The 31st Infantry Regiment (31st INF) of the United States Army was formed on August 13, 1916, and was part of USAFFE's Philippine Division during World War II. The unit is rare in that it was formed, and spent most of its life, on non-American soil. US Army Seal HHC, US Army Distinctive Unit Insignia The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... USAFFE (United States Army Forces - Far East) included the Philippine Department, Philippine Army (2 regular and 10 reserve divisions), and the Far East Air Force (formerly, Philippine Army Air Corps). ... The Philippine Division was the core of the US Armys Philippine Department. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ...

Formation

The 31st Infantry Regiment was created from elements of the 8th, 13th, 15th, and 27th Infantry Regiments. The 1st Battalion was formed at Regan Barracks, the 2d at Camp McGrath, and the 3d at Fort William McKinley. Various countries have a 15th Infantry Regiment, including the United States. ... Fort William McKinley, during the World War II era, was where USAFFE had its headquarters for the Philippine Department and the Philippine Division. ...

History

During World War I, on August 13, 1918, the 31st moved from Fort William McKinley to Manila, and there set sail for Vladivostok, Siberia, arriving on August 21. The regiment was then broken into various detachments and used to guard the Trans-Siberian railway, as well as 130 km of a branch line leading to the Suchan mines. World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and poison gas. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Fort William McKinley, during the World War II era, was where USAFFE had its headquarters for the Philippine Department and the Philippine Division. ... // For other meanings of the word, see Manila (disambiguation). ... Vladivostok Train Station. ... Siberia Siberia (Russian: , common English transliterations: Sibir’, Sibir; from the Tatar for “sleeping land”) is a vast region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan constituting almost all of northern Asia. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Trans-Siberian line in red; Baikal Amur Mainline in green. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ...

The regiment suffered its first battle casualties on August 29, 1918, in action near Ugolnaya. During the Siberian deployment, 30 soldiers of the 31st INF were killed (including one officer) and some 60 troops were wounded in action. In addition, a large number of troops lost limbs due to frostbite. During this deployment, the regiment received one Congressional Medal of Honor and 15 Distinguished Service Crosses. August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ... Frostbite (congelatio in medical terminology) is the medical condition where damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. ... For the computer game, see Medal of Honor (computer game). ... The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army which is awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. ...

In April of 1920, the regiment returned to Fort McKinley and, in December, was moved to the Post of Manila. 1920 (MCMXX) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... The Post of Manila was a US Army post, in Manila, (Luzon, the Philippines), at which the Philippine Divisions 31st Infantry Regiment was stationed. ...

On February 1, 1932, the regiment was ordered to Shanghai, China, arriving on February 4. There, the unit guarded a section of the International Settlement, during a period of considerable fighting between Japanese and Chinese troops. On July 5, 1932, the unit returned to the Philippines. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... Shanghai (Chinese: 上海; pinyin: ; Shanghainese IPA: ; Lumazi: Zanhe) , situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta, is Chinas largest city. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The International Settlement was a red-light district in San Francisco, California. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on a Friday. ...

In 1942, Japanese forces invaded the Philippines. This unit was forced to surrender to the Japanese 14th Army on April 9 of that year. After the war, on January 19, 1946, this unit was reorganized in Korea. It participated in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War; however, in 1967, it ceased to be a true fighting unit, instead becoming a parent regiment. This article is about the year. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Korea refers to South Korea and North Korea together, which were a unified country until 1948. ... The Korean War (Korean hangul: 한국전쟁; hanja: 韓國戰爭; revised: hanguk jeonjang; McCune-Reischauer: hanguk chŏnjang), from June 25, 1950 to cease-fire on July 27, 1953 (technically speaking, the war has not yet ended), was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ... The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War was a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN, or North Vietnam), allied with the National Liberation Front (NLF, or Viet Cong) against the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam), and its allies—notably the United States military in support of... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Many armies use different regimental systems. ...

The Shanghai Bowl

The so-called Shanghai Bowl has become a very important symbol of the lineage of the 31st Infantry Regiment. The large silver punch bowl and its matching cups were made in 1932 by a Shanghai silversmith, fashioned from approximately 1,600 silver dollars that were collected from the officers of the unit.

When Bataan fell to the Japanese in April 1942 it became obvious that the 31st would be forced to surrender. To keep these important items from falling into enemy hands, the bowl and cups, along with the colors and unit standard, were buried on Corregidor Island. The artifacts were finally retreived in 1945.

The bowl now sits in the Headquarters building of the regiment's only remaining battalion: the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, at Fort Drum, New York.

The 31st Today

The 4th Battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment is located at Fort Drum, New York, as stated above. The battalion, which is part of the 10th Mountain Division, currently consists of five companies and is one of the most highly deployed units in the military. It has most recently returned from combat operations in Iraq, in which the entire battalion was together in one country, something rare for such an active unit. The year before found elements of the Polar Bears seeing action in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Djibouti, along with a supporting rear detachment back at Fort Drum. It was the first time a single Army battalion had operated on three different continents. Fort Drum is a census-designated place and military reservation located in Jefferson County, New York. ... (Redirected from 10th Mountain Division) Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). ...

Commanders of the 31st Infantry Regiment

• August 13, 1916 - ? -- Colonel Walter H. Gordon