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After a resounding 59-3 season-opening victory over Bryant a week ago, the Army West Point Football team heads into its second game against South Florida at noon on Sept. 12 at Michie Stadium.
The Black Knights will honor the 25th Infantry Division against the Bulls. Throughout the season, Army players will wear division patches on the backs of their helmets to recognize the history, accomplishments and continued service of Army divisions as part of an Honored Division theme.
This week, the players wear the 25th Infantry Division patch, representing the Schofield Barracks, Hawaii-based division and its generations of Soldiers.
25th Infantry Division History The 25th Infantry Division was activated on Oct. 1, 1941, at Schofield Barracks, a little more than two months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The division, along with the 24th Infantry Division, was created from the old Hawaii Division.
The division saw its first combat during the Guadalcanal Campaign in December 1942, as they served in the Pacific Theater throughout World War II. During the war, the division earned campaign streamers for the Central Pacific, Guadalcanal, the Northern Solomons and Luzon.
Due to their superior performance during operations in the Solomons, the division earned the nickname, “Tropic Lightning.”
Following the war, the 25th ID occupied Japan until called into service once again for the Korean War, earning 10 campaign streamers in that conflict. The first major action for the 25th ID involved blocking approaches to the port city of Pusan, for which the division was awarded its first Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.
Soldiers of the 25th also participated in the breakout from Pusan. Following the armistice on July 27, 1953, the division remained in Korea until 1954, when it returned to Hawaii.
As early as 1962, the division began sending volunteers to serve in Vietnam as helicopter door gunners under the “Shotgun” program. More than 2,200 Soldiers served in this capacity.
The next unit to deploy was Charlie Company, 65th Engineer Battalion, which was sent to Vietnam to assist in the construction of port facilities at Cam Ranh Bay. When the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MAC-V) requested more troops, the 25th responded by deploying 3rd Brigade, including 5,150 troops and 9,000 tons of equipment in Operation Blue Light, the greatest airlift in history before Operation Desert Shield.
During Vietnam, retired Lt. Gen. Robert F. Foley, a 1963 U.S. Military Academy graduate, received the Medal of Honor while serving with the 25th Infantry Division. Foley received the Medal of Honor for his actions while leading his unit in an assault on a strong enemy position on Nov. 5, 1966, during Operation Attleboro.
Foley would later serve as the 63rd Commandant of Cadets from 1992-94 at West Point.
The division served in Vietnam until 1972, adding 12 more campaign streamers to their flag.
The division sent a small contingent to support Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, but most units remained vigilant in the Pacific region. Recently, the division deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq.
The 25th Infantry Division has several notable connections to West Point. Willard W. Scott Jr. and Robert L. Caslen Jr. both commanded the division and later served as superintendents of the U.S. Military Academy, while current Superintendent Lt. Gen. James B. Bartholomees previously commanded the division. Retired Lt. Gen. Fred A. Gorden, a 1962 USMA graduate and the Academy’s 61st Commandant of Cadets, also commanded the 25th Infantry Division from 1990–92.
From the 25th Infantry Division to West Point The connection between the 25th Infantry Division and West Point extends beyond its former commanders. Soldiers who have served with the division continue to bring their experience to the Academy, whether helping develop the next generation of Army leaders or joining the Corps of Cadets themselves.
A former 25th Infantry Division officer, Maj. Daniel Eerhart, and enlisted Soldier, Class of 2029 Cadet Benjamin Jesse, are now at West Point.
Eerhart currently serves as an instructor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership (BS&L), where he teaches PL300: Military Leadership, a multidisciplinary course that draws on behavioral, organizational and sociological sciences to help cadets better understand leadership and develop more effective organizations.
Now a Functional Area 58, Marketing and Behavioral Economics, officer, Eerhart served with the 25th Infantry Division from 2014–17 in several leadership positions with 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, and 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment.
Through experiences such as the Gimlet Challenge and Spur Ride, Eerhart spent considerable time learning about the history and traditions of the units in which he served.
“Being part of that legacy means being part of history,” Eerhart stated.
Eerhart said his fondest memories of serving with the 25th Infantry Division were through events that were unique to serving in Hawaii.
“From competing in the Nainoa Hoe Leadership Challenge, Helocasting into the ocean, training exercises in the jungle and re-enlistment ceremonies at Pearl Harbor,” Eerhart said, “it was a place where tough training was always accompanied by breathtaking views, even if it often was seen through huge amounts of sweat.”
