3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized)

The 2nd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment was originally organized 9 and 17 May 1861 as the 2d and 3d Louisiana Volunteer Infantry Regiments and mustered into Confederate service at New Orleans. The 2d Louisiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment surrendered on 9 April 1865 at Appomattox, VA, with the Army of Northern Virginia; the 3d Louisiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment disbanded on 20 May 1865 at Shreveport, LA.

The 2d and 3d Louisiana Volunteer Infantry Regiments reconstituted on 30 March 1878 as the Special Militia Force to include separate companies and battalions outside Orleans Parish; its elements organized between 1878-1890 embracing fifteen companies by 1890. They were reorganized in part on 26 December 1891 as the 1st and 2d Battalions of Infantry and transferred to the Louisiana State National Guard. The battalions consolidated on 17 March 1896 to form the 1st Regiment of Infantry with Headquarters at Baton Rouge.

The unit was mustered into Federal service between 8-18 May 1898 at New Orleans as the 1st Louisiana Volunteer Infantry and mustered out of Federal service on 3 October 1898 at Jacksonville, FL. It was reorganized on 8 August 1899 in the Louisiana State National Guard as the 1st Battalion of Infantry with Headquarters at Monroe. It was expanded, reorganized, and redesignated on 6 December 1904 as the 1st Regiment of Infantry with Headquarters at Monroe. The Louisiana State National Guard was meanwhile redesignated in 1910 as the Louisiana National Guard.

It was mustered into Federal service 25-29 June 1916 at Camp Stafford, LA, for service on the Mexican border and mustered out of Federal service on 25 September 1916 at Camp Stafford, LA. It was mustered again into Federal service on 10 April 1917 at Camp Nicholls, LA and drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917 at Camp Beauregard, LA. It was reorganized and redesignated on 27 September 1917 as the 156th Infantry and assigned to the 39th Division. It was demobilized on 23 January 1919 at Camp Beauregard, LA.

It reorganized between June-August 1921 in the Louisiana National Guard as seven separate infantry companies. It was expanded, reorganized, and redesignated on 4 August 1922 as the 156th Infantry, with Headquarters Federally recognized at New Orleans, and assigned to the 39th Division. It was relieved on 1 July 1923 from assignment to the 39th Division and assigned to the 31st Division before relocating its Headquarters on 22 June 1929 to Lafayette and on 25 February 1937 to Shreveport.

The regiment was broken up between December 1939-February 1940 and its elements reorganized and were redesignated as follows:

• 156th Infantry (less 2d Battalion) reorganized in southern Louisiana with a new 2d Battalion; the location of Headquarters changed on 28 March 1940 to Lake Charles
• 2d Battalion, 156th Infantry, withdrawn, expanded, converted, and redesignated as the 204th Coast Artillery in northern Louisiana; Its Headquarters was Federally recognized on 8 February 1940 at Shreveport

After March 1940 the above units underwent changes as follows:

• The 156th Infantry was inducted into Federal service on 25 November 1940 at home stations. It was relieved on 14 July 1942 from assignment to the 31st Division before inactivatin between 13-22 March 1946 at Camp Kilmer, NJ. Assigned on 28 May 1946 to the 39th Infantry Division, it was reorganized and Federally recognized on 18 December 1946 with Headquarters at Lafayette/
• The 204th Coast Artillery was inducted into Federal service on 6 January 1941 at home stations. The regiment was broken up on 10 September 1943 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows:
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Battery as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 204th Antiaircraft Artillery Group
  • 1st Battalion as the 769th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion
  • 2d Battalion as the 527th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion
  • (3d Battalion as the 244th Antiaircraft Artillery Searchlight Battalion - hereafter separate lineage)
  After 1943 the above units underwent changes as follows:
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 204th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, inactivated on 5 September 1945 at Fort Bliss, TX.
  • 769th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion reorganized and redesignated on 4 January 1945 as the 2d Rocket Artillery Battalion. It was redesignated on 12 April 1945 as the 422d Rocket Field Artillery Battalion before inactivating on 1 January 1946 at Camp Stoneman, CA.
  • 527th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion inactivated on 1 December 1944 at Camp Livingston, LA.
  Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 204th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, 422d Rocket Field Artillery Battalion, and the 527th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion were consolidated, converted, and redesignated on 27 May 1946 to form the 199th Infantry and assigned to the 39th Infantry Division. It was reorganized and Federally recognized on 11 December 1946 with Headquarters at Shreveport.

The 156th Infantry and 199th Infantry (less 3d Battalion) consolidated 1 July 1959 and consolidated unit reorganized as the 156th Infantry, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System, to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Battle Groups, elements of the 39th Infantry Division (3d Battalion, 199th Infantry, concurrently converted and redesignated as the 539th Transportation Battalion - hereafter separate lineage).

The 156th Infantry reorganized on 1 May 1963 to consist of the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th Battalions, elements of the 39th Infantry Division/ It reorganized on 1 December 1967 to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions, elements of the 256th Infantry Brigade; on 1 March 1977 to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 256th Infantry Brigade; on 1 July 1991 to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 256th Infantry Brigade, and the 4th Battalion; and on 1 February 1993 to consist of the 2d and 3d Battalions, elements of the 256th Infantry Brigade.