid U.N. advances following the famous amphibious invasion at Inchon. Like all U.N. forces, it was overwhelmed by a massive Chinese counterattack, but managed to carry out a series of delaying actions as it retreated south, covering the evacuation of Seoul in the process.
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25th Infantry Division Patch (SSI)25th Infantry Division Unit Crest (DUI)After a U.N. counteroffensive recovered much of the lost territory and liberated Seoul, the war settled into something of a stalemate; the division was not relieved until 15 days before the armistice became effective on July 17, 1953. For its courage and sacrifice in the defense of South Korea, the unit was awarded two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations.
The CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge) of the 25th Infantry Division recalls its links to the Hawaiian Division, from which elements were drawn when the unit was constituted and activated. A taro leaf symbolizes the unit’s Hawaiian heritage, and the flash of lightning is a nod to its well-deserved nickname and motto.