Beret flash 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment

Currently, 1st and 3rd battalion remain active. The 1st Battalion serves as the Opposing Force (OPFOR) at the U.S. Army's Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. The 3rd Battalion is assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, at Fort Richardson, Alaska. Since its inception, the 509th Infantry Regiment has forged its unit identity by operating in perpetual independence from larger Airborne units like the 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions (101st was airborne until Vietnam era)