158th Infantry Regiment (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 158th Infantry Regiment ("Bushmasters") is a infantry
unit of the Arizona National Guard
. The regiment has served in World War I
, World War II
and Afghanistan
.
. It participated in a number of campaigns against the Apache
during the Apache Wars
and comprised companies of Maricopa and Pima
American Indians
. During the Spanish–American War the unit adopted as the motto "Cuidado" a Spanish
word meaning "take care". In 1916, during the Pancho Villa Expedition
, an expeditionary force led by General John Pershing
into Mexico, the 1st Arizona Volunteer Infantry guarded and patrolled the border between Douglas
and Naco
, Arizona
until World War I
was declared on April 6, 1917.
during his visit in France in 1918 with the 158th Infantry Band chosen as Wilson’s honor band. The regiment was inactivated as a federal unit on May 3, 1919.
unit made up of alumni of the Phoenix Indian School
.
, the unit was activated into Federal service on September 16, 1940 and started training at Fort Sill
, Oklahoma
. The regiment then moved to Camp Barkeley
, Texas
in February 1941 and conducted maneuvers in Louisiana
. After the United States declared war on December 7, the unit was detached from the 45th Division and was sent to Panama
for jungle training and protection of the Panama Canal
Zone arriving January 2, 1942. The regiment adopted the name Bushmasters after the venomous pitvipers found in South America
, replacing the name "1st Arizona Infantry". Each combat soldier in the regiment received extensive training in jungle warfare, knife fight
ing, and unarmed hand-to-hand combat techniques.
With the formation of the 6th Army, led by General Walter Krueger, and allocation of the 158th Regiment to the 6th Army, the Bushmasters were sent to Brisbane
, Australia
arriving on January 16, 1943. When the 6th Army's headquarters moved to Goodenough Island
, New Guinea
the 2nd Battalion, 158th Regiment provided security the headquarters. The 158th Regiment less 2nd Battalion landed on the unoccupied island of Kiriwina
, New Guinea as part of Operation Chronicle
, on June 30, for the purposes of occupying the island for the construction of an advanced base and airfield. The regiment was spread out between Kiriwina, Woodlark
and Goodenough Islands in New Guinea
Company G, 158th Regiment embarked for Arawe
, New Britain
on December 15, as part of Operation Director and was soon joined by the remainder of the 2nd Battalion and began combat duties in the Arawe area. After being relieved at Arawe, the 2nd Battalion sailed to Finschhafen
, where they rejoined the and 1st and 3rd Battalion's who had been on garrison duty on Woodlark and Kiriwina islands. At Finshaffen, the 158th Regiment was redesignated the 158th Regimental Combat Team. A 1943 article in Popular Mechanics
recorded the abilities of the individual Bushmaster jungle soldier:
"One of America's most colorful and least known soldiers of World War II is the Bushmaster...His tactics are borrowed from native jungle fighters, the American Indian, British commandos, exponents of judo and the Shanghai underworld...(He uses) machete
s, curved knives
, tommy guns
, high-powered rifles, and hand grenades...His average age is 22 and his favorite weapon is the long-bladed machete...With his fellow Bushmasters, he disappears from civilization for weeks at a time. The men know how to sustain themselves on wild fare supplemented by (jungle ration
s) carried in their packs. When they are not testing their camouflage against aerial observers, making camp in a swamp, or working out an intricate code of communications, they are practicing jujitsu or improve on the native's technique with the machete. The Bushmaster bows to no man in the art of hand-to-hand fighting and any unwary (enemy) who crosses his path would probably never know what hit him."
Sent to Wakde
, Netherlands New Guinea
to relieve the 163rd Regimental Combat Team of the 41st Division arriving at Toem on May 21, 1944. The regimental combat team tasked with taking Sarmi
, fought a major battle at Lone Tree Hill against the Imperial Japanese 36th Division between May 17 to June 12, before being relieved by the 6th Infantry Division.
On July 2, the regimental combat team went ashore as part of the battle of Noemfoor
on Noemfoor Island, Netherlands New Guinea
, to capture the airfields and to provide security for the engineers upgrading the airfields to operational use. As part of General Douglas MacArthur
's return to the Philippines
, the regimental combat team landed at Lingayen Gulf
, Luzon
as part of the invasion of Lingayen Gulf
on January 11, 1945 and suffered heavy casualties from well dug in Japanese forces along the Damortis-Rosario road. Company G, was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation
after destroying a Japanese 14-inch coastal gun which was directing heavy fire on the Allied ships.
