108th Infantry Regiment | |
---|---|
![]() Coat of arms | |
Active | 1898; 1907–present |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | United States Army |
Size | Regiment |
Nickname(s) | Third New York |
Motto(s) | "Virtue non-Verbis" By Valor Not Words |
Engagements | Spanish–American War Mexican Border Conflict World War I World War II Iraq WarWar in Afghanistan |
Insignia | |
DUI | ![]() |
U.S. Infantry Regiments | ||||
|
The 108th Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the New York Army National Guard. It was first formed in 1898 and has been in continuous existence since 1907. As National Guardsmen, Soldiers of the 108th Infantry can be called upon to serve the state and federal governments. The 108th has served in the Spanish–American War, the Mexican Border War, World War I, World War II, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The 108th Infantry Regiment was originally called the 3rd New York Volunteer Infantry. When the Spanish–American War broke out in April 1898, a new regiment was organized from twelve separate National Guard companies from the 4th Brigade. (Regiments called the 3rd New York and 108th New York Infantry had both served in the Civil War; these were different units with no connection to the later 108th.) The 3rd New York, headquartered in Rochester, mustered into service on 17 May 1898. They were involved in drilling, provost, and camp duty in Virginia and Pennsylvania. The brief war with Spain ended before the regiment could be sent into action, and the Guardsmen were mustered out of federal service by companies between 30 November and 10 December 1898. Thirty-three members of the 3rd New York died of disease during its short service, with several more dying afterward of typhoid fever contracted while on active duty. [1] : 83–127 The state historian called the 3rd New York Regiment "unquestionably one of the best that New York sent into the service," noting that not a single member had to be disciplined in its first three months of duty. [1] : 127
As of 2 May 1898
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
After the war the 3rd New York was dissolved and the companies returned to the peacetime National Guard duties of drilling and supporting the state and local authorities. The regiment was reformed on 30 March 1907. In April 1913 the 3rd served in Buffalo during rioting caused by a streetcar workers' strike. [3] It was also deployed for guard duty at Pharr, Texas on the Mexican border in 1916 during the U.S. Army's expedition against the guerrilla commander Pancho Villa. [4]
On October 1, 1917, nearly six months after the American entry into World War I, as New York National Guardsmen trained at Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina, the 108th Infantry Regiment was formed pursuant to a general order. By the same order, 1,350 men were transferred in from the 74th New York Infantry (Buffalo) and 293 men from the 12th New York Infantry (New York City). [5] In November 1917 the regiment was organized into the 54th Infantry Brigade as part of the 27th Division, commanded by Major General John F. O'Ryan. By 31 May 1918 the whole regiment had arrived in France. The 27th Division (minus the division's artillery) was attached to British forces for training and issued British rifles and machine guns. The Division ended up fighting alongside the British and Australians for its entire combat service. The Regimental Scout Officer of the 108th noted that "we were supposed to leave behind the customs and traditions of the U.S. Army, in which we had been so carefully brought up, in order that we might study and adapt ourselves to those of our Allies, the British, with whom our lot had been cast for the duration of the war." [6] This included living on the British Tommy's relatively scanty rations. [6]
The 27th Division initially served in the trenches around Ypres alongside the British from July to September 1918. In September, the New Yorkers joined the British Fourth Army in the infamous Somme region, facing the Germans' formidable Hindenburg Line. Ordered to advance on 27 September, the 27th Division was unable to hold its gains. [7] Several members of the 108th Infantry Regiment were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for their actions in the area of Ronssoy on 28–29 September: Private Daniel Moskowitz, Co. F, Private Morris Silverberg, Co. G, Private (First Class) Edward P. Pierce, Co. D, Corporal James Paul Clark, Co. F, and Sgt. Martin M. Smith, Co. G. The 54th Brigade attacked as part of the Hundred Days Offensive on 29 September. German artillery, poison gas, and machine guns took a heavy toll as the Americans struggled through barbed wire and shell holes to reach the Hindenburg Line. The 108th penetrated the German defenses at Quennemont Farm, although they were stalled by severe casualties and an enemy counterattack, and Australian units were sent in to complete the assault. Many leaderless Americans joined in the Australian attack without orders. [8] [9] : 123–24 This engagement is officially called the Battle of St. Quentin Canal. Private First Class Frank Gaffney of Company G later received a Medal of Honor for his heroism. [10] The 108th joined in the pursuit of the retreating Germans, engaging them at Jonc de Mer Ridge, the Selle River, and Catillon. [11] The 500 survivors still on duty were pulled out of the line to rest on 21 October, three weeks before the Armistice with Germany ended the fighting. [6] [8]
