7^th Infantry Regiment

The 7th Infantry Regiment served with the 3rd Infantry Division through one of the Army's longest Mediterranean-to-Europe combat arcs. Stationed at Vancouver Barracks before the war, it trained at Fort Lewis, Fort Ord, and Camp Pickett before sailing from Hampton Roads in October 1942. On November 8, 1942, the regiment assaulted Fedala as part of the Casablanca landing force. In Sicily, it came ashore at Licata on July 10, 1943, fought through Palma di Montechiaro, helped open the drive on Agrigento, and later led the division's final movement into Messina.

In Italy the regiment landed after Salerno and moved through the difficult mountain advance toward Acerno and Avellino. During the Volturno operation on October 13, 1943, the 7th Infantry made the main 3rd Division crossing and seized the western part of Monte Caruso, helping break the German river line. It then fought through the Mignano approaches and landed at Anzio on January 22, 1944. During the beachhead phase it served on the division front near the Mussolini Canal and later joined the drive from Anzio toward Labico, Palestrina, and Rome.

On August 15, 1944, the 7th Infantry assaulted Alpha Red at Cavalaire Bay in southern France. It cleared Cavalaire-sur-Mer, Cape Cavalaire, and inland routes toward La Mole, then pressed westward as the division broke out toward Toulon and the Rhone. In the Vosges the regiment captured Vageny, crossed the Meurthe with the 30th Infantry, and helped spearhead the move on Strasbourg. During the Colmar Pocket fighting it reached the outskirts of Colmar and later shifted toward Neuf-Brisach. In 1945 it crossed into Germany, advanced through the West Wall, Rhine, Main, Nuremberg, and Augsburg phases, and on May 5 passed through Salzburg to Berchtesgaden as organized resistance collapsed.