The next objective tasked to the regimental combat team was Batangas
, Luzon where they cleared the area around Balayan Bay and Batangas Bay, which took three weeks to subdue. Then on April 1, the regimental combat team invaded the Bicol Peninsula, landing at Legaspi. After being relieved in Philippines campaign
, the regimental combat team was selected as part of the planned Operation Downfall
, the invasion of Japan, the regimental combat team was selected to attack the island of Tanegashima
to capture the islands air warning stations two days prior to the Allied assault on Kyūshū
. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki
caused the surrender of the Japanese on August 14, 1945. On October 13, 1945, the regimental combat team landed in Yokohama
, Japan to be part of the Occupation of Japan. The 158th Regimental Combat Team was deactivated at Utsunomiya, Japan, on January 17, 1946.
General MacArthur gave the Bushmasters the accolade, “No greater fighting combat team has ever deployed for battle”.
, Arizona. Later reorganized and redesignated as the Heavy Mortar Company, 158th Infantry, and then Combat Support Company, 1st Battle Group, 158th Infantry. The unit was then reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 158th Infantry, 258th Infantry Brigade on March 1, 1963 and again on December 10, 1967 to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1583rd Military Police Battalion, 258th Military Police Brigade. It was again redesignated on September 1, 1969 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 157th Military Police Battalion. In 2006, the 1st Battalion, 180th Artillery was deactivated and redesignated the 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Brigade with five companies; Headquarters and Headquarters Company in Mesa, Company A in Tucson, Company B in Gilbert (since moved to Florence), Company C in Prescott and Company D in Yuma (since moved to Buckeye). In January 2007, The 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment was called to active duty service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served in Afghanistan
from April of that year to March 2008. They are still called to active duty to this day helping with operations in the middle east.
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...
unit of the Arizona National Guard
Arizona National Guard
The Arizona National Guard is the National Guard of the American state of Arizona. It consists of the Arizona Army National Guard and the Arizona Air National Guard.Both components are part of the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs...
. The regiment has served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
History
Formed on September 2, 1865 as the 1st Arizona Volunteer Infantry part of Arizona Army National GuardArizona Army National Guard
The Arizona Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
. It participated in a number of campaigns against the Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
during the Apache Wars
Apache Wars
The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States and Apaches fought in the Southwest from 1849 to 1886, though other minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. The Confederate Army participated in the wars during the early 1860s, for instance in Texas, before being...
and comprised companies of Maricopa and Pima
Pima
The Pima are a group of American Indians living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona. The long name, "Akimel O'odham", means "river people". They are closely related to the Tohono O'odham and the Hia C-ed O'odham...
American Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. During the Spanish–American War the unit adopted as the motto "Cuidado" a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word meaning "take care". In 1916, during the Pancho Villa Expedition
Pancho Villa Expedition
The Pancho Villa Expedition—officially known in the United States as the Mexican Expedition and sometimes colloquially referred to as the Punitive Expedition—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the paramilitary forces of Mexican insurgent Francisco "Pancho" Villa...
, an expeditionary force led by General John Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
into Mexico, the 1st Arizona Volunteer Infantry guarded and patrolled the border between Douglas
Douglas, Arizona
Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico and a history of mining.The population was 14,312 at the 2000 census...
and Naco
Naco, Arizona
Naco is a census-designated place in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 833 at the 2000 census. It is across the United States–Mexico border from Naco, Sonora. The Naco port of entry is open 24 hours per day....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was declared on April 6, 1917.
World War I
The 1st Arizona Volunteer Infantry was drafted into federal service August 5, 1917, re-designated as the 158th Infantry Regiment (1st Arizona Infantry) as part of the 79th Brigade, of the 40th Division and was sent overseas to France in August 1918. The regiment saw no active service at the front, however its men furnished replacement personnel to other units and was honoured by acting as guard of honor to President Woodrow WilsonWoodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
during his visit in France in 1918 with the 158th Infantry Band chosen as Wilson’s honor band. The regiment was inactivated as a federal unit on May 3, 1919.
Inter-War period
In 1924, F Company was formed as an all-native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
unit made up of alumni of the Phoenix Indian School
Phoenix Indian School
The Phoenix Indian School, or Phoenix Indian High School in its later years, was a Bureau of Indian Affairs-operated school in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona. It was mostly a high school, but it served lower grades from 1891 to 1935. It opened in 1891 and closed in 1990 at the orders of the federal...
