The 8^th Infantry Division was never an Airborne Division. From 1958 through 1973 there was an airborne component to the division. Only those soldiers serving in the airborne component were allowed to wear the “airborne” tab above the division should patch.

In 1958 the 8^th Infantry Division was organized under the ROCID - (Reorganization of the Current Infantry Division) or PENTOMIC structure and had an airborne component which consisted of the 1^st Airborne Battle Group 504th Infantry, and the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 505th Infantry, and several supporting units with qualified jumpers.

The PENTOMIC Division changed the Triangular Division of WW2 into a  division organized with 5 "Battle Groups", each commanded by a colonel. Each Battle Group consisted of five rifle companies, a combat support company, and a headquarters company. Each company was commanded by a captain. Artillery units were organized with five batteries. Four of these had howitzers, the fifth was a mortar battery. An indepth examination of the PENTOMIC concept is available here.

In April 1963 the Division was reorganized along the ROAD structure (Reorganization Objective Army Division) and the Airborne component was changed to 1-509^th PIR and 2-509^th at Lee Barracks in Mainz-Gonsenheim, Germany. These battalions formed the 1st Brigade (Airborne), 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized). Other units of the brigade included the 5th Battalion (Airborne), 81st Artillery; Troop A (Airborne), 3rd Squadron, 8th Cavalry; and Company A (Airborne), 12th Engineer Battalion.  Support came from Company C, 56th Supply and Service Bn., Company C 8^th Medical Bn., and 11^th Quartermaster Bn.

The ROAD division changed all 3 types of division (Armor, Infantry, Cavalry) to an identical structure of 3 brigades of 3 battalions.

They consisted of a mix of nine to twelve armor and infantry battalions assigned to the division to meet the expected needs of the division based on the mission, the likely enemy, the terrain/weather, and other forces available. Each brigade would be assigned or attached the mix of battalions and companies based on the division commanders estimate of the situation. The ROAD concept was ver flexible and based on the Armored division of WW2 and Korea.

As operations continued, the division commander could and did move battalions and companies as needed by the flow of the battle. An infantry battalion commander could expect having the number of companies under his command change at least once a day, with companies from different divisions not uncommon. In the "Heavy" divisions in Europe, a tank or infantry company could find itself moved to other battalions more than once a week, and to another brigade as needed.

In 1973 the 8^th Division lost its airborne capability and continued on as a standard mechanized division until it was inactivated in 1992.