Origins; War of 1812 The 7th Infantry Regiment, was originally constituted on 11 January 1812 in the Regular Army as a company of the
8th Infantry. was reorganized in preparation for the conflict with Great Britain which came to be known as the
War of 1812. Since that time it has remained on duty in one form or another, making it one of the five oldest continuously-serving regiments in the
United States Army. In 1815, the regiment was headquartered at
Fort Montgomery in the
Mississippi Territory. After the
Creek War, the regiment helped build and was stationed at
Fort Crawford in the newly-formed
Alabama Territory.
Mexican–American War The regiment was active in the American invasion of the Mexican heartland and the capture of Mexico City. Streamers awarded are:
Texas 1846 Monterey,
Vera Cruz (sic),
Cerro Gordo,
Contreras,
Churubusco, Molino del Rey, and
Chapultepec, and Texas 1846
American Civil War During the American Civil War, the 7th Infantry Regiment played a significant role in several key campaigns. In December 1862, they distinguished themselves during the
Battle of Fredericksburg, holding an advanced position on the southern side of the city. Despite facing intense enemy fire, they maintained their ground until ordered to withdraw, suffering the heaviest losses within their brigade. In May 1863, at the
Battle of Chancellorsville, the 7th Infantry Regiment was positioned on the north side of the Orange Turnpike. They captured a strategic hillcrest and held it against substantial resistance for over an hour before receiving orders to retreat. During the
Gettysburg campaign in July 1863, the regiment arrived on the battlefield on July 2 and initially took position on the north slope of Little Round Top. They advanced across Plum Run toward the Wheatfield, where they faced heavy fire from multiple directions. Despite suffering over 50% casualties, the "Cottonbalers" managed to withdraw to safety on Little Round Top. Following Gettysburg, the regiment was deployed to New York City to address the
draft riots and remained on garrison duty there until the war's conclusion. The regiment would receive 14 campaign streamers for actions during the Civil War.
Spanish–American War The Seventh Infantry regiment fought at
El Caney and
San Juan Hill.
World War I The regiment has been associated with the
Third Infantry Division since that unit was established in World War I. The unit is credited with participation in the
Aisne Defensive, the battle of
Château-Thierry, the defense of the
Champagne-Marne region and the attacks at
Aisne-Marne,
Meuse-Argonne, and
Saint-Mihiel.
Interwar period The 7th Infantry arrived at the port of New York on 22 August 1919 on the
USS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria and was transferred 27 August 1919 to
Camp Pike,
Arkansas. The regiment was again transferred on 20 September 1921 to
Camp (later Fort) Lewis,
Washington, and on 27 September 1922 to
Vancouver Barracks, Washington. Concurrently, the 2nd Battalion was transferred to
Chilkoot Barracks,
Territory of Alaska, where it absorbed the personnel and equipment of the inactivated 2nd Battalion,
59th Infantry Regiment. The initial wartime mission of the 7th Infantry in accordance with established war plans was to conduct a mobile defense of possible amphibious landing areas in support of the Harbor Defenses of the
Columbia River. The regiment participated in the making of the
First National Pictures movie “
The Patent Leather Kid” during March–April 1927. In April 1933, the regiment assumed command and control of the Vancouver Barracks
Civilian Conservation Corps District. Company D was awarded the Edwin Howard Clark trophy for machine gun marksmanship for 1935. The 2nd Battalion was transferred on 18 October 1939 to Camp Bonneville, Washington, and to Vancouver Barracks on 7 May 1940, while the entire regiment was transferred 7 February 1941 to Fort Lewis.
World War II During World War II, the regiment fought German forces on three fronts, North Africa, Italy, and Northwest Europe. It conducted four amphibious landings against beach defenses earning a spearhead device on the streamers awarded for these battles. In 1942, the regiment conducted an amphibious landing in
Morocco. On 10 July 1943, the regiment made an amphibious assault at
Licata,
Operation Husky Mollarella, Poliscia, Torre di Gaffe e Rocca San Nicola beaches starting the
Allied invasion of Sicily. In 1944, it landed at
Anzio, conducted a breakout and drove towards Rome. In August 1944, the regiment landed again, this time in Southern France as part of
Operation Dragoon, advancing up the Rhone River to the German frontier. After fighting in the Vosges and in the Alsace at the
Colmar Pocket the 7th crossed the Rhine into Germany. Taking part in the seizure of Munich it headed for Austria, reaching the Salzburg area in the waning days of the war. After the 3rd Division is able to capture the key bridges over the Saalach River, the regiment commanded by Colonel
John A. Heintges upon direct orders from division commander General John O'Daniel entered Hitler's retreat at
Berchtesgaden on 4 May 1945. See also American Courage, American Carnage Video Transcript Presentation by John C. McManus.