.
World War II
After the national army reorganization after World War I, the regiment was assigned to the 45th Infantry Division. At the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the unit was activated into Federal service on September 16, 1940 and started training at Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. The regiment then moved to Camp Barkeley
Camp Barkeley
Camp Barkeley was a large United States Army training installation during World War II. The base was located eleven miles southwest of Abilene, Texas near what is now Dyess Air Force Base. The base was named after David B. Barkley, a Medal of Honor recipient during World War I...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in February 1941 and conducted maneuvers in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. After the United States declared war on December 7, the unit was detached from the 45th Division and was sent to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
for jungle training and protection of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
Zone arriving January 2, 1942. The regiment adopted the name Bushmasters after the venomous pitvipers found in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, replacing the name "1st Arizona Infantry". Each combat soldier in the regiment received extensive training in jungle warfare, knife fight
Knife fight
A knife fight is a violent physical confrontation between two or more combatants in which one or more participants is armed with a knife...
ing, and unarmed hand-to-hand combat techniques.
With the formation of the 6th Army, led by General Walter Krueger, and allocation of the 158th Regiment to the 6th Army, the Bushmasters were sent to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
arriving on January 16, 1943. When the 6th Army's headquarters moved to Goodenough Island
Goodenough Island
Goodenough Island in the Solomon Sea is the westernmost of the three large islands of the D'Entrecasteaux Islands in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It lies to the east of mainland New Guinea and south west of the Trobriand Islands.It should not be confused with Goodenough's Island...
, New Guinea
Territory of New Guinea
The Territory of New Guinea was the Australia-controlled, League of Nations-mandated territory in the north eastern part of the island of New Guinea, and surrounding islands, between 1920 and 1949...
the 2nd Battalion, 158th Regiment provided security the headquarters. The 158th Regiment less 2nd Battalion landed on the unoccupied island of Kiriwina
Kiriwina
Kiriwina is the largest of the Trobriand Islands, with an area of 290.5 km². It is part of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. Most of the 12,000 people who live in the Trobriands live on Kiriwina. The Kilivila language, also known as Kiriwina, is spoken on the island...
, New Guinea as part of Operation Chronicle
Operation Chronicle
Operation Chronicle was the Allied invasion of Woodlark and Kiriwina Islands during World War II, in the South West Pacific as part of Operation Cartwheel. An early planning name for this operation was Operation Coronet...
, on June 30, for the purposes of occupying the island for the construction of an advanced base and airfield. The regiment was spread out between Kiriwina, Woodlark
Woodlark
The Woodlark is the only lark in the genus Lullula. It breeds across most of Europe, the Middle East Asia and the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations of this passerine bird are more migratory, moving further south in winter...
and Goodenough Islands in New Guinea
Company G, 158th Regiment embarked for Arawe
Arawe
Arawe is located on the south coast of New Britain about from Cape Gloucester. A small harbour known as Arawe harbour provides an anchorage....
, New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
on December 15, as part of Operation Director and was soon joined by the remainder of the 2nd Battalion and began combat duties in the Arawe area. After being relieved at Arawe, the 2nd Battalion sailed to Finschhafen
Finschhafen
Finschhafen is a district on the northeast coast of the Morobe province of Papua New Guinea. It is named after the port of the same name.The port was discovered in 1884 by the German researcher Otto Finsch. In 1885 the German colony of German New Guinea created a town on the site and named it...
, where they rejoined the and 1st and 3rd Battalion's who had been on garrison duty on Woodlark and Kiriwina islands. At Finshaffen, the 158th Regiment was redesignated the 158th Regimental Combat Team. A 1943 article in Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
recorded the abilities of the individual Bushmaster jungle soldier:
"One of America's most colorful and least known soldiers of World War II is the Bushmaster...His tactics are borrowed from native jungle fighters, the American Indian, British commandos, exponents of judo and the Shanghai underworld...(He uses) machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
s, curved knives
Bolo knife
A bolo is a large cutting tool of Filipino origin similar to the machete, used particularly in the jungles of Indonesia, the Philippines, and in the sugar fields of Cuba...
