| 35th Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
| Active | 1916-present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Type | Light infantry |
| Garrison/HQ | 2nd Battalion, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii |
| Nickname | "Cacti" (special designation)[1] |
| Motto | Take Arms! |
| Engagements | Mexican Border War World War II Korean War Vietnam War Afghanistan Campaign Iraq Campaign |
| Decorations | Presidential Unit Citation (2) Valorous Unit Award Meritorious Unit Commendation (4) Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (3) |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |  |
| U.S. Infantry Regiments | ||||
|
The35th Infantry Regiment ("Cacti"[1]) was created on 1 July 1916 atDouglas, Arizona from elements of the 11th, 18th and 22nd Infantry Regiments. The 35th served on theMexico–US border during the First World War and was stationed atNogales, Arizona in 1918. It fought a border skirmish on 27 August 1918 during theBattle of Ambos Nogales.
In World War II, Korea, and Vietnam it served as part of the25th Infantry (Tropic Lightning) Division.
As of 2012, the only active element of the regiment is the 2nd Battalion, which is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Infantry),25th Infantry Division.
The regiment's coat of arms and its distinctive unit insignia reflect its history. The regiment was originally formed in Arizona from elements of the 11th, 18th, and 22nd Infantry Regiments. These organizations are represented on the canton of the crest, in the upper left-hand corner. The white Maltese cross represents the 11th Regiment, the red acorn represents the 18th Regiment, and the embattled partition line of the canton represents the 22nd Regiment. The cactus represents the original service along the Mexico–US border against the revolutionaries ofGeneral Francisco Villa.[2]
The following is a direct quote from the US ArmyThe Institute of Heraldry regarding the 35th Regiment.[3]
Description/blazon
A gold color metal and enamel device1+1⁄16 inches (2.7 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Argent, a giant cactus Vert. On a canton embattled (for the 22nd Infantry) Azure, a cross patée of the field (for the 11th Infantry) charged with an acorn Gules (for the 18th Infantry).
Symbolism
This regiment was originally organized in Arizona with personnel from the 11th, 18th and 22nd Infantry. These organizations are shown on the canton. During the Civil War the predecessor of the 11th Infantry was in the 2nd Division, V Corps, the badge of which was a white Maltese cross; the 18th Infantry was in the 1st Division, XIV Corps, with a red acorn as the badge. The 22nd Infantry is represented by the embattled partition line of the canton. The cactus represents the original service of the 35th Infantry on the Mexico–US border.
Background
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved on 28 Jun 1923. It was amended to change the method of wear on 30 Apr 1926.
The following is a direct quote from the US Army The Institute of Heraldry regarding the 35th Regiment.[3]
Description/Blazon
Shield
Argent, a giant cactus Vert. On a canton embattled (for the 22nd Infantry) Azure, a cross patée of the field (for the 11th Infantry) charged with an acorn Gules (for the 18th Infantry).
Crest
On a wreath of the colors (Argent and Vert) a walnut tree Proper.
Motto
TAKE ARMS.
Symbolism
Shield
This regiment was organized at Douglas, Arizona, in July 1916 from the 11th, 18th and 22nd regiments of Infantry. These organizations are shown on a canton. In the Civil War the predecessor of the 11th Infantry was in the 2nd Division, V Corps, the badge of which was a white Maltese cross; the 18th Infantry was in the 1st Division, 14th Army Corps, with a red acorn as the badge. The 22nd Infantry was originally the 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry and as such distinguished itself at the Siege of Vicksburg, receiving the name "First at Vicksburg." This is shown by the embattled partition line of the canton. The cactus represents the original border service of the 35th Infantry.
Crest
The crest commemorates the baptism of fire of the regiment at Nogales, the Spanish for walnut trees.
Background
The coat of arms was approved on 9 Apr 1920.
