167th Infantry Regiment (United States)

The 167th Infantry Regiment (nicknamed "4th Alabama") is an infantry regiment of the United States Army National Guard. The unit traces its history back to the Seminole Wars.

Gen. Bee leads the 4th Alabama against Matthew's Hill[1]

167th Infantry Regiment
Coat of arms
Active1836-present
CountryUnited States
Allegiance United States
BranchAlabama Army National Guard
TypeLight Infantry
SizeBattalion
Garrison/HQAlabama
Nickname(s)"4th Alabama"
Motto(s)SIGNA INFEREMUS (We Shall Drive Forward)
EngagementsSeminole Wars
American Civil War
World War I
World War II
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
U.S. Infantry Regiments
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166th Infantry Regiment 168th Infantry Regiment

The 167th Infantry Regiment's history lives on in the 1st Battalion, 167th Infantry, "4th Alabama", part of the Alabama National Guard.

Origins

The 167th Infantry Regiment was formed in 1836. They fought in the Civil War at Seven Pines, Second Manassas, Antietam, Gettysburg and The Wilderness as the 4th Alabama (symbolized in the 13 blue stars on the coat of arms).[2]

In 1916, they skirmished with Pancho Villa's bandits along the Mexican border during the Pancho Villa Expedition.

World War I

The 167th Infantry Regiment fought under the 42nd Division in World War I and fought in five major campaigns, symbolized in the 5 fleurs-de-lis on their coat of arms. The red cross embattled commemorates the carrying of entrenched Croix Rouge Farm below Fere-en-Tardenois in the Battle of Soissons on 26-27 July 1918.[2]

World War II

The 167th Regiment was assigned to the 31st Division during World War II and fought in the Pacific in the Battle of the Philippines.

World War I Memorial in New Croix Rouge Farm, France honoring the 167th Infantry Regiment.[3]

2005 and 2007 deployments to Iraq

When the 1-167th Infantry Battalion was first deployed to Iraq in 2005, Company A of the 167th was officially mobilized for Iraq. In order for the unit to reach the requisite 145 men, soldiers had to be drawn from the 167th's Companies B and C as well. Most of them volunteered.[4]

When the 1-167th Infantry Battalion was deployed to Iraq again in 2007, Company C of the 167th was officially mobilized for Iraq, but in order for the unit to reach the requisite men, soldiers had to be drawn from the 167th's Companies A, B, D, and HHC as well. Many had served previously with Company A two years before. Company C, which lacked diversity, brought in soldiers of color to intermingle with each of the four platoons during the deployment, with as few as two out of forty-five men being of dark complexion. The unit's main mission provided critical security escorts from the Kuwaiti border crossing throughout Iraq to all Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). This even included missions to other country's FOBs, such as the South Korean FOB located near the Northern Turkish border. After this mission was complete, many of the soldiers volunteered to extend for several more months while the main body returned home.

The largest of all 1144th Joint Logistics Task Force elements, the Alabama Company brought 196 members to OIF, of the 210 members that had been activated. Even with four platoons, and three teams (or "chalks") per platoon, there have been times when virtually all company members have been on missions to and from Iraq at the same time.[5]

2012 deployment to Afghanistan

The 1-167th Infantry Battalion deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 to conduct security force missions in support of NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan (NTM-A) throughout the Afghanistan theater of operations to provide freedom of maneuver for NTM-A and regional support command assets.[6]

The 4th Alabama Tab

The tab was created to honor the 1-167th's Civil War history as the 4th Alabama Regiment,[7] lineage acknowledged by its officially recognized 4th Alabama special designation. Wearing of the tab began in the 1980s but it was not officially authorized due to the unit failing to request the necessary authorization from the Army Institute of Heraldry.[4]

The 1-167th Infantry has been under many different higher commands, including the 31st Infantry Division, the 35th Infantry Division, the 149th Armor Brigade, the 226th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, the 31st Separate Armored Brigade, the 48th Brigade Combat Team, and the 142nd Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. The 1-167th Infantry is the 3rd maneuver battalion assigned to the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.[8]

Current Structure

Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 167th Infantry at Talladega, Alabama

Regimental Commanders
  • Col. Laroy S. Graham, May 16, 1945 - [10]

See also

References
  1. "Newsletter December 2006". Civil War Round Table of Greater Kingston. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  2. "167th Infantry Regiment". www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil. US Army Institute of Heraldry. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  3. Thomas, Brenda N. (17 November 2011). "New Croix Rouge Farm memorial honors 167th Infantry Regiment". www.al.ngb.army.mil. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  4. Marshall, Mike (11 December 2005). "The 4th Alabama". Mobile Press-Register. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  5. "Task force assists military supply mission". DVIDS. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  6. Alabama National Guard deploys historic infantry unit again, readMedia, 15 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  7. "Alabama National Guard infantry battalion changes command following Afghanistan deployment". Alabama National Guard. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  8. https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2997649/1st-battalion-167th-infantry-regiment-assigned-53rd-ibct
  9. https://www.facebook.com/TaskForceCenturions
  10. General Orders No. 38, 31st Infantry Division, dated May 16, 1945. Found at: http://www.indianamilitary.org/31STINFDIV/References/GeneralOrders
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