# 338th Infantry Regiment (United States)

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The 338th Infantry Regiment was a National Army Infantry Regiment first organized for service in World War I as part of the 85th Infantry Division in Europe. It later served in the Mediterranean Theater during World War II. Since then it has served as a training regiment, training Army Reserve and Army National Guard soldiers for overseas service after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

## Service history
### World War I

The regiment was constituted 5 August 1917 in the National Army as the 338th Infantry and assigned to the 169th Infantry Brigade of the 85th Division. It was organized at Camp Custer, Michigan, on 30 August 1917. In August 1917, the regiment was organized with 3,755 officers and enlisted men:
* Headquarters & Headquarters Company- 303
** Supply Company- 140
** Machine Gun Company- 178
** Medical & Chaplain Detachment- 56
* Infantry Battalion (x3)- 1,026
** Headquarters- 2
** Rifle Company (x4)- 256
The Doughboys of the regiment deployed to France as part of the American Expeditionary Forces and were billeted in the cities of Nevers and Cosne. The regiment didn't participate in any named campaigns during the war; its Infantrymen were used as individual replacements to the fighting Divisions. After completing its war service in France it was demobilized at Camp Custer on 14 April 1919.

### Interwar period

Pursuant to the National Defense Act of 1920, the 338th Infantry was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921, assigned to the 85th Division, and allotted to the Sixth Corps Area. It was initiated on 5 November 1921 with the regimental headquarters at Kalamazoo, Michigan. Subordinate battalion headquarters were organized as follows: 1st Battalion at Kalamazoo; 2nd Battalion at Lansing, Michigan; and 3rd Battalion at Ann Arbor, Michigan. The regimental headquarters was relocated on 20 July 1923 to Lansing. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were relocated by 1929 to Hastings and Jackson, Michigan, respectively. The regimental headquarters was relocated on 26 September 1932 to Kalamazoo. The regiment conducted summer training most years with the 2nd Infantry Regiment at Camp Custer, Michigan. The regiment conducted summer training with the Michigan National Guard's 126th Infantry Regiment at Camp Grayling, Michigan, in 1928 and 1934. The regiment also conducted infantry Citizens' Military Training Camps some years at Camp Custer or Fort Brady, Michigan, as an alternate form of summer training. The primary ROTC "feeder" school was Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in Lansing.

### World War II

The 338th Infantry was ordered into active military service 15 May 1942 and reorganized at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. In July 1943, the regiment was organized with 3,256 officers and enlisted men:
* Headquarters & Headquarters Company- 111
** Service Company- 114
** Anti-Tank Company- 165
** Cannon Company- 118
** Medical Detachment- 135
* Infantry Battalion (x3)- 871
** Headquarters & Headquarters Company- 126
** Rifle Company (x3)- 193
** Weapons Company- 156
The regiment departed Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation in December 1943 aboard the USS General William A. Mann with its supporting 329th Field Artillery Battalion. Arriving in Italy on March 14, the 339th Regimental Combat Team was attached to the 88th Infantry Division and became the first regiment of the 85th to see combat during World War II on the Minturno-Castelforte front north of Naples, on 28 March. After service in the Mediterranean Theater it was disbanded 25 August 1945 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia.

### Post World War II

The 338th Infantry was reconstituted 6 November 1946 in the Organized Reserves and assigned to the 85th Infantry Division with headquarters at Peoria, Illinois. On 9 July 1952, the Organized Reserve was redesignated the Army Reserve. On 1 April 1952, the headquarters was relocated to Danville, Illinois. On 1 June 1959 the 338th Infantry was reorganized as a training unit and was redesignated as the 338th Regiment, an element of the 85th Division (Training), with headquarters at Chicago, Illinois.

### Current assignment

As part of Operation Bold Shift, the 338th mission is to train Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers for war service before dispatch to the War in Afghanistan, the Iraq War, or elsewhere. All three battalions are elements of the 85th Support Command under the operational control of First Army. As of 2018, the 1st Battalion is stationed at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, with the 181st Infantry Brigade, while the 2nd and 3rd Battalions are stationed at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, with the 157th Infantry Brigade. Each battalion provides Observer/Controllers to the NTC and JRTC to train units conducting rotations as well as conducting exercises at their home stations.
* Camp Custer, Michigan
* Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation
* USS General W. A. Mann
* Welcome Home, Camp Patrick Henry
* Spring Offensive, Italy 1945
* IV Corps operations, Italy April 1945
* 1st Battalion training deploying soldiers from the 101st Engineer Battalion September, 2009

## Campaign streamers

| Conflict | Streamer | Year(s) |
| World War I | No Inscription | |
| World War II | Rome-Arno | 1944 |
| World War II | North Apennines | 1944-1945 |
| World War II | Po Valley | 1945 |

## Decorations

| Ribbon | Award | Year | Subordinate Elements | Embroidered | Notes |
| | Presidential Unit Citation | 1944 | Entire Regiment | Mount Altuzzo | General Orders #9, 21 October 1947 |
| | Army Superior Unit Award | 2003-2004 | 1st Battalion | 2003-2004 | Permanent Order 232-07, 20 August 2007 & General Order 2009-23 |
| | Army Superior Unit Award | 2004-2006 | 2nd and 3rd Battalions | 2004-2006 | Permanent Order 202-27, 21 July 2009 & General Order 2013-16 |
| | Army Superior Unit Award | 2008-2011 | Entire Regiment | 2008-2011 | Permanent Orders 332-07 announcing award of the Army Superior Unit award |
| None | Secretary of the Army Superior Unit Certificate | 1961-1962 | Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion | None | DA GO 14, 20 March 1963 |