| 299th Infantry Regiment | |
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299th Infantry Regiment coat of arms |
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| Active | 1923–2006 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Infantry Branch (United States) |
| Type | Infantry |
| Nickname | "KOA" (Special Designation) [1] |
| Motto | E Maka'ala Kakou Let's be alert |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive Unit Insignia | |
| U.S. Infantry Regiments | |
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| Previous | Next |
| 298th Infantry Regiment | 300th Infantry Regiment |
The 299th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the The Koa Regiment,[1] is a unit of the Hawaii Army National Guard established in 1923 from the old 2nd Hawaiian Infantry Regiment, that served during World War II as part of the 24th Infantry Division ("Victory"). The 1st and 2nd Battalions, 299th Infantry was federally activated in 1968 to support the United States Army Pacific during the Vietnam War. More recently the 2-299th was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The unit was re-flaged in 2006 as the 1st Battalion, 299th Cavalry Regiment. The lineage and heraldry of the 299th Infantry lives on in the 299th Cav.[1]
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The 299th Infantry Regiment was formed on the 17th of August 1923 from the old 2nd Hawaiian Infantry.[2] Both the old 2nd Hawaiian Infantry and the new 299th were part of the Hawaii National Guard. The old 1st Hawaiian Infantry was also reformed and designated the 298th Infantry.
In 1940 the 299th and its sister regiment the 298th were both called into federal service as the United State began to prepare for a possible war with the Axis Powers. In 1941 the Hawaiian Division was reformed from a square division, which as the army's World War I divisional format, into the triangular division that would be the norm for World War II and Korea. Out of the old division came both the 24th Infantry Division and the 25th Infantry Division. The 299th was sent to provide the third infantry regiment for the new 24th Infantry Division. In May 1941 the 299th was sent to the neighbor islands to provide for their defense, since the regiment was mostly composed of citizens from these islands.[3] On June 4 the Japanese-American soldiers of both the 299th and 298th were pulled from the ranks of the regiments, some 29 officers and 1277 enlisted men in all.[4] These Hawaii Nisei(Japanese-Americans) would form the famed 100th Infantry Battalion of the 442nd RCT and would fight heroically in Europe becoming the most decorated unit of its size in World War II. However the nisei soldiers were nearly 40% of the 299th ranks, and the removal of these men put the regiment grossly under strength. Therefore in July 1942 the 299th was relived from the 24th Infantry Division and deactivated, the unit's men and material being transferred to the 298th.[2] However the 2nd Battalion, 299th's HHC and B companies remained intact. These units were sent overseas to the Philippines and