185th Infantry Regiment ( United States ) The 185th Infantry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army made up of soldiers from the California Army National Guard . Only the 1st Battalion of the regiment remains active . The 185th ' s higher headquarters is the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team , headquartered in San Diego . Its higher headquarters , in turn , is the 40th Infantry Division History . 19th century . The 1st Battalion , 185th Infantry Regiment was originally constituted on 22 July 1885 as the 6th Infantry Battalion , California National Guard . The unit was expanded , reorganized , and redesignated on 21 February 1888 as the 6th Infantry Regiment . It was mustered into federal service on 11 May 1898 at San Francisco as the 6th California Volunteer Infantry ; and mustered out on 15 December 1898 at Fort Point , CA . It was reduced and consolidated on 11 May 1907 with the 2nd Infantry Regiment , California National Guard ( organized in 1864 as the Sacramento Light Artillery ) to form the 2nd Infantry Regiment , California National Guard , with Headquarters at Sacramento . Early 20th century . The unit was called into federal service on 15 June 1916 for Mexican border service ; mustered into federal service on 27 June 1916 at Sacramento ; and mustered out on 15 November 1916 . It was called into federal service on 26 March 1917 ; and drafted into federal service on 5 August 1917 . The 2nd Infantry Regiment ( less 2nd Battalion , Companies L and M , and Sanitary Detachment ) consolidated on 24 September – 1 November 1917 with the 5th Infantry Regiment , California National Guard , and the consolidated unit was designated as the 159th Infantry , an element of the 40th Division ; demobilized on 1 May 1919 at the Presidio of San Francisco , CA . The 2nd Battalion , Companies L and M , and Sanitary Detachment , 2nd Infantry Regiment consolidated on 25 September – 1 November 1917 with the 7th Infantry Regiment , California National Guard , and the consolidated unit was designated as the 160th Infantry , an element of the 40th Division ; it demobilized on 7 May 1919 at Camp Kearny in San Diego . The former central and northern California elements ( less San Francisco area ) reconstituted and reorganized on 20 October 1924 in the California National Guard as the 184th Infantry , an element of the 40th Division , with Headquarters at Sacramento . The central California elements ( less San Francisco area ) was withdrawn , expanded , reorganized , and redesignated on 18 February – 1 April 1929 as the 185th Infantry , an element of the 40th Division ( later redesignated as the 40th Infantry Division ) with headquarters at Fresno ( northern California elements concurrently expanded and reorganized as the 184th ; separate lineage ) . World War II . As part of the United States mobilization during World War II , the 185th Infantry Regiment was federalized at Fresno , California , on 3 March 1941 and moved to Camp San Luis Obispo , California , within two weeks . The regiment trained there for over a year as part of the 40th Division before relocating to Fort Lewis , Washington , on 29 April 1942 . From there , the regiment went to San Francisco , California , in August and was shipped to Hawaii the following month . The regiment stayed in Hawaii where it trained in jungle warfare for over a year before being moved forward during January 1944 to the Solomon Islands . From April through December the regiment was employed in combat on New Britain island during the New Britain campaign . Then the regiment landed on Manus Island in December 1944 and invaded the Japanese - held Philippine Islands on 9 January 1945 . The regiment participated in various actions of the Philippines Campaign of 1944 – 45 during the rest of the war , and arrived back at San Francisco , California on 5 April 1946 , being inactivated the next day . Cold War . The regiment was relieved on 25 June 1946 from assignment to the 40th Infantry Division , it was assigned on 5 August 1946 to the 49th Infantry Division . The unit was reorganized and federally recognized on 18 November 1946 , with Headquarters at Fresno ( former 2nd and 3rd Battalions reorganized as the 223rd and 224th Infantry , respectively ( separate lineage ) ; and a new 2nd Battalion , 185th Infantry was organized from existing units ; 980th Field Artillery Battalion was reorganized , redesignated and Federally recognized on 24 August 1947 as the new 3rd Battalion , 185th Infantry ) . The unit was reorganized on 1 May 1959 as the 185th Infantry , a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System , to consist of the 1st Battle Group , an element of the 49th Infantry Division ; on 1 March 1963 to consist of the 1st and 2nd Battalions , elements of the 49th Infantry Division ( the 2nd Battalion was relieved on 4 December 1963 from assignment to the 49th Infantry Division and assigned to the 49th Infantry Brigade ) ; and on 29 January 1968 to consist of the 2nd Battalion , an element of the 49th Infantry Brigade . 21st century . Following the events of 11 September multiple national guard units were activated for various reasons . The 185th was no different with the regiment activated for Operation Noble Eagle , when it was assigned to guard military bases , airports , and other possible targets of opportunity . In late 2003 the 185th was activated again , this time in the wake of the Invasion of Iraq . This is not to be confused with the activation of the 185th Armor Regiment , which was activated at the same time . In 2005 , the unit returned from active duty . In 2006 , Headquarters Company was activated , and was deployed to Camp Bucca , Iraq for a year . During the 2006 – 07 deployment when the regiment ' s only death , as of June 2009 , occurred . Specialist Sellen , posthumously promoted to sergeant , was killed while attached to 16th MP Brigade due to an accidental discharge of a firearm by a fellow soldier . In early 2007 , the first battalion ' s Charlie company was mobilized for a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom under the command of 1st Battalion , 143rd Field Artillery of the California Army National Guard . After completing training at Fort Dix , New Jersey , the company moved to Camp Slayer in Baghdad , Iraq and conducted force protection , convoy security , and military police missions throughout the country . During their six months in Iraq , they completed over 250 successful combat missions , including the care and custody of over 2 , 000 detainees and escorting numerous high profile detainees to Iraqi courts in Baghdad . On February 22 , 2008 , the company transferred responsibility to Charlie company , 1st Battalion , 279th Infantry Regiment of the Oklahoma Army National Guard . On March 6 , 2008 , the company returned to Los Alamitos . The company received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for their service pursuant to Department of the Army Permanent Orders 272 - 43 dated September 29 , 2009 .