The regimental motto is "Take Arms!" During theBattle of Ambos Nogales in 1918 when the alarm went out, officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers shouted out, "Take Arms! Take Arms!"[2][4]
In March 1917, the 35th Infantry moved to Camp Stephen D. Little, nearNogales, Arizona. It was assigned on 7 August 1918 to the18th Division. The regiment was in the midst of relocating to Camp Travis, nearSan Antonio, Texas, to join the rest of the 18th Division when, on 27 August, at about 4:10 pm, a gun battle erupted unintentionally when a Mexican civilian attempted to pass through the border back to Mexico without being interrogated at theU.S. Customs house. After the initial shooting, reinforcements from both sides rushed to the border line. Hostilities quickly escalated and several soldiers were killed, and others wounded.[5][6][7]
The 35th Infantry border post had about 15–18 men,[4] and requested reinforcements from their garrison. When they arrived, they requested theBuffalo Soldiers of the10th Cavalry. The 10th, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Herman, came to their aid from their camp outside of town. After observing the situation for a few moments, Herman ordered an attack on the Mexican and German held hilltops overlooking the border town. Defensive trenches and machine gun placements had been seen being dug there in the previous weeks. Herman wanted Americans there before Mexican reinforcements got there.[5][6]
Under heavy fire, the 35th Infantry soldiers and dismounted 10th Cavalry troopers advanced across the Mexico–US border through the buildings and streets ofNogales, Sonora and up onto the nearby hilltops. This was done while other units of the 35th Infantry held the main line near the border post. About 7:45 pm, the Mexicans waved a large white flag of surrender over their customs building. Lt. Colonel Herman observed, and then ordered an immediate ceasefire. Snipers on both sides continued shooting for a little while after the ceasefire but were eventually silenced upon orders from their superiors.[4][5][6]
The 35th Infantry Regiment was relieved from the 18th Division on 14 February 1919, and was transferred on 16 November 1919 toCamp Lewis,Washington. It sailed for theTerritory of Hawaii on 20 September 1920 on the troopshipUSAT Great Northern. It arrived atSchofield Barracks on 25 September 1920, and was assigned to the Provisional Infantry Brigade; it was assigned to the 21st Infantry Brigade on 4 February 1921, and further assigned to the Hawaiian Division on 1 March 1921. It was relieved from the 21st Infantry Brigade on 14 October 1922 and assigned to the 22nd Infantry Brigade. The regiment's primary wartime mission was to conduct a mobile defense of the beaches and inland sectors of the southern half of the island ofOahu. It was assigned on paper to the 25th Infantry Division on 26 August 1941, with the headquarters of that unit activated on 1 October 1941.[8]
The regiment was sent toGuadalcanal, 25 November 1942, to relieve Marines nearHenderson Field. First elements landed near theTenaru River, 17 December 1942, and entered combat, 10 January 1943, participating in the seizure ofKokumbona and the reduction of theMount Austen Pocket alongside the 27th Infantry Regiment, in some of the bitterest fighting of the Pacific campaign. With other units on 5 February 1943, it helped end organized enemy resistance.[9]
A period of garrison duty followed, ending 21 July: On that date, advance elements debarked onMunda,New Georgia. The 35th Infantry, under the Northern Landing Force, took part in the capture ofVella Lavella, 15 August to 15 September 1943. Organized resistance onNew Georgia ended, 25 August, and the division moved to New Zealand for rest and training, last elements arriving on 5 December. The 25th was transferred toNew Caledonia, 3 February – 14 March 1944, for continued training.[9]
The division landed in theSan Fabian area ofLuzon, 11 January 1945, to enter the struggle for the liberation of the Philippines. It drove across theLuzon Central Plain, meeting the enemy atBinalonan, 17 January. Moving through the rice paddies, the 25th occupiedUmingan,Lupao, andSan Jose and destroyed a great part of the Japanese armor on Luzon. On 21 February, the division began operations in theCaraballo Mountains. It fought its way along Highway No. 5, takingDigdig,Putlan, andKapintalan against fierce enemy counterattacks and tookBalete Pass, 13 May, and opened the gateway to theCagayan Valley, 27 May, with the capture of Santa Fe. Until 30 June, when the division was relieved, it carried out mopping-up activities. On 1 July, the division moved toTarlac for training, leaving for Japan, 20 September. At the end of the war the 35th was involved with occupation duty in Japan.[9]
The regiment had threeMedal of Honor recipients during World War II,William G. Fournier,Lewis R. Hall andCharles L. McGaha.[9]