Korean War After World War II the 7th Infantry Regiment remained a part of the
3rd Infantry Division. This would be the last war that the Cottonbalers would fight as a Regimental Combat Team (RCT). When the Korean War began in June 1950, the Seventh (7th) Infantry Regiment was located at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Already at reduced strength, the regiment was further decimated when a battalion from Fort Devens was redesignated as the Third Battalion, Eighth Cavalry Regiment, and sent to Korea to join the First Cavalry Division. The 7th Regiment sailed from San Francisco, California, on 20 August 1950, and landed in Japan on 16 September 1950. There its strength was augmented by hundreds of
KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army—Korean conscripts detailed to serve with U.S. units). Two months later, the regiment embarked again and landed at
Wonsan on Korea's eastern coast on 21 November 1950. It joined with the 15th and 65th Infantry Regiments and moved to the northwest of the Hungnam area where it covered vis-à-vis
Task Force Dog from Chinhung-ni, the Army's
X Corps forward elements (
1st Marine Division and
7th Infantry Division Regimental Combat Team RCT 31 (AKA
Task Force Faith)) withdrawal from the
Chosin Reservoir and, joining the perimeter defense for the
Hungnam Evacuation during the Chinese
People's Volunteer Army (PVA)
Second Phase Campaign. The 7th Regiment was the last unit off of Pink Beach at Hungnam and withdrew by sea on 24 December 1950; they moved into position north of
Seoul as part of the Eighth U.S. Army's defensive line participating in the PVA
April 1951 spring offensive. During the next two years, the regiment supported 3rd Division's combat operations in the
Chorwon-
Kumwha area, fought at the
Battle of Jackson Heights and Arrowhead outposts, and blocked a
PVA push in the Kumsong Area in July 1953. During eight campaigns on the Korean battlefield, the elements of the 7th Infantry were awarded Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations. In addition, the First Battalion, Seventh Infantry Regiment won a
Distinguished Unit Citation for its bravery at Choksong, the Second Battalion for its bravery at Kowang-ni and the Third Battalion for bravery at
Segok.
Vietnam War The 3rd Battalion served under the
199th Light Infantry Brigade during the Vietnam War. 3rd Battalion was activated on June 1, 1966, at
Fort Benning, Georgia, the battalion was deployed to Vietnam, engaging in extensive combat operations over the course of 11 campaigns. One notable engagement was during the
Tet Offensive in early 1968. The battalion was instrumental in recapturing areas of Saigon, including the Phu Tho Racetrack in Cholon, where they successfully dislodged entrenched Viet Cong forces. Their actions during this period earned them a Valorous Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism. In December 1967, the 3rd Battalion participated in Operation Manchester, aimed at disrupting Viet Cong activities in the Tân Uyên District. The battalion established Firebase Keane and conducted operations that resulted in significant enemy casualties, contributing to the overall mission's success.
Modern era Presently, the regiment consists of mechanized infantry units equipped with the M-2
Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and a light infantry battalion. • 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry,
Fort Stewart, Georgia, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division • 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, in 1973–75 was a maneuver battalion of the 197th Separate Infantry Brigade then reorganizing and training as the XVIII Airborne Corps heavy force element. The battalion, continuing to be organized as an infantry battalion in the early phase of the 197th Brigade's reorganization into a separate mechanized infantry brigade, performed a number of important missions for the Army during this period one of which was the support of the U. S. Army Infantry Board with a detachment of 69 then 49 soldiers from headquarters and A companies to conduct the Squad Automatic Weapons Developmental/Operational Tests 1 and 2 for four months. Subsequently, the battalion became an element of the 24th Infantry Division and later the battalion operated as a maneuver battalion (light infantry battalion) of 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Ft. Stewart, Georgia. The 1st and 2nd Battalions and, as already noted the 3rd Battalion, were assigned to the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division (United States) at
Fort Stewart, Georgia on 16 December 1987. Elements of all three battalions of the 7th Infantry Regiment saw action in the
Persian Gulf as part of
Operation Desert Storm,
Kosovo and, more recently,
Operation Iraqi Freedom. On 16 February 1996, the battalions were assigned to the
