UNITED STATES ARMY

5th INFANTRY DIVISION (MECHANIZED) Cold War Organization  •  1988

In 1988 the 5th Infantry Division was stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana as part of the III Corps, with the wartime mission of reinforcing the Seventh Army in Europe.  One of its four combat brigades, the 256th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), was a round-out brigade from the Louisiana Army National Guard (ARNG). The Red Diamond Division was a REFORGER (Redeployment of Forces to Germany) unit. Under the POMCUS (Prepositioning Of Material Configured in Unit Sets) program, a complete set of equipment was prepositioned in the Netherlands. In the event of mobilization, the division's soldiers would move by air to Europe, draw their equipment and deploy from the Netherlands to Germany. The 5th Infantry Division was organized under the Army of Excellence (Division 86) scheme, which was supplanting the ROAD organizational scheme. There were five types of AoE divisions: armored, mechanized infantry, light infantry, airborne and airmobile. The organizational flag for infantry divisions was horizontally divided, scarlet over national flag blue, with the division's shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) in proper colors centered. For brigades of these divisions, the flag was vertically divided, scarlet and national flag blue, with the division's SSI in proper colors horizontally centered over the brigade numeral or monogram. For brigades of infantry divisions, the numeral or monogram was white. The flag for the division artillery headquarters was scarlet with a wide central horizontal yellow stripe and the division's SSI in proper colors centered. For division support command headquarters, the flag had narrow scarlet end stripes and a wide national flag blue central stripe, with the division's SSI in proper colors centered. As a separate brigade, the 256th Infantry Brigade had a flag with vertical stripes of national flag blue and scarlet, with the brigade SSI in proper colors centered. Organizational flags for divisions and brigades were 3 feet at the hoist by 4 feet on the fly with 2 1/2-inch yellow fringe. They were made of heavyweight rayon banner cloth with the insignia and numerals or monograms applied to appear properly on both sides of the flag. Campaign and unit decoration streamers awarded to divisions were always displayed with these flags. Organizational flags were always carried or displayed with the National Color. Guidons for headquarters elements of divisions were of the same design as the corresponding organizational flags. Dimensions were 20 inches at the hoist by 27 inches on the fly with a 10-inch fork. Older guidons made of cotton or wool bunting were still used if serviceable, but new ones were made of heavyweight rayon banner cloth.