U.S. Army

Infantry

From the Continental Line at Lexington to the streets of Ramadi, the United States Army Infantry has been the decisive force in every American war. Divisions carry the battle streamers. Regiments carry the lineage. The blue cord and the Combat Infantryman Badge belong to the soldiers who do the one thing no other branch can: close with and destroy the enemy by means of fire and maneuver.

"Follow Me" Est. 1775

EST. JUNE 14, 1775

Queen of Battle

United States Army Infantry

Years of Service

The oldest branch of the United States Army. Every infantryman wears the blue cord on their right shoulder — the same color the Continental Line wore at Lexington. The Combat Infantryman Badge is the most respected award in the Army because only one community earns it: the soldiers who close with and destroy the enemy by means of fire and maneuver. "Follow Me" isn't a slogan. It's a job description. Read more

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Active Divisions Regular Army

1st Infantry Division

TO FIGHT · ALWAYS

The Big Red One. First American division to France in WWI. First to fight in North Africa, first to Sicily, first to Omaha Beach — where the 16th Infantry Regiment took the worst casualties of June 6, 1944. First to breach the Siegfried Line. In Vietnam, the Big Red One fought in the Iron Triangle. In Desert Storm and OIF, they led again. The shoulder patch is the most recognized in the United States Army. Read more

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CAMP HUMPHREYS, ROK

2nd Infantry Division

Forward Deployed

The only permanently forward-deployed division in the Army — stationed in South Korea since 1965, standing on the DMZ between 50 million South Koreans and the largest artillery concentration on earth. The Indianhead division fought from Normandy through the Bulge in WWII, then bled at Heartbreak Ridge and the Punchbowl in Korea. In Iraq, 2nd ID Stryker brigades fought from Mosul to Baghdad. Read more

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FORT STEWART, GA

3rd Infantry Division

Rock of the Marne

N. Africa · Sicily

The Rock of the Marne — named for holding the line in 1918 when the division refused to retreat. In WWII they stormed North Africa, Sicily, Anzio, and Southern France. In 2003, the 3rd ID drove the Thunder Runs into Baghdad — armored columns straight through the heart of the city. The most audacious armored assault since Patton. Read more

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FORT CARSON, CO

4th Infantry Division

CAPTURED DEC 2003

The Ivy Division — "IV" for four, ivy for the patch. Landed at Utah Beach on D-Day and fought through the bocage, Hürtgen Forest, and the Bulge. In Vietnam, the 4th ID operated in the Central Highlands. In December 2003, soldiers from the 4th ID pulled Saddam Hussein from a spider hole near Tikrit. Read more

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7th Infantry Division

Okinawa · Korea

The Bayonet Division. Fought in the Aleutians at Attu — the only WWII battle on North American soil — then Leyte, Okinawa, and across Korea including the Chosin Reservoir. Deactivated and reactivated multiple times, the 7th was stood back up at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in 2012 as a headquarters element overseeing Pacific-focused brigades. Read more

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10th Mountain Division

Mt. Belvedere · Italy

DEPLOYED SINCE 9/11

Originally the 10th Light Division (Alpine) — ski troops and mountaineers who trained at Camp Hale, Colorado and fought up the Italian Apennines, taking Mount Belvedere in brutal terrain. Reactivated at Fort Drum, the 10th Mountain has become the most deployed division since September 11 — rotating through Afghanistan and Iraq continuously for two decades. Read more

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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI

25th Infantry Division

Tropic Lightning

Cu Chi · Vietnam

INDO-PACIFIC FOCUS

Tropic Lightning. Activated at Schofield Barracks just before Pearl Harbor — soldiers from the 25th fought off the initial Japanese attacks. They went to Guadalcanal, fought through the Philippines, operated from Cu Chi in Vietnam — tunneling into the VC's own underground complexes. Today they cover the Indo-Pacific, the largest theater on earth. Read more

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National Guard Divisions Citizen Soldiers

28th Infantry Division

Forest · Bulge

The Keystone Division — Pennsylvania National Guard. The Germans called their shoulder patch the "Bloody Bucket" after the 28th fought through the Hürtgen Forest and held the line during the Battle of the Bulge. One of the oldest continuously serving divisions in the Army, the 28th has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in the 21st century. Read more

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29th Infantry Division

Blue and Gray — soldiers from Virginia and Maryland, Union and Confederate states united. The 29th hit Omaha Beach alongside the Big Red One on D-Day — Company A, 116th Infantry from Bedford, Virginia lost 19 men in the first minutes. Bedford suffered the highest per capita D-Day losses of any community in America. "29, Let's Go!" Read more

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34th Infantry Division

The Red Bulls were the first American division to deploy to the European Theater in WWII, landing in North Africa in January 1942. They fought at Kasserine Pass, up through Italy at Anzio and Cassino, and spent 517 days in combat — among the longest of any division. Iowa and Minnesota Guard soldiers who went first and stayed longest. Read more

