31st infantry Regiment
31st IR Coat of Arms
Active:	August 13, 1916 - Present
Country:	USA
Allegiance:	Federal
Branch:	Regular Army
Type:	Mechanized Infantry
Role:
Size:
Command structure:
Current commander:
Garrison/HQ:	Fort Drum
Ceremonial chief:
Colonel of the Regiment:
Nickname:
Patron:
Motto:	PRO PATRIA (For the Country)
Colors:	Blue and White
March:
Mascot:
Notable battles or wars:
Notable commanders:
Anniversaries:

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. Image File history File links 31_Infantry_Regiment_Coat_Of_Arms. ... 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 Royal Army Medical Corps first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... The present is the time that is perceived directly, not as a recollection or a speculation. ... The Regular Army is the name given to the permanent force of the United States Army that is maintained during peacetime. ... Fort Drum is a census-designated place and military reservation located in Jefferson County, New York. ... The United States 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 Royal Army Medical Corps 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. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead:17 million Civilian dead:33 million Total dead:50 million Military dead:8 million Civilian dead:4 million Total dead:12 million World War II...

Organization

The 31st Infantry Regiment was formed at Fort William McKinley, Philippine Islands on August 13, 1916. from Cadre from 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. Fort William McKinley, during the World War II era, was where USAFFE had its headquarters for the Philippine Department and the Philippine Division. ... The Philippine islands is a commonly mistaken description for the Philippines. ... 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 Royal Army Medical Corps first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... Constituted 5 July 1838 in the Regular Army as the 8th Infantry Organized in July 1838 in New York, Vermont, and Michigan Consolidated in May 1869 with the 33d Infantry (see ANNEX) and consolidated unit designated as the 8th Infantry Assigned 17 December 1917 to the 8th Division Relieved 24... 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. ...

Russian Revolution

During the Russian Revolution, on August 13, 1918, the 31st moved from Manila's tropics to the bitter cold of Siberia. Its mission was to prevent allied war material left sitting on Vladivostock's docks from being looted. 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. 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. ... Streets of Vladivostok in the 1910s Vladivostok (Russian: ) is the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia, situated close to the Russo-Chinese border and North Korea. ... Fort William McKinley, during the World War II era, was where USAFFE had its headquarters for the Philippine Department and the Philippine Division. ... Manila (Tagalog: Maynila) is the capital of the Philippines. ... Streets of Vladivostok in the 1910s Vladivostok (Russian: Владивосто́к (help· info) ) is a city in Russias far east, not far from the Russia-China border and North Korea. ... Siberia is also an album by Echo & The Bunnymen. ... 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 kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ...

For the next 2 years, the 31st and its sister, the 27th Infantry Regiment, fought off bands of Red revolutionaries and White counter-revolutionaries that were plundering the Siberian countryside and trying to gain control of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. They also dissuaded their 40,000 Japanese "allies" from taking control of Russian territory.

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 Medal of Honor and 15 Distinguished Service Crosses. For its Service in Siberia, the 31st Infantry became known as "the Polar Bear regiment", adopting a silver polar bear as its insignia. 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. ... Three different versions of the Medal of Honor are awarded: one each for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. ... The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army, 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) was 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. ...

China Service

The 31st garrisoned the old walled city of Manila until Japanese troops invaded China. 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. Reinforcing the 4th Marine Regiment and a predominantly British International Force, the 31st Infantry deployed hastily by sea to protect Shanghai's International Settlement. Although adjacent parts of Shanghai were demolished by fierce fighting between Japanese and Chinese troops, the International Settlement remained an island of security. By April, some officers sent for their families from Manila and billeted them at a hotel in the International Settlement. On July 5, 1932, when the crisis passed, the unit returned to the Philippines. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ... 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. ... 4th Marines Insignia courtesy of www. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ...

For their service in Shanghai, they received the Yangtze Service Medal (Marines).

