The 3d United States Infantry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. Two battalions of the regiment are active today. While both have the same regimental designation, the 1st Battalion is more readily identified by the regimental nickname, The Old Guard (TOG for short). The regimental motto is Noli Me Tangere.
The 3d US Infantry (The Old Guard) is the oldest active infantry regiment in the army, having been first organized as the First American Regiment[#endnote_lineage] in 1784.
All but one company of the battalion are stationed at Ft. Myer, Virginia (Company 'A', the Commander in Chief's Guard, is stationed at nearby Ft. McNair, across the river in Washington, DC). The 1st Battalion, 3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) is under the blanket of the Military District of Washington (or, MDW for short). The Old Guard has a twofold mission: a combat mission -- in which the regiment serves as part of the National Capital Region's defense; and a ceremonial mission.
Combat Readiness
The Old Guard, while performing primarily in a ceremonial role, is nonetheless an Infantry unit, which is required to maintain the same certifications of all Infantry units in the US Army. In its combat role, the soldiers of The Old Guard train to standards as per their MOS (Military Occupational Specialty); these include: Rifle marksmanship; Nuclear, Biological and Chemical warfare preparedness training (NBC for short); operations in area security, and control of civil disturbances. In addition, many members of the unit are Air Assault Qualified, having attended the Air Assault School at nearby Ft. Belvoir. The Old Guard provides the principal body of garrison troops in Washington, D. C.
Ceremonial Mission
The Old Guard is also known as 'Escort to the President.' The majority of the regiment is made up of 'line platoons', which, among other duties march in military parades. The Old Guard is the only unit in the US Army that has an Act of Congress specifically providing it with the right to march with fixed bayonets. There are several casket teams and firing parties in the line platoons; these participate in military funerals. Among the ceremonial tasks and honors the regiment carries out, the following duties are also included -- each of which is assigned to a Specialty Platoon: the guarding of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery; The Continental Color Guard (or, CCG; see also Color Guards; The Presidential Salute Guns Battery, which serves at all Full Honors General officer (and State) funerals, as well as at arrivals and departures of foreign dignitaries; the Caisson Platoon, which provides horses and riders to pull caisson (the wagon that bears a casket) in military and state funerals, as well as riderless horses in Full Honors funerals. Also part of The Old Guard, is the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, which plays traditional arrangements of marching music, dating back to the time of the Continental Army. The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps marches in the Colonial red uniform -- to be "better seen through the smoke of battle;" the uniform includes tri-corner hats and powdered wigs.
2d Battalion
Stationed at Ft.Lewis, Washington, the 2d Battalion, 3d Infantry Regiment, serves as one of three infantry battalions of the 3d Stryker Brigade Combat Team in the 2d Infantry Division ('Indian Head'). After a 31-year hiatus from service, The 2-3 was reactivated on 15 March 2001. 2-3 Infantry is part of the initial Stryker brigade combat team. Utilizing the new Stryker vehicle platform, this unit is part of the conversion to the Army's system of Units of Action.
Official Mission Statement
1st Battalion - 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment Mission Statement
On order, 3d US Infantry Regiment deploys by air or land to: conduct NBC operations, conduct area security operations, and control civil disturbances in support of the Military District of Washington’s defense to the National Capital Region. Conduct Joint and Army ceremonies and funerals in order to represent the US Army and the Military. (DA & MDW Approved SEP 2003)
Organized August-September 1784 in Pennsylvania and New Jersey (New York and Connecticut companies organized in 1785)
Redesignated 29 September 1789 as the Regiment of Infantry
Redesignated 3 March 1791 as the 1st Infantry Regiment
Redesignated in 1792 as the Infantry of the 1st Sub-Legion
Redesignated 31 October 1796 as the 1st Infantry Regiment
Consolidated May-October 1815 with the 5th Infantry Regiment (constituted 12 April 1808), the 17th Infantry Regiment (constituted 11 January 1812), the 19th Infantry Regiment (constituted 26 June 1812), and the 28th Infantry Regiment (constituted 29 January 1813) to form the 3d Infantry Regiment
Consolidated August-December 1869 with one-half of the 37th Infantry Regiment (see ANNEX) and consolidated unit designated as the 3d Infantry
(2d and 3d Battalions inactivated 18 November 1921 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota; activated 8 June 1922 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota)
Assigned 24 March 1923 to the 7th Division
Relieved 15 August 1927 from assignment to the 7th Division and assigned to the 6th Division
Relieved 1 October 1933 from assignment to the 6th Division and assigned to the 7th Division
Relieved 16 October 1939 from assignment to the 7th Division and assigned to the 6th Division
Relieved 10 May 1941 from assignment to the 6th Division
(2nd Battalion (less Headquarters and Headquarters Company) inactivated 1 September 1942 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota (Headquarters and Headquarters Company concurrently inactivated in Greenland); battalion activated 22 October 1943 at Camp Butner, North Carolina)
Reorganized and redesignated 23 November 1866 as the 37th Infantry Regiment.
One-half of the 37th Infantry consolidated August-December 1869 with the 3d Infantry and consolidated unit designated as the 3d Infantry (remaining half of the 37th Infantry consolidated in June 1869 with the 5th Infantry and consolidated unit designated as the 5th Infantry--hereafter separate lineage)
↑ Mahon, John K. and Danyk, Romana. Army Lineage Series: Infantry: Part I: Regular Army. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, US Army, 1972.