The 108th Infantry suffered 1,763 casualties—including 331 dead—in three months of combat out of 3,056 men in the ranks. [8] Most of these casualties occurred in the Hindenburg Line attack. Reasons for the heavy losses included a lack of experienced leadership and the eagerness of the doughboys, who often made frontal assaults on enemy machine gun nests. Additionally, Allied artillery did not "soften up" the Germans with a preparatory bombardment before the attack, for fear of hitting Americans lying wounded from an earlier assault. [6] [9] : 123 Nevertheless, as the 27th Division commander Major General O'Ryan remarked: "That the 108th Infantry ... should have broken through the maze of wire that existed and in the face of machine guns firing from every trench and nest, lodged one battalion in the main position, now seems an extraordinary feat." [12]
On 6 March 1919 the 108th Infantry returned to New York aboard the RMS Mauretania and was mustered out of federal service at Camp Upton. [8] On 24 April 1920, the 108th once again became the 3rd New York Infantry, having been reorganizing since the previous August. Under the National Defense Act of 1920, the 108th Infantry was reconstituted in the National Guard on 30 December 1920, assigned to the 27th Division, and allotted to the state of New York, and the 3rd Infantry was redesignated the 108th Infantry for a second time on 1 June 1921. [13] In 1925, the 108th adopted a distinctive unit insignia featuring a fasces held by two lions. [14] Elements of the regiment were called up to perform flood relief work near Binghamton, New York, from 18–20 March 1936. The regiment conducted annual summer training most years at Camp Smith, near Peekskill, New York, from 1921–38. It was inducted into active federal service at Syracuse, New York, on 15 October 1940, and moved to Fort McClellan, Alabama, where it arrived 26 October 1940. [15]
The 27th Division became part of the garrison of Hawaii in April 1942. It was here that the 108th parted ways with the New York Division. An Army-wide reorganization cut divisions from four regiments to three, and the 108th Infantry was transferred to the 40th Infantry Division (California National Guard) on 1 September 1942. The 40th Division remained on Hawaii for fourteen more months. [13]
In January 1944 the division landed on the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal, which had been largely secured by U.S. forces a year earlier. That April they moved to Cape Gloucester on New Britain, with the 108th being stationed at Arawe in the south. This was a more active area where the regiments of the 40th conducted combat patrols, since there were still many Japanese troops on the island. As they did on Guadalcanal, however, the men of the 108th found that their most dangerous enemy on Cape Gloucester was not the Japanese Army but the harsh jungle climate. [16]
On 28 November the 40th Infantry Division was concentrated at Borgen Bay to prepare for the invasion of Luzon, the largest and most strategically important of the Philippine Islands. [16] The 108th Regimental Combat Team—composed of the 108th Infantry Regiment, the 164th Field Artillery Battalion, Co. C of the 115th Engineer Combat Battalion, and Co. C of the 115th Medical Battalion—was in reserve on S-Day—9 January 1945, when the Sixth Army landed at Lingayen Gulf. [17] : 662 Japanese resistance intensified as the GIs moved south toward Manila, and the 108th fought brutal battles for possession of Fort Stotsenburg, Clark Field, Top of the World, Hill 7, and Sacobia Ridge. The 43rd Infantry Division relieved the 40th on 2 March. Six days later the 108th was detached and sent to the island of Leyte to assist in mopping up defeated Japanese forces. The regiment's 2nd Battalion also cleared Masbate and other local islands. [18] On Leyte and Masbate the 108th lost an estimated 19 troops killed and 49 wounded. [17] : 439 [19]
On 10 May—code-named Q-Day—the 108th joined in the battle for Mindanao. The regiment made an unopposed landing at Macajalar Bay near Bugo and moved south to clear the Sayre Highway with the assistance of Filipino guerrillas. From 13–18 May the 108th fought tenacious Japanese defenders at the Mangima River canyon, which became known as Purple Heart Canyon. [20] The regiment linked up with the 31st Infantry Division coming up from the south on 23 May. Securing the Sayre Highway cost the 108th about 15 men killed and 100 wounded. (Non-combat casualties from battle fatigue, sickness, and heat exhaustion were probably heavier.) The troops then moved east to combat more Japanese resistance. [17] : 186, 641–643 After six weeks of enduring thick jungle, heavy rains, knee-deep mud, and tall, razor-sharp grass—not to mention Japanese resistance—the 108th rejoined the 40th Division on Panay. [13] [17] : 635–647 The 108th RCT lost 45 members killed and 148 wounded in northern Mindanao. [20]
With the war against Japan nearly over, the 108th Infantry was sent to garrison Korea on 29 June. Their homeward journey began on 15 March 1946, when they left Korea bound for San Francisco. The regiment arrived on 5 April and was deactivated two days later at Camp Stoneman. The National Guardsmen of the 108th Infantry had been some of the first U.S. troops to deploy after Pearl Harbor, and the 108th was one of the last Guard units to return to the continental United States. Its long, grueling service in the Pacific Theater earned the 108th Infantry four campaign streamers and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. [21] During the war, the 108th reportedly lost 191 men killed in action. 59 were awarded the Silver Star.
