3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)

3rd United States Infantry Regiment
(The Old Guard)
3rd Infantry Regiment coat of arms
Active3 June 1784 – 20 November 1946, 6 April 1948 – present
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeInfantry
RoleMemorial affairs, ceremonies and special events (two battalions)
Stryker infantry (one battalion)
SizeFour battalions (three active)
Part ofMilitary District of Washington
Garrison/HQ1st Battalion – Fort Myer, VA
2nd Battalion – Fort Lewis, WA
4th Battalion – Fort Myer
Nickname(s)"The Old Guard"[1]
Motto(s)Noli Me Tangere
("Touch Me Not")
Colors  Buff and   black (historical)[2]
MarchThe Old Guard March[3]
Anniversaries21 September-Organization Day
Engagements
Websitehttp://www.oldguard.mdw.army.mil/
Commanders
Current
commander
COL David B. Rowland[4]
Command Sergeant MajorCSM Roberto Guadarrama
Notable
commanders
LTC Paul Octave Hébert
COL Henry Leavenworth
LTC Ethan A. Hitchcock
COL Benjamin Bonneville
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia
Combat service identification badge
Distinctive Trimming
(Buff Strap)

The 3rd United States Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is Noli Me Tangere (from Latin: – "Touch Me Not"). The regiment is a major unit of the Military District of Washington (MDW). The 3rd Infantry is the oldest regiment still active in the Regular Army, having been first organized as the First American Regiment in 1784.[5][6] It has been the official ceremonial unit of the U.S. Army since 1948.

  1. ^ "Special Unit Designations". United States Army Center of Military History. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  2. ^ Heitman, Francis B. (1903). Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Government Printing Office. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-8063-1402-0. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  3. ^ The Old Guard march is available at The U.S. Army band's website[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment website". U.S. Army. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  5. ^ Mahon, John K.; Danysh, Romana (1972). Army Lineage Series: Infantry: Part 1: Regular Army. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Chief of Military History, U.S. Army. p. 11. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010.
  6. ^ U.S. Army. (1999.) "Organizational History" Archived 2 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine. United States Army Center of Military History, website publication, page 29. Retrieved on 4 October 2007. An American Revolutionary War unit in the 3rd US Infantry lineage was Captain John Doughty's Company of the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment which had been attached to the 1st American Regiment (1783-1784) and then was part of the First American Regiment of 1784–1791.

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