3rd Infantry Division. ;1990–91 Gulf War The 1st Battalion 7th Infantry Regiment and the 4th Battalion 7th Infantry Regiment (from Aschaffenburg, Germany) patrolled the Czechoslovakia border with Germany for years in preparation for war with The Soviet Union (USSR). They served during Operation(s) Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and both battalions of the regiment were to serve in the theater of operations. The battalions belonged to 3rd (Phantom) Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. The brigade itself was a round-out brigade for the 1st Armored Division and served as "Old Ironsides" lead element 1st brigade. The 4th battalion consisted of 4 companies of the new M2-A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, of which three companies had some augmented mix of M1 Abrams tanks attached from the brigade's 4th Battalion-
66th Armor Regiment. Only Bravo company 4/7 "Blackhawks" remained wholly infantry. It was the mission of Bravo Company to conduct urban and trench warfare for the battalion. Several regiment personnel received Silver and Bronze Stars with "V" devices for their actions during the ground war phase. Both 1/7 and 4/7 participated in the largest tank battle in US history: The Battle of Medina Ridge. The Battle of Medina Ridge was a decisive tank battle fought during the Gulf War on 27 February 1991, between the U.S. 1st Armored Division and the entrenched 2nd Brigade of the Iraqi Republican Guard Medina Luminous Division outside Basra. It is estimated more than 5,000 vehicles (A mix of tanks, armored fighting vehicles, armored transports, heavy & light trucks-shared by both sides) clashed during this particular engagement. The 1st Armored Division, commanded by Major General Ron Griffith, consisted of some 3,000 vehicles including 348 M1A1 Abrams tanks. The brunt of the fighting at Medina Ridge was conducted by the 3rd (Phantom) Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division which was the only brigade from the 3rd Infantry Division in the war. The brigade replaced 1st Armored Division's 1st Brigade and was commanded by Colonel James Riley. Medina Ridge was one of the few battles during Desert Storm in which American forces encountered significant Iraqi resistance and found it extremely difficult to advance. During the battle, American forces suffered one fatality (An M3 Bradley Scout driver - SPC Cash-from 4th Battalion, 66th Armor) due to friendly fire, while destroying 186 Iraqi tanks (mostly T-72Ms, Asad Babils, and Type 69s), and 127 armored vehicles. Only four Abrams tanks were hit by direct fire and disabled; none were destroyed. Upon returning from Iraq in May 1991, both battalions of the 7th Infantry Regiment and the rest of Phantom Brigade received orders to deactivate and draw down from Aschaffenburg, Germany. During the summer of 1992, 4/7 Infantry regiment closed its doors at Fiori Kaserne for the last time. ;Gulf War During the Gulf War, two units of the 7th Infantry Regiment fell in the ranks of VII Corps. Corps normally command three divisions at full strength (other units such as artillery, corps-level engineers, and support units are attached as well). However, VII Corps had far more firepower under its command. 2/7 and 3/7 served with the 24th Infantry Division during the first gulf war, deploying from Fort Stewart Georgia, as part of the XVIII Airborne Corps. VII Corps' principal combat strength consisted of the following units: U.S. 1st & 3rd Armored Divisions, and U.S. 1st Infantry Division. In addition, the U.S. 2nd Cavalry Regiment (scout force), US 1st Cavalry Division, and British 1st Armored Division, as well as the U.S. 11th Aviation Group were attached for the operation. ;Operation Iraqi Freedom Both the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 7th Infantry Regiment assigned to 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the regiment's most notable achievements included seizing crossing sites over the Euphrates River and seizing the Iraqi regime's most prized possessions,
Baghdad International Airport. SFC
Paul Ray Smith, assigned to Company B, 11th Engineer Battalion, which directly supported 7th Infantry Regiment and was the first soldier awarded the Medal of Honor in the Global War on Terror for his actions in Iraq. They returned to Fort Stewart in September 2003. , Afghanistan. The 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, was reassigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division in 2004, upon the creation of that new unit. Prior to that, the 3-7th Infantry had been assigned to the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. This was a product of 3rd Infantry Division transforming to the new modular
brigade concept after its return from Iraq in late 2003. 2-7th Infantry remained with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, while 3-7th Infantry joined the new 4th Brigade Combat Team. Delta Companies were also established in both 2nd and 3rd Battalions, designated as armor units and its infantry C Companies reorganized under 3-69 AR and 4-64 AR respectively while their C Companies moved under the infantry battalions to form combat arms battalions (CAB). Under transformation, E Companies were added from the 11th Engineer Battalion and forward support companies were added to support the CAB. After a tough train-up period during 2004, the reorganized 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 7th Infantry Regiment deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom III with their respective brigade combat teams (1st and 4th Brigade Combat Teams). 2-7 Infantry deployed to