World War II

On December 8, 1941, Japanese planes attacked U.S. military installations in the Philippines. A 31st Infantry sergeant on detail at Camp John Hay became the campaign's first fatality. After landing in northern and southern Luzon, the Japanese pushed rapidly toward Manila, routing hastily formed Philippine Army units that had little training and few heavy weapons. The 31st Infantry covered the withdrawal of American and Philippine forces to the Bataan Peninsula. Unfortunately, the peninsula had not been provisioned with food and medicine and no help could come in from the outside after much of the Pacific fleet was destroyed at Pearl Harbor and mid-ocean bases at Guam and Wake Island were lost. Despite starvation, disease, no supplies, obsolete weapons, and often inoperative ammunition, the peninsula's defenders fought the Japanese to a standstill for 4 months, upsetting Japan's timetable for Asia's conquest. When MG King announced he would surrender the Bataan Defense Force on April 9, 1942, the 31st Infantry buried its colors and the cherished Shanghai Bowl to keep them out of enemy hands. Some of the 31st's survivors escaped to continue resisting, but most underwent brutal torture and humiliation on the Bataan Death March and nearly 4 years of captivity. Twenty-nine of the regiment's members earned the Distinguished Service Cross and one was recommended for the Medal of Honor, but the entire chain of command died in captivity before the medal recommendation could be formally submitted. Roughly half of the 1600 members of the 31st Infantry who surrendered at Bataan perished while prisoners of the Japanese. December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... Satellite image of Pearl Harbor. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... The Bataan Death March was a war crime involving the forcible transfer of prisoners of war, with wide-ranging abuse and high fatalities, by Japanese forces in the Philippines, in 1942, during World War II. In Japanese, it is known as Batān Shi no Kōshin meaning the same. ... Three different versions of the Medal of Honor are awarded: one each for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. ...

Korea

In January 1946, General MacArthur restored his former guard of honor to active service at Seoul, Korea, assigning the 31st to the 7th Infantry Division. For the next 2 years the 31st Infantry performed occupation duty in central Korea, facing the Soviet Army across the 38th Parallel. In 1948, the occupation of Korea ended and the regiment moved to the Japanese island of Hokkaido, occupying the land of its former tormentor. When North Korean troops invaded South Korea in the summer of 1950, the 31st Infantry was stripped to cadre strength to reinforce other units being sent to Korea. In September, the division was restored to full strength with replacements from the U.S. and Koreans hastily drafted by their government and shipped to Japan for a few weeks training before returning to their homeland as members of American units. The 31st Infantry returned to Korea as part of MacArthur's Inchon invasion force. Seoul (IPA: , (help· info)) is the capital and largest city of South Korea (Republic of Korea). ... Korea (한국, Hanguk, or 조선, Choseon) is a civilization and geographical area situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia, bordering China to the northwest and Russia to the northeast, with Japan situated to the southeast across the Korea Strait. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 7th Infantry Division (Light). ...

In November 1950, the 31st Infantry made its second amphibious invasion of the campaign, landing at Iwon, not far from Vladivostok where the 31st had fought just 30 years before. With North Korean resistance shattered, UN troops pushed toward the Yalu River. When Chinese troops swept down from Manchuria, they surrounded a task force led by the 31st Infantry's commander, COL Alan MacLean. COL MacLean and his successor, LTC Don C. Faith, were both killed during the ensuing battle. LTC Faith won the Medal of Honor for his gallant attempt to lead the command to safety. Only 385 of the task force's original 3200 members survived.

The 31st Infantry was far from finished. The regiment was evacuated from North Korea by sea to Pusan. There it rebuilt, retrained, and refitted and was soon back in combat, stopping the Chinese at Chechon, South Korea and participating in the counteroffensive to retake central Korea. Near the Hwachon Reservoir, two members of the regiment earned the Medal of Honor in some of the war's most determined offensive combat. By the summer of 1951, the line stabilized near the war's start point along the 38th Parallel. For the next two years, a seemingly endless series of blows were exchanged across central Korea's cold, desolate hills. Names like Old Baldy, Pork Chop Hill, Triangle Hill, and OP Dale are among the war's most famous battles, all fought by the 31st Infantry and bought with its blood. By the war's end, the 31st Infantry had suffered many times its strength in losses and 5 of its members had earned the Medal of Honor.

Garrison Duty

After the war, the 31st Infantry Regiment remained in Korea until the Army reorganized all infantry regiments into battle groups in 1957. The 1st Battle Group 31st Infantry, representing the only regiment that had never served in the continental United States, remained in Korea with the 7th Infantry Division. In 1958, the 2d Battle Group 31st Infantry was formed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, planing the proud regiment's flag on the U.S. homeland for the first time in its history. In 1959, the 3d Battle Group 31st Infantry was formed in the Army Reserve in southern California as part of the 63d Infantry Division. Fort Rucker is a US Army base located mostly in Dale County, Alabama. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 158,302 sq mi  410,000 km² 250 miles  402. ... The 63d Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War II. // World War II Activated: 15 June 1943. ...

