158th Infantry Regiment (United States)
| 158th Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
Coat of arms
|
|
| Active |
1865-1967 2005 – present |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Allegiance |
 Arizona
|
| Branch | Arizona Army National Guard |
| Type |
Infantry 
|
| Nickname(s) | Bushmasters (special designation) |
| Motto(s) | Cuidado (Take Care) |
| Engagements |
Indian Wars Mexican Expedition World War I World War II War in Afghanistan |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
LTC David Pidone |
| Command Sergeant Major | CSM Daniel Figueroa |
| Notable commanders |
Hanford MacNider |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |  |
| U.S. Infantry Regiments | |
|---|---|
| Previous | Next |
| 157th Infantry Regiment | 159th Infantry Regiment |
1865-1967
The 158th Infantry Regiment ("Bushmasters") is an infantry unit of the Arizona National Guard. The regiment has served abroad in World War I, World War II and Afghanistan.
In 1967 then Governor of Arizona Jack Williams signed into law that 3 December would be "Bushmaster Day" in the State of Arizona in honor of the regiment's service.
The 158th Infantry takes its lineage directly from the Confederate Arizona Scout Companies raised by Arizona Territory Governor, John Robert Baylor The Arizonians engaged in hit and run tactics against the invading Union forces of the California Column, their most successful encounter being the Battle of Picacho Pass. However Confederate forces were soon forced to abandon Arizona and retreat into Texas. The Arizona Scout Companies formed under the command of Lt. Col. Philemon T. Herbert and would continue to fight through the war until Southern defeat in 1865. Returning Civil War veterans and citizens formed on 2 September 1865 the 1st Arizona Volunteer Infantry part of Arizona Army National Guard. It participated in a number of campaigns against the Apache during the Apache Wars and comprised companies of Maricopa and Pima American Indians.
During the Spanish–American War the unit adopted as the motto "Cuidado" a Spanish word meaning "take care" in reference to when they would patrol for them to be on guard. However later the term would be applied far more liberally when the 158th was conducting jungle warfare training in Panama and the deadly pit viper from which they drew their nickname infested the jungle, from here Bushmasters would tell each other to beware of the snake. In 1916, during the Pancho Villa Expedition, an expeditionary force led by General John Pershing into Mexico, the 1st Arizona Volunteer Infantry guarded and patrolled the border between Douglas and Naco, Arizona until World War I was declared on 6 April 1917.
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Wikipedia