3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment

3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment
Active	1943–present
Country	United States
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Garrison/HQ	Fort Campbell
Nickname(s)	"Iron Rakkasans"
Engagements	World War II Korean War Vietnam War War in Southwest Asia Afghanistan Campaign Iraq Campaign
Commanders
Commanding officer	LTC Erik Norman
Command Sergeant Major	CSM Christian S. Bearden
Insignia
187th Infantry distinctive unit insignia

The 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Iron Rakkasans, is a battalion of the US Army 187th Infantry Regiment. The battalion was activated on 25 February 1943 and first saw action in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War, during the battle to regain US control of the Philippines. Troops from the battalion then served in the four-year occupation of Japan, where they earned their nickname "Rakkasans" (meaning "falling down umbrellas"), before stationing in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. The battalion served in the Korean War from 1950 as the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team and participated in 12 major missions during the Vietnam War, emerging from that conflict as the US's most highly decorated airborne battalion.^{[citation needed]} In 1992 they were designated as the "Iron" Rakkasans by Lieutenant Colonel David Petraeus due to his Leader Rakkasan physical fitness test that added a fourth element of pull-ups to the standard APFT.^{[citation needed]} The battalion has received numerous awards and commendations, including six Presidential Unit Citations and four Valorous Unit Awards.