F KNEELING SOLDIER (ON LEFT KNEE), US ARMY INFANTRY SQUAD 2ND DIVISION (PART 2)

American 2nd Infantry Division, commonly known as " The Indianhead ”Was formed in 1917. The unit took an active part in World War I, including participation in the Battle of Belleau Wood. In the course of World War II, in 1943, she was transferred to Great Britain and subjected to extensive training in terms of the use of the unit in the course of operations in Normandy, in which she actually took part from June 7, 1944, i.e. the day after D-Day. In the years 1944-1945, the division conducted operations in Normandy, Northern France and Germany. She did her job especially during the Korean War (1950-1953). In the 1950s, the division underwent reorganization and was planned to be disbanded, but these plans were finally abandoned. The unit took an active part in stabilization activities in Iraq, starting from the end of 2003. During its stay in Iraq, the division was responsible for many tasks, including patrol and stabilization tasks, training of pro-government units of Iraqi units or de facto anti-terrorist activities. In 2009, some of the division's soldiers were sent to Afghanistan. In 2017, the division was composed of two Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), one mechanized brigade, a helicopter brigade and other support units - mainly artillery and sappers. Currently, a significant part of the division is stationed in South Korea.United States Armed Forces ) are currently the most powerful and strongest troops in the world, with an active staff of approximately 1.36 million people and a budget of $ 686 billion in 2018. One of their most important components is the ground army, i.e. the United States Army, in which 476,000 soldiers in the line served in 2017. The most numerous type of army in the ground forces is, of course, infantry - primarily motorized and mechanized. It is theoretically assigned to divisions, but in practice it very often operates within the Brigade Combat Team. Infantry units are divided into the classic Infantry Brigade Combat Team, consisting of, inter alia, three infantry battalions and support units. In 2014, it consisted of about 4,400 people and an infantry brigade on Stryker vehicles (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) based on three motorized infantry battalions and support units. In 2014, it had around 4,500 soldiers and 307 Styker vehicles in various versions. The American infantry also serves in Armored Brigade Combat Team, in companies and mechanized infantry battalions. The main shooting weapons of the American infantryman are the 5.56 mm M16 and M4 rifles. As an interesting fact, it can be said that the private (Private E1) US Army earns about $ 20,200 annually, while the sergeant (Sergeant E5) with 2 years of experience - about $ 28,700. These are basic salaries - without any allowances or bonuses.