Only the 2nd Battalion of the 108th Infantry is still in existence. In recent years it has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. [22] On 1 May 2004, while providing security for a pipeline repair crew west of Balad, Iraq, soldiers of the battalion helped to rescue American truck driver Thomas Hamill, who had been held captive by insurgents since 9 April. [23] The battalion played an instrumental role in the Battle of Samarra in October 2004. [24] In 2008, elements of the battalion deployed to Afghanistan with the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. In 2012 the unit deployed as a separate battalion assigned to RC West in Afghanistan. [25]
2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry, headquartered in Utica, is part of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and has companies and detachments stationed in eight Upstate New York towns. [26]
A Gold color metal and enamel device 1+1⁄8 inches (2.9 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Azure, a fasces in pale, the rods Argent banded of the first, the axe Or, supported by two lions the dexter rampant guardant, the sinister rampant, both of the last. Attached below and to the sides of the shield a Blue scroll inscribed "VIRTUTE NON VERBIS" in Gold letters.
The shield is Infantry blue; in the center the fasces representing France and on either side and supporting it the lions of Great Britain and Belgium in gold. The motto translates to "By Valor, Not By Words."
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 108th Infantry Regiment on 29 April 1925. It was amended to delete the motto on 1 October 1925. It was redesignated for the 108th Armored Infantry Battalion and amended to add the motto on 22 March 1957. The insignia was redesignated for the 108th Infantry Regiment on 19 March 1962.
Azure, a fasces in pale, the rods Argent banded of the first, the axe Or, supported by two lions the dexter rampant guardant, the sinister rampant, both of the last, armed and langued Gules.
That for the regiments and separate battalions of the New York Army National Guard: On a wreath Argent and Azure, the full-rigged ship "Half Moon," all Proper. Motto: "Virtue Non Verbis" (By Valor, Not By Words).
The shield is Infantry blue; in the center the fasces representing France and on either side and supporting it the lions of Great Britain and Belgium in gold.
The crest is that of the New York Army National Guard.
The coat of arms was originally approved for the 108th Infantry Regiment on 30 June 1924. It was amended to correct and clarify the blazon of the shield on 1 October 1925. It was redesignated for the 108th Armored Infantry Battalion on 22 March 1957. The insignia was redesignated for the 108th Infantry Regiment and amended to correct the blazon of the crest to restore the colors of the wreath on 19 March 1962.
The male protagonist of the 2015 video game Fallout 4 served in the 2nd Battalion of the 108th Infantry Regiment.
The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is an elite light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to receive specialized training for fighting in mountainous conditions. More recently, the 10th Mountain has been conducting operations in Iraq and Syria advising and assisting Iraqi Security Forces and People's Defense Units, respectively.
The 40th Infantry Division is a modular division of the United States Army. Following the army's modularization the division has become a four-brigade combat team with National Guardsmen from throughout the Pacific/Western United States and Oceania. Its division headquarters is located at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California.
