15th
Field Artillery Regiment
INDIANHEADS
1917
to Present
The 15th Field Artillery (FA) Regiment was organized in Syracuse, New York on 1
June 1917. Assignment to the 2nd Infantry Division (2nd ID)
followed on 21 September 1917, and earned them the unofficial nickname as the
Indianheads.
The coat of arms of the 15th FA
contains a French 75mm Howitzer with the Indianhead of the 2nd ID patch incised in the
wheel. The 15th FA participated magnificently in six major campaigns during World War 1 and helped win the
"War
to end all Wars".
U.S.
75mm in action
Credit: Photos of the Great War
By 1940, the 15th FA Regiment was reorganized as the 15th FA Battalion (Bn) and served in five major campaigns in the European Theater of Operations with the 2nd ID during World War 2.
Following a short period of peace the Indianheads of the Fighting Fifteenth were called upon in 1950 to fight in Korea. The 15th FA Bn participated in ten major campaigns during the Korean War while once again serving with the 2nd ID. 1LT Lee R. Hartell was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor (Posthumously) for heroic actions with the 15th FA Bn during the Korean War, while serving as a Forward Observer. Also, MSG Jimmie Holloway earned the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) in a separate combat action.
Indianheads
near Bloody Ridge
during the Korean War
Credit: Davis (Pat) Beaver
Major changes in the US Army in 1957, caused several redesignations to the 15th FA Bn: A Battery
was redesignated as the 1st Howitzer (How) Bn, 15th Artillery (Arty); B Battery was
redesignated as the 2nd How Bn, 15th Arty; C Battery as the 3rd How Bn, 15th Arty; D
Battery as the 4th How Bn, 15th Arty; E Battery as the 5th How Bn, 15th Arty; F Battery as
the 6th How Bn, 15th Arty; HHB as the 7th How Bn, 15th Arty, and HHB, 2nd Bn, 15th FA as
the 8th Bn, 15th Arty.
Photo: 15th webmaster - 1971
In the 1960s, the drums of war sounded loudly as North Vietnam threatened to invade South Vietnam. Both the 6th Bn, 15th Arty and the 7th Bn, 15th Arty were deployed to South Vietnam in 1967. The 6/15th served in nine major campaigns from May 1967 to November 1969, while the 7/15th, served in 13 major campaigns from July 1967 to November 1971. The 7/15th was deactivated after the Vietnam War, having served throughout much of 2 Corps in places like Phu Cat, Pleiku, and An Khe, as well as various firebases throughout the Central Highlands, illustrated here. It was reactivated in the late 1980s to serve with the 7th Infantry Division, until it was once again deactivated.
Vietnam War
1968
175mm gun of B Btry, 7/15 FA
firing from LZ North English
Photo: Tom Griffin
The 1st Bn, 15th FA has served continuously with the 2nd ID at Camp Casey, Korea, from 1988 to the present. It is positioned to strike hard at any aggressor that might attempt to break through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea. Simultaneously, the 2nd Bn, 15th FA serves as a Direct Support Artillery Battalion with the 10th Infantry Division (Mountain) at Fort Drum, New York.
If the forces of evil ever threaten the peace, tranquility, and freedom of the United States, the Indianheads of the Fighting Fifteenth are sure to answer the call once more. And as they have clearly demonstrated in four previous wars, the Indianheads will put the Steel on the Target, any time, anywhere!! The motto of the 15th FA Regiment is Allons which translates to Let’s Go!
Written by: Dan Gillotti, 15th Historian
An as
their firin' dies away, the 'usky whisper runs,
from lips that 'aven't drunk all day:
"The guns! Thank Gawd, the guns!"
Rudyard
Kipling