Open warfare once again flared in Asia, now the 25th division's primary area of concern, on 25 June 1950. TheNorth Korean People's Army crossed the 38th Parallel on that day in an attack on the Republic of Korea (South Korea). Acting underUnited Nations orders, the Tropic Lightning Division moved from its base in Japan to Korea between 5–18 July 1950. The 35th fought out of the Pusan perimeter and was part of the successful drive into North Korea in October 1950. In a sudden and unexpected reversal, however, an overwhelming number of Chinese Communist troops crossed the Yalu and pushed back United Nations forces all along the front. The 35th Regiment was forced to carry out a systematic withdrawal and ordered to take up defensive positions on the south bank of theChongchon River 30 November 1950. Eventually, these lines failed. However, after a series of short withdrawals a permanent battle line was established south of Osan. Then followed the see-saw battles that finally evolved into static warfare along theIron Triangle into 1952.[9]
The 35th Regiment with the rest of the 25th Infantry Division assumed the responsibility of guarding the approaches ofSeoul 5 May 1953. 23 days later, when ceasefire negotiations at Panmunjom stalled, a heavy PVA assaulthit the Nevada Complex, the Division held its ground; the brunt of the attack was absorbed by the attachedTurkish Brigade and the14th Infantry Regiment. By successfully defending Seoul from continued attack from May to July 1953, the division earned its second Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. Again, negotiators moved toward peace. In July, the division again moved to reserve status atCamp Casey where it remained through the signing of the armistice 27 July 1953. Fourteen division soldiers were awarded Medals of Honor during the Korean War,[10] making the division one of the most decorated US Army divisions of that war.[citation needed]
The regiment remained in Korea until 1954 and returned to Hawaii from September through October of that year. After a 12-year absence, the 25th Infantry Division had finally returned home.[9]
The 35th Infantry Regiment had threeMedal of Honor recipients in Korea,William R. Jecelin,Billie G. Kanell andDonald R. Moyer.[10]
In August 1965, elements of the 35th Infantry started their rotation into theVietnam War, arriving inSouth Vietnam. The 1st and 2nd battalions, along with the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry, and the 2nd Battalion, 9th Artillery provided the core combat units of the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division and were deployed to theCentral Highlands atPleiku. Final units arrived by Christmas 1965. The battalions of the 35th Infantry were heavily engaged from January 1966 until 1972 throughout theI Corps andII Corps areas of operations (the Central Highlands and central coastal areas of Vietnam). In August 1967, operational control of the two battalions of the 35th Infantry and all of the other parts of the 3rd Brigade were transferred from the 25th Infantry Division to the 4th Infantry Division (which had deployed to the Central Highlands in late 1966).[9]
From May through June 1970, the battalions of the 35th Infantry participated in theIncursion operations against enemy sanctuaries located in Cambodia, seizing thousands of tons of supplies and hundreds of weapons. Following its return from Cambodia to South Vietnam, the division resumed its place in the Vietnamization Program. The war was winding down. By late December 1970, elements of the 35th Infantry were able to begin redeployment to Schofield Barracks.[9][verification needed]
The 35th Infantry had threeMedal of Honor recipients in Vietnam,Stephen Karopczyc,Ronald Eric Ray andKenneth E. Stumpf.[9]
After its return to Schofield Barracks, the battalions of the 35th Infantry became a cadre unit due to the overall military downsizing and was part of a single brigade numbering 4,000 men. The 35th Infantry trained for the next eight years throughout the Pacific Theater and continued to improve its combat capabilities with troop deployment varying in size from squads, who participated in training missions with Fijian forces, to exercises as large asTeam Spirit, where more than 5,000 divisional troops and 1700 pieces of equipment were airlifted to South Korea for this annual exercise.[9]
In 1985, the 35th Infantry with the rest of the 25th Division began its reorganization from a conventional infantry division to alight infantry division. The four primary characteristics of this new light infantry division were to be: mission flexibility, rapid deployment and combat readiness at 100 percent strength with a Pacific Basin orientation. The 25th Infantry Division earned the designation "light" — the reorganization was completed by 1 October 1986.[9]