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36th Infantry Division

River · Cassino

The Texas Division. The 36th crossed the Rapido River at Cassino in one of the most controversial and costly assaults of WWII — two regiments were shattered in a failed crossing ordered over the division commander's objection. They recovered to fight through Anzio, liberate Rome, and invade Southern France. Texas grit personified. Read more

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42nd Infantry Division

States Formed From

The Rainbow Division — so named because it was formed from National Guard units across 26 states, stretching "across the land like a rainbow." In WWI they fought at the Meuse-Argonne. In WWII the 42nd liberated the Dachau concentration camp. The New York Army National Guard carries that weight today. Read more

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WWII Legacy Divisions Deactivated

DEACTIVATED 1992

5th Infantry Division

Patton's Spearhead

Quang Tri Province

The Red Diamonds fought under Patton as his spearhead across France — the 5th was the first division to cross the Moselle River and breach the fortifications at Metz, a fortress that had resisted siege for 1,300 years. In Vietnam they operated in Quang Tri province along the DMZ. Deactivated in 1992. Read more

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DEACTIVATED 1991

9th Infantry Division

N. Africa · Bulge

Riverine Warfare

The Old Reliables. Hitler reportedly called the 9th "the division he most feared." They fought from North Africa through Sicily, Utah Beach, the Bulge, and into the Remagen bridgehead. In Vietnam, the 9th ID pioneered riverine warfare in the Mekong Delta — infantry operating from Navy river boats in flooded terrain no unit had trained for. Read more

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DEACTIVATED 2006

24th Infantry Division

Task Force Smith

The Victory Division was the first to fight in Korea — Task Force Smith, that understrength battalion thrown into the path of the North Korean invasion at Osan on July 5, 1950. They held, got overrun, and bought time for the Pusan Perimeter. Before that, the 24th fought across the Pacific from Bataan to Leyte to Mindanao. In Desert Storm they drove into Iraq. Read more

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DEACTIVATED 1945

30th Infantry Division

Rock of Mortain

"Roosevelt's SS"

When Hitler launched his counterattack at Mortain in August 1944 to cut off the Normandy breakout, it was the 30th Infantry Division that held. For six days the Old Hickory absorbed everything the SS panzer divisions could throw at them and refused to break. The Germans called them "Roosevelt's SS" — the highest compliment the enemy ever paid an American infantry division. Read more

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Storied Regiments Lineage & Honors

3rd Infantry Regiment

Active Regiment

365 DAYS A YEAR

The oldest active infantry regiment in the Army. The Old Guard guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in every weather. Sentinel duty is the most demanding ceremonial assignment in the military. But the 3rd Infantry is also a combat unit — they deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan while maintaining the Tomb watch without interruption. Read more

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7th Infantry Regiment

Battle of New Orleans

PARENT DIVISION

The Cottonbalers — named for fighting behind cotton bales at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 under Andrew Jackson. One of the most continuously active regiments in Army history: Mexico, Civil War, both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and OIF. Wherever the 3rd Infantry Division has gone, the 7th Infantry Regiment has led the way. Read more

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9th Infantry Regiment

Boxer Rebellion

PARENT DIVISION

The Manchus. The 9th Infantry earned the name fighting in China during the Boxer Rebellion — the regiment helped relieve the siege of the international legations in Peking in 1900. "Keep Up the Fire" became the motto when a dying officer shouted it during the assault on the Chinese capital. Fourteen Medal of Honor recipients from Peking alone. The Manchus have fought in every war since. Read more

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14th Infantry Regiment

Boxer Rebellion

PARENT DIVISION

The Golden Dragons earned their name alongside the Manchus in China — the regiment's crest carries the dragon from the Boxer Rebellion. From the Civil War to the Pacific in WWII to the Central Highlands of Vietnam, the 14th Infantry has carried the dragon into every fight. Based with the 25th ID at Schofield Barracks. Read more

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16th Infantry Regiment

1st Wave · D-Day

Sicily · Bulge · OIF

The regiment that took the worst casualties on Omaha Beach. The 16th Infantry hit the sand in the first wave at 0630 on June 6, 1944 — into the teeth of the German 352nd Division. By the time they crested the bluffs, the beach behind them was a slaughterhouse. The 16th has been the Big Red One's organic regiment since WWI. Read more

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26th Infantry Regiment

Big Red One · OIF

The Blue Spaders — the ace of spades on a blue shield. The 26th Infantry fought in the Hürtgen Forest in some of the worst conditions of WWII — frozen, dense forest, minefields, and dug-in Germans for weeks. In Vietnam they operated with the Big Red One. In OIF, the 1-26th fought in Ramadi and Adhamiyah. Continuous service since 1901. Read more

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27th Infantry Regiment

1918 · Wolf Hunts

PARENT DIVISION

The Wolfhounds earned their name during the Siberian Expedition of 1918 — American soldiers sent to Russia after the revolution, where they hunted wolves between engagements. The 27th fought across the Pacific in WWII, up and down the Korean Peninsula, through the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam, and in Iraq. The wolf's head crest is one of the most recognizable in the infantry. Read more

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19

Active Divisions

100+

Infantry Regiments

248

Years of Service

CIB

Combat Infantryman Badge