First Indian War period In the ensuing years the regiment was primarily concerned with manning and constructing forts around the Great Lakes. When the
Black Hawk War of 1832 erupted the 2nd Infantry was sent to Illinois but did not participate in any fighting. The regiment returned to its posts on the Great Lakes. During the
Second Seminole War, from 1838 to 1842, the regiment was in Florida, where it was on the move daily, fighting and building roads and installations. In April 1840 with Colonel Brady attending to other duty assignments Lieutenant Colonel
Bennett C. Riley assumed command of the regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Riley remained in command of the regiment until January 1850. In 1843 the regiment returned to its posts on Lakes Ontario and Champlain in upstate New York. Assigned Reserve officers, less those in the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, conducted summer training with the regiment at Fort Sheridan; those assigned to the 2nd Battalion trained at
Camp Custer, Michigan, and those assigned to the 3rd Battalion trained at Fort Brady. Reserve officers also conducted the infantry
Citizens Military Training Camp held at Camp Custer in 1939.
World War II On 16 October 1939, the regiment was relieved from the 6th Division and assigned to the
5th Division. It was transferred on 3 November 1939 to
Fort McClellan,
Alabama, on 1 June 1940 to Fort Wayne, and on 25 September 1940 to Fort Custer. In February 1942 the regiment was sent to Iceland to relieve
United States Marines who were providing security for U.S. bases located there, and to load and unload supply ships. It was then sent to England and then Ireland for training. In July 1944 the 2nd Infantry Regiment landed in Normandy, France. It became part of General
George Patton's
Third United States Army, leading the way in the breakout from the beaches of
Normandy in
Operation Cobra, capturing
Rheims and then seized
Metz after a major battle at
Fort Driant. When the
Battle of the Bulge began the 2nd Infantry Regiment moved to the battle zone in the area of Nideranven, Luxembourg. In January 1945 the 2nd Infantry Regiment forced a crossing of the Sauer River and attacked into the
Siegfried Line. The regiment then crossed the
Rhine River near Oppenheim and secured the crossing for other Third Army units. The unit then spearheaded the attack into Czechoslovakia and was located near the town of
Volary when the word came to cease all forward movement at 08:31 on 7 May 1945.
Post-World War II Following World War II the 2nd Infantry Regiment returned to the United States and was inactivated and activated several times and returned to Germany for a period. During the
Korean War the regiment was stationed at
Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Pennsylvania with the 5th Infantry Division training recruits for deployment to Korea. In June 1957, at the time of the
Pentomic reorganization, the 2nd Infantry Regiment was stationed at
Fort Ord, California with the 5th Infantry Division, serving as a training regiment. The 2nd Battalion was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battle Group, 2nd Infantry and released from assignment with 5th Infantry Division and assigned to the
1st Infantry Division. At this time both the 1st and 3rd Battalions were inactivated. In January 1959 the 2nd Battle Group was reassigned to the
24th Infantry Division in Germany. In February 1962 the 1st Battalion was activated and assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 5th Infantry Division. The 2d Battle Group, 2nd Infantry was reorganized and redesignated and concurrently relieved from assignment to the 24th Infantry Division and also assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 5th Infantry Division. Both battalions were stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.
Vietnam War When the fighting in Vietnam escalated the 1st Infantry Division was restructured and Battle groups were redesignated as infantry battalions. On 12 July 1965 the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 2nd Infantry were relieved from assignment to the 5th Infantry Division and assigned to the 1st Infantry Division with no change of station and in September 1965 the two battalions deployed to Vietnam, landing on the beach at
Vũng Tàu in October 1965. From there they proceeded to their assigned areas,
Phước Vĩnh for the 1st Battalion and
Lai Khe for the 2nd Battalion. The battalions initially fought as light infantry in the areas north and west of
Saigon. On 2 January 1967 the 2nd Battalion officially became a mechanized infantry battalion. The 1st Battalion sustained its first major casualties of the war on 21 December 1965 when the enemy ambushed the command group of Company B as the company was moving out of
Bien Hoa on routine patrol. On 25 August 1966 during
Operation Amarillo a patrol from Company C, 1st Battalion was ambushed after stumbling into a Viet Cong base camp, losing 6 men killed of the 15-man patrol, total US losses in the operation were 41 killed, 45 Viet Cong bodies were found, while later intelligence indicated that Viet Cong losses were 171 men killed. The 2nd Battalion fought its first major battles at
Ap Bau Bang on 12 November 1965 and
Ap Nha Mat on 5 December 1965. Heavy losses were suffered at Ap Nha Mat and three soldiers are still listed as missing. During four and a half years the battalions were involved in major operations such as:
Junction City, the largest operation conducted up to that time,
Lam Son II,
Paul Bunyan,
Bù Đốp (aka Battle of Hill 172),
An Lộc, and
An Lộc II and numerous other operations and small unit actions. Contact with the enemy was almost daily. When the 1st Infantry Division stood down in March and April 1970 the 1st and 2nd Battalion's colors were cased and the soldiers were either reassigned to other units in Vietnam or returned to the United States to be discharged.
