Fort Bragg is commonly called "Home of the Airborne" for the 82nd Airborne Division and XVIII Airborne Corps. The Iron Mike statue located at the traffic circle near the Headquarters is the official paratrooper representing service members past and present at Fort Bragg.
Using Sergeant Major James Runyon as a model, the iconic statue was sculpted in 1960 by Leah Heibert. The statue is a likeness of a World War II-era Airborne trooper with his finger on the trigger of a Thompson submachine gun ready to engage. The vision of former XVIII Airborne Corps Commander, Lt. Gen. Robert F. Sink, the statue was not named for any one man or unit, but rather dedicated to all paratroopers; past, present and future.
Among the fifteen generals in attendance at the dedication ceremony were Omar Bradley, Matthew Ridgeway, Anthony McAuliffe, Maxwell Taylor, Thomas Trapnell, and William Westmoreland. Originally erected at the southern entrance on Bragg Boulevard, the Airborne Trooper was moved to the traffic circle in front of the post headquarters in 1979 to increase visibility.
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The installation's original Iron Mike statue made from polyester strips dipped in epoxy and stretched over a steel frame stood 16 feet 4 inches weighing 3,235 pounds. In 2005 a bronze version of the statue replaced the deteriorating one. On June 14,2010, the original Iron Mike was refurbished and now stands tall at entrance of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in downtown Fayetteville.
"The most important thing here is this is the original Iron Mike and he stands for all paratroopers from the very first guy that ever jumped to the kids who are in Iraq and Afghanistan," offered Vincent Myers, Fort Bragg Chief of Operations.