In 1988, the 35th Infantry participated in rotations at theJoint Readiness Training Center,Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. This training center provides the most realistic training available to light forces in the Army. Coupled with Joint/Combined training exercisesCobra Gold in Thailand,Kangaroo in Australia andOrient Shield in Japan, the 25th Division's demanding exercise schedule significantly increased the division's fighting capabilities. Until 1993 Operation Team Spirit in Korea remained the division's largest annual maneuver exercise, involving more than half of the division's strength.[9]
The 35th Infantry units did not participate inOperation Desert Storm, due to the 25th Division being earmarked for Pacific contingencies, such as a renewal of hostilities in Korea.[9]
In 1995, the 25th Division underwent another reorganization and reduction as a part of the Army's downsizing, but most elements of the 35th Infantry were maintained.[9]
In early 2005, an airborne brigade was created atFort Richardson, Alaska and added to the 25th. Until mid-2022 the "Tropic Lightning" Division was composed of the 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams (based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska and Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, respectively), the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Schofield Barracks) and The 4th Brigade Combat Team (based at Fort Richardson, Alaska), in addition to theCombat Aviation Brigade. The re-activation of the11th Airborne Division in June 2022 saw the 1st and 4th Brigade Combat Teams reallocated to the new Division, reducing the 25th Infantry Division down to two active Brigade Combat Teams. As a major ground reserve force for the U.S. Pacific Command, the "Tropic Lightning" Division routinely deploys from Schofield Barracks to participate in exercises in Japan,Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia and the Big Island of Hawaii.[9]
The 35th Infantry and the 3rd Brigade did not take part in the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2001 to 2003. The 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division began deploying in the divisional second stage to Afghanistan in March 2004. The 25th Infantry Division redeployed to Schofield Barracks Hawaii in April 2005. One of the missions of the 3rd Brigade was to track down insurgent Taliban and Al-Qaeda members in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan.[9]
In 2005, the division's elements of the 35th Infantry, as part of the 3rd Brigade, took part in the brigade's transformation into a Brigade Combat Team (BCT). The (Light) status was dropped from the 25th Division designation in January 2006.[9] Also, the term "regiment," dropped at the onset of the Pentomic (battle group) era in the late 1950s, began to be used again for units such as the 35th.
In March 2009, the 35th Infantry, as part of the 3rd BCT, deployed to Iraq in support ofOperation Iraqi Freedom.[9]
In June–August 2009, the 25th Division was deployed inOperation Champion Sword.[9]
From March 2011–March 2012, the 35th Infantry Regiment was deployed to RC East, Afghanistan in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom.[11]
The regiment has received the following unit awards:[2][12]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Presidential Unit Citation | GUADALCANAL | |
| Presidential Unit Citation | NAM RIVER | |
 | Valorous Unit Award | QUANG NGAI PROVINCE | |
 | Meritorious Unit Commendation | VIETNAM 1967–1968 | |
| Meritorious Unit Commendation | IRAQ 2006–2007 | |
| Meritorious Unit Commendation | IRAQ 2008–2009 | |
| Meritorious Unit Commendation | AFGHANISTAN 2011–2012 | |
_Streamer.png) | Philippine Presidential Unit Citation | 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945 | |
 | Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | MASAN-CHINJU | |
| Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | MUNSAN-NI | |
| Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | KOREA |
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm | VIETNAM 1966–1967 | |
| Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm | VIETNAM 1967–1969 | |
| Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm | VIETNAM 1969–1970 | |
 | Vietnam Civil Actions Medal | VIETNAM 1967–1969 |
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valorous Unit Award | PLEIKU PROVINCE |
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidential Unit Citation | PLEIKU PROVINCE | |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 1 to 4 Sep 1950 | Nam River |
The 35th Infantry regimental history dates from 1916.[2]
Campaign participation credits;[2]
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Army Center of Military History. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.