The 101st Airborne Division was first formed as the 101st Infantry Division in 1918 for World War I. It was never sent to France, and was demobilized in December 1918. The 101st was reconstituted in 1921 as a reserve unit stationed in Wisconsin. Their shoulder patch comes from this incarnation: the black shield background represents the famed "Iron Brigade" from the Civil War, which had been made up of mostly Wisconsin regiments, and the eagle head represents "Old Abe", mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. In August 1942 the 101st Reserve Division was disbanded, and reactivated as the 101st Airborne Division in Louisiana. The division was deactivated in November 1945, but was reactivated three times for short periods over the next ten years. In 1956 the 101st was permanently reactivated. Current home base is Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The 101st Airborne has the distinctive honor of having myself as a member in 1972-1973 (although I was never airborne myself, don't know how I ended up there). Although they are still called 101st Airborne, I believe they are now actually considered an air assault division, relying more on helicopters rather than parachutes.
World War II (D-Day, Market Garden, Bastogne)
Vietnam
First Gulf War
Second Gulf War