14th Infantry Regiment
(Golden Dragons)
| [Introduction] | [History 1861-1951] | [Korean War] | [Between Wars] |
| [Vietnam] | [Post-Vietnam] | [War on Terrorism] | [Coat of Arms and Insignia] |
| [Lineage and Honors] |
INTRODUCTION
At the end of the Civil War when asked where the 14th U.S. Infantry Regiment should be placed in the Grand Review in Richmond, Virginia celebrating the Union victory, General George Meade, Commander of the Army of the Potomac said, “To the right of the line. The 14th has always been to the front in battle and deserves the place of honor.”Since its constitution in 1861, the 14th Infantry Regiment has compiled a distinguished record of service with the United States Army. The Golden Dragons have been “to the front in battle” in the Civil War, the Indian Wars, the War with Spain, the China Relief Expedition, the Philippine Insurrection, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and currently in the War on Terrorism.
CIVIL WAR
With civil war looming in May 1861, President Lincoln directed the constitution and organization of eight additional Regular Army Infantry regiments (a ninth was shortly added). These regiments were designated the 11th through the 19th Infantry. The 14th U.S Infantry Regiment was constituted on 3 May 1861 and organized at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut on 1 July 1861. On 13 March 1862 the 14th Infantry joined the Regular Corps of the Army of the Potomac commanded by General Sykes and composed of Regular Army Infantry regiments. On 30 April 1862, the 2nd Battalion from which the present 14th Infantry descends was redesignated the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry and the original 1st Battalion was redesignated the 2nd Battalion. The 14th saw its first combat action in the Peninsula Campaign. The Regiment went on to see heavy combat in twelve Civil War campaigns including the famous battles at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness and Petersburg.
The lack of an effective system of replacing casualties in Infantry regiments resulted in the regiments becoming progressively smaller as the war continued. The small size of the units and the detailing of field-grade officers to higher staffs often resulted in a Regiment being led by a company grade officer when in the field. Such was the case with the 14th which was often led into battle by its legendary senior Captain Paddy O’Connell, an officer much admired throughout the Regiment because he always put the care of his soldiers first, his officers second and himself last.
INDIAN WARS
The end of the Civil War saw the resumption of the Indian Wars as the tide of population flowed westward. Warring Indian nations and frontier lawlessness had to be suppressed and the task fell to the Regular Army. To strengthen the Army for frontier service a major reorganization and expansion of the Regular Army Infantry regiments took place in 1866. On 21 September 1866 the 1st Battalion was reorganized and expanded as the 14th Infantry Regiment. The 2nd Battalion became the 23rd Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion became the 32nd Infantry Regiment (later inactivated in 1869). Finally on 26 July 1869 the 45th Infantry of the Veteran’s Reserve Corps was consolidated with the 14th Infantry.
The 14th Infantry was sent to the Presidio of San Francisco in 1865 and from there the line companies were posted to stations in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington where they provided security for settlers and Army installations as well as participating in campaigns against hostile Indian tribes. Companies of the 14th fought the Apaches in 1866 in Arizona.
During the 1870’s the 14th was assigned to Fort Randall, Dakota Territory where for a period of ten years, the Regiment fought the Sioux and other Indian tribes in the northwest. In 1874, elements of the 14th operated against Indian tribes that were raiding ranches and mines in the Wyoming territory. In 1876 companies of the 14th participated in the Little Big Horn campaign pursuing the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes after they had wiped out Custer and five companies of the 7th Cavalry. In 1878 elements of the 14th participated in the Bannock Campaign in southern Idaho against the Bannock and Piute tribes. For its service in the Indian Wars the 14th received participation credit for four campaigns: Little Big Horn, Bannocks, Arizona 1866, and Wyoming 1874.
In 1884 the Regiment was assigned to Vancouver Barracks, Washington where it remained for fourteen years. In 1898 the 14th deployed three rifle companies to the coast of southeastern Alaska to represent U.S. interests in a boundary dispute with Canada. An international commission subsequently ruled in favor of the United States.
WAR WITH SPAIN AND THE PHILIPPINE INSURRECTION
With the declaration of war with Spain the 14th Infantry was ordered to the Philippines. On 2 July 1898 the 14th landed at Cavite Arsenal and a few days later participated on the siege and capture of Manila from Spanish forces.
But the expected peace did not last. The Spanish-American War which ended on 12 August 1898 only marked the beginning of the 14th Infantry’s operations in Philippines. Aguinaldo, the leader in the Filipino insurrection against Spain, had pronounced himself as the provincial head of the Filipino government and had begun active preparations to drive the Americans out. The first incident occurred on 4 February 1899 when the American troops defending Manila were attacked. The insurrection was to last nearly three years. Tropic heat, torrential rain, deep mud and jungle fever were the allies of the insurrectionists. Pitched battles were rare and except for the major engagements at Manila, Laguna de Bay, Zapote River and Cavite, minor skirmishes, ambushes, long marches and reconnaissance occupied the 14th Infantry in 1899.
The 14th Infantry’s service in the Philippines lasted from August 1898 to November 1899. It credited for participation in six campaigns. The 14th Infantry returned to the United States and was stationed in Michigan at Fort Brady and Fort Wayne.
