2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry

The 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry makes its headquarters in Riverdale,Morris County, New Jersey. It traces its lineage back to the Revolutionary War. This mechanized infantry battalion has four companies of infantry, an anti tank company, and a headquarters company. Units are located in Newark, Jersey City, and Woodbridge, as well as Riverdale.

The history of the 113th Infantry begins with the infantry militia of northern New Jersey in 1664. Prior to the revolution, Colonel Peter Schuyler of Belleville-Newark organized, outfitted and marched NJ troops to Canada. This militia fought in King George's War (1746-1748) and the Seven Years War (1756-1763). The 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry traces its lineage to the American Revolution.

In October of 1775, the 1st (Eastern) Battalion was formed in Newark. During its many campaigns, it earned the motto Fidelis et Fortis (Faithful and Brave). On January 10, 1776, the unit was nicknamed "Jersey Blues," a name that one Captain Littel had given to his Newark company.

In 1861, New Jersey's 1st and 2nd regiments were summoned to fight at Bull Run and elsewhere. The majority of these men came from the City Battalion of Newark.

In 1889, several regiments were again called to federal service during the Spanish-American War. These were the 1st Regiment out of Newark, the 2nd Regiment out of Paterson and the 3rd Regiment out of Elizabeth. These regiments were also activated in 1916 as part of the 1st Jersey Brigade that defended the Mexican border.

In 1917, the 1st Infantry Regiment was mobilized for service in World War I. The regiment fought in the Alsace and Lorraine Campaigns and in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The 1st and 4th regiments, along with the 2nd NJ Infantry, formed the nucleus of the 113th Infantry.

The Battalion 373rd Infantry (Colored) was formed by the conversion of the 1st Battalion of the New Jersey National Guard. The first unit, one of five, was Company A of Newark, which was mustered into service on September 9, 1940.

During World War II, the 113th Infantry, then part of the 44th Infantry Division, participated in most major European campaigns. Units of the 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry (predecessors of companies now stationed at the Newark Armory landed at Normandy on D-Day. They earned citations for services in Northern France, the Rhineland, the Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe.

In 1998, the 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry conducted a Battle Focused Training Exercise at Fort Dix, combining live, virtual and constructive scenarios into a field exercise.

The unit deployed in mid-June 2003 for a year to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to provide perimeter security there.