32nd Infantry Regiment ( United States ) The 32nd Infantry Regiment is a formation of the United States Army . Of the original regiment , only the 1st Battalion remains as an active duty unit . The 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry Regiment is a light infantry battalion currently assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team , 10th Mountain Division ( Light Infantry ) , garrisoned at Fort Drum , New York . History . The 32nd Regiment was first organized on 7 August 1916 , on Oahu , Hawaii from elements of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiment s . At its activation , it was known as " The Queen ' s Own " Regiment , a title bestowed by the last queen of Hawaii , Liliuokalani . World War I . During World War I , units of the 32nd Regiment were used to escort German prisoners of war being transferred to the United States from Hawaii . On 20 July 1918 , the 32nd was transferred to Camp Kearny , San Diego , California , where it became a part of the 32nd Infantry Brigade , 16th Infantry Division . A short time later , many of the Regiment ' s men were transferred to the 82nd Infantry Regiment and remained with this organization until it was demobilized in 1919 . World War II . The 2nd Battalion was reactivated in October , 1939 , by the transfer of men from units of the 7th Infantry Division , and on 1 July 1940 , the remainder of the regiment was reactivated as a part of the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Ord , California . After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , the 32nd was moved into defensive positions along the West Coast . As the job became apparent , the troops began intensive training as a motorized unit at Camp San Luis Obispo , California . Vast maneuvers were held in the Mojave Desert to prepare the 32nd for participation in the defeat of the German Afrika Korps , led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel . A change in Allied strategy , however , turned the 32nd overnight toward a role of amphibious assault s from the Aleutian Islands to tropical jungle islands . Rushed to the Aleutians in the spring of 1943 , after the Japanese had landed on Attu Island , the regiment played a major role in retaking American territory . It was on the Aleutian Islands that Private Joe P . Martinez , Company I , earned the Medal of Honor . Seeing his unit pinned down by enemy fire , Private Martinez single - handedly charged the enemy emplacement and destroyed it . While rallying the men he was mortally wounded . For actions on the Attu Island , " E " , " I " , and " K " companies of the 32nd received Distinguished Unit Citation s . After their baptism of fire in the Aleutian campaign , the 32nd Regiment sailed to Hawaii for intensive training that emphasized amphibious landings and jungle fighting . On 1 February 1944 , the 32nd Regiment assaulted Kwajalein Island . During five days of fighting , the 32nd , along with the 184th Infantry Regiment , eliminated all the enemy personnel on the island , with the exception of a few exhausted Japanese who surrendered . The regiment returned to Hawaii on 14 February where it went through additional intensified jungle training for an expected invasion of the Yap Island . Arriving at Eniwetok Atoll on 25 September 1944 , the regiment ' s orders were changed and the 32nd joined General Douglas MacArthur ' s forces , spearheading the first landings on Leyte Island , Philippines . Fighting in swamps , tropical jungles , and over rugged mountains , the 7th Infantry Division battled over 37 miles ( 60 kilometers ) in 60 days of the bitterest fighting in the Pacific . The regiment ' s last campaign of World War II started 1 April 1945 with the landings at Okinawa . During this battle , the 32nd won the nickname " Spearhead " because of its continuous attacks against the enemy . After only three days of rest after the fighting on Okinawa , the 32nd embarked for Korea to receive the surrender of all the Japanese troops south of the 38th parallel . During its campaigns through the Pacific , the 32nd Infantry Regiment traveled 16 , 910 miles . During the regiment ' s occupation stay in Korea , infantrymen obtained a preview of their future tour in the Korean War . Units of the 32nd rotated on outpost positions along the 38th Parallel . The troops formed a tight perimeter against southbound guerrilla bands and were assigned the mission of eliminating the wholesale movement of black market goods across the boundary . In December 1948 , the 7th Infantry Division loaded on ships and sailed to Japan where its zone of occupation responsibility included almost half of the total land area of Japan . The 32nd replaced the 11th Airborne Division . During its stay in Japan , the strength of the regiment dropped by almost half of its authorized strength . Korean War . On 25 June 1950 , the North Korean Army crossed the 38th Parallel , initiating the Korean War , taking Seoul and pushing all the way to the Pusan Perimeter . The 32nd began immediate preparation for deployment from Japan . Intensive training for a proposed amphibious landing in Korea focused the training for the regiment . A major problem facing the 32nd at this time was the integration of several hundred ROK soldiers who were to fight alongside American troops . Demonstrations , sign language , and a smattering of Japanese were used during the intensive military training . The ROK soldiers were integrated at the squad level and introduced to the American " buddy team " system in combat . American soldiers were responsible for the training and integration of the assigned ROK troops . After six days of loading supplies and equipment , the 32nd boarded troopship s , departing for Inchon , Korea . The 32nd went ashore on 16 September 1950 , and were immediately met by small arms , mortar , and tank fire from communist forces . The 32nd advanced north toward the Han River , the last natural barrier to Seoul . The " Buccaneers " of the 32nd , in the cold morning hours of 25 September , crossed the Han Rover under intense enemy fire and captured their first objective , a dominating hill mass outside Seoul , at 1030 . Its capture provided the 32nd with sufficient momentum to gain all assigned objectives . With the capture of the surrounding heights overlooking and dominating the city , US Marine elements were able to resume their advance . The regiment was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for their actions in relieving pressure on the Marines . The division was relieved of the responsibility for the Seoul area on 30 September 1950 and moved 350 miles overland , arriving in Pusan to begin training for another proposed landing , this time at Wonson , North Korea . Departing from Pusan Harbor on 28 October , the mission of the 7th Infantry Division was changed to land at Iwon and advance to the Korean - Manchurian border . Landing at Iwon in the 29th , the regiment moved quickly northward with the 1st Battalion on the east coast of the Chosin Reservoir and the 2nd and 3rd in the Fusan Reservoir area . At that point there were definite indications of Communist Chinese intervention in the war . Information that three enemy divisions had arrived at Yudam - ni on 20 November reached intelligence personnel via prisoners of war . On the ground , no contact was made in the Chosin Reservoir area . On 29 November 1950 , when the full force of the Chinese attack struck the UN forces , the 2nd and 3rd Battalions stood their ground until UN elements further north moved to join the battle . Together all these UN elements made an orderly withdrawal from the Fusan area . The 1st Battalion on the east coast of the Chosin Reservoir was with elements of the 31st Infantry Regiment and the 1st Marines , who were cut off by Chinese forces . Only after long and bloody fighting did these forces work their way south to Koto - ri , and then to the Hungman perimeter . Lieutenant Colonel Don C . Faith , Jr . , 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry commander , distinguished himself in this action . During the five - day period from 27 November to 1 December 1950 , he personally directed his troops across the ice - covered reservoir and continually placed himself with the forward elements of the battalion . He was mortally wounded while attempting to destroy an enemy road block with hand grenades . For his leadership , Lieutenant Colonel Faith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor , the nation ' s highest award for valor . With the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement and the end of the Korean war , the regiment busied themselves with defensive preparations on the Korean peninsula , in case of a resumption of hostilities . The regiment was later reorganized and activated as the 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry Regiment . Cold War . In 1978 , the 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry was stood down as part of President Carter ' s effort to withdraw from Korea . Just prior to that , Colin Powell and Steven Silvasy served as battalion commanders . The 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry was later reactivated in the early 1980s at Fort Ord , California , where it joined the 2nd and 3rd Battalion ' s of the 32nd Infantry to form the 2nd Brigade , 7th Infantry Division . This effort was part of a plan on the part of officers in the brigade , particularly the commander , Colonel Don Chunn , to support the re - establishment of a strong regimental system in the US Army . This effort supported the wider Army ' s " cohort " effort to rebuild cohesive units after the struggles with unit moral and effectiveness in the late stages of the Vietnam War and the early developments of the " All Volunteer Army . " When the Army restructured its regimental designations later in the 1980s , the three battalions of the 32nd Infantry were re - designated . Gulf War . In the late 1980s and early 1990s the 3rd battalion , 32nd Infantry served as a basic training battalion at Fort Benning , Georgia , and had the distinction of one of the first training units to conduct M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle specific training . On 2 August 1990 Saddam Hussein ' s armies invaded Kuwait . Many recruits found themselves graduating that October , only to find themselves in the deserts of Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as early as late November - early December of the same year . On 15 February 1996 , 1st Battalion , 32nd was activated as the only active battalion of the 32nd Regiment , as part of the 10th Mountain Division , Fort Drum , New York . Since then , the battalion has participated in many training exercises as well as including Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti and six - month rotation as a highly visible Multinational Force and Observers ( MFO ) peacekeeping mission in the Middle East . In May 2002 the battalion returned from a six - month rotation in Kosovo as part of Task Force Falcon . The deployment was part of Operation Joint Guardian . Global War on Terrorism . In August 2003 , the battalion deployed to central Iraq as part of 1st Brigade , 10th Mountain Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . What had originally been planned as a six month deployment ended as a thirteen month combat tour . During the deployment , Alpha Company was based at FOB Volturno near Fallujah while Bravo and Charlie Companies conducted combat operations and built FOB Chosin ( later renamed FOB Iskandariyah ) at the Musayyib Power Plant in conjunction with engineers from the 82nd Airborne Division . Later Bravo and Charlie Companies would move to FOB Manhattan , located between Ramadi and Fallujah . In February 2006 the battalion deployed to eastern Afghanistan as " Taskforce Chosin " in support of Operation Enduring Freedom for what became a fifteen month combat tour when 3rd Brigade Combat Team , 10th Mountain Division was extended after twelve months in country . Initially , the battalion assumed responsibility for Nangarhar , Laghman , Kunar , and portions of Nuristan Provinces . Alpha Company operated in the Korengal Valley , Bravo Company operated around Nangalam and in Nuristan Province , specifically Bella and Aranas . Charlie Company operated along the Peche River , while Delta Company detached individual platoons to Alpha and Charlie Companies and received the attachment of 3rd Platoon , Bravo Company . Delta Company was detached to 4th Battalion , 25th Field Artillery Regiment at FOB Salerno as the only maneuver force in Khost Province . In late February 2007 the battalion was notified that 3rd Brigade Combat Team , 10th Mountain Division would remain in country until June 2007 to allow time to deploy additional combat troops . Taskforce Chosin ' s AO was redrawn to include only Kunar and parts of Nuristan Provinces as the remainder of the brigade respositioned from the southern portion of Regional Command East . As part of this move , Delta Company returned to battalion control , receiving its 2nd Platoon , a section of mortars , and a forward logistics element ( FLE ) . Delta Company then established Fire Base Fortress along the Abad - Jbad Road between the Chowkay and Narang Valleys , and began operations into both valleys . In June 2007 , the trail elements of the battalion finally returned home to Fort Drum , New York . In April 2008 a corporal who had been killed at the Chosin Reservoir was identified . In 2009 , the 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry Regiment deployed to Kunar Province , Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom under the command of Regional Command East of the International Security Assistance Force . The battalion was detached from 3rd Brigade Combat Team , 10th Mountain Division to support the 1st Infantry Division and later Task Force Mountain Warrior of the 4th Brigade Combat Team , 4th Infantry Division . The battalion conducted mounted and dismounted operations in Kunar Province and responded to enemy movement and activity in nearby Nuristan Province . However , the Battalion was not whole . Bravo Company was assigned to deploy with 3rd Squadron , 71st Cavalry Regiment , and was detached and separate from the rest of the battalion for the deployment . Bravo Company operated in Logar Province . The battalion redeployed to the United States in the winter of 2010 , returning to Fort Drum and their higher headquarters . During this deployment , the battalion received the Valorous Unit Award — the Army ' s second highest unit decoration — for actions during the Battle of Barge - Matal . In March 2011 , the 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry again deployed as part of 3rd Brigade Combat Team , 10th Mountain Division , this time to Kandahar Province , southern Afghanistan , in support of Operation Enduring Freedom XI - XII under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth J . Mintz . The battalion was a battle space owner in the western portion of the Zhari District , replacing the 2nd Battalion , 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division . The battalion ' s area of operations included the villages of Nalgham and Sangsar , the spiritual heartland of the Taliban and the hometown of the Taliban ' s founder , Mullah Omar . Throughout the deployment , the battalion was headquartered at FOB Howz - e - Madad , with Alpha Company at COP Ahmed Khan , Bravo Company at COP Sangsar , Charlie Company at COP Nalgham , and Delta Company at COP Zarif Khel . Soldiers from the battalion conducted a series of successful " Steel Lion " operations , fighting south to the Arghandab River to isolate the Taliban insurgents from the population , secure the area through the construction of numerous strongpoints manned by US and Afghan security forces , and bring relative stability to the area . Additionally , Soldiers from the battalion worked shoulder to shoulder with the Afghan National Army , Afghan National Police , Afghan National Civil Order Police , and stood up several new elements of Afghan Local Police , before redeploying to Fort Drum in March 2012 . The current commander of the 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry Regiment is Lieutenant Colonel Theo K . Moore . Lineage . Constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 32d Infantry Organized 7 August 1916 at Schofield Barracks , Hawaii Assigned 31 July 1918 to the 16th Division Relieved 8 March 1919 from assignment to the 16th Division Inactivated 1 November 1921 at the Presidio of San Francisco , California Assigned 1 July 1940 to the 7th Division ( later redesignated as the 7th Infantry Division ) and activated at Camp Ord , California Relieved 1 July 1957 from assignment to the 7th Infantry Division and reorganized as a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System Withdrawn 28 August 1987 from the Combat Arms Regimental System , reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System , and transferred to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command Withdrawn 17 December 1994 from the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command Campaign participation credit . World War II : Aleutian Islands ( with arrowhead ) ; Eastern Mandates ; Leyte ( with arrowhead ) ; Ryukyus ( with arrowhead ) Korean War : UN Defensive ; UN Offensive ; CCF Intervention ; First UN Counteroffensive ; CCF Spring Offensive ; UN Summer - Fall Offensive ; Second Korean Winter ; Korea , Summer - Fall 1952 ; Third Korean Winter ; Korea , Summer 1953