CHINA RELIEF EXPEDITION
In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion broke out in China. Dissident Chinese who opposed the growing western influence in China attacked foreign missions. An international force responded to rescue the diplomats trapped in Peking. General Adna R. Chaffee led the American component that included the 14th Infantry. The Regiment reached China on 28 July 1900, and immediately struck out for Peking. On August 7 there was a sharp engagement in the village of Yang-tsun. The 14th, leading the international column, assaulted and captured the town. On 13 August the Regiment reached the walls of Peking.
The Chinese firing from the top of the Tarter Wall halted the advance and it was deemed necessary to seize it before attempting to storm the gates. To do so required getting soldiers on the wall which was some 30 feet high. However the Regiment had no ropes or ladders to scale it. The Boxers had not physically occupied a section of the wall but it was covered by Chinese fire. There were many loose bricks in this section of the wall and it seemed possible for soldiers, by placing their hands and feet in the crevices, to scale the wall. Volunteers were called for. Musician Calvin P. Titus of Company E volunteered and was selected to make the first try. He struggled up the face of the wall and reached the top safely. Other soldiers followed Titus’ courageous lead, and the 14th was soon in control of the wall.
There was now some danger that the infantrymen on the wall might be mistaken for the enemy and be fired upon by other international troops. It was decided to place an American flag on the ramparts. A mounted messenger brought the Stars and Stripes through heavy fire to the foot of the wall, where it was quickly hauled to the top and unfurled with a loud American cheer.
The next day the Regiment resumed its advance, supported by artillery fire from Battery F, 5th Artillery which blew down the gates to the Imperial City. The enemy was forced from the remaining three high walls and late in the afternoon from the sacred Forbidden City itself. Soon after, the Chinese rebels capitulated. The 14th was selected to lead the entry of allied troops into the fallen city. The 14th Infantry received campaign streamers for the battles of Yang-tsun and Peking.
For his heroic deed, Calvin P. Titus was awarded the Medal of Honor and an appointment to West Point. The Chinese dubbed the Americans “Golden Dragons” for their fierce fighting spirit. The Chinese government in gratitude to the American troops for helping to defeat the Boxer Rebellion presented the 14th Infantry several bars of silver bullion. These were molded into a regimental punch bowl, which was named the Calvin P. Titus Bowl.
REGIMENTAL ACTIVITIES 1901-1920
The Golden Dragons returned to Manila for garrison duty in 1901. It was then ordered back to United States in 1902. The 3rd Battalion was split up between Fort Porter and Niagara, New York. It was while at Fort Porter that Companies K and L stood guard over the house in which President McKinley lay dying from an assassin’s bullet. Company I escorted the body to Canton, Ohio and stood guard as he lay in state.
In 1903, the 14th was again ordered to the Philippines with the Regiment performing garrison duties on the island of Samar for two years then returning in 1905 to its old home at Vancouver Barracks, Washington.
Ordinary garrison duty occupied the Regiment until 18 April 1906, when almost all the business section of San Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake and the resulting fire. The 14th Infantry was ordered to the city to aid in the recovery effort and to preserve law and order. Until the end of June 1906, the Regiment remained in San Francisco protecting property, issuing relief supplies and supporting the police force. Soon after the Regiment returned to Vancouver it was departed for a third tour of duty in the Philippines; returning in 1910 to North Dakota and Montana.
In 1913 the 1st Battalion was sent to Alaska and the remainder of the Regiment was split between Forts Lawton and George Wright, Washington. In 1915 after graduating from West Point as a 2nd Lieutenant, Omar N. Bradley was assigned to the 14th Infantry and served with the Golden Dragons until 1919 commanding Company F and then the 2nd Battalion. (In WWII he led the 12th Army Group in 1944-1945 and in 1949 he was appointed the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and promoted to the five star rank of General of the Army in 1950.) The Mexican border troubles of 1916 drew the 2nd and 3rd Battalions to Arizona. The battalions operated from Fort Douglas and later Yuma, Arizona patrolling the border from 11 May 1916 to 21 May 1917. Upon the entrance of the United States into World War I in 1917 the 14th was ordered back to Vancouver Barracks to prepare for overseas service. However before orders were received for France the Armistice was signed.
PANAMA
In 1920 the 14th Infantry was reassigned to the Panama Canal Zone. It arrived in Panama on 27 October 1920 and was stationed at Fort Davis with the mission of guarding the Gatun Locks. For the next 23 years the 14th remained in the Canal Zone where it adopted a secondary unofficial nickname of “Jungleers” as it acquired substantial expertise in conducting jungle operations. The 14th Infantry’s parade ground O’Connell Field at Fort Davis was named in honor of the regiment’s Captain Paddy O’Connell of Civil War fame. See photographs of the 14th Infantry in Panama.
WORLD WAR II
In June 1943 the Golden Dragons were ordered from Panama to Camp Carson Colorado where on 10 July 1943 the Regiment was assigned to the 71st Light Division organized to conduct jungle warfare. The 14th along with the rest of the 71st Division underwent unit combat training at Camp Carson then at Camp Roberts, California and at Fort Benning Georgia. On 26 May 1944 at Fort Benning the 71st Light Division was reorganized from a light to a standard Infantry division and redesignated as the 71st Infantry Division.
On 25 January the Golden Dragons with the rest of the 71st Division arrived in Le Harve, France on 6 February 1945. The 14th then moved some 350 miles across France. At Ratzwiller Germany the 71st Division relieved the 100th Division. On 21 March 1945 the 14th took part in the 71st Division’s breaching of the Siegfried Line and the capture of Piermasens. On 30 March the 71st crossed the Rhine and went into reserve near Frankfurt.
