Assignments
1979–1984
Yarbrough's first assignment was with the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT), where he served as Rifle Platoon Leader and Anti-Tank Platoon Leader in 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry from 1979–1981. He was later reassigned to 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Infantry from 1981–1984, and participated in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada.
The 2nd Ranger Battalion, currently based at Joint Base Lewis–McChord south of Seattle, Washington, United States, is the second of three ranger battalions belonging to the United States Army's 75th Ranger Regiment.
Grenada is a sovereign state in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself plus six smaller islands which lie to the north of the main island. It is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its size is 348.5 square kilometres (134.6 sq mi), and it had an estimated population of 112,200 in July 2018. Its capital is St. George's. Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice" due to its production of nutmeg and mace crops, of which it is one of the world's largest exporters. The national bird of Grenada is the critically endangered Grenada dove.
1985–1998
After graduating from the Infantry Officer's Advanced Course, Yarbrough commanded a rifle company in 1st Battalion, 31st Infantry, in the Republic of Korea, from 1985 to 1986. Following company command, he served as Operations Officer and Chief, Current Operations, United States Army Special Operations Command, then Aide-de-Camp to the Commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He then, he served as Battalion S-3 for 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR); then Brigade S-3 for the 504th PIR before being reassigned as Chief, Theater Operations Branch at US Atlantic Command from 1994 to 1996. He then commanded the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry in the 101st Airborne Division from 1996–1998.
The United States Army Special Operations Command (Airborne) (USASOC) is the command charged with overseeing the various special operations forces of the United States Army. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, NC, it is the largest component of the United States Special Operations Command. It is an Army Service Component Command. Its mission is to organize, train, educate, man, equip, fund, administer, mobilize, deploy and sustain Army special operations forces to successfully conduct worldwide special operations.
The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America's Contingency Corps". Its headquarters are at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
1999–2008
Following attendance at the War College, Brigadier General Yarbrough commanded the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy, from February 1, 2000 through June 23, 2002. As the XVIII Airborne Corps G3 commencing July 2002, Yarbrough served for 11 months as CJ3 of CJTF-180 executing Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and remained the Assistant Chief of Staff/G3, XVIII Airborne Corps until July 1, 2004. After he left the XVIII Airborne Corps, he served as the Deputy Commanding General, United States Army Infantry Center, Fort Benning, Georgia, from July 2004 through July 2006. On 1 August 2006 he became the Assistant Division Commander (Operations), 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. In July 2007, Yarbrough deployed on Operation Iraqi Freedom where he assumed command of the Iraq Assistance Group from Brigadier General Dana J.H. Pittard, while still serving as the Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver of the 1st Infantry Division. In July 2008, he assumed command of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk.
Vicenza is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of Venice and 200 kilometres (120 mi) east of Milan.
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for the Global War on Terrorism. On October 7, 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced that airstrikes targeting Al Qaeda and the Taliban had begun in Afghanistan. Operation Enduring Freedom primarily refers to the War in Afghanistan, but it is also affiliated with counterterrorism operations in other countries, such as OEF-Philippines and OEF-Trans Sahara.
The Iraq Assistance Group (IAG) was a U.S. military command underneath Multi-National Corps-Iraq that coordinated military transition teams assigned to the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) including the Iraqi Army, Federal Police, Department of Border Enforcement, Ports of Entry Directorate and provincial police. These teams provide partnership, mentoring and training to assist their ISF partners in achieving full operational effectiveness and facilitating the transition of internal security to Iraqi control. The Iraq Assistance Group itself was a joint command formed from the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division and composed of mostly Army soldiers but also including a sizable contingent of sailors, airmen and marines as well as members of foreign militaries.
Retirement
Yarbrough retired from the United States Army in January 2011.
Decorations and awards
Yarbrough's personal and unit awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2 oak leaf clusters), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (1 silver oak leaf cluster), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4 oak leaf clusters), Joint Service Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Unit Award (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Valorous Unit Award, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Military Freefall Parachutist Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Ranger Tab.
The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a senior American military decoration of the Department of Defense, awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who perform "superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility".
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the seven uniformed services of the United States as well as to military and political figures of foreign governments.
An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote subsequent decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem that is authorized by the United States Armed Forces as for a specific set of decorations and awards of the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, and Department of the Air Force.
Lieutenant General John Randolph Vines is the former commander of the U.S. Army's XVIII Airborne Corps and Multi-National Corps – Iraq.
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