I begin this announcement with regret for having taken so long to communicate with you. The gambit of excuses runs from health issues to pure laziness, but the result has been an information black hole, and for that I do apologize. I intend to rectify my poor performance by regularly posting announcements From the “Honorary Colonel” on the 28th Infantry Regiment Association website. I will also send my announcements via email to each active member of the 28th Infantry Association. I will endeavor to keep you up to date on the state of the Regiment. Mike MacDonald, our Association President, intends to post announcements to keep you informed on the state of the 28th Infantry Association. Look for President MacDonald’s postings under the “From the President” tab on the website.
In this first posting I would like to quickly review the Regiment’s past, then give you a view of the future. It is not an after action report on the Regiment’s recent deployments and operations, but an overview of the state of the Regiment.
The 28th Infantry Regiment currently has one active-duty battalion; the other two battalions have been inactivated. 3rd Battalion was last inactivated in 1993 following its service in the U.S. Army Training Center at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. 2nd Battalion was last inactivated in 2013 following its distinguished service in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the 172nd Infantry Brigade. 1st Battalion 28th Infantry Regiment was last activated in January 2006 as part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley Kansas. 1st Battalion twice deployed to Iraq and once to Afghanistan in America’s war on terror. The 1st and 2nd Battalions performed brilliantly during these grueling deployments.
Various media have informed us that the size of America’s military must be reduced rather significantly in the not too distant future. For the Army this reduction is most often expressed in terms of the number of BCTs or brigade-size units that must be inactivated. The 172nd Infantry Brigade was identified as one of the early inactivating units, hence the reason for 2nd Battalion’s inactivation. More recently, the 4th BCT, 1st Infantry Division was identified for inactivation. 1st Battalion is assigned to the 4th BCT and therefore at risk for inactivation. However, I am most happy to report to you that a plan devised by Danger 6, the Commanding General 1st Infantry Division, will save 1st Battalion from the force reduction axe. The Big Red One intends to reassign the 1st Battalion 28th Infantry Division from the 4th BCT to the 1st BCT (Devil Brigade). The current 1st BCT Commander (Call sign Devil 6) is Colonel John Reynolds, who previously commanded 2nd Battalion 28th Infantry Regiment in Germany during an Iraq deployment. Devil 6 is also a Distinguished Member (DMOR) of the 28th Infantry Regiment. It is safe to say that DMOR Reynolds will shepherd the 1st Battalion and do everything within his power to keep it in the active force and assigned to the Big Red One.
Watch for my next posting. I intend to provide you with information on the U.S. Army Regimental System, and specifically on 2014 Distinguished Member and Honorary Member of the Regiment investitures.
Billy G Murphy
49th Colonel of the Regiment
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