The lineage of the oldest infantry regiment in the United States Army is as follows:
Constituted as the North Regiment and
organized 7 October 1636 from existing train bands at
Charlestown, New Town, Watertown, Concord, and Dedham.
Redesignated 10 March 1643 as the Regiment of Middlesex.
Divided into two regiments 13 October 1680, one
designated as the Lower Regiment of Middlesex, to include
the town of Charlestown, Cambridge, Watertown, Woburn,
Malden and Reading. Redesignated prior to 1733 as the 1st
Regiment of Militia of Middlesex.
Mustered into active service 19 April
1775; reorganized and entered Massachusetts Army as
Gardner's Regiment 23 April 1775. (Elements continued in
the county as as 1st Middlesex County Regiment as depot
and for local defense.) Redesignated Bond's Regiment upon
death of Colonel Gardner, 3 July 1775. Redesignated 1
January 1776 as the 25th Continental Regiment.
Redesignated as the 7th Massachusetts Regiment,
Continental Line, 1 January 1777. Mustered out of
continental service 12 June 1783.
Militia of Middlesex County reorganized
29 November 1785 as the 3d Division, Massachusetts
Militia (including all flank and volunteer militia
companies). Flank (volunteer militia) companies, 3d
Division (except Charlestown companies) ordered to form
part of the Elite or Advanced Corp of the Massachusetts
Militia for three months service, 6 September 1814. In
Federal service as elements of 1st Regiment , Elite
Brigade, and other units during September and October
1814.
Light Infantry (volunteer militia)
companies of the 1st Brigade, 3d Division, organized 1
July 1834 into the Regiment of Light Infantry, 1st
Brigade, 3d Division, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia,
including Captain Boyd's Company (Charlestown), Captain
Barrett's Company (Malden), Captain Woodbury's Company
(Woburn), Captain Carne's Company (Charlestown), and
Captain Oliver's Company (South Reading). Regiment of
Light Infantry, 1st Brigade, 3d Division redesignated 17
April 1840 as the 4th Regiment of Light Infantry,
Massachusetts Volunteer Militia (upon disbandment of all
common militia in the state.)
Consolidated with 1st Regiment of
Artillery, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia (Organized 17
April 1840 from existing units), and reorganized 26
February 1855 as the 5th Regiment of Infantry,
Massachusetts Volunteer Militia to include the following
companies: Company A, Concord Artillery; Company B,
Somerville Light Infantry; Company C, Waltham Artillery;
Company D, Charlestown Artillery; Company E, Winchester
Light Infantry; Company F, Cambridge Light Infantry;
Company G, Woburn Light Infantry; and Company H,
Charlestown City Guard.
Ordered into active service for the
defense of Washington 19 April 1861 with attached
companies from the 1st and 7th Regiments of Infantry,
Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, and Major Cook's Light
Artillery Company. Mustered into federal service1 May
1861 at Washington, D.C., for three months service;
assigned to 1st Brigade, 3d Division and participated in
first battle of Bull Run; mustered out 1 August 1861 at
Boston.
Mustered into federal service 16
September - 8 October1862 at Wenham for nine months
service; served in Department of North Carolina and with
the XVIII Corp; mustered out 2 July 1863 at Wenham.
Mustered into federal service at Camp Meigs, Readville,
Pennsylvania in July 1864 for 100 days service and served
with the VIII Corp in the Middle Military Division
(Baltimore and vicinity); mustered out 16 November 1864
at Readville and resumed state status.
Mustered into federal service 30 June -
2 July 1898 at South Framingham as the 5th Massachusetts
Volunteer Infantry and stationed at Middletown,
Pennsylvania, and Greenville, South Carolina; mustered
out 31 March 1899 at Greenville and resumed state status.
(Land forces of Massachusetts Volunteer Militia
redesignated Massachusetts National Guard 15 November
1907.)
Mustered into federal service 25 June
1916 at Framingham for Mexican Border and stationed at El
Paso, Texas; mustered out 10 -15 November 1916. Mustered
into federal service 25 July 1917; drafted into federal
service 5 August 1917. Redesignated 11 February 1918 as
the 3d Pioneer Infantry and served in First Army area in
France. Demobilized 25-31 July 1919 at Camp Devens,
Massachusetts.
Reorganized 12 July 1920 as the 5th
Infantry Massachusetts National Guard. Redesignated as
the 182nd Infantry ans assigned to the 26th Division 21
March 1923; reorganized and federally recognized 11 April
1923 with headquarters at Charlestown. Inducted into
federal service 16 January 1941 at Charlestown. Relieved
from the 26th Division and assigned to the Task Force
6814, 14 January 1942. (Task Force 6814 redesignated as
the Americal Division 27 May 1942.)
(2d Battalion inactivated 29 November
1945 at Fort Lewis, Washington). Regiment (less 2d
Battalion0 inactivated 2 December 1945 at Fort Lawton
staging area, Washington. Relieved from the Americal
Division and assigned to the 182nd Regimental Combat Team
8 July 1946. Reorganized and federally recognized 5
December 1946 with headquarters at Charlestown.
Headquarters relocated to Melrose 30 September 1955.
Relieved from the 182nd Regimental Combat Team 1 May 1959 and reorganized as the 182nd Infantry under the Combat Arms Regimental System.
Campaign Streamers
Revolutionary War
Lexington, Boston, Quebec, New York 1778, New York 1779
War of 1812
Streamer without inscription
Civil War
Bull Run, North Carolina 1862, North Carolina 1863
World War I
Meuse-Argonne
World War II
Guadalcanal, Northern Solomons, Leyte, Southern
Philippines (with arrowhead)
Decorations
Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), Streamer embroidered
GUADALCANAL (182nd [less 3rd Battalion and Band] cited;
DA GO 73, 1948 as amended by DA GO 78, 1948)
Philippine Presidential
unit Citation , Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO
JULY 1945 (182nd Infantry cited; DA GO 47, 1950)
Coat of Arms
SHIELD: Argent, anude Indian Affronte, garlanded about
the loins with foilage, holding in his right hand an
arrow point down paleways, in his left hand a bow in a
similar position, all proper (the seal of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony of 1628-1680); in sinister chief
an eschutcheon azure, bearing four mullets of the
southern cross of the first; on a canton of the last,
fringed gules, a cross of the like.
CREST: That for the regiments and seperate battalions of the Massachusetts Army National Guard: On a wreath of the colors azure and argent, a dexter arm embowed, clothed blue and ruffed white, proper, the hand grasping a broad sword argent, the pommel and hilt on.
MOTTO: Avitos Juvamus Honores (We uphold our ancient honors)
The shield is white, the old infantry color and also the color of the Massachusetts State Flag. The Indian is that shown on the first seal of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, made in England, sent to this country in 1628 and user thereafter until 1680. The canton and the Saint George's Cross indicate the British origin of the organization. The escutcheon with the white mullets was the shoulder sleeve insignia of the Americal Division in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
Distinctive Insignia
The insignia is the shield and motto of the coat of arms.
The sample of the insignia was approved 25 October 1973.