164th Infantry Regiment (United States)

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164th Infantry Regiment coat of arms

164th Infantry Regiment distinctive unit insignia

The 164th Infantry Regiment was the first United States Army unit on Guadalcanal. They came ashore on October 13, 1942 to reinforce the Marines, making them the first unit to take offensive action during the second World War. Commanded by Colonel Bryant E. Moore, the 164th had come through the South Pacific ferry route in January to New Caledonia. There, they joined the 182d Infantry and 132d Infantry Regiments, in addition to artillery, engineer and other support units to form a new division that would be called the Americal Division. The name Americal was derived from a combination of the words America and New Caledonia.

Until the Americal commander, Major General Alexander M. Patch, and other units of the division arrived, the 164th would fight alongside the Marines. This earned them the nickname "The 164th Marines." Members of the 164th were also known as "jungle fighters" within the U.S. media because of the terrain on which they fought.