The 161st Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army and the Washington Army National Guard. It is the oldest unit in the Washington Army National Guard, tracing its lineage to the separate infantry companies of the Territorial Militia. Its 1st Battalion is a Stryker-based element of the 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team consisting of three Stryker infantry companies and one headquarters company, with its headquarters in Spokane, Washington.

Origin The 161st Infantry was first organized on 9 March 1886 as the 1st Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Infantry Regiment (on 7 April 1887) from existing independent militia companies which traced their origins back to 1855 when the federal government granted permission to the Washington Territory to raise a voluntary militia to defend settlers against attacks by the Yakima Indians.

Philippine Insurrection, 1898–1902 During the War with Spain the United States seized the Philippine Islands in 1898. Elements of the Filipino army, who wanted independence and resented the seizure of their islands by the United States, began hostilities against U.S. Army units stationed in the Philippines. To reinforce these units, the War Department mustered National Guard units into federal service. Among them were ten companies of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Battalions of the Washington National Guard, mustered into federal service 6–13 May 1898 at Tacoma. The Washington National Guardsmen were then reorganized and redesignated as the 1st Regiment, Washington Volunteer Infantry.

The regiment was dispatched to the Philippines where it was assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, VIII Corps. In what is known officially as the Philippine Insurrection and also known as the Philippine–American War, the 1st Washington participated in the Manila campaign as well as seeing additional action against the Filipino insurgents on the island of Luzon in 1899. The regiment was cited for valorous conduct at the Battle of Santa Ana. The First Washington spent a week in Japan en route back to America. It was mustered out of federal service on 1 November 1899 at San Francisco, CA.

Mexican Punitive Expedition Also known as Pancho Villa Expedition In 1916, the War Department once again mustered National Guard units into federal service to reinforce Regular Army units protecting the southern border of the United States from raids by the Mexican rebel Pancho Villa. The First Washington—now designated the 2nd Infantry Regiment, Washington National Guard—was mustered into federal service on 28 June 1916 at Camp Elmer M. Brown, WA and was dispatched to Calexico, CA for duty. Three months later the regiment returned to American Lake, WA where it was mustered out on 8 October 1916.

World War I As war clouds gathered, the 2nd Infantry Regiment, Washington National Guard was called back into federal service on 25 March 1917. In July 1917 the War Department set up a new numbering system for infantry regiments with National Guard regiments to be numbered 101–300. One hundred and sixty seven National Guard regiments were renumbered. From 19 September to 20 October 1917, the 2nd Infantry Regiment was consolidated with elements of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, District of Columbia National Guard to form the 161st Infantry Regiment. The 161st was assigned to the 41st Division on 19 September 1917. Sent overseas to France, the 161st was not committed to combat. Rather, the personnel of the 161st were used as replacements for other units. For its service the regiment was awarded the World War I campaign streamer without inscription.

Interwar period

The 161st Infantry arrived at the port of Newport News in February 1919 on the troopship USS Georgia and was demobilized from 1–8 May 1919 at Camp Dix, New Jersey, and Camp Dodge, Iowa. Per the National Defense Act of 1920, the 161st Infantry was reconstituted in the National Guard in 1921, assigned to the 41st Division, and allotted to the state of Washington. It was reorganized on 1 May 1921 by consolidation with the 2nd Infantry, Washington National Guard (organized in 1918; headquarters organized 30 September 1918 and federally recognized at Spokane, Washington) and redesignation as the 161st Infantry The regiment, or elements thereof, was called up to perform the following state duties: 2nd Battalion performed duties in connection with guarding prisoners at a penitentiary in Walla Walla, 3–8 September 1926; 2nd Battalion performed strike duties in connection with an agri-labor/I.W.W. strike at Yakima, 24–27 August 1933; entire regiment for riot control duties in connection with a timber workers strike in Grays Harbor County and Tacoma, 12 July–9 August 1935. The regiment conducted annual summer training at Camp Murray, Washington, adjacent to Fort Lewis, from 1921–39.

World War II

When the 41st Infantry Division was ordered into federal service on 16 September 1940, it was still configured as a square division with two brigades each of two infantry regiments, of which one was the 161st Infantry. Initially ordered to Camp Murray on 20 September 1940, the division was transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington on 20 March 1941. Between 5 June and 2 July 1941 the 41st participated in the IX Corps maneuvers at Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, California. Returning to Washington, the division next participated in the Fourth Army maneuvers at Fort Lewis from 15 through 30 August 1941.

With the 41st Division being reconfigured to the new triangular division configuration with three infantry regiments, the 161st was considered excess. The War Department ordered the 161st Infantry to the Philippines to reinforce American forces there in anticipation of a possible Japanese invasion; the Japanese attacked Hawaii and the Philippines before the 161st was to depart San Francisco. In reaction, the War Department directed the 161st to Hawaii to reinforce the defenses there. The regiment sailed from San Francisco on 16 December 1941, arriving in Hawaii on 21 December. On 17 February 1942, the 161st Infantry was reassigned from the 41st Division to the Hawaiian Department. On 23 July 1942, with the inactivation of the 24th Infantry Division's 299th Infantry Regiment, whose ranks had been depleted through the transfer of many Nisei (second-generation Japanese-Americans) in order to form the 100th Infantry Battalion, the War Department reassigned the 25th Infantry Division's 298th Infantry Regiment to the 24th Infantry Division, and replaced it on 3 August 1942 with the 161st Infantry.

The 161st, along with the rest of the 25th Infantry Division, was alerted for shipment to Guadalcanal to reinforce the American forces already there and to provide sufficient combat strength to allow the US XIV Corps to launch offensive operations to destroy the Japanese forces on the island. The 25th was reconfigured into three regimental combat teams (RCT). The 161st RCT was composed of the 161st Infantry, the 89th Field Artillery Battalion and other combat support units under the command of Colonel Clarence A. Orndorff. The 25th departed Hawaii at the end of November 1942.

Guadalcanal The 35th RCT arrived at Guadalcanal on 17 December 1942, followed by the 27th RCT on 1 January 1943, with the 161st RCT arriving on 4 January 1943. The 25th Division was assigned to the XIV Corps composed of the 25th, the Americal Division and the 2nd Marine Division. Chosen to lead the first offensive actions were the 35th RCT against the Mt. Austin area and the 27th RCT against a series of hills called Galloping Horse. The 161st was placed in division reserve minus the 1st Battalion, which was attached to the 27th as a reserve. (Division personnel strength reports for that period show the 161st Infantry Regiment to be seriously under-strength, being short close to 1300 personnel). While in reserve manning defensive positions around the airstrip, named Henderson Airfield, the 161st was also handed the assignment of eliminating a concentration of Japanese troops in what became known as the Matanikau River Pocket. The Pocket, estimated to hold 500 enemy troops, was a dense jungle redoubt positioned between a steep hillside and a high cliff over the Matanikau River. The heavy undergrowth masked the well-camouflaged Japanese positions, both on the ground and high in the trees, and made dislodging them a slow, grim task; however, the combination of frequent patrols, heavy artillery bombardment, and starvation served to eliminate this strongpoint in the end. On 10 January 1943 the offensive was launched and successfully completed by 21 January with the seizure of Galloping Horse by the 27th Infantry and Mount Austin and the Gifu strongpoint by the 35th Infantry.

The second phase of the Corps offensive was to drive to the Poha River. The 161st Infantry was designated to lead the Division attack. The 27th Infantry was to conduct a holding attack on Hill 87 to tie down the Japanese units while the 161st flanked the Japanese positions from the southwest. However the 27th found that the Japanese had withdrawn, thus negating the 161st flanking attack. Because of a feared reinforcement of Japanese forces on Guadalcanal which never came, the 25th Division was ordered to guard the airfields while the 161st Infantry was placed under corps control and ordered to continue the drive north. On 6 February two battalions of the 161st reached the Umasani River and then crossed the Tambalego River. On 8 February they met light Japanese resistance prior to seizing Doma Cove. The next day the 1st Battalion of the 161st linked up with a battalion of the Americal Division at the village of Tenaro effectively ending organized Japanese resistance on Guadalcanal.

The 25th Division remained on Guadalcanal to defend against any Japanese attempts to recapture the island. The 161st along with the rest of the division spent the spring and summer of 1943 training and recuperating.

Northern Solomons With Guadalcanal secured, attention turned to recapturing the remaining Solomon Islands, particularly the island of New Georgia where the Japanese had built a key airfield at Munda. Initially the 25th Division, now known as the Tropic Lightning Division for its swift combat actions on Guadalcanal, was not included in the invasion plans for New Georgia as resistance was anticipated to be light. However once US forces landed on New Georgia, Japanese resistance stiffened and Corps requested a regiment from the 25th Division. The 161st was selected, landing on New Georgia on 22 July 1943 and was attached to the 37th Division.

The mission of the 37th Division was to take Bibilo Hill. As the attack commenced the 3rd Battalion of the 161st ran into stiff resistance while approaching the line of departure for the attack, coming under heavy fire from a ridgeline later called Bartley's Ridge. This ridgeline contained numerous pillboxes which were well hidden and mutually supporting.

On 25 July the attack on Bartley's Ridge commenced. While the 3rd Battalion attacked the ridgeline frontally, the 1st Battalion flanked the position. While partially successful the attack stalled. Resuming the attack on 28 July, the 161st was successful in clearing the ridgeline. The regiment then moved on to attack Horseshoe Hill, which had the same type of defenses as Bartley's Ridge. By 1 August, using every weapon available, including flamethrowers, the 161st cleared the hill, pillbox by pillbox and closed on Bibilo Hill.

The XIV Corps ordered the 25th Division to New Georgia on 2 August. The 161st, back under 25th control, along with the 27th Infantry was ordered to attack north from Bibilo Hill and clear the Japanese between them and the sea. The 27th Infantry overcame stiff resistance in their drive to the north. The 161st, probing west of the Bairoko River and on to Bairoko Harbor, found the Japanese had fled before them. On 25 August, the 161st and the 27th linked up and fighting on New Georgia ended.