159th Infantry Regiment ( United States ) The 159th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army . It served as a part of the 40th Infantry Division for most of its history before deploying in World War II as a part of the 7th Infantry Division . History . World War I . The 159th Infantry Regiment was first constituted and activated in the regular army in the 80th Infantry Brigade , 40th Infantry Division . It served with the division until 1942 . World War II . On July 1 , 1940 , the 7th Infantry Division was reactivated at Camp Ord , California , under the command of Major General Joseph W . Stilwell . The 7th Infantry Division was assigned to III Corps of the Fourth United States Army , and that year it was sent to Oregon for tactical maneuvers . Division units also practiced boat loading at the Monterey Wharf and amphibious assault techniques at the Salinas River in California . With the Japan ese attack of Pearl Harbor , the division was sent to Camp San Luis Obispo to continue its training as a combat division . The 53rd Infantry Regiment was removed from the 7th Division and replaced with the 159th Infantry Regiment , newly deployed from the California Army National Guard . For the early parts of the war , the division participated mainly in construction and training roles . On April 9 , 1942 , the division formally redesignated as the 7th Motorized Division . It began training in the Mojave Desert in preparation for deployment to the African theater . However , it was again designated the 7th Infantry Division on January 1 , 1943 , when the motorized equipment was removed from the unit and it became a light infantry division once more . It began rigorous amphibious assault training under Marines from the Fleet Marine Force , before being deployed to fight in the Pacific theater instead of Africa . General Holland Smith oversaw the unit ' s training . Aleutian Islands . Elements of the 7th Infantry Division first saw combat in the amphibious assault on Attu Island , the western - most Japanese entrenchment in the Aleutian islands chain . Elements landed on May 11 , 1943 , spearheaded by the 17th Infantry Regiment , and fought an intense battle over the tundra against strong Japanese resistance . The fight for the island culminated in a battle at Chichagof Harbor , when the division destroyed all Japanese resistance on the island on May 29 , after a suicidal Japanese bayonet charge . During its first fight of the war , 600 soldiers of the division were killed , while killing 2 , 351 Japanese and taking 28 prisoners . According to " Order of Battle : US Army World War II " by Shelby Stanton , the 159th was relieved from the 7th Infantry Division on 23 August 1943 and assigned to the Alaskan Department , and it departed Attu on 9 August 1944 . Arriving at the Seattle Port of Embarkation eleven days later , it was transferred to Camp Swift , Texas on 28 August 1944 . It moved to Camp Callan , California , on 20 December 1944 before returning to Camp Swift on 28 January 1945 . The regiment staged at Camp Kilmer , New Jersey on 27 February 1945 before departing from the New York Port of Embarkation on 7 March 1945 . It arrived in France eleven days later and was attached to the 106th Infantry Division . As part of the 106th , it entered Germany on 25 April 1945 . On 4 November 1945 it returned to the New York Port of Embarkation and was inactivated at Camp Shanks , New York on that same date . Post - World War II . The 159th was reactivated in the post - war years and underwent several force reorganizations , including assignment as an element of the 49th Infantry Division and 49th Infantry Brigade . From January 1974 until January 1976 its 1st Battalion was part of the 40th Infantry Division ; its 2nd Battalion was part of the 40th Infantry Division from January 1974 until October 2000 . It is not currently listed as an active unit of the California Army National Guard . A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 3 / 32 inches ( 2 . 78 cm ) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned : Azure , three piles issuant Or , in chief a prickly pear cactus Vert , a sheathed Roman sword paleways , point to base , Gules , and a fleur - de - lis of the first . * Symbolism Distinctive unit insignia . The shield is blue for Infantry . The three piles indicate that the organization has been in Federal service three times , and each pile is charged with a device representative of the service in which the organization has been engaged – Mexican Border service , Spanish War service and service in France during World War I . The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 20 April 1927 .