The 14th Infantry then participated along with its sister Regiment the 5th Infantry, in the elimination of bypassed German forces north of Hanau, Germany on 2 April 1945. On 13 April the Golden Dragons cut the main Berlin to Munich autobahn. On 14-16 April the 14th participated in its heaviest combat as the 71st Division seized the town of Bayreuth, Germany. Bypassing German strong points, the 71st Division sped south with the 14th Infantry crossing the Danube and participating in the seizure of the city of Regensburg on 27 April. From there the 14th made an assault crossing of the Isar River under fire and entered Austria on 2 May 1945. The 71st Division linked up with advancing Soviet Army units east of Linz, Austria on 8 May 45 and hostilities ceased on 9 May 45. The 14th Infantry received campaign participation credit for the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns.
REGIMENTAL ACTIVITIES 1945-1951
The 71st Infantry Division remained on occupation duty until 10 March 1946 when it was returned to the US and inactivated. Both the 14th and the 5th Infantry Regiments were reassigned to U.S. Forces, European Theater and remained on occupation duty. The Golden Dragons were inactivated on 1 September 1946 in Germany.
On 1 October 1948 the 14th Infantry Regiment was reactivated at Camp Carson Colorado as the main component of the 14th Regimental Combat Team assigned to the Fifth Army with the mission of mountain warfare.
KOREAN WAR
In responding to the North Korean invasion of South Korea in June 1950 the U.S. Army found itself desperately short of units to halt the Communist advance. Continental U.S. (CONUS) units were stripped of personnel and equipment and sent to Korea on a priority basis. On 21 July 1950 the 3rd Battalion, 14th Infantry was reassigned to the Far East Command and then to the 1st Cavalry Division where it was redesignated as the 3rd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment. Unlike other units that had been cobbled together at the last minute, the 3rd Battalion, 14th Infantry was at full strength and due to its rigorous training in mountain warfare was in excellent shape to fight in the Korean mountains.
On 23 July 1951, the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry was transferred to Fort Benning where it was assigned to and redesignated as a battalion in one of the 3rd Infantry Division’s regiments. The 3rd Division was initially sent to Japan then to Korea. The remaining personnel and equipment of the 14th Infantry at Camp Carson were reassigned to other CONUS units. On 1 August 1951 the 14th Infantry less personnel and equipment was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division then fighting in Korea. To man and equip the 14th Infantry the assets of the 34th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Division, then conducting Infantry training in Japan, were used. The 14th Infantry moved to Korea where it replaced the 24th Infantry Regiment, which was being inactivated as part of the integration of the Army.
The next two years found the Regiment in almost constant combat along the 38th Parallel occupying defensive positions like Heartbreak Ridge, Punchbowl and Pork Chop Hill and conducting aggressive combat patrols. The 14th Infantry’s service in Korea earned the Regiment five campaign streamers and a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry at Munsan-Ni. Three Golden Dragons were awarded the Medal of Honor: PFC Bryant E. Womack, Medical Co, SGT Donn F. Porter Co G (both posthumously) and PFC Earnest E. West, Co. L.
PACIFIC STRATEGIC RESERVE
On 10 September 1954 the 25th Infantry Division was ordered back to its birthplace at Schofield Barracks, Territory of Hawaii. By 17 October all of the 14th Infantry had arrived at Schofield Barracks where the Regiment settled into garrison duties and began an intensive jungle warfare training program in accordance with the Tropic Lightning’s mission of being the Army’s strategic reserve for the Pacific.
In 1957 the Army concluded that tactical Infantry regiments would be obsolete on the atomic battlefield and decided to replace them with Infantry battle groups. To preserve the lineage and honors of the historic combat arms regiments the Army instituted the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS). The 14th Infantry was selected as one of the historic parent regiments in CARS. Initially the 14th Infantry fielded three battle groups and two separate rifle companies.
The 1st Battle Group, 14th Infantry (descending from Company A, 14th Infantry), was activated at Schofield Barracks on 1 February 1957 and assigned to the 25th Division. Personnel and equipment of the 14th not used to form the 1st Battle Group were used to man and equip the 2nd Battle Group, 19th Infantry one of four other battle groups being activated at Schofield Barracks at that time.
In 1963, the Army reorganized the Infantry divisions replacing the battle group with brigades and battalions. Thus, the 1st Battle Group, 14th Infantry was reorganized and redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry on 26 August 1963. Also activated and assigned to the 25th on that date was the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry (descending from Company B, 14th Infantry) which had previously served as the 2nd Battle Group, 14th Infantry at Fort Benning Georgia from 1957-1960. Both battalions were allocated to the newly formed 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division.
As part of the overall Division training program both battalions underwent tough, realistic unit training. This included the battalions going through the Division’s Jungle Warfare Center where all aspects of fighting in jungle warfare were taught including helicopter operations and patrolling.
Since 1963 the 25th Division, to include both battalions of the 14th Infantry, had been providing door gunners on temporary duty to helicopter units already in Vietnam. As the premier jungle warfare division of the Army it was only a matter of time before the Tropic Lightning would be ordered to Vietnam.
