179th Infantry Regiment (United States)

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179th Infantry Regiment
179th InfantryCOA.png
Coat of arms
Active1890-present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
BranchFlag of the United States Army.svg  United States Army
Type Infantry
Role Light infantry
Size Battalion
Garrison/HQStillwater, Oklahoma
Nickname(s)Tomahawks (special designation) [1]
Motto(s)"In Omina Paratus" (In All Things Prepared)
ColorsBlue and silver (white)
Commanders
Notable
commanders
William Orlando Darby
Michael S. Davison (1st Battalion)
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia. 179 Inf Rgt DUI.png

The 179th Infantry Regiment ("Tomahawks" [1] ) is an infantry regiment of the United States Army's National Guard.

Contents

Currently, the 1st Battalion is the only active battalion in the regiment and is organized as a combined arms battalion under the brigade unit of action table of organization and equipment. The battalion is an organic element of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Oklahoma Army National Guard.

Lineage

The unit that would become the 179th Infantry was first constituted on 2 May 1890 in the Oklahoma Volunteer Militia as the 1st Infantry Regiment. It was organized on 21 December 1895 from new and existing militia companies, with the regimental headquarters at Guthrie, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Volunteer Militia was concurrently redesignated as the Oklahoma National Guard.

Spanish-American War

Volunteers and militiamen from the Arizona and New Mexico territories were consolidated to form the 1st Regiment, Territorial Volunteer Infantry, United States Volunteers, and were mustered into federal service from 4–23 July 1898. The regiment was mustered out of federal service from 11–15 February 1899 at Albany, Georgia. The former 1st Infantry Regiment, Oklahoma National Guard, was reorganized in 1899 as the 1st Regiment of Infantry, with headquarters at Guthrie.

Mexican border and World War I

The 1st Infantry Regiment was mustered into federal service on 27 June 1916 for service during the Pancho Villa Expedition, and mustered out of federal service on 1 March 1917 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. It was called into federal service pn 31 March 1917, and drafted into federal service on 5 August 1917. The regiment was consolidated on 15 October 1917 with the 7th Infantry, Texas National Guard, and the consolidated unit was redesignated as the 142nd Infantry, an element of the 36th Division.

Interwar period

The 142nd Infantry arrived at the port of New York on 31 May 1919 on the cruiser USS Pueblo and was demobilized on 17 June 1919 at Camp Bowie, Texas. Central Oklahoma companies formerly part of the 142nd Infantry were reorganized by consolidation in 1920–21 with the 2nd Infantry, Oklahoma National Guard (organized 31 August 1918; headquarters concurrently organized and federally recognized at Oklahoma City). The 142nd Infantry became an all-Texas unit in the 36th Division, and the Oklahoma infantry regiment was assigned to the new 45th Infantry Division and redesignated as the 179th Infantry on 14 October 1921.

The regimental headquarters was successively relocated as follows: to Ardmore, Oklahoma, 5 May 1925; Pawnee, Oklahoma, 23 May 1930; Oklahoma City, 1 September 1940. The entire regiment, or elements thereof, was called up to perform the following state duties: 1st Battalion performed martial law during the Tulsa race massacre, 1–12 June 1921; an ad-hoc battalion of four companies performed riot control during a railroad strike at Shawnee, Oklahoma, 9–25 August 1922; elements performed martial law duties throughout Oklahoma in connection with heavy floods, 13 September–8 October 1923; 1st Battalion performed oil well disaster relief at Oklahoma City, 30 October–1 November 1930. The regiment conducted annual summer training most years at Fort Sill, 1921–39. It was inducted into active federal service at home stations on 16 September 1940 and moved to Fort Sill, where it arrived 26 September 1940. It was subsequently transferred on 28 February 1941 to Camp Barkeley, Texas. [2]

Cold War to present

Current units

1st Battalion is a subordinate unit of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma. The battalion commands six companies. These units are:

Campaign streamers

World War I

World War II

Korean War

Global War On Terrorism

Operation Iraqi Freedom

Operation Enduring Freedom

Battlefield or campaign honors and awards

Unit Decorations

Additionally, the following units are entitled to the Meritorious Unit Citation

Per DAGO 208-11 (Corrected Copy) (2011) [6]

Per DAGO 2009-23 (2009) [7]

Streamers

  • Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2008

References

  1. 1 2 "Special Designation Listing". United States Army Center of Military History. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  2. Clay, Steven E. (2010). U.S. Army Order of Battle, 1919-1941, Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations, 1919-41. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. pp. 443–444.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  3. "TIOH - Heraldry - 179 Infantry Regiment". Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  4. "TIOH - Heraldry - 700 Support Battalion". Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  5. 45th Infantry Division. French Croix de Guerre with Palm, Decision No. 843, 21 June 1945. Awarded for action from 1–31 January 1944, victory at Acquafondata (Italy).
  6. "United States Army, Center for Military History". War on Terrorism Unit Awards. Center for Military History. Archived from the original on 5 December 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  7. "DAGO 2009-23" (PDF). Department of the Army. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2013.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from 179th Infantry Regiment. United States Army Institute of Heraldry.