The 161st Infantry Regiment is an infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 of the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 and the Washington Army National Guard

Washington Army National Guard

The Washington Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the Washington National Guard based in Washington. The history of the Washington Army National Guard dates back to 1854 with formation of the Washington Territorial Militia...

. Its 1st Battalion is a combined arms element of the 81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team consisting of two infantry and two armored companies, with its headquarters in Spokane

Spokane

Spokane is a city in the U.S. state of Washington.Spokane may also refer to:*Spokane *Spokane River*Spokane, Missouri*Spokane Valley, Washington*Spokane County, Washington*Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War*Spokane * USS Spokane...

, Washington.

Origin

The 161st Infantry was first organized on 9 March 1886 as the 1st Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Infantry Regiment (on 7 April 1887) from existing independent militia companies which traced their origins back to 1855 when the Federal Government granted permission to the Washington Territory to raise a voluntary militia to defend settlers against attacks by the Yakima Indians.

Lineage

Constituted and organized 9 March 1886 and 7 April 1887 from existing companies in the Washington Territorial Militia as the 1st (west of Cascade Mountains) and 2d (east of Cascade Mountains) Regiments of Infantry

(Active militia Washington Territory redesignated Washington [Territory] National Guard 28 January 1888)

2d Infantry Regiment reorganized and redesignated 23 July 1895 as 1st Infantry Battalion

1st Infantry Regiment reorganized and redesignated in 1897 as 2d Infantry Battalion

Elements of 1st and 2d Infantry Battalions consolidated in part, redesignated 1st Regiment, Washington Volunteer Infantry, and mustered into Federal service 6–13 May 1898 at Tacoma; mustered out 1 November 1899 at San Francisco, California

Remaining companies of 1st and 2d Infantry Battalions reorganized as Independent Battalion, Washington Volunteer Infantry, and mustered into Federal service 2–15 July 1898 at Tacoma; mustered out 28 October 1898 at Vancouver Barracks

Elements reorganized and consolidated with 1st and 2d Infantry Regiments, Washington National Guard. (organized in 1898), and redesignated 9 November 1899 as 1st Infantry Regiment

Redesignated in May 1903 as 2d Infantry Regiment

(Companies C,K, and M withdrawn, converted, and redesignated 5th, 3d, and 2d Companies, Coast Artillery Reserve Corps; Company A disbanded, then reorganized in 1909 as 4th Company, Coast Artillery Corps)

Mustered int Federal service 28 June 1916 at Camp Elmer M. Brown, Washington, for Mexican Border; mustered out 8 October 1916 at American Lake

Called into Federal service 25 March 1917; drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917

Consolidated with elements of 3d Infantry Regiment, District of Columbia National Guard, and redesignated 19 September 1917 as 161st Infantry, an element of the 41st Infantry Division (United States)

Demobilized 1–8 March 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey and Camp Dodge, Iowa

State of Washington elements reorganized 1 January 1921 in the Washington National Guard as 161st Infantry; assigned to the 41st Division

(1st Battalion and Supply Company withdrawn, converted, and redesignated 10 May 1921 as 146th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)

146th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)

The 146th Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery regiment of the Army National Guard. first Constituted in 1886 as the 1st, and 2nd Regiments of Infantry-Lineage:...

)

Inducted into Federal service 16 September 1940 at Spokane

Relieved from assignment to the 41st Division 14 February 1942

Assigned to the 25th Infantry Division (United States) 3 August 1942

Relieved from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division and inactivated 1 November 1945 at Nagoya, Japan

Assigned to the 41st Division 17 June 1946

Reorganized and Federally recognized 24 March 1947 with Headquarters at Spokane

Reorganized 15 April 1959 as 161st Infantry, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System, to consist of the 1st and 2d Battle Groups, elements of the 41st Infantry Division

Reorganized 1 March 1963 to consist of the 1st and 2d Battalions

Reorganized 1 January 1968 to consist of the 1st, 2d, and 3d Battalions, elements of 81st Infantry Brigade

Reorganized 1 May 1971 to consist of the 1st and 3d Battalions, elements of 81st Infantry Brigade,and the 2d Battalion

Reorganized 1 January 1974 to consist of the 1st and 3d Battalions, elements of 81st Infantry Brigade

Withdrawn 1 May 1989 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System with Headquarters at Spokane

Reorganized 1 October 1998 to consist of the 1st Battalion, an element of the 81st Infantry Brigade

Campaign

• Philippine Insurrection

Manila
Luzon 1899

• World War I

Streamer without inscription

• World War II

Guadalcanal
Northern Solomons
Luzon

• Operation Iraqi Freedom

Baghdad, Iraq (2004-2005)

• Operation Iraqi Freedom

Balad, Iraq (2008-2009)

Current units

• 1st Battalion 161st Infantry Regiment

External links

• http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/av/default.htm
• http://www.25thida.com/161stinf.html