Vietnam Sevice

When the Army abandoned battle groups in favor of brigades and battalions in 1963, the 31st Infantry's 1st and 2d Battalions were reactivated in Korea, the 3d Battalion remained in the Army Reserve, and the 5th Battalion replaced the 2d Battle Group at Fort Rucker. When the war in Vietnam came, two more battalions of the 31st Infantry were formed. The 4th Battalion was formed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts in 1965 and the 6th Battalion was formed at Fort Lewis, Washington in 1967. Fort Devens is a census-designated place and part of the towns of Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. ... Fort Lewis is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post located in Pierce County, Washington. ...

The 4th Battalion went to Vietnam in the spring of 1966, operating initially in War Zone D and around Tay Ninh near the Cambodian border. In 1967, the battalion moved north to help form the 23d "Americal" Infantry Division. Operating at Quang Ngai, Chu Lai, and the Que Son Valley for most of the rest of the war, the 4th Battalion fought to keep Viet Cong guerillas and the North Vietnamese Army from capturing the coastal lowlands. Two of the battalion's members earned the Medal of Honor almost a year apart near the bitterly-contested village of Hiep Duc. When American forces departed, the 4th Battalion 31st Infantry was part of the last brigade to leave Vietnam. It was inactivated in 1971. Tay Ninh (in Vietnamese, Tây Ninh) is a town in southwestern Vietnam. ... Quang Ngai (in Vietnamese Quảng Ngãi) is a province of central Vietnam. ... Chu Lai (15. ...

The 6th Battalion was sent to Vietnam in the spring of 1968, arriving just in time to help recapture Saigon's suburbs during the enemy's abortive May offensive. For the next two years, the 6th Battalion fought all across the Mekong Delta and the Plain of Reeds. When the 9th Infantry Division departed in 1969, the 6th Battalion 31st Infantry formed the nucleus of a 1200 man task force under LTC Gerald Carlson to cover the division's departure. Task Force Carlson established a reputation as perhaps the most aggressive and successful battalion in the division's history. Remaining in Vietnam, the 6th Battalion crossed into Cambodia in May 1970, making the famed "Seminole Raid" to seize and destroy a huge enemy base area bordering the Plain of Reeds. The battalion returned to Ft Lewis for inactivation in October 1970. Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành Chí Minh) is the largest city in Vietnam, located near the delta of the Mekong River. ... Mekong River Delta from space, February 1996 Mekong Delta, February 2005. ... The 9th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army in World War II. World War II Activated: 1 August 1940. ...

Garrison Duty, Part Two

In 1971, the 2d Battalion was inactivated in Korea. The 1st Battalion remained in Korea, however, serving there until its inactivation in 1987. It has still never served in the continental United States. In 1974, the 2d Battalion was reactivated at Fort Ord, CA where it remained until its inactivation in 1988. Fort Ord was a U.S. Army post on the Monterey Bay in California. ...

The 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, was reactivated at Fort Sill, Oklahoma to support the Field Artillery School and the 6th Battalion was reactivated at Fort Irwin, California, serving there until its inactivation in 1988. In 1995, the 4th Battalion was inactivated at Fort Sill and reactivated as part of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York the following April. It is now the regiment's only battalion on the active rolls.

War On Terror

In September and October 2001, the Polar Bears were once again called to arms to participate in the nation's War on Terror. From Maryland to Kuwait, Qatar and Uzbekistan the 31st protected American forces and facilities from terrorist attack. As America and its coalition partners struck back, the Polar Bears of the 4th Battalion deployed to Afghanistan, fighting in the Shah-I-Kowt Valley region and successfully eliminating it as a safe haven for international terrorism. In April 2002, the Polar Bears returned to Fort Drum, and in 2003 roughly 300 soldiers from the 4-31st deployed to Djibouti, Iraq, and Kabul Afganistan in support of CJTF-HOA as TF 4-31. Company C was one of the units identified as having deployed.

C Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, conducted the various training exercises during in July 2003, while in Djibouti including known distance ranges, both in Djibouti and Ethiopia; reflexive fire ranges, both in Djibouti and Ethiopia; AK-47 range for familiarization of the weapon system; familiarization ranges for Shotguns and 9mm Pistols; External Sling Load training with Heavy Marine Helicopter Company (HMH-461) both day and night iterations to help certify them; its Mortar platoon underwent training on the mortar ballistic computer and the plotting board to further their proficiency. They also conducted military to military training in Hurso, Ethiopia and provided a security mission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Map of Ethiopia highlighting Addis Ababa (in red). ...

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.

Commanders of the 31st Infantry Regiment

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