17th U.S. Infantry
| 17th Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
Coat of arms
|
|
| Active | 1861–present |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Branch |
 United States Army
|
| Type | Infantry |
| Garrison/HQ |
Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Fort Bliss |
| Nickname(s) | "The Buffalos" |
| Motto(s) | Truth and Courage |
| Engagements |
American Civil War Spanish–American War World War II Korean War Vietnam War Panama Iraq Afghanistan |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
William Wilson Quinn |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |  |
| U.S. Infantry Regiments | |
|---|---|
| Previous | Next |
| 16th Infantry Regiment | 18th Infantry Regiment |
The 17th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry regiment. An earlier regiment designated the 17th Infantry Regiment was organized on 11 January 1812, but it was consolidated with four other regiments as the 3rd Infantry in the post-war reorganization of the army following the War of 1812, due to the shattering losses it sustained at the River Raisin. The current 17th Infantry was constituted as the 17th Regiment of Infantry on 3 May 1861.
The 17th Infantry Regiment served in the Army of the Potomac, in Sykes' Division of the 5th Army Corps. Its badge was a white cross patee.
During the Fredericksburg, the 17th Infantry suffered heavy losses in the assault on Robert E. Lee's Confederates entrenched behind a stone wall. "For one entire day, (December 14) the men of the 17th lay flat on their faces eighty yards in front of the famous stone wall, behind which the enemy was posted in large numbers and any movement on their part was sure to draw the fire of rebel sharpshooters."
A five-bastioned fort, shown on a blue shield above and to the right of a stone wall, was the badge of the 5th Army Corps in Cuba during the Spanish American War in 1898.
A buffalo, displayed on the a shield below the stone wall, represents the regiment's history in the Korean war. The "Buffalo" nickname was adopted at the suggestion of the 17th Regiment's commander in the Korea, Col. William W. "Buffalo Bill" Quinn.
The shield is blue, as it is the color of the infantry.
The crest is a sea lion taken from the Spanish Arms of Manila to represent the fighting for that city in 1898.
...
Wikipedia