The parent unit constituted 22 July 1885
as the 7th Infantry Battalion, California National Guard, organized
form existing companies as follows Company A (organized 9 September
1874 as the Los Angeles Guard), later reorganized 9 June 1881
as the San Diego City Guard)
Reorganized and redesignated 5 May 1888
as the 7th Infantry Battalion, California National Guard, with
additional companies as follows: Company C (organized 26 October
1887 at Pomona), Company E (organized 29 October 1887 at San
Bernardino), Company F (organized 20 December 1887 at Los Angeles),
and Company G (organized 3 March 1888 at Anaheim). On 7 December
1895, the 7th Infantry Battalion consolidated with the 9th Infantry
Battalion (organized 8 February 1890)
In early 1898 with the advent of the Spanish-American
War, the 7th Infantry was mustered into Federal service 9 May
1898 and stationed at the Presidio, San Francisco, as the 7th
California Volunteer Infantry. The war ended before the unit
could deploy to the Philippines, enabling the 7th California
Volunteer Infantry to muster out of Federal service on 2 December
1898 in Los Angeles.
In 1916 as a result of the infamous ride
of Pancho Villa and his raiding of the southwestern border towns
and villages, the unit was once again mustered into Federal service
on 29 June 1916 at Sacramento, California form where it was transported
south to the Mexican border and stationed at Nogales, Arizona,
returning back to California and mustering out on 11 November
1916 in Los Angeles. Return to militia status was short lived,
with the 7th Infantry again returning to Federal status on 26
March 1917.
Consolidated with the 2nd Battalion, Companies
L, M, and the Sanitary Detachment, 2nd Infantry, California National
Guard, reorganized and redesignated as the 160th Infantry and
assigned to the 40th Infantry Division on 25 September 1917.
Served in France during World War I and provided replacements
to the 1st, 2nd, 42nd and 77th Divisions. Demobilized 7 May 1919
at Camp Kearny, California.
Southern California elements reconstituted
and reorganized 23 August through 6 October 1921 in the California
National Guard as the 160th Infantry, with Headquarters at Los
Angeles.
The 2nd Battalion redesignated 2nd Battalion,
185th Infantry, 1 April 1929; reorganized and federally recognized
27 May 1929 with Headquarters in Pasadena. Expanded and reorganized
as 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 185th Infantry during March and April
1930. Inducted into Federal Service at Pasadena March 1941 with
service with the 40th Infantry Division. The regiment, served
with the division in the Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations
including operations in the Philippines, Panay, Mindanao, &
Negros Islands, ending up in 1945 as part of the U.S. Army occupational
force in Korea. Upon return back to the United States, the unit
was inactivated 7 April 1946 at Camp Stoneman, Pittsburg, California.
On 5 August 1946, the 2nd Battalion, 185th
Infantry was redesignated as the 223d Infantry Regiment and again
assigned to the 40th Infantry Division. Organized and federally
recognized 15 October 1946 with Headquarters in Pasadena. With
the start of the Korean War in June 1950, the 223d Infantry Regiment
was ordered into active Federal service on 1 September 1950 at
Pasadena where it would first train at Camp Cooke (now Vandenberg
AFB), then deploy to Japan for eventual combat duty in the Republic
of Korea, where it participated in some of the heaviest combat
seen in the war to include the infamous Heart Break Ridge and
a sinister ridge line known as "The Punchbowl". During
this period, the Regiment generated 3 Congressional Medal of
Honor Winners. While the 223d Infantry served in combat operations,
a second 223d Infantry (National Guard or NGUS) was organized
in its place, becoming federally recognized on 2 September 1952
with headquarters in Pasadena. In 1954, the original 223d Infantry
Regiment was released from Federal active service returned back
to California to revert back to State control on 30 June; concurrently
allowing for the withdrawal of federal recognition from the 223d
Infantry (NGUS).
Shortly thereafter, the 223d Infantry
Regiment was relieved from duty with the 40th Infantry Division
and broken up 1 July 1954; elements reorganized and redesignated
as follows: The Regimental Headquarters was initially reorganized
and redesignated Headquarters and Headquarters Company 111th
Armored Cavalry before eventually reorganizing and redesignated
as Headquarters and Headquarters Company Combat Command C, 40th
Armored Division. The Regiments 1st Battalion reorganized and
redesignated as 223d Armored Infantry Battalion with Headquarters
in Glendale. The Regiment's 2nd Battalion consolidated with the
3rd Battalion, 111th Armored Cavalry, reorganizing and redesignated
as the 139th Tank Battalion with Headquarters at Burbank. The
3rd Battalion was reduced, reorganized, and redesignated as Company
B, 140th Tank Battalion.
The 223d Armored Infantry Battalion continued
to serve with the 40th Armored Division until 1968 when the division
was broken up into three separate Brigades (two Infantry, one
Armor). Here, the last of the 223d was reorganized as the 1st
Battalion, 160th Infantry as part of the 40th Separate Infantry
Brigade. In 1986, the 1st and the 3rd Battalions of the 160th
were consolidated into the 3rd Battalion, 160th Infantry, headquartered
in Inglewood, California. Was this to be the final end of the
223d Regiment?
In 1996, the US Army's Training and Doctrine
Command, known as TRADOC, created and implemented the Total Army
School System (TASS), a consolidation of the various State, Army
Reserve, and Active Component training school and institutions
found throughout the US Army. As part of this reorganization,
each state with either a Military Academy or Regional Training
Institute (or RTI) was authorize to select a Regimental unit
by which to designate the school house detachment. Within a fortnight,
the choice was clear and on December 1st, 1996, the 223d Regiment
(Combat Arms) once again unfurled her colors for the service
to the soldiers of the California Army National Guard and the
United States Army.
The
223d Regiment Today
The 223rd Regiment (Combat Arms) provides
regionalized Combat Arms individual training to support the Total
Army. Performs regionalized management and quality assurance oversight
for the functionally aligned training battalions; TAG directed
training; Sustain essential cadre warfighting skills.
1st Battalion (Infantry), 223rd Regiment
(CA) provides Infantry individual training to support the Total
Army. Executes regionalized management and quality assurance oversight
for the functionally aligned training companies; sustain essential
warfighting cadre skills.
2nd General Studies Battalion, 223rd Regiment
(Combat Arms) by exercising coordinating authority to ensure training
is supported, resourced, and executed ; coordinates and cooperates
with proponent schools for training companies within the battalion,
executes TAG directed training missions within CA; sustain essential
warfighting skills for battaion cadre.
Campaign
Streamers
WORLD WAR I
Streamer without inscription
WORLD WAR II
Bismarck Archipelago
Luzon (with arrowhead)
Southern Philippines (with arrowhead)
KOREAN WAR
Second Korean Winter
Korea, Summer-Fall 1952
Third Korean Winter
Korea, Summer 1953
DECORATIONS
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation,
Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945 (2nd Battalion,
185th Infantry cited: Department of the Army General Order 47,
1950)
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation,
Streamer embroidered KOREA 1952-1954 (223d Infantry cited: Department
of the Army General Order 50, 1954)
Regimental
Heraldry
For information of the regiment's heraldry,
CLICK HERE
