Post 915 Central Square, New York

Post 915

Central Square, New York

About This Post

Post Namesake

,Fuller-Taylor Post 915

Glenn A. Fuller, Co C 60th Infantry 5th Division, World War I

Gerald E. Taylor, 23rd Regiment, 2nd Division, World War I

History of the 60th Infantry Regiment

(GO-DEVILS)
From the National Archives

The 60th. Infantry was organized on 10 June, 1917 from elements of the highly decorated 7th. U.S. Infantry. It was assigned to the 5th. Division on 17 November, 1917 and remained with that division throughout World War I. The regiment sailed for France on 4 April 1918 and during the war participated in four campaigns, including St. Mihiel, the first American Offensive, Alsace and Lorraine.

It was during the Meuse-Argonne Battle that the 60th. Infantry first demonstrated the tenacity and determination leading to the motto "To The Upmost Extent of Our Power", when it succeeded , after repeated failures by other units, in seizing the French village of Cuncel. It was during this epic struggle that Captain Samuel Woodfill earned the Medal of Honor. Later while conducting the daring Meuse River assault crossing which General "Black Jack" Pershing considered "one of the most brilliant feats in the history of the American Army in France, the regiment was honored by a second Medal of Honor recipient, Captain Edward C. Allsworth.

At the end of World War I the regiment was assigned to Occupation duty until the following summer, when it returned to the United States. On 21 September 1921 the regiment was de-activated, although it remained on the rolls of the regular Army. The peaceful years between World War I and II were dormant ones for the 60th. Infantry. After several paper transfers it was assigned to the 9th. Infantry Division on 10 August, 1940. This began an association which has lasted to this day.

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World War IEdit

Preston Brown, wearing the 2nd Division insignia

Edward Mann Lewis, with decorations

The 2nd Division was first constituted on 21 September 1917 in the Regular Army.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] It was organized on 26 October 1917 at Bourmont, Haute Marne, France.^[9]

Order of battleEdit

Headquarters, 2nd Division
3rd Infantry Brigade
- 9th Infantry Regiment
- 23rd Infantry Regiment
- 5th Machine Gun Battalion
4th Marine Brigade

2nd Field Artillery Brigade
- 12th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm)
- 15th Field Artillery Regiment (75 mm)
- 17th Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm)
- 2nd Trench Mortar Battery
4th Machine Gun Battalion
2nd Engineer Regiment
1st Field Signal Battalion
Headquarters Troop, 2nd Division
2nd Train Headquarters and Military Police
- 2nd Ammunition Train
- 2nd Supply Train
- 2nd Engineer Train
- 2nd Sanitary Train
  - 1st, 15th, 16th, and 23rd Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals^[10]^[11]

Twice during World War I the division was commanded by US Marine Corpsgenerals, Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen and Major General John A. Lejeune (after whom the Marine Corps Camp in North Carolina is named), the only time in U.S. military history when Marine Corps officers commanded an Army division.^[9]

The division spent the winter of 1917–18 training with French and Scottish veterans. Though judged unprepared by French tacticians, the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was committed to combat in the spring of 1918 in a desperate attempt to halt a German advance toward Paris. Major General Edward Mann Lewis Commanded the 3rd Brigade as they deployed to reinforce the battered French along the Paris to Metz road. The Division first fought at the Battle of Belleau Wood and contributed to shattering the four-year-old stalemate on the battlefield during the Château-Thierry campaign that followed.

On 28 July 1918, Marine Corps Major General Lejeune assumed command of the 2nd Division and remained in that capacity until August 1919, when the unit returned to the US. The division went on to win hard-fought victories at Soissons and Blanc Mont. Finally the Indianhead Division participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive which ended any German hope for victory. On 11 November 1918 the Armistice was declared, and the 2nd Division entered Germany, where it assumed occupation duties until April 1919. 2nd Division returned to U.S. in July 1919.

The 2nd Division was three times awarded the French Croix de guerre for gallantry under fire at Belleau Wood, Soissons, and Blanc Mont. This entitles current members of the division and of those regiments that were part of the division at that time (including the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments) to wear a special lanyard, or fourragère, in commemoration. The Navy authorized a special uniform change that allows hospital corpsmen assigned to 5th and 6th Marine Regiments to wear a shoulder strap on the left shoulder of their dress uniform so that the fourragère can be worn.

The division lost 1,964 (plus USMC: 4,478) killed in action and 9,782 (plus USMC: 17,752) wounded in action.^{[citation needed]}