The 77th Sustainment Brigade is a unit of the United States Army that inherited the lineage of the 77th Infantry Division, which served in World War I and World War II. Its headquarters has been at Fort Dix, New Jersey, since its predecessor command, the 77th Regional Readiness Command, was disestablished in 2008 from Fort Totten in Bayside, Queens, New York. Soldiers from the 77th have served in most major conflicts and contingency operations involving the US since World War II.
The 98th Infantry Division ("Iroquois") was a unit of the United States Army in the closing months of World War I and during World War II. The unit is now one of the U.S. Army Reserve's training divisions, officially known as the 98th Training Division. Its primary mission is to conduct Initial Entry Training (IET) for new soldiers. It is one of three training divisions subordinate to the 108th Training Command (IET) and handles command and control of units throughout the eastern United States and in Puerto Rico.
The 42nd Infantry Division (42ID) ("Rainbow") is a division of the United States Army National Guard. It was nicknamed the Rainbow Division because, during rapid mobilization for service in WW1, it was formed from 27 National Guard units from across the US. The division was engaged in four major operations between July 1918 and the armistice in November 1918, and demobilized in 1919. Since World War I, the 42nd Infantry Division has served in World War II and the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).
The 33rd Infantry Division was a formation of the U.S. Army National Guard between 1917 and 1968. Originally formed for service during World War I, the division fought along the Western Front during the Battle of Amiens, the Battle of Hamel, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, at the Second Battle of the Somme, and at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. It was re-formed during the inter-war period, and then later activated for service during World War II, seeing action against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific. In the post war era, the division was reconstituted as an all-Illinois National Guard division. In the late 1960s, the division was reduced to a brigade-sized formation, and its lineage is currently perpetuated by the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
The 27th Infantry Division was a unit of the Army National Guard in World War I and World War II. The division traces its history from the New York Division, formed originally in 1908. The 6th Division designation was changed to the 27th Division in July 1917.
The New York Army National Guard is a component of the New York National Guard and the Army National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the United States Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard, abbreviated PAARNG, is part of the United States Army National Guard and is based in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Together with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, it is directed by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The PAARNG maintains 124 armories and is present in 87 communities across the Commonwealth.
The Georgia Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Georgia National Guard, administratively part of the Georgia Department of Defense. It consists of more than 11,100 citizen-soldiers training in more than 79 hometown armories and regional facilities across the state. Georgia’s Army Guard is the sixth largest in the nation and includes combat, combat support and combat service support units.
The 53rd Troop Command is an administrative headquarters of the New York Army National Guard that provides direction for units not under another brigade or other formation headquarters (HQ). It also provides administrative support to units from other formations in the New York area that are stationed a long way from their higher HQ.
The 39th Infantry Division was an infantry formation of the Army National Guard, originally formed as the 18th Division in 1917. The division consisted of troops from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. After training at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, the division was deployed to France but did not see combat before the end of World War I. In July 1923 the division was re-designated as the 31st Infantry Division. The 39th Infantry Division was reactivated after World War II with troops from Louisiana and Arkansas and its headquarters in Louisiana. In 1967, the 39th Infantry Division was reorganized to become the 39th Infantry Brigade (Separate). Its headquarters was in Little Rock and the unit consisted entirely of troops from Arkansas.
The 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Empire") is an infantry brigade combat team of the New York Army National Guard, one of the brigades that make up the 42nd Infantry Division.
The 160th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The 1st Battalion, 160th Infantry is a light infantry component of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT).
The 1st Battalion, 108th Field Artillery Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, is the only direct support field artillery battalion in the only National Guard Stryker Brigade in the United States Army.
The 27th Armored Division was a United States Army formation. It was part of the New York Army National Guard in the 1950s and 1960s.
The 106th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the New York Army National Guard that traces its history to the 10th New York National Guard. During World War II, the 106th served in the Pacific Theater and acted both independently and as parts of larger divisions.
The 105th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the New York Army National Guard that saw combat in World War I and World War II. Originally, it was known as the 2nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, but it was redesignated in 1916. The 105th fought as a part of the 27th Infantry Division during both World Wars, and was highly decorated for its actions during the Battle of Saipan, where its dogged defense against the largest Japanese Banzai charge of the war decimated its ranks, but prevented the American effort on the island from collapsing.
Joseph L. Biehler is a career officer in the United States Army. A longtime member of the New York Army National Guard, in February 2024 he was promoted to major general as commander of the 42nd Infantry Division.