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Thirty 25th Infantry Division soldiers have spent the week marching along Oahu’s shores to commemorate the history of the Golden Dragons — a unit that will be disbanded at Schofield Barracks next month.
The 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team has fallen victim to the Army’s restructuring and realignment of forces announced in July 2015. As part of downsizing, Schofield Barracks is losing 1,200 soldiers with the bulk coming from the transformation of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
On Oct. 3, Schofield Barracks soldiers will pay a final tribute to the Golden Dragons before retiring the unit’s flag.
Lt. Col. David Kryzcki, battalion commander, said most of his soldiers will be assigned to other Army units. “Currently, less than 100 soldiers remain in the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry.”
The team’s 320 eight-wheeled Strykers were reassigned to the Washington Army National Guard’s 81st Armored Combat Brigade.
The Golden Dragons fought in nearly every major American operation, from the Civil War to Iraq and Afghanistan. Eleven unit soldiers were Medal of Honor recipients — three during the Civil War, one during the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900, three during the Korean War and four during the Vietnam War.
“Many of the Golden Dragon’s historical items were transferred to their sister battalion … out of Fort Drum, N.Y.,” Krzycki said.
Other items with significance to the battalion’s lineage with the 25th Division were donated to the museum at Schofield Barracks.
Over a period of five days, which started on Monday, the soldiers walked a total of more than 70 miles. Each day, Golden Dragons left Schofield Barracks by bus before dawn to march along the North Shore and Windward Coast. The soldiers were bused back to the Wahiawa Army base at the end of each day.
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