, tommy guns
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
, high-powered rifles, and hand grenades...His average age is 22 and his favorite weapon is the long-bladed machete...With his fellow Bushmasters, he disappears from civilization for weeks at a time. The men know how to sustain themselves on wild fare supplemented by (jungle ration
Jungle ration
The Jungle Ration was a dry, lightweight United States military ration developed by the U.S. Army in World War II for soldiers on extended missions in tropical regions.-Origins, development, and use:...
s) carried in their packs. When they are not testing their camouflage against aerial observers, making camp in a swamp, or working out an intricate code of communications, they are practicing jujitsu or improve on the native's technique with the machete. The Bushmaster bows to no man in the art of hand-to-hand fighting and any unwary (enemy) who crosses his path would probably never know what hit him."
Sent to Wakde
Wakde
Wakde is an island of Indonesia, part of the province of West Papua, between the districts of Pantai Timur and Tor Atas.Occupied by Japanese forces in April 1942, Wakde served as an airbase...
, Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the West Papua region while it was an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. Until 1949 it was a part of the Netherlands Indies. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea...
to relieve the 163rd Regimental Combat Team of the 41st Division arriving at Toem on May 21, 1944. The regimental combat team tasked with taking Sarmi
Sarmi
Count Ferdinando Sarmi was the head of the Sarmi fashion design house in New York City.-Early years:Ferdinando Sarmi was born into a wealthy Italian family. He expressed interest in fashion as a youth but was discouraged from pursuing a design career by his father...
, fought a major battle at Lone Tree Hill against the Imperial Japanese 36th Division between May 17 to June 12, before being relieved by the 6th Infantry Division.
On July 2, the regimental combat team went ashore as part of the battle of Noemfoor
Battle of Noemfoor
The Battle of Noemfoor was a battle of World War II that took place on the island of Noemfoor, in Dutch New Guinea, between 2 July and 31 August 1944. United States and Australian forces attacked to capture Japanese bases on the island.-Background:...
on Noemfoor Island, Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the West Papua region while it was an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. Until 1949 it was a part of the Netherlands Indies. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea...
, to capture the airfields and to provide security for the engineers upgrading the airfields to operational use. As part of General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's return to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the regimental combat team landed at Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
, Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
as part of the invasion of Lingayen Gulf
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
on January 11, 1945 and suffered heavy casualties from well dug in Japanese forces along the Damortis-Rosario road. Company G, was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...
after destroying a Japanese 14-inch coastal gun which was directing heavy fire on the Allied ships.
The next objective tasked to the regimental combat team was Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
, Luzon where they cleared the area around Balayan Bay and Batangas Bay, which took three weeks to subdue. Then on April 1, the regimental combat team invaded the Bicol Peninsula, landing at Legaspi. After being relieved in Philippines campaign
Philippines campaign
Philippines campaign may refer to various military campaigns that have been fought in the Philippine Islands, including:-Spanish colonial period :...
, the regimental combat team was selected as part of the planned Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall was the Allied plan for the invasion of Japan near the end of World War II. The operation was cancelled when Japan surrendered after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan. The operation had two parts: Operation...
, the invasion of Japan, the regimental combat team was selected to attack the island of Tanegashima
Tanegashima
is an island lying to the south of Kyushu, in southern Japan, and is part of Kagoshima Prefecture. The island is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands....
to capture the islands air warning stations two days prior to the Allied assault on Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
caused the surrender of the Japanese on August 14, 1945. On October 13, 1945, the regimental combat team landed in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan to be part of the Occupation of Japan. The 158th Regimental Combat Team was deactivated at Utsunomiya, Japan, on January 17, 1946.
General MacArthur gave the Bushmasters the accolade, “No greater fighting combat team has ever deployed for battle”.
1948 to today
The regiment was reactivated on January 21, 1948 at GlendaleGlendale, Arizona
Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....
, Arizona. Later reorganized and redesignated as the Heavy Mortar Company, 158th Infantry, and then Combat Support Company, 1st Battle Group, 158th Infantry. The unit was then reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 158th Infantry, 258th Infantry Brigade on March 1, 1963 and again on December 10, 1967 to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1583rd Military Police Battalion, 258th Military Police Brigade. It was again redesignated on September 1, 1969 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 157th Military Police Battalion. In 2006, the 1st Battalion, 180th Artillery was deactivated and redesignated the 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Brigade with five companies; Headquarters and Headquarters Company in Mesa, Company A in Tucson, Company B in Gilbert (since moved to Florence), Company C in Prescott and Company D in Yuma (since moved to Buckeye). In January 2007, The 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment was called to active duty service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and served in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
from April of that year to March 2008. They are still called to active duty to this day helping with operations in the middle east.
External links
- Suggested Reading on the 158th Infantry compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History