2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry
The 3rd Infantry Regiment- the very first American regiment- was constituted 3 June 1784 in the regular Army consisting of companies from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The 2d battalion was designated as Company B, 3rd Infantry on 22 May 1816. It fought with the regiment during the Mexican War, and distinguished itself in such significant battles as Palo Alto, Churubusco, and Chapultepec. On the morning of 14 September 1847, it stood with the first units to raise the stars and stripes over the "halls of montezumas". The regiment next campaigned in the American West during the Indian Wars where Company B saw action against the Seminoles, Comanche and the Nez Perce. when the American Civil War began, the 3rd Regiment was again called into action. As a member of Sykes's battalion of regulars, the regiment fought at the First Battle of Bull Run as a part of 1st Brigade, 2nd Division. After distinguishing itself in the first conflict of the war, the 3rd Regiment went on to fight in every major conflict until the war ended.
During the war with Spain, the 3rd Regiment distinguished itself during the Battle of Santiago. at the turn of the century, the 3rd Regiment found itself fighting in the Philippine insurrection. The men of the 3rd Regiment were cited for their valorous actions in the Battles of Malolos, San Isidro and Luzon. On 1 July 1957, B Company was reorganized and redesignated as HHC, 2nd Battle Group, 3rd Infantry. On 1 June 1966, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment was activated for the first time at Fort Benning, Ga. On 1 June 1966, 2-3 Infantry was assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade and deployed to Vietnam. 2nd Battalion operated in the Bien Hoa Province from 1967 to 1968 and throughout the Long Binh province until 1969. The battalion was sited for valor for its actions in Saigon-Long Binh and through their actions in both the Tet and Sanctuary counteroffensives. The 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry was inactivated on 15 October 1970 at Fort Benning, Georgia.
On 15 March 2001, 2-3 infantry reactivated with a new generation of soldiers as a part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. 2-3 Infantry continues to operate at forefront of Army Transformation, as the lead battalion in the interim brigade combat team concept.
