3rd Infantry Regiment (United States)

History

The 3rd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. It currently comprises three active battalions and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as its ceremonial role as Escort to the President. The regimental motto, Noli Me Tangere (“Touch Me Not”), reflects a longstanding tradition of discipline and vigilance. The regiment is a key component of the Military District of Washington (MDW) and is the oldest active regiment in the Regular Army, first organized as the First American Regiment in 1784. It has served as the official ceremonial unit of the U.S. Army since 1948.

Text from Wikipedia: 3rd Infantry Regiment (United States), CC BY-SA 4.0, lightly trimmed.

Wars and campaigns

From Wikidata (CC0).

Key dates

1. 1861
   Five of the regiment's 10 companies were engaged at the Battle of Bull Run on 20 July 1861.
2. 1916
   In 1916, the 3rd Infantry, then commanded by Colonel Julius Penn, was sent to the Texas-Mexico Border during the Pancho Villa Expedition and guarded against a possible invasion.
3. 1941
   The 1st Battalion was inactivated 1 June 1941 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, with its soldiers being assigned to the 63rd Infantry and was re-activated 14 February 1942 in Newfoundland.
4. 1941
   (1st Battalion inactivated 1 June 1941 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; activated 14 February 1942 in Newfoundland)
5. 1944
   It was also credited with the European Theater Northern France Campaign streamer, even though the Northern France Campaign technically ended on 14 September 1944.
6. 1966
   During the period of 1 July 1966 through 10 September 1966, the battalion conducted preparation for Basic Unit Training since most of the Old Guard's lower enlisted personnel had never served with a regular unit.
7. 1969
   Corporal Michael Fleming Folland, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 3 July 1969, Long Khanh (posthumous)
8. 2003
   Another historic event occurred on 15 December 2003, when Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion deployed from Fort Myer, Virginia, for duty in the U.S. Central Command area of operations.
9. 2008
   Prior to its introduction in 2008, it was known as the Dress Blue Uniform and worn only by units that required their wear, such as the 3rd Infantry.

Dates and events quoted from the same Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Records that place someone with this unit

A unit history doesn't name everyone who served. These records do:

• Morning reports and unit rosters: access (National Personnel Records Center)
• Search Army morning reports, 1912–1946 (National Archives Catalog)
• Unit and organizational records held in St. Louis

More history

• U.S. Army Center of Military History
• Wikipedia: 3rd Infantry Regiment (United States)