When Eerhart first arrived at the 25th Infantry Division, then Lt. Col. James Tuite served as the battalion commander for the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. Tuite had previously served as a PL300 instructor at West Point, which is the exact position Eerhart now holds at the academy.
“When he heard that I was coming to the 2nd Brigade, he pulled me into his battalion to serve as the lone Armor officer and take the helm of his Mobile Gun System Platoon,” Eerhart explained.
His most meaningful experience at the division was meeting his wife, Maj. Sandra Eerhart, who was serving as a Logistics officer at the time, during the Battalion Ball. They both served in the Tropic Lightning Division together.
Upon completing his platoon leader time, Eerhart said he was fortunate to be selected as a troop executive officer under Lt. Col. Jabari Miller, a 1997 USMA graduate and now the current deputy commander for the 1st Infantry Division.
“Both of these leaders were extremely instrumental in my coming to West Point as an instructor,” Eerhart said of Tuite and Miller. “They both wrote me a letter of recommendation to teach here.”
Jesse, prior to becoming a cadet, was a 15 Tango, which is a UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter Repairer, with the 25th Infantry Division. He was assigned there for 15 months and reached the rank of Specialist (E-4) with two years in the operational Army, including Basic Training and AIT. He then spent another 10 months at the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School prior to becoming part of the USMA Class of 2029.
Jesse is a part of the USMA Class of 2029, “Hold the Line,” where he is an Organizational Psychology major in BS&L. Reflecting on his time while wearing the 25th ID patch, he said the patch “endowed a great sense of responsibility.”
“Not only to the unit currently, but to all of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and the Global War on Terrorism,” Jesse said about respecting the patch. “A significant piece of my life and story is tied to service with those who served there.”
Reflecting on his time with the 25th Infantry Division, Jesse said it was the people who made the experience most memorable.
“Being surrounded by like-minded warriors who have the same vision is something only the Army can provide,” Jesse explained. “The brothers and sisters to my right and left are also why I want to carry my service beyond the NCO route and into the officer route. Given the opportunity to lead the same peers would be incredible, but after transforming through West Point to become more lethal in all aspects of officership and life: mentally, physically, spiritually and in character.”
Jesse is at West Point today through the help of mentors who guided him through his time in 25th ID. Jesse indicated that amid the noise of “you’re not good enough” or “why would you give up being an NCO” that two leaders helped guide him through life as a young, enlisted Soldier.
“Staff Sgt. Justin Tong was the voice of reason and an example of what good NCO leadership looks like,” Jesse declared. “His care for all those he worked with is something that I will never forget and take with me, not only into the Army as an officer, but into every aspect of leadership and life.”
His company commander, Capt. David Taylor, was another mentor he respected highly for carrying himself as a “true leader.”
“(He) naturally controlled a room with proper poise and stewardship, emulating how a leader leads with nonverbal cues,” Jesse said. “Capt. Taylor and Staff Sgt. Tong were two people I looked up to, and after I learned Taylor was a West Point grad, and Tong supported this career-shifting decision, the option West Point offered became too valuable to pass up.”
For the two former Tropic Lightning members, seeing the Army Football team running out and playing on the gridiron with the 25th ID patches on their helmets brings a special bond to what they were and what many of these cadets will be in the future.
“As I think about the cadets wearing that division patch, it makes me think about the competencies that Tropic Lightning Soldiers develop,” Eerhart said. “The jungle environments are difficult and require a certain level of poise and confidence. Panicking in high water can be disastrous for a Soldier and their unit, just like panicking on the football field can lend an advantage to the opponent.
“Every day, those cadets are developing skills in the classroom and on the football field that will result in their success,” he added.
Jesse believes that for the cadets on the field, and to those in the stands, the patch is a reality check.
“In a couple of years, many of the cadets wearing a division’s patch on their football helmets will be wearing that same patch on their left shoulder,” Jesse replied. “It’s a reminder that they are not just playing for an academy, but they are preparing to lead the Soldiers they are honoring.”
(Editor’s note: 25th Infantry Division historical knowledge was provided by Dave Siry, the Director for the Center of Oral History at the U.S. Military Academy.)
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2026 15:49 |
| Story ID: | 574481 |
| Location: | WEST POINT, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
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