394th Infantry Regiment (United States)

U.S. 394th Regiment
394th Infantry Regiment distinctive unit insignia
Active	1918, 1942-45, 1999 – present
Branch	United States Army Reserve
Role	Training and support
Motto(s)	"Audax et Cautus" (Bold And Wary)

The 394th Infantry Regiment was established on 23 July 1918 as the 394th Infantry and assigned to the 99th Division as a member of the National Army. It was demobilized on 30 November 1918, but was later reconstituted on 21 June 1921 as a member of the Organized Reserves just like the 99th Infantry Division. The regiment's headquarters was established at Pittsburgh, PA.

During World War II the 394th Infantry Regiment was called to active duty on 15 November 1942 and reorganized at Camp Van Dorn, Miss. During 1943-44, the 394th trained at various camps and maneuvers in the southern part of the U.S. The 394th arrived at Camp Miles Standish, Mass. in mid-September and within two weeks the regiment made its way onto transport ships to England. Between mid-October and early November the 394th was in Dorsetshire, England before arriving on 6 November 1944 in Le Havre, France. The 394th engaged in a variety of campaigns to include the Battle of the Bulge and the Ardennes Forest, Remagen Bridge, the Rhineland, and the Ruhr.

The 394th was inactivated on 29 September 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, Va. On 29 October 1998, the 394th Infantry Regiment was renamed the 1st Battalion, 394th Regiment, and assigned to the 75th Division, a training support division.

The 394th Infantry Regiment's Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon under the command of Lieutenant Lyle Bouck became the most decorated American unit of World War II due to the actions of the eighteen men of the platoon while fighting in the Battle of Lanzerath Ridge during the Battle of the Bulge. The platoon received the Presidential Unit Citation. Four members (including Bouck) received the Distinguished Service Cross, five the Silver Star, and nine the Bronze Star with V device. Additionally, every member of a four-man artillery observation team which joined their defense received the Distinguished Service Cross.