54th Infantry Regiment (United States)

54th Infantry Regiment
Coat of arms
Active	1917 -
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry training
Motto(s)	I will cast my shoe over it
Engagements	World War II
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 54th Infantry Regiment (periodically also known as the 54th Armored Infantry Regiment) is a regiment of the United States Army, first constituted for World War I and existing today as a basic training unit stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Lineage/history

The regiment was constituted on 15 May 1917 in the Regular Army as the 54th Infantry. It was organized on 16 June 1917 at Chickamauga Park, Georgia. It was assigned on 16 November 1917 to the 6th Infantry Division. Saw service in Meuse-Argonne and Alsace 1918 campaigns. The regiment was then inactivated on 24 October 1922 at Fort Wayne, Michigan.

Seemingly while still inactive, it was relieved 24 March 1923 from the 6th Division and assigned to the 7th Division. Relieved 1 October 1940 from assignment to the 7th Division. Redesignated 14 June 1942 as the 54th Armored Infantry. It was then assigned on 15 July 1942 to the 10th Armored Division and activated at Fort Benning, Georgia.

• Regiment broken up 20 September 1943 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as elements of the 10th Armored Division as follows:

- 54th Infantry (less 1st, 2d, 3d Battalions) as the 54th Armored Infantry Battalion

- 1st Battalion as the 61st Armored Infantry Battalion

- 2nd Battalion as the 20th Armored Infantry Battalion

- 3rd Battalion disbanded

• Battalions inactivated 13–23 October 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia.
• Relieved 14 September 1950 from assignment to the 10th Armored Division, concurrently consolidated broken up and its elements redesignated as elements of the 10th Armored Division as follows:

- 54th Infantry (less 1st, 2d, 3d Battalions) as the 54th Armored Infantry Battalion

- 1st Battalion as the 561st Armored Infantry Battalion

- 2nd Battalion as the 520th Armored Infantry Battalion

- Former 3rd Battalion reconstituted as the 554th Armored Infantry Battalion

• Battalions relieved 1 April 1957 from assignment to the 10th Armored Division.
• 54th, 561st, 554th Armored Infantry Battalions consolidated 1 July 1959 to form the 54th Infantry, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System. Battalions of the regiment then served during the Vietnam War.
• Withdrawn 16 June 1989 from the Combat Arms Regimental System, reorganized under the U.S. Army Regimental System, and transferred to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command with headquarters at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Today, 2nd Battalion, 54th Infantry Regiment is a basic training battalion on Sand Hill, Fort Benning, Georgia. It has been the starting place for the training of tens of thousands of United States Army Infantrymen over the past three decades.

Campaign participation credit

• World War I:

1. Meuse-Argonne;
2. Alsace 1918

• World War II:

1. Rhineland;
2. Ardennes-Alsace;
3. Central Europe

• Vietnam:

1. Counteroffensive, Phase II;
2. Counteroffensive, Phase III;
3. Tet Counteroffensive;
4. Counteroffensive, Phase IV;
5. Counteroffensive, Phase V;
6. Counteroffensive, Phase VI;
7. Tet 69/Counteroffensive;
8. Summer-Fall 1969;
9. Winter-Spring 1970;
10. Sanctuary Counteroffensive;
11. Counteroffensive, Phase VII;
12. Consolidation I;
13. Consolidation II;
14. Cease-Fire

Decorations

• Presidential Unit Citation for BASTOGNE
• Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1967-1968
• Belgian Fourragere 1940 with Palm for BASTOGNE; cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at BASTOGNE.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Institute of Heraldry website http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Heraldry/ArmyDUISSICOA/ArmyHeraldryUnit.aspx?u=3516.