Organized 15 October 1917 in
Camp Bowie, Texas, from the Third Texas Infantry and the
Fifth Texas Infantry and assigned to the 72d Infantry Brigade, 36th Infantry Division
Called to federal service, October 1917
Returned to state control, June 1919
Activated (state) for
hurricane disaster relief, Nueces, San Patricio and Aransas Counties, September 1919
Reactivated under state control and assigned to the 36th Infantry Division, 23 October 1946
Reorganized as 1st and 2d Battle Groups, 143d Infantry (under the
Pentomic Division system), 1959
Reorganized as the 143d Infantry, 1 March 1963, with the 2d and 3d Battalions assigned to the 3d Brigade, 36th Division; and the 1st Battalion inactivated
3d Battalion relieved from assignment to the 36th Division and assigned to the
36th Infantry Brigade (Separate), 1 November 1965
1st Battalion reactivated, 2d Battalion relieved from assignment to the 36th Division, 3d Battalion relieved from assignment to 36th Infantry Brigade (Separate)15 Dec 1967;[1] all battalions assigned to the
71st Airborne Brigade (Separate), 30 July 1968[2]
1st and 2d Battalions assigned to the 36th Airborne Brigade (redesignated from the 71st); 3d Battalion inactivated and its personnel and equipment used to form the 1st Squadron,
124th Cavalry Regiment in 1973[3][4][5]
1st Battalion inactivated, 2d Battalion inactivated (less company A); assets from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 143d Infantry used to form Company G (
Ranger) 143d Infantry, 21 April 1980.[6]
Company G (Ranger) 143d Infantry was redesignated as Company G (
Long Range Surveillance), 143d Infantry in 1988.[7][8]
Company G (Long Range Surveillance), 143d Infantry, a corps-level unit, was inactivated in September 2001;[9][8] the division-level 143d Infantry Detachment (Long Range Surveillance), a separate unit with no lineage connection to the 143d Infantry Regiment,[10] remained active.
143d Infantry Detachment (LRS) was inactivated in 2008; personnel and equipment were used to form Troop C (LRS), 3d Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment of the 71st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade.
1st Battalion activated as 1st Battalion (Airborne), 143d Infantry Regiment, 2010. HHC, Company A, Company D, and Forward Support Company (FSC) activated in Texas; Company B activated in the Alaska Army National Guard; Company C activated in the Rhode Island Army National Guard from the personnel and equipment of the 173d Infantry Detachment (LRS). In 2016 Company B was inactivated and reflagged as a unit of the 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, AK ARNG.[11]
Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (College Station) – First formed in Clifton 6 June 1922 as part of the 141st Infantry. Transferred to the 143d Infantry 1924. World War II. "ALSACE" Distinguished Unit Streamer. Reformed in Palestine, Texas, on 12 May 1947; moved to College Station 10 January 1954.
Company A (Rusk) – Originally formed as Company A, Seventh Cavalry (Confederate Army); Rusk Militia 1883–1895; Company F, Third Texas Infantry 1903–1914; World War II. "ALSACE" Distinguished Unit Streamer.
Company B (Mexia) – Originally formed as Company B, Third Infantry, Texas Volunteer Guard, 1879; Company C, Second Texas, United States Volunteers (Spanish–American War); Mexican Border Service, 1916–1917; World War II. "ALSACE" Streamer.
Company C (Beaumont) – Organized in 1926; World War II. "ALSACE" Streamer. Stationed in Palestine, Texas 1947.
Company D (Corsicana) – Independent Blues Militia, 1859; Company K, First Texas Cavalry (Confederate Army); Company A, First Texas, United States Volunteers (Spanish–American War); World War II. "ALSACE" Distinguished Unit Streamer.
Headquarters Company, 2d Battalion (Houston) – Originally formed in Moody, then moved to Hillsboro 18 February 1930. World War II. "COLMAR POCKET" Distinguished Unit Streamer. Reorganized in Houston, 2 December 1946.
Company E (Caldwell) – Organized in 1939; assault unit at Salerno, Rapido River. "COLMAR POCKET" Streamer. Reorganized in Baytown, 1947.
Company F (Huntsville) – Formed from volunteers in
Hood's Brigade (Confederate Army) and the Tom Hamilton Guards of the 1870s. Company F, First Texas, United States Volunteers (Spanish–American War). World War II. "COLMAR POCKET" Distinguished Unit Streamer.
Company G (Houston) – Formed from the
Houston Light Guard. World War II. "COLMAR POCKET" Streamer. Reorganized into Company G (
Ranger), 143d Infantry in 1980. Redesignated G co 143rd Infantry
LRS in 1987
Company H (Beaumont) – First formed 22 February 1922 in Somerville. World War II. "COLMAR POCKET" Streamer. Reorganized and activated 3 October 1947 in Beaumont.
Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion (Waco) – First formed in Itasca as Company K, 143d Infantry in 1922. Redesignated as Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion in 1924. World War II. "MAGRANON RIDGE," and "RIBBEAUVILLE" Distinguished Unit Streamers. Reformed in Waco on 5 February 1947.
Company I (Belton) – Formed from the Miller Rifles (later Belton Rifles), 1886.
Company K (Waco) – Formed as the Waco Greys, 1876. Company K,
Second Texas Infantry, 1898. World War II. "MAGRANON RIDGE," "RIBBEAUVILLE," and "BITSCHOFFEN" Distinguished Unit Streamers. Pfc. Donald K. Kimbrough was awarded a Presidential Citation for Heroism, Gallantry in Action and Outstanding Achievement in Company K on 15 March 1945. Company K was assigned the mission of attacking at night over exposed terrain, to capture the town of Bitschoffen, France. The town was well defended and surrounded by extensive minefields. Company K attacked twice, each time suffering heavy losses from mines and defensive fires, though each time, reorganized for another assault. On the third assault, elements of the company attacking up and through a mine field succeeded in entering the town, overwhelming the German troops in the village. They then attacked from the rear, and engaged those enemy forces with the remainder of Company K. By dawn, Bittschoffen, France had fallen, an undetermined number of the enemy was killed and 66 prisoners were captured. Pfc. Donald K. Kimbrough retired from the Armed Forces as Master Sgt. in 1946.
Company L (Hillsboro) – Originally Company M, Second Texas Infantry, 1900. World War II. "RIBBEAUVILLE" and "MAGRANON RIDGE" Distinguished Unit Streamers.
Company M (Waco) – First formed in Killeen 1922, moved to Waco 1 July 1931. World War II. "RIBBEAUVILLE" and "MAGRANON RIDGE" Distinguished Unit Streamers.
Honors
Campaign participation credit
Mexican Border Service:
World War I:
Meuse-Argonne
World War II:
Naples-Foggia with Arrowhead;
Anzio;
Rome-Arno;
Southern France with Arrowhead (Liberation of
Alps,
Grenoble)
8 December 2011 – 1 October 2012 (Detachment, 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment) – AFGHANISTAN
Service
Mexican Border Service
In February 1913,
Mexico was in a state of turmoil between two rival factions for power and this prevented commanders in Mexican border towns from paying their soldiers. Concern over this caused County Judge and Sheriff of
Cameron County, Texas, to appeal to the
governor for assistance. In response,
Governor Oscar Colquitt sent Texas militia, consisting of two companies of the Third Texas Infantry from Corpus Christi and Houston and two companies of cavalry. They remained until June 1913.[12] The situation got worse, with American citizens being executed in Mexico and various factions conducting cross-border raids into Texas. Some Federal troops were stationed on the border and in August 1913, Colquitt sent the entire Third Texas Infantry to
Fort Brown along with a battery of light artillery from
Dallas. These were relieved by Federal troops in 1914.[13] By 1916, the Third Texas was stationed at
Harlingen while in Federal service.[14][15]
World War I
In 1917, the 36th Infantry Division was formed from units in Texas and
Oklahoma. The Third Texas and part of the Fifth Texas infantry regiments were organized as the 143d Infantry Regiment at Camp Bowie, Texas.[16] The 143d was assigned to the 72d Infantry Brigade of the division.[17] The 143d was then shipped to
France in 1918 with the rest of the division for final combat training and then to the front. In September 1918, the 36th Division was attached to the
French Fifth Army.[18] The regiment participated in
Meuse-Argonne Offensive from 7–28 October 1918.[16][19]
World War II
The 36th Infantry Division was mobilized on 25 November 1940 at Camp Bowie, including the 143d Infantry. It was shipped to
Algeria in early 1943.
Salerno & Liri Valley, Italy
The 143d participated in the landing at
Salerno,
Italy and continued to fight in Italy during the campaign in the Liri Valley from September 1943 to early 1944. Significant engagements included the
Battle of San Pietro and the
Rapido River crossing.
Anzio
The regiment, now commanded by Colonel
Paul D. Adams, was landed to reinforce the
Fifth Army on 19 May 1944. It then participated in the breakout and movement to
Rome where they were halted by orders to allow other units to catch up.
Southern France
As part of the 36th Division, the 143d landed in Southern France in August 1944. The 22, the IIIrd Battalion releases Grenoble "Capital of the Alps". Moving forward with the
141st Infantry, the regiment was part of the bottleneck that formed the
Colmar Pocket. This resulted in the destruction of the
German 19th Army.
Vosges, France and Germany
The 143d concluded its combat with actions in
Vosges, France and southern Germany. There was a significant battle near
Weikersheim,
Germany. The regiment then breached the
Siegfried Line and moved forward as far as the
Rhine river.
War On Drugs / Southern Border Operations
The 143rd's LRS teams participated in southern border operations on active duty as part of Texas Task Force 1, Operation Unity, and Operation Plus-Up.
Global War on Terror
Afghanistan
The 143d was mobilized the day after Thanksgiving in 2011. It conducted mobilization training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and deployed to Afghanistan in February 2012 to conduct missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The primary mission of the 143d was service as security forces for Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) throughout the country. Headquarters and Headquarters Company was assigned to the capital city, Kabul, helping to secure and manage the operation of multiple bases in the area.
Staff SergeantThomas E. McCall, Company F, 2d Battalion, was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions near
San Angelo, Italy on 13 September 1943 during the Rapido River crossing in World War II.
^
abFaulkner, Michael (23 September 2001).
"Co. G 143d Infantry (LRS)". Unofficial Unit Page for Co. G 143d Infantry (LRS). Archived from
the original on 21 December 2001.
^Texas Adjutant General (1916). Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of Texas. Austin, Texas: State of Texas. p. 136.
^
abGarey, Enoch Barton; Ellis, Olin Oglesby & Magoffin, Ralph Van Deman (1920). American Guide Book to France and Its Battlefields. New York: Macmillan. pp. 247–49.
^War Department (1920). Battle participation of organizations of the American expeditionary forces in France, Belgium, and Italy. 1917–1918. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 24.
^Brokaw, Tom; Williams, Brian; Hanson, Victor Davis (2011). Medal of Honor. New York: Artisan Books. p. 82.
ISBN9781579654627.