Iraq for a second tour in December 2004 until January 2006, to Saddam Hussien's hometown of
Tikrit. The 3rd Battalion assumed responsibility of Western Rashid in
Baghdad, an area encompassing more than 800,000 Iraqis. The 7th Infantry Regiment's most notable achievement was ensuring the security of over 100 polling sites during two Iraqi national elections. In January 2007, 2-7 Infantry deployed to Iraq for a third, 15-month tour. The unit served in
Al Anbar Governorate, the largest province in Iraq, under the command and control of Multi-National Forces West. TF 2-7 deployed to
Hīt, with Company C, 2-7 IN attached to TF
3-69 AR (Speed and Power) in south-central
Ramadi. Cold Steel was instrumental, with its Iraqi Army and Police partners in bringing peace and stability to Ramadi during the
Anbar Awakening. The 2nd Battalion redeployed in April 2008. In 2007 the 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division was alerted for deployment to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in late 2007. 3-7 Infantry became critical to the success of the surge ordered by President Bush. Numerous Operations were conducted, and most notably Operation Marne Avalanche. One AO in particular (Wasit Provence) was controlled by a single armor platoon of 16 men and was the largest AO in Iraq. The 4th Brigade, including the 3-7th Infantry, continued to serve in that country into 2008. In December 2009, 2-7 Infantry deployed to Iraq for a fourth time as an advise and assist battalion. B-Co. 2-7 was located south of Baghdad in the town of Mahmudiyah. From July 2010 to July 2011, 3-7 Infantry deployed to
Ramadi with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation New Dawn, with Attack Company providing Advise and Assist to the Iraqi Army at
Al-Taqqaddum Air Base. After the new year, the Cottonbalers moved to
al Asad Airbase where they provided training to the Iraqi Army before redeploying to a brand new Light Infantry Brigade facility at
Fort Stewart, Georgia. ;Operation Enduring Freedom From September 2012 to May 2013, 2/7 Infantry deployed to numerous locations in some of the most rugged and hostile areas throughout Afghanistan as part of a Combined Joint Special Operations task force. The battalion returned to Fort Stewart at the end of this deployment. In March 2013, 3/7 Infantry deployed to Logar Province, Afghanistan as division reserve force at Forward Operating Base Shank. They returned to the United States at the end of the year.
Decorations • Navy Unit Commendation for HIT, Iraq (13 January 2007 – 26 March 2008) attachment to 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for COLMAR • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for
CHOKSONG • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for
SEGOK • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for
KOWANG-NI • Valorous Unit Award for SAIGON – LONG BINH (3-7 INF) • Presidential Unit Citation IRAQ – KUWAIT (1990–91) • Valorous Unit Award for IRAQ – KUWAIT (1990–91)(C co 3-7 INF per DAGO 1994-27) • Meritorious Unit Award (Army) for IRAQ – KUWAIT (1990–91) • Army Superior Unit Award for 1994 • French Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star, World War I for AISNE-MARNE • French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II for COLMAR • French Croix de Guerre, World War II, Fourragere • Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for UIJONGBU CORRIDOR • Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for IRON TRIANGLE • Chryssoun Aristion Andrias (Bravery Gold Medal of Greece) for KOREA • Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM I (2003) • Valorous Unit Award for Operation Iraqi Freedom III
Notable members •
James Arness, actor •
Lloyd James Austin III, General, Commander, United States Forces – Iraq •
Hugh B. Casey Major, United States Army • Pat W. Crizer, Lieutenant General •
Garlin Murl Conner (24 January 1945),
Medal of Honor recipient (Posthumous) •
Jerry K. Crump (6 & 7 September 1951) Medal of Honor recipient •
Rudolph B. Davila (28 May 1944),
Medal of Honor recipient •
John Essebagger Jr. (25 April 1951) Medal of Honor recipient •
Charles L. Gilliland (25 April 1951) Medal of Honor recipient •
Clair Goodblood (24 & 25 April 1951) Medal of Honor recipient • John S. Guthrie, Major General •
Harold K. Johnson, General, Army Chief of Staff, 1964 to 1968 •
Noah O. Knight (23 & 24 November 1951) Medal of Honor recipient •
Darwin K. Kyle (16 February 1951) Medal of Honor recipient •
John M. LeMoyne, Lieutenant General •
John McLennon, Sgt - Medal of Honor recipient (Indian Wars) •
Leroy A. Mendonca (4 July 1951) Medal of Honor recipient •
Troy H. Middleton, Lieutenant General, corps commander during World War II •
Hiroshi H. Miyamura (24 & 25 April 1951) Medal of Honor recipient • Harley F. Mooney Jr., Brigadier General •
James M. J. Sanno, brigadier general •
Paul Ray Smith (4 April 2003) Medal of Honor recipient •
Jose F. Valdez (25 January 1945) Medal of Honor recipient •
Frederick C. Weyand, General, Army Chief of Staff, 1974 to 1976 •
Zachary Taylor, Major General (US Army); 12th President of the United States ==Other units called "7th Infantry Regiment"==