About 3rd Battalion, 144th Infantry Regiment3rd Battalion, 144th Infantry Regiment
MOTTO: "Par Onerl" - "Equal to the task"
The 144th Infantry Regiment (4th Texas) is an infantry regiment of the United States Army, Texas Army National Guard. It was formed in 1880 and served in several American wars including the present War on Terror. Currently, only the 3rd Battalion remains, and it is a part of the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 36th Infantry Division.
The 144th Infantry Regiment was created in April 1880, when six volunteer militia companies of the Texas State Guard consolidated into the 4th Texas Infantry. In 1898, the 4th Texas Volunteers were mustered for federal service in the Spanish–American War, and they were redesignated as the Second Infantry, Texas Volunteers. In 1903, the regiment regained its 4th Texas moniker after a state military force reorganization. In 1916, the 4th Texas mobilized for service along the Mexico–United States border during the Border War, and were responsible for the Big Bend region of Texas.
The regiment was recalled to federal service in March 1917, and was combined with elements of the 6th Texas Infantry at Camp Bowie to form the new 144th Infantry Regiment to fight in World War I. They were assigned to the 72nd Brigade of the 36th Infantry Division, alongside the 143rd Infantry Regiment. Arriving in France in July 1918. In October 1918, the 144th relieved elements of the 2nd Infantry Division during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. By the time the Texans had reached the front, the Germans were engaging in a fighting retreat all along the front line. Enemy artillery, gas, and machine-gun, small arms fire hit the men of the regiment during their continuous advance, but they closed in on the Aisne River by 12 October. The next day, they swept south to clear out any stalwart defenders, and were moved off the line. They spent the rest of the war acting as a divisional reserve.
The 144th Infantry Regiment was mobilized on 25 November 1940 in response to the Word War II. The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 8 December 1941, the regiment moved to Fort Lewis, Washington to guard the West Coast against possible Japanese attack under the Western Defense Command. The 144th was organized as a "separate regiment" in the General Headquarters Reserve. Gaps formed by transfers of soldiers to officer candidate, aviation cadet and paratroop schools were filled by thousands of new inductees. In January, 1943, 144th soldiers were assigned beach patrol duty along the southeastern coast, later assigned as a basic training command in Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Florida, training 9,000 recruits for overseas service. Men from the 144th served as replacements in 48 different Army divisions.
In 2006, as part of the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Company B of the 3d Battalion, 144th Infantry Regiment deployed to Iraq and were actively engaged in combat operations. Five Army Commendation Medals with Valor Devices were awarded to soldiers of 1st Platoon, Second Squad in recognition of the defeat of an ambush on a State Department convoy in central Baghdad. In May 2007, 3rd Battalion, 144th Infantry Regiment mobilized as Task Force Panther in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2012 3rd Battalion, 144th Infantry deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as Task Force Bowie. In October 2017, the battalion deployed under Task Force Bayonet in support of Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa.