The 178th Infantry Regiment traces its history back to the formation of the 16th Battalion, Illinois State Militia, on 1 April 1878. A and B Companies were recruited from
Chicago. The
Clark County Guards from
Marshall became C Company, and the
Cumberland County Guards from
Greenup became D Company. Elements of the 178th have been reputed to extend back to 1871, with the formation of the
Hannibal Guard, but federal and state recognition did not come until 1878. The
Illinois General Assembly removed the 16th from the military roster in 1882, but it was reactivated soon after in 1883 as the Chicago Light Infantry until its disbanding in 1887. The Eighth Infantry Regiment was federalized on 30 June 1916, in
Springfield, and served briefly during the
Mexican Border War. It was discharged from service at Springfield on 27 October 1916.
World War I On 3 August 1917, the 8th was called to serve in
World War I, and was renamed the
370th Infantry Regiment, and was placed in the 185th Infantry Brigade as part of the provisional
93rd Infantry Division on 5 January 1918. The 178th, which had not yet been activated, traces much of its history to the service of the 370th in
France during World War I. Upon returning to Illinois, the regiment was disbanded on 11 March 1919.
World War II The 370th was reorganized as the 8th Illinois again in June 1919, and conducted state duties, including intensive training and maneuvers until 6 October 1940, when it was redesignated as the 184th
Field Artillery Regiment (
155 mm howitzer. After receiving many new recruits in preparation for
World War II. The 184th trained intensely at
Fort Custer,
Michigan and eventually deployed to the
ETO, earning campaign streamers for the
Rhineland Campaign and the
Central Europe Campaign. While training in Michigan, men of the regiment were detached to form the
795th Tank Destroyer Battalion in February 1942. On 16 January 1943, further restructuring followed as men of the regiment were detached to furnish new "colored" units for the Army. The 930th and 931st Field Artillery Battalions were created, and were subsequently converted into the 1698th and 1699th Combat Engineer Battalions, respectively, by 20 March 1944. These men reported to the
92nd Infantry Division and served in the
North Apennines Campaign and the
Po Valley Campaign.
178th Regimental Combat Team After World War II, the 184th Field Artillery was redesignated as the 178th Regimental Combat Team on 31 March 1947. The RCT contained the 178th Infantry Regiment (the parent unit), the 184th Field Artillery Battalion, the 1698th Engineer Company, the 184th Medical Collecting Company, and the 154th Army Band.
Desegregation On 26 July 1948, President
Harry Truman issued
Executive Order 9981 in order to desegregate the
US Military, and although the units of the Illinois National Guard were no longer split by race, the 178th remembers its proud history as a segregated African-American unit. At the outbreak of the
Korean War in 1950, the 184th Medical Collecting Company was detached from the 178th and did not return until the war ended, four years later.
1968 Democratic National Convention After reorganizations in 1959, 1963, and 1965, the First Battalion, 1-178, was assigned to the
33rd Infantry Division on 1 February 1968 and assisted in riot control in Chicago during the
1968 Democratic National Convention. City, the capital of Paktia Province. 17 February 2009. Since 1968, 1-178 has performed state duties in riot control, natural disaster relief, and overseas training missions. In the winter of 2008, as a part of the
33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the battalion was deployed to several provinces across Afghanistan to perform SECFOR missions and assist in Provincial Reconstruction Teams, including
Paktia Province,
Afghanistan in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom, where they relieved elements of the
27th IBCT,
New York Army National Guard. The heavy mortar platoon, consisting of four 120 mm mortars and four 81 mm mortars were placed at Command Outpost (COP) Najil, Lagman province and in Forward Operating Base (FOB) Metar Lam. They returned home in 2009 In July 2019 the battalion again deployed to both Patyika and Logar province of Afghanistan, the same area where Bravo Company was involved in combat during Operation Enduring. Later in February the battalion was moved over to Helmand province to provide area security for TF West for the remainder of the mobilization. The battalion was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation for their service in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel 2019-2020. Numerous Combat Infantryman Badges and Combat Action Badges had been awarded for actions throughout the deployment. In the spring of 2020, the battalion returned home in April, and, in the summer of 2020, the battalion was called to action again, to provide riot control duties in the wake of the George Floyd protests in the Chicagoland area for an additional three weeks. ==Current structure==