Post-Vietnam War In early April 1970 an honor guard returned Fort Riley, Kansas with the 1st Division and its assigned unit's colors. At that time the 1st Battalion became a mechanized infantry battalion and remained active with the 1st Infantry Division until it was inactivated on 1 October 1983. On 15 April 1970 the 2nd Battalion was inactivated. On 21 March 1973 the 2nd Battalion was relieved from assignment to the 1st Infantry Division and reassigned to the
9th Infantry Division. It was activated at
Fort Lewis, Washington with the reflagging of the 1st Battalion, 60th Infantry. In May 1991 the 2nd Battalion was inactivated and relieved from assignment to the 9th Infantry Division. On 16 February 1996 the 2nd Battalion was reassigned to the 1st Infantry Division and on 27 March was activated at Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany as Task Force 2/2 Infantry with the reflagging of the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry. The 2nd Battalion deployed to Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Guard in 1996. In 1997 the battalion, as part of Task Force Eagle Stabilization Force (SFOR), was awarded the Army Superior Unit Award for actions such as
Brčko riots and Hill 562. The 2nd Battalion redeployed to Vilseck in October 1997. On 24 November 1999, the battalion deployed to
Camp Monteith,
Kosovo. The battalion was redeployed to Vilseck in June 2000. The unit was again deployed to Camp Monteith, Kosovo in November 2002 until July 2003 as the last regular Army unit conducting operations. The national guard took formal command of operations from the 2nd Battalion.
Global war on terrorism 1st Battalion On 17 March 2008, for the first time in over 24 years, the 1st Battalion was activated in Schweinfurt, Germany with the reflagging of the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry. 1-18 was a part of 2nd "Dagger" Brigade, 1st Infantry Division which was also reflagged as the
172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate). The 1st Battalion was assigned to 172nd Infantry Brigade and was a mechanized infantry battalion. The battalion had adopted the motto "Back in Black" and wore black scarves in recognition of the battalion's service in Vietnam. In December 2008 the 1st Battalion (TF 1-2) deployed to Iraq and suffered its first casualty in April 2009 when a soldier was killed by an IED. In late October 2009 the first elements of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry and the 172nd Infantry Brigade began returning to Germany from Iraq. By mid November the entire battalion was back in Germany. TF 1-2 suffered four killed and three wounded during its deployment. The 1st Battalion had a change of command on 19 May 2010 and along with the entire 172d Infantry Brigade moved to Grafenwoehr, Germany. In late July 2011 the 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry (TF 1-2) along with the entire 172nd Infantry Brigade deployed to Afghanistan. The transfer of authority from 1st Battalion, 61st Cavalry (101st Airborne Division) to Task Force 1-2 Infantry (TF 1-2) occurred on 13 August 2011 at 10:00. TF 1-2 was detached from the 172nd and worked for 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division and was in control of Western
Nangarhar. On 14 August 2011 the 1st Battalion sustained its first casualties when two soldiers from Company A were killed by an IED while recovering a damaged vehicle. Company A, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry had been attached to TF 3-66 Armor since 2008. Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor (attached) worked in the Zio Haq area and Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry fought at FOB Altimur. On 24 November 2011, the Black Scarves were ordered to move from Nangarhar to FOB Andar in
Ghazni Province, Afghanistan to conduct a relief in place with the 2nd Battalion. On 3 January 2012 at 10:30, the transfer of authority between the two units occurred. Following the ceremony the 2nd Battalion began departing Afghanistan. In early June 2012 the 1st Battalion began departing Afghanistan and returned to their base in Grafenwoehr, Germany with the last troops arriving back in Germany on 19 June. Task Force 1-2 suffered over 15 wounded during their latest deployment and A Company, 1st Battalion suffered 2 killed in action and 3 wounded while attached to Task Force 3-66 Armor. After returning to Germany the battalion trained and conducted
Expert Infantryman Badge testing. The 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry along with the entire 172nd Infantry Brigade was inactivated in a
Casing of the Colors ceremony held on 31 May 2013. The effective date of the battalion's inactivation was 15 June 2013.
