[21 Issues of Rakkasan, official newsletter of the 187th Airborne]

“The Voice of the Airborne” during 1952 and 1953.

This is a fascinating miscellaneous collection of twenty-one issues of the Rakkasan, the official bi-weekly periodical published by the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. Issued between October 1952 and December 1953, the group of magazines cataloged over a year of overseas activity for the airborne infantry unit, which was stationed in Japan for the majority of the time in question (after experiencing significant combat during the Korean War).

Lengthy articles, amusing comic strips, photographs, and stories of individual bravery were all included to improve morale and inform the troops of the actions in other areas of the Armed Services. Camp schedules, sporting results (lots of inter-unit boxing), and pin up girls present a more intimate look at life in the 187th RCT. Notable headlines celebrate awards given by General Westmoreland, the completion of Operation Paraphib, an airlift to Korea, and two anniversaries.

Constituted in 1942 as a glider infantry unit, the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment—famously known as the “Rakkasans”—is the only U.S. Army regiment to have fought in every major conflict since the inception of airborne tactics. The unit earned its distinctive nickname, which loosely translates to “falling umbrella” in Japanese, while serving as the first foreign ground combat force to enter Japan for occupation duty following World War II .

The regiment played a significant role in the Korean War, where it executed two large-scale combat jumps aimed at cutting off North Korean and Chinese forces. In the post war era, the 187th became a key element of the U.S. rapid-deployment strategy in East Asia, where its battalions were heavily engaged in air assault operations.

Sources: United States Army; Rakkasan Association; Army History.org;