How do U.S. military units get their names? I'm referring to the names
that are numbers, i.e., the 101st Airborne, the First Marine Division,
the Third Army.
What happened to the Second Army? Are there 100 other airborne
divisions with numbers lower than the Screaming Eagles, and some with
higher numbers?

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Request for Question Clarification by techtor-ga on 27 Mar 2003 00:54 PST

I have seen a military site that may explain, though with many
separate referenceson several pages, how the military units are
designated and their system for it. It involved a lot of designation
changes over some years.

By the way, is it all right to ask for a raise of your price? I feel
$2 is quite less than the effort I spent here. Thank you.

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Clarification of Question by stupidsexyflanders-ga on 27 Mar 2003 01:49 PST

How much more are we talking about here?

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Request for Question Clarification by techtor-ga on 27 Mar 2003 21:22 PST

Thanks for considering the raise. Apologies if I got you worried about
the price. I hope my request won't be too high... $15-$20 would be
quite appreciated, if that's all right with you.

By the way, to provide a little background on what I found, I looked
through Army historical sites telling the history of the unit you
mentioned, and it resulted from a name change and change of role for
the unit (101st was actually one of two units formed from a larger
unit). If you would like further details, such as history on the
designation system of military units, would you accept that as an
answer?

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Clarification of Question by stupidsexyflanders-ga on 28 Mar 2003 08:45 PST

Sorry for the time you've already spent. This was just a matter of
curiousity for me, the answer is of no real importance. $2 is all I'm
willing to to go for this. If you'd like to pass that's fine.

stupidsexyflanders --

It so happens that this timely question has just been answered by "The
Explainer" at Slate.com in a way that should satisfy your curiosity,
and I am happy to point you to it:

Slate.com: "How Are Army Divisions Numbered?":
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2080825

It is a very lucid and interesting explanation and certainly worth
your $2!  It even contains some "bonus" information and links to the
Army divisions that it mentions.

The bottom line is that the units were originally numbered
consecutively, but during peacetime most of them were deactivated. 
The choices of which numbers to keep depended on which divisions had
the most "glorious lineage."  To cite "The Explainer's" example:

"During World War II, the "Screaming Eagles" parachuted into Normandy
and fought their way across Europe, making a heroic stand at Bastogne
during the Battle of the Bulge. The Army has kept the division on
active duty ever since. During the same war, the Army's 100th and
102nd Divisions served no less bravely but somewhat less famously.
Both were shuttered for good after the war."

Search Strategy:

I happened upon this information in my nightly review of favorite
press sites, and I remembered reading your question.


I am confident that this information is exactly what you are seeking,
and I am glad to be able to provide it to you.

markj-ga

Sorry for the time you've already spent. This was just a matter of
curiousity for me, the answer is of no real importance. $2 is all I'm
willing to to go for this. If you'd like to pass that's fine.

Hi  stupidsexyflanders
Try this page http://www.military.com/Page/0,12170,1-OO-0,00.htm
it may take a while to navigate but its full of info and history
Kemlo

stupidsexyflanders --

The five-star rating apparently just got posted, and I thank you for
it.  What a nice surprise after all this time.

markj-ga