2nd Battalion In April 2003 with
Operation Iraqi Freedom underway, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry deployed to Bashur Airfield in Northern Iraq as part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Task Force 1-63 Armor, to aid in opening a northern front in Iraq. This was called
Operation Airborne Dragon, Northern Iraq with the entire task force being air lifted from Germany. Company B and the entire task force returned to Germany in February 2004. In the spring of 2004 the 2nd Battalion, less Company B, deployed to Iraq with the 1st Infantry Division. On 20 July 2004 SSG Raymond Bittinger, 3rd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry was awarded a
Silver Star for leadership and heroism under fire on 9 April 2004 in Baqubah, Iraq. SSG Bittinger was the first soldier of the 1st Infantry Division to receive a Silver Star during Operation Iraqi Freedom. During its year deployment to Iraq Task Force 2-2 Infantry also fought at
Al Muqdadiyah,
An Najaf,
Al Fallujah,
Mosul, and
Baqubah. In November 2004 Task Force 2-2, which comprised HHC; Company A; scouts of the 2/2; Company A, 2d Battalion, 63d Armor; 2d Platoon, Company B, 1st Engineer Battalion; 2d Platoon, Company A, 82d Engineer Battalion; Troop F, 4th Cavalry; and 1st Platoon, Battery A, 1/6 Field Artillery, fought alongside U.S. Marines in the
Battle of Fallujah. SSG David Bellavia was awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Fallujah and Task Force 2-2 Infantry received a Presidential Unit Citation for their actions in the Battle of Fallujah. The 2nd Battalion returned to Germany in February 2005. In May 2006 the battalion was disbanded and its colors were cased. On 19 April 2007 the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry was activated as a light infantry battalion with the 1st Infantry Division, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Hood, Texas. In June 2008 the 2nd Battalion, along with the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, deployed to Afghanistan. The battalion conducted operations in the
Maywand District of Kandahar Province. On 4 September 2008 Company C, 2nd Battalion suffered its first casualties when a Humvee was hit by an
IED and a follow on enemy attack. On 6 May 2009 at FOB Ramrod, Defense Secretary
Robert M. Gates presented awards to six members of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, for their actions on 4 September. Bronze Star awards with
"V" device went to SSG Anthony Roszko, SPC Kevin Tibbett, and CPL Justin Skotnicki.
Army Commendation Medals with
"V" device went to PFC Michael Kehrer, PVT Alexander Hayes and SGT Justin Chaney. On 28 May 2009 PFC Robert Debolt, a rifleman with Company C, 2nd Battalion, was awarded a Silver Star for gallantry. SGT Ramin Berntsson was also awarded a Bronze Star with
"V" device for his actions that day, upon redeployment to Fort Hood, Texas. The 2nd Battalion returned to Fort Hood in June 2009. On 10 September 2009 the 2nd Battalion had a change of command and on 16 October 2009 moved to
Fort Knox, Kentucky. In January 2011 the 2nd Battalion, along with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team once again deployed to Afghanistan. The battalion conducted operations in Ghazni Province. On 27 February 2011 the battalion sustained its first casualties when one soldier was killed and four wounded by an IED. In its one-year deployment 2nd Battalion suffered 3 killed and 49 wounded while conducting over 1,900 combat patrols and 22 air assaults as they and their Afghan partners captured 111 caches and killed 250 insurgents. On 3 January 2012, following a change of authority ceremony with 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry, the 2nd Battalion began departing Afghanistan. Since returning to Fort Knox the 2nd Battalion had a change of command and in training for its next deployment to Afghanistan. In June 2013 the 2nd Battalion, along with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, again deployed to Afghanistan. The unit took responsibility for the security forces assistance team mission in Zabul Province at a TOA ceremony when it relieved the 5th Troop, 7th Cavalry. In late February 2014, following a transfer of authority with the 2nd Battalion,
12th Infantry at FOB Apache, the 2nd Battalion left Afghanistan and returned to Fort Knox. The 2nd Battalion was inactivated as part of 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division's inactivation on 21 May 2014. On 13 January 2015 Company D 2d Battalion was activated as part of the 4th BSTB, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division in a ceremony on Fort Polk's Mountain Field. Company D was being activated as a "provisional" company, attached to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, in support of a security support tasking for SOUTHCOM. The mission will consist of CPT Andrews as the D Co Commander, SFC Ramos as the 1SG/NCOIC, and about 50 Soldiers selected from 2-4 IN, 2-30 IN & 3-89 CAV, all units from within 4-10 MTN. They performed security duties in support of humanitarian operations, within the SOUTHCOM AOR. Their mission is from FEB-AUG 2015, and when they return to Fort Polk, they will "officially" become part of 2d Battalion 2d Infantry. In February Company D, 2d Battalion deployed with the USNS Comfort on a seven-month humanitarian mission to the Caribbean. The official uncasing of the colors and Assumption of Command ceremony for the 2d Battalion was held on 3 September 2015 at Fort Polk, LA. Company D returned from their 7-month deployment on the USNS Comfort on 30 September 2015. On 21 March 2016 the Department of the Army announced that the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, stationed in Fort Polk, Louisiana, will be associated with the Texas Army National Guard's 36th Infantry Division. For the first time ever an active duty unit would wear a National Guard patch. This historic event was part of the U.S. Army's Associated Units Pilot Program. At a ceremony held on 16 September 2016 the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain "Patriots" removed their 10th Mountain Division patch and place on the highly regarded T Patch of the 36th Infantry Division.For the first time ever an active duty unit will wear a National Guard patch. This historic event is part of the U.S. Army's Associated Units Pilot Program. Since that time the brigade and battalion has reverted to the 10th Mountain Division and wear that division's patch. On 19 April 2017 LTC John Newman assumed command of the 2d Battalion from LTC Aaron Coombs. Beginning in mid-September 2017 the 2d Battalion, 2d Infantry along with other elements of the 3d Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division began deploying to Iraq for a 9-month tour. They will be replacing the 2d Brigade Combat Team of the 82d Airborne Division. The 2d Battalion began returned to Fort Polk beginning in June 2018. On 22 March 2019 LTC Andrew Sinden assumed command of the 2d Battalion from LTC John Newman at a change of command ceremony held at Fort Polk, LA. On 10 January 2020 at a ceremony held at Fort Polk, La. CSM Mason L. Joiner assumed responsibility of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain from CSM Derek G. Wise. On 10 June 2022 CSM Robert J. Absher assumed responsibility of the 2d Battalion from CSM Mason Joiner at a change of responsibility ceremony held at Fort Polk, LA. On 26 August 2022 at a ceremony held at Fort Polk, La. LTC William R. Sitze assumed command of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain from LTC Sean M. Ontiveros.
Medal of Honor recipients Four soldiers have earned the Medal of Honor while serving with the 2nd Infantry: • First Sergeant
Daniel W. Burke, Company B, for his actions at Shepherdstown Ford, Virginia, on 20 September 1862. When his unit retreated across the Potomac River he learned that a piece of artillery had been left unspiked leaving it usable by the enemy. He volunteered to go back and disable the gun, and returned to spike the gun in the face of the enemy. Coming under heavy rebel fire he was unable to complete the task, he retreated back across the river under constant fire. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 2nd Infantry on 18 July 1862 and promoted to first lieutenant on 2 July 1863. He remained in the Army and retired as a brigadier general on 21 October 1899. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. • Staff Sergeant
James Leroy Bondsteel, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 2d Infantry for his actions in An Lộc Province, Vietnam on 24 May 1969 when he was painfully wounded but continued to fight and rally his troops. He remained in the Army until retiring in 1985 as a master sergeant. Bondsteel was living and working in Alaska when he was involved in an accident with a logging truck and was killed. He is buried in the Fort Richardson National Cemetery located in Alaska. The major U.S. Army base in Kosovo,
Camp Bondsteel, was named in his honor. • Sergeant
Candelario Garcia Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on 18 March 2014 for actions while serving as an acting Team Leader for Company B, 1st Battalion, 2d Infantry, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division during combat operations in Lai Khe, Republic of Vietnam on 8 December 1968. Sergeant Garcia was originally awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for his actions. • Staff Sergeant
David Bellavia was awarded the Medal of Honor on 25 June 2019 for his actions in support of Operation Phantom Fury on 10 November 2004 while serving as a squad leader with Company A, 2d Battalion, 2d Infantry, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. He is the first living service member from the war in Iraq to receive the nation's highest honor. He was originally awarded a Silver Star Medal for his actions.
Casualties Casualty lists for all the conflicts that the 2nd Infantry has been in can be found under OUR HISTORY at http://www.secinfreg.org ==Heraldry==