28th Infantry Regiment | |
---|---|
Coat of arms
|
|
Active | 1901–30 1940–45 1950–present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Army |
Type | Infantry |
Garrison/HQ | 1st Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia |
Nickname(s) | "Lions of Cantigny" (special designation) |
Motto(s) | Vincit amor patriae (Love of Country Conquers) |
Engagements |
Philippine–American War |
Commanders | |
Honorary Commander | Brig. Gen. (Ret.) James E. Shelton |
Honorary CSM | Cmd. Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) John Terry |
Notable commanders |
Lt. Col. Terry de la Mesa Allen, Jr. |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia |
U.S. Infantry Regiments | |
---|---|
Previous | Next |
27th Infantry Regiment | 29th Infantry Regiment |
Philippine–American War
World War I
Since the establishment of the United States Army in 1775, three regiments have held the designation 28th Infantry Regiment. The first was a provisional unit that was constituted on 29 January 1813 and served during The War of 1812. The second was a reorganization and redesignation of 2nd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment on 1 October 1866 for the American Indian Wars. This incarnation of the 28th Infantry Regiment lasted until 15 March 1869, when it was consolidated back into the 19th Infantry Regiment. The third version of the 28th Infantry Regiment is the one that has the permanent designation and history, and is the one this article is about.
The regiment first saw combat service from December 1901 to January 1904 during the Philippine–American War where the regiment was heavily involved in counter-guerrilla operations. During the years 1906–1908, the regiment, minus one battalion, performed guard and police duty as part of the American forces of Cuban Occupation.
In 1913, the 28th Infantry was ordered to Texas to assist in guarding the Mexican border against raids by Pancho Villa. Following the entry of the US into World War I, the regiment was assigned on 8 June 1917 to the First Expeditionary Division which later became the 1st Infantry Division. On 29 June 1917, the men of Company K became the first American combat unit to set foot on European soil at Saint-Nazaire, France. During the Battle of Cantigny, the 28th attacked the Germans and earned the moniker; "The Black Lions of Catigny."
The 28th Infantry again distinguished itself in combat during World War II as part of the 8th Infantry Division. After landing on Utah Beach on 4 July 1944, its first action was an attack to the south to establish a critical bridgehead over the Ay River so that armored divisions could launch a breakout and then attack into Brittany and Northern France. During its ten months of combat, the regiment played a major part in four allied campaigns – winning three Presidential Unit Citations embroidered Normandy, Bergstein and Stockheim. It captured over 115,000 prisoners and vast stores of enemy material.