THE 14TH INFANTRY DURING THE VIETNAM WAR
1ST BATTALION
In the fall of 1965 the 25th Division received its expected orders to Vietnam. First to go was the 3rd Brigade. The 1st Battalion was transferred from the 1st Brigade to the 3rd Brigade to serve as the brigade’s third Infantry battalion. The urgency of getting the 3rd Brigade to the central highlands of Vietnam led to the Army and Air Force to undertake Operation Blue Light, a massive airlift of the 3rd Brigade from Hawaii to Pleiku. The airlift began on 28 December 1965 and was successfully concluded on 17 January 1966.
Commanded by LTC Gilbert Procter, Jr., the 1/ 14th spent most of 1966 operating along the Cambodian border as part of the 3rd Brigade’s mission of preventing the North Vietnamese from cutting South Vietnam in half. In November 1966, elements of the 1st Battalion engaged two battalions of the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Among the numerous Golden Dragons performing heroically during these engagements, two members of the 1st Battalion – 1st Lt. Joseph Grant and Sgt. Ted Belcher were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Addenda: 1st Battalion Operations Vietnam, 1966-1967.
The 1st Battalion was reassigned to the 4th Infantry Division on 1 August 1967 with the exchange of 3rd Brigades between the 25th and 4th Infantry Divisions. The 1st Battalion participated in a total of 12 Vietnam campaigns, receiving a Navy Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry in action at Chu Lai while attached to the 1st Marine Division from 10-15 September 1967. Company A received a Valorous Unit Award for action in Quang Ngai Province. In addition the 1st Battalion received four awards of the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm and one award of the Vietnam Civil Action Medal, First Class. While the 1st Battalion was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, CPL Thomas W. Bennett of Company C, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
On 8 December 1970 the 1st Battalion was reduced to zero strength at An Khe, Vietnam with the exception of a battalion color guard which returned the regimental and 1st Battalion colors to Schofield Barracks. On 15 December 1970 the 1st Battalion was reassigned to the 25th Division and the 3rd Battalion, 14th Infantry, (see below) was inactivated with its personnel and equipment reassigned to the 1st Battalion.
2ND BATTALION
The 1st Brigade of the 25th Division to which the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry was assigned, was scheduled to be the last of the 25th Division’s three maneuver brigades to deploy to Vietnam. The Brigade was shy two of its three Infantry battalions. Initially the plan was to activate and train two new battalions for the 1st Brigade but the timetable was too short. Adding to the problem was the need to heavily levy the 2nd Battalion for fillers for Infantry battalions of the 3rd Brigade, which left in December 1965 and of the 2nd Brigade, which departed Schofield in January 1966. To round out the 1st Brigade two battalions assigned to Alaska — the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry and the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry — were reassigned to the 1st Brigade on 14 January 1966.
By February 1966 the 2nd Battalion began receiving large numbers of replacements, most directly out of Advanced Individual Training. This resulted in an accelerated unit training program to ready the battalion for deployment. On 16 April 1966 the USNS Nelson M. Walker sailed from Pearl Harbor with the entire 1st Brigade aboard. The ship arrived at Vung Tau near Saigon on 28 April. The 2nd Battalion left the ship on 30 April and was moved by truck and aircraft to Cu Chi.
In their first two years in Vietnam the 2nd Battalion known as the Battle Dragons, made it clear to the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese that they were prepared to meet and defeat any attack on their unit. And they would take the offensive to seek out and destroy the enemy wherever he could be found.
In 1967 the 2nd Battalion conducted a variety of missions that took the Battalion from the Mekong Delta to War Zone C. The Battle Dragons shifted their base camp from Cu Chi to Tay Ninh in conjunction with stepped-up operations in War Zone C. For example, the operations in 1967 ranged in scope from security missions near Bien Hoa during Operation Uniontown and at Dau Tieng during Junction City to civil action efforts east of Cu Chi on Barking Sands, and Operation Yellowstone, a large-scale offensive operation in War Zone C at Katum.
In the four plus years of combat in Vietnam, the 2nd Battalion received participation credit for 12 campaigns of the Vietnam War. The battalion received two awards of the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm and one award of the Vietnam Civic Action Medal First Class. SSG Hammett L. Bowen Jr. Company C was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. On 8 December 1970 the 2nd Battalion at color guard strength left Vietnam and returned to Schofield Barracks. The battalion was inactivated on 5 June 1972. Addenda: 2nd Battalion Operations Vietnam, 1966-1968.
3RD BATTALION
To provide for a Pacific area strategic reserve for contingencies other than the ongoing Vietnam War, the Army activated the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks on 6 December 1969. The 3rd Battalion, 14th Infantry was activated as one of the 4th Brigade’s three Infantry battalions.
The 3rd Battalion (descending from Company C, 14th Infantry) was initially activated under CARS as the 3rd Battle Group, 14th Infantry on 1 June 1959 and assigned to the 102nd Infantry Division, U.S. Army Reserve at Kansas City, Missouri. The 3rd Battle Group was reorganized and redesignated as the 3rd Battalion, 14th Infantry on 1 April 1963. On 31 December 1965 the 3rd Battalion was inactivated. It was allotted back to the Regular Army on 6 December1969 and activated at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii as a component of the 4th Brigade, 25th Division.
With the 25th Division returning to Schofield Barracks from Vietnam to resume its traditional mission of being the strategic reserve for the Pacific area the 4th Brigade along with the 3rd Battalion 14th Infantry was inactivated on 15 December 1970. The personnel and equipment of the 3rd Battalion was used to re-man and re-equip the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry.
COMPANY E
Company E, 14th Infantry which had served in Korea from 1960-1966 as a rifle security company was activated in Vietnam on 30 June 1971 as a rifle security company. It was assigned to the U.S. Army Support Command with the mission of guarding the Long Binh support facility. Company E was inactivated on 20 November 1972, receiving campaign participation credit for the last four campaigns of the Vietnam War.
POST-VIETNAM
As part of the overall post-Vietnam draw-down of the Army only the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division remained active. The 1st Battalion 14th Infantry was assigned to the 1st Brigade and the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry was placed in an inactivate status but remained assigned to the Tropic Lightning.
In 1981 the Army replaced the Combat Arms Regimental System with the US Army Regimental System (USARS) in conjunction with the decision to replace the long-established individual replacement system with a unit replacement system featuring like-organized battalions of the same Regiment assigned to both CONUS and overseas commands.
Hence in 1986 the 14th Infantry was reorganized with four active light Infantry battalions. Two battalions were assigned to the 25th Infantry Division and two battalions were assigned to the 10th Mountain Division. However, the Army decided not to implement the unit rotational system, leading to the inactivations of two of the 14th Infantry battalions.
1ST BATTALION
The 1st Battalion, having been transferred to the 2nd Brigade from the 1st Brigade in 1972, remained assigned to the 25th Infantry Division.
2ND BATTALION
The 2nd Battalion was relieved from inactive assignment to 25th Division and assigned to the 10th Mountain Division on 17 January 1986 and reactivated at Fort Benning Georgia. The battalion was later reassigned to Fort Drum, New York. In 1993 the 2nd Battalion was deployed to Somalia as part of Operation Continue Hope. On 3 October 1993 the 2nd Battalion Quick Reaction Force fought a six hour battle with Somali militia to successfully rescue Rangers trapped in the capital of Mogadishu. For its gallantry the 2nd Battalion received a Valorous Unit Award. In 1997 the battalion was deployed to Haiti for several months and in 1997 it was deployed to Bosnia from March-to November 1997. It later deployed to Kosovo November 2001 to May 2002.
3RD BATTALION
The 3rd Battalion was activated on 6th November 1969, assigned to the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and was inactivated on 15 December 1970. On 17 January 1986 it was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division and reactivated at Fort Benning. It was later transferred to Fort Drum. On 15 April 1996 the 3rd Battalion was inactivated.
5TH BATTALION
Company E was redesignated on 16 September 1986 as Headquarters Company, 5th Battalion, 14th Infantry, assigned to the 25th Infantry Division and activated at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii with organic battalion elements concurrently constituted and activated. The 5th Battalion served with the 1st Brigade until inactivated on 15 August 1995.
The 14th Infantry Regiment continues to maintain the regimental tradition of being to the front in battle during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Beginning in March of 2003 to the present, battalions of the 14th have served multiple tours of duty in Iraq. Both the 1st and 2nd Battalions have gallantly engaged and defeated the insurgent enemy thus significantly contributing to stability in Iraq and bringing further battle honors to their Regiment.
1ST BATTALION
In January 2004 the 1st Battalion deployed to Iraq as an element of the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. Organized as a task force, the 1st Battalion initially conducted security and stability operations in and around the city of Kirkuk for which it received a Meritorious Unit Commendation. While attached to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division the 1st Battalion participated in the battle for the city of Samarra from 1 October to 1 November 2004. For its gallantry in that battle the battalion received a Valorous Unit Award. The 1st Battalion also served as a reaction force against insurgent activity in the cities of Tal Afar, Najaf and Mosul. The 1st Battalion departed Iraq in February 2005. In 2006-2007 the 1st Battalion was reorganized and reequipped as a Stryker-mounted Infantry battalion. The 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry served in Iraq for fifteen months with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Stryker) from December 2007-March 2009 headquartered at Camp Taji. For extraordinary heroism in combat actions against Iraqi insurgents the battalion received a Valorous Unit Award for the period 14 January 2008-22 February 2009. The 1st Battalion also earned participation credit for the National Resolution, Iraqi Surge and Iraqi Sovereignty campaign phases. The 1st Battalion returned to northern Iraq with the 2nd BCT in July 2010 to train and assist Iraqi forces.
2ND BATTALION
The 2nd Battalion is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division stationed at Fort Drum, NY. It deployed to Iraq in March 2003 as a battalion task force that operated in northern Iraq alongside the 173rd Airborne Brigade. From June 2004-June 2005 it served in the Baghdad area with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division receiving a Meritorious Unit Commendation. The 2nd Battalion returned to Iraq with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team from August 2006-November 2007.
OTHER 14TH INFANTRY REGIMENT RESOURCES
14th Infantry Regiment – 1776-1965 This site highlights the colorful history of the 14th Infantry Regiment, from it’s beginning as the 14th Continental Infantry of 1776 in the War of Independence, to action in the War of 1812 and the War with Mexico, to it’s formal incorporation as the 14th United States Infantry. The 14th Infantry has served in almost every major conflict of this growing nation – the American frontier, the War with Spain, the Philippine Insurrection, the American Relief Expedition to China, World War II and Korea.
1st/ 14th Infantry “Golden Dragons” – Vietnam Includes information about the 14th Infantry Regiment’s 1st Battalion from it’s arrival in Vietnam in 1966, until the present. The site includes photos, maps, daily staff journals, news articles and more.
2/ 14th Golden Dragons – Vietnam Includes information about the 14th Infantry Regiment’s 2nd Battalion, from it’s arrival in Vietnam in 1966 as part of the 25th Infantry Division, to the present day as part of the 10th Mountain Division. The site includes photos, maps, daily staff journals, after action reports and more.
Motto: The Right of the Line
Symbolism: Service in the Civil War is shown by the white cross pattee, the badge of Sykes’ Regular division of the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Indian campaigns are indicated by the arrows. The 14th Infantry was at the capture of Manila during the War with Spain, symbolized by the castle, and in the fighting around the same city in 1899 during the Philippine Insurrection, indicated by the palm.
The dragon in the crest symbolizes service in the China Relief Expedition. The motto is the much prized remark made by General Meade directing the station of the Regiment in the review just after the Civil War.
DISTINCTIVE INSIGNIA
The distinctive insignia is a gold imperial Chinese dragon placed against a red conventionalized Spanish castle with the motto “The Right of the Line” in gold letters on a blue ribbon scroll. The dragon is the crest of the coat of arms and the castle is one of the charges on the regimental shield.
Comment on Regiment Motto
The significance of the position on the Right of the Line has two interpretations. Those holding this position as the troops passed before the dignitaries on the review stand enjoyed greater recognition and could bask in the accolades to a greater degree. In battle, though, the right flank’s importance took on greater significance, dating from ancient times. ‘…Often an allied general or a favored subordinate was given command of this unshielded flank. Since the shields were worn on the left arm, the right-flank units had to be the strongest–they could not falter or the rest of the army would expose a shieldless flank to the enemy.’ – From T.L. Gore’s article ‘Enemies Without–and Within,’ MILITARY HISTORY/August 1989, page 14. Thanks to Bob Clements and Kirk Ramsey for this cite.
14TH INFANTRY REGIMENT LINEAGE AND HONORS
Constituted 3 May 1861 in the Regular Army as the 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry
Organized 1 July 1861 at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut
Reorganized and redesignated 30 April 1862 as the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry
Reorganized and redesignated 21 September 1866 as the 14th Infantry
Consolidated 26 July 1869 with the 45th Infantry, Veteran Reserve Corps (constituted 21 September 1866), and consolidated unit designated as the 14th Infantry
Assigned 27 July 1918 to the 19th Division
Relieved 14 February 1919 from assignment to the 19th Division
Assigned 10 July 1943 to the 71st Light Division (later redesignated as the 71st Infantry Division)
Relieved 1 May 1946 from assignment to the 71st Infantry Division
Inactivated 1 September 1946 in Germany
Activated 1 October 1948 at Camp Carson, Colorado
Assigned 1 August 1951 to the 25th Infantry Division
Relieved 1 February 1957 from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division and reorganized as a parent Regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System
Withdrawn 1 March 1986 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System
CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT
Civil War
Peninsula
Manassas
Antietam
Fredericksburg
Chancellorsville
Gettysburg
Wilderness
Spotsylvania
Cold Harbor
Petersburg
Virginia 1862
Virginia 1863
Indian Wars
Little Big Horn
Bannocks
Arizona 1866
Wyoming 1874
War with Spain
Manila
China Relief Expedition
Yang-tsun
Peking
Philippine Insurrection
Manila
Laguna de Bay
Zapote River
Cavite
Luzon 1899
World War II
Rhineland
Central Europe
Korean War
UN Summer-Fall Offensive
Second Korean Winter
Korea, Summer-Fall 1952
Third Korean Winter
Korea, Summer 1953
Vietnam
Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase II
Counteroffensive, Phase III
Tet Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase IV
Counteroffensive, Phase V
Counteroffensive, Phase VI
Tet 69/Counteroffensive
Summer-Fall 1969
Winter-Spring 1970
Sanctuary Counteroffensive
Counteroffensive, Phase VII
Consolidation I
Consolidation II
Cease-Fire
War On Terrorism
Iraq
DECORATIONS
Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered CHU LAI
Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered MOGADISHU
Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered SAMARRA, IRAQ
Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2004-2005
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered MUNSAN-NI
1ST BATTALION, 14TH INFANTRY REGIMENT LINEAGE AND HONORS
Constituted 3 May 1861 in the Regular Army as Company A, 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry
Organized 8 July 1861 at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut
Reorganized and redesignated 30 April 1862 as Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry
Reorganized and redesignated 21 September 1866 as Company A, 14th Infantry
Consolidated 26 July 1869 with Company G, 45th Infantry, Veteran Reserve Corps (constituted 21 September 1866), and consolidated unit designated as Company A, 14th Infantry
( 14th Infantry assigned 27 July 1918 to the 19th Division; relieved 14 February 1919 from assignment to the 19th Division; assigned 10 July 1943 to the 71st Light Division [later redesignated as the 71st Infantry Division]; relieved 1 May 1946 from assignment to the 71st Infantry Division)
Inactivated 1 September 1946 in Germany
Activated 1 October 1948 at Camp Carson, Colorado
( 14th Infantry assigned 1 August 1951 to the 25th Infantry Division)
Reorganized and redesignated 1 February 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battle Group, 14th Infantry, and remained assigned to the 25th Infantry Division (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated)
Reorganized and redesignated 26 August 1963 as the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry
Relieved 1 August 1967 from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division
Relieved 15 December 1970 from assignment to the 4th Infantry Division and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division
On 15 August 2006, relieved from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division and assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT
Civil War
* Peninsula
* Manassas
* Antietam
* Fredericksburg
* Chancellorsville
* Gettysburg
* Wilderness
* Spotsylvania
* Cold Harbor
* Petersburg
* Virginia 1862
* Virginia 1863
Indian Wars
Little Big Horn
Bannocks
Arizona 1866
Wyoming 1874
War with Spain
* Manila
China Relief Expedition
Yang-tsun
Peking
Philippine Insurrection
* Manila
* Laguna de Bay
* Zapote River
Cavite
* Luzon 1899
World War II
* Rhineland
* Central Europe
Korean War
* UN Summer-Fall Offensive
* Second Korean Winter
* Korea, Summer-Fall 1952
* Third Korean Winter
* Korea, Summer 1953
Vietnam
* Counteroffensive
* Counteroffensive, Phase II
* Counteroffensive, Phase III
* Tet Counteroffensive
* Counteroffensive, Phase IV
* Counteroffensive, Phase V
* Counteroffensive, Phase VI
* Tet 69/Counteroffensive
* Summer-Fall 1969
* Winter-Spring 1970
* Sanctuary Counteroffensive
* Counteroffensive, Phase VII
War On Terrorism
* Iraq
* Transition of Iraq
* Iraqi Governance
DECORATIONS
* Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered CHU LAI
* Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered SAMARRA, IRAQ
* Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered TAJI, IRAQ
* Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered MUNSAN-NI
* Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1966-1967
* Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1967-1969
* Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1969-1970
* Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1967-1969
Company A additionally entitled to:
Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered QUANG NGAI PROVINCE
2ND BATTALION, 14TH INFANTRY REGIMENT LINEAGE AND HONORS
Constituted 3 May 1861 in the Regular Army as Company B, 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry
Organized 8 July 1861 at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut
Reorganized and redesignated 30 April 1862 as Company B, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry
Reorganized and redesignated 21 September 1866 as Company B, 14th Infantry
Consolidated 26 July 1869 with Company A, 45th Infantry, Veteran Reserve Corps (constituted 21 September 1866), and consolidated unit designated as Company B, 14th Infantry
( 14th Infantry assigned 27 July 1918 to the 19th Division; relieved 14 February 1919 from assignment to the 19th Division; assigned 10 July 1943 to the 71st Light Division [later redesignated as the 71st Infantry Division]; relieved 1 May 1946 from assignment to the 71st Infantry Division)
Inactivated 1 September 1946 in Germany
Activated 1 October 1948 at Camp Carson, Colorado
( 14th Infantry assigned 1 August 1951 to the 25th Infantry Division)
Inactivated 1 February 1957 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and relieved from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division
Redesignated 17 May 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Battle Group, 14th Infantry (organic elements concurrently constituted)
Battle Group activated 25 May 1957 at Fort Benning, Georgia
Assigned 1 July 1958 to the 1st Infantry Brigade
Inactivated 16 May 1960 at Fort Benning, Georgia
Relieved 25 June 1960 from assignment to the 1st Infantry Brigade
Redesignated 21 June 1963 as the 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry, and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division
Activated 26 August 1963 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Inactivated 5 June 1972 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Relieved 17 January 1986 from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia
Relieved 16 September 2005 from assignment to 10th Mountain Division and assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division
Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment
CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT
Civil War
* Peninsula
* Manassas
* Antietam
* Fredericksburg
* Chancellorsville
* Gettysburg
* Wilderness
* Spotsylvania
* Cold Harbor
* Petersburg
* Virginia 1862
*Virginia 1863
Indian Wars
* Little Big Horn
Bannocks
* Arizona 1866
Wyoming 1874
War with Spain
Manila
China Relief Expedition
Yang-tsun
Peking
Philippine Insurrection
Manila
* Laguna de Bay
* Zapote River
Cavite
* Luzon 1899
World War II
* Rhineland
* Central Europe
Korean War
* UN Summer-Fall Offensive
* Second Korean Winter
* Korea, Summer-Fall 1952
* Third Korean Winter
* Korea, Summer 1953
Vietnam
* Counteroffensive
* Counteroffensive, Phase II
* Counteroffensive, Phase III
* Tet Counteroffensive
* Counteroffensive, Phase IV
* Counteroffensive, Phase V
* Counteroffensive, Phase VI
* Tet 69/Counteroffensive
* Summer-Fall 1969
* Winter-Spring 1970
* Sanctuary Counteroffensive
* Counteroffensive, Phase VII
War On Terrorism
* Iraq
DECORATIONS
* Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered MOGADISHU
* Valorous Unit Award, Streamer embroidered EUPHRATES RIVER VALLEY
* Meritorious Unit Commendation, Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2004-2005
* Army Superior Unit Award 1997
* Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered MUNSAN-NI
* Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1966-1968
* Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1968-1970
* Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class, Streamer embroidered VIETNAM 1966-1970
3D BATTALION, 14TH INFANTRY REGIMENT LINEAGE AND HONORS
Constituted 3 May 1861 in the Regular Army as Company F, 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry
Organized 8 July 1861 at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut
Reorganized and redesignated 30 April 1862 as Company F, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry
Reorganized and redesignated 21 September 1866 as Company F, 14th Infantry
Consolidated 26 July 1869 with Company C, 45th Infantry, Veteran Reserve Corps (constituted 21 September 1866), and consolidated unit designated as Company C, 14th Infantry
( 14th Infantry assigned 27 July 1918 to the 19th Division; relieved 14 February 1919 from assignment to the 19th Division; assigned 10 July 1943 to the 71st Light Division [later redesignated as the 71st Infantry Division]; relieved 1 May 1946 from assignment to the 71st Infantry Division)
Inactivated 1 September 1946 in Germany
Activated 1 October 1948 at Camp Carson, Colorado
( 14th Infantry assigned 1 August 1951 to the 25th Infantry Division)
Inactivated 1 February 1957 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and relieved from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division; concurrently, redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battle Group, 14th Infantry
Withdrawn 11 May 1959 from the Regular Army, allotted to the Army Reserve, and assigned to the 102d Infantry Division (organic elements concurrently constituted)
Battle Group activated 1 June 1959 with Headquarters at Kansas City, Missouri (Headquarters and Headquarters Company concurrently consolidated with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 406th Infantry, and consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battle Group, 14th Infantry
Reorganized and redesignated 1 April 1963 as the 3d Battalion, 14th Infantry
Inactivated 30 December 1965 at Kansas City, Missouri, and relieved from assignment to the 102d Infantry Division
Withdrawn 6 December 1969 from the Army Reserve, allotted to the Regular Army , assigned to the 25th Infantry Division, and activated at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Inactivated 15 December 1970 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Relieved 2 March 1986 from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia
Inactivated 15 April 1996 at Fort Drum, New York, and relieved from assignment to the 10th Mountain Division
CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT
Civil War
* Peninsula
* Manassas
* Antietam
* Fredericksburg
Chancellorsville
Gettysburg
* Wilderness
* Spotsylvania
* Cold Harbor
* Petersburg
* Virginia 1862
* Virginia 1863
Indian Wars
* Little Big Horn
* Bannocks
Arizona 1866
Wyoming 1874
War with Spain
* Manila
China Relief Expedition
Yang-tsun
Peking
Philippine Insurrection
* Manila
* Laguna de Bay
* Zapote River
Cavite
* Luzon 1899
World War II
* Rhineland
* Central Europe
Korean War
* UN Summer-Fall Offensive
* Second Korean Winter
* Korea, Summer-Fall 1952
* Third Korean Winter
* Korea, Summer 1953
DECORATIONS
* Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered MUNSAN-NI
5TH BATTALION, 14TH INFANTRY REGIMENT LINEAGE AND HONORS
Constituted 3 May 1861 in the Regular Army as Company E, 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry
Organized 8 July 1861 at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut
Reorganized and redesignated 30 April 1862 as Company E, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry
Reorganized and redesignated 21 September 1866 as Company E, 14th Infantry
Consolidated 26 July 1869 with Company D, 45th Infantry, Veteran Reserve Corps (constituted 21 September 1866), and consolidated unit designated as Company E, 14th Infantry
( 14th Infantry assigned 27 July 1918 to the 19th Division; relieved 14 February 1919 from assignment to the 19th Division; assigned 10 July 1943 to the 71st Light Division [later redesignated as the 71st Infantry Division]; relieved 1 May 1946 from assignment to the 71st Infantry Division)
Inactivated 1 September 1946 in Germany
Activated 1 October 1948 at Camp Carson, Colorado
( 14th Infantry assigned 1 August 1951 to the 25th Infantry Division)
Inactivated 1 February 1957 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and relieved from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division; concurrently, redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Battle Group, 14th Infantry
Redesignated 21 December 1960 as Company E, 14th Infantry
Activated 24 December 1960 in Korea
Inactivated 1 January 1966 in Korea
Activated 30 June 1971 in Vietnam
Inactivated 26 November 1972 in Vietnam
Redesignated 16 December 1986 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 5th Battalion, 14th Infantry, assigned to the 25th Infantry Division, and activated at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii (organic elements concurrently constituted and activated)
Battalion inactivated 15 August 1995 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and relieved from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division
CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT
Civil War
* Peninsula
* Manassas
* Antietam
* Fredericksburg
* Chancellorsville
* Gettysburg
* Wilderness
* Spotsylvania
* Cold Harbor
* Petersburg
* Virginia 1862
* Virginia 1863
Indian Wars
Little Big Horn
* Bannocks
Arizona 1866
Wyoming 1874
War with Spain
* Manila
China Relief Expedition
* Yang-tsun
* Peking
Philippine Insurrection
* Manila
* Laguna de Bay
* Zapote River
* Cavite
* Luzon 1899
World War II
* Rhineland
* Central Europe
Korean War
* UN Summer-Fall Offensive
* Second Korean Winter
* Korea, Summer-Fall 1952
* Third Korean Winter
* Korea, Summer 1953
Vietnam
* Counteroffensive, Phase VII
* Consolidation I
* Consolidation II
* Cease-Fire
DECORATIONS
* Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered MUNSAN-NI
(Unofficial 5th Battalion pocket patch)