304th Infantry Regiment (United States)

304th Infantry Regiment
Coat of arms
Active	1917 – 19 1921 – 45 1946–present
Country	United States
Branch	U.S. Army
Type	Training unit
Part of	98th Division
Motto(s)	"Forward"
Engagements	World War I World War II Operation Iraqi Freedom
Battle honours	Battle of the Ardennes Battle of the Rhineland Battle of Central Germany
Insignia
Identification symbol

The 304th Infantry Regiment currently consists of two battalions in the United States Army Reserve. Regimental designation is used only in historical tradition. There is no regimental commander, staff or headquarters. The 1st Battalion, 304th Regiment is headquartered in Londonderry, New Hampshire, and the 3rd Battalion, 304th Regiment is headquartered in Saco, Maine.

The 304th Regiment was created primarily with men from Connecticut as part of the 76th Infantry Division on 29 August 1917, at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, for the purpose of fighting Imperial Germany in World War I. Colonel Joseph S. Herron was appointed as the unit's first commander and set sail with the unit from Boston Harbor on 7 July 1918. The unit arrived in England, rested, then crossed the Channel for Le Havre, France, on 27 July 1918. Once in place in France, the unit served as a replacement regiment, providing officers and soldiers to the units currently fighting on the front line.

The war ended on November 11, 1918, and the unit left France in 1919, being deactivated on 20 January 1919.

A year and a half after being deactivated, the unit was reorganized as part of the US Army Reserves on 24 June 1921. Having been primarily made up of personnel from the state of Connecticut, the regiment was headquartered in Hartford.

With America's declaration of war on Nazi Germany in 1941, units in the Reserve Forces were called to active duty. The 304th Regiment, with the rest of the 76th Division, was called to active duty on 15 June 1942, and sent to Fort Meade, Maryland, to prepare for deployment overseas. The regiment completed training on 28 September 1942, and would remain on casual status until 25 February 1943.