New battalion added at Fort Campbell

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — A new battalion has been added to Fort Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division.

The Leaf-Chronicle (http://leafne.ws/1DohGIT) reports the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment "Blue Spaders" unfurled its colors last week during a short ceremony at the sprawling Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line.

The unit adds about 500 soldiers at the post, which lost 2,400 soldiers last year when the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade was deactivated.

It is the first infantry unit without an airborne background to be added to the 101st since World War II.

It is also the oldest unit in the division. The Blue Spaders were formed in 1900 while the 101st Division was founded in the early days of World War II.

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Information from: The Leaf-Chronicle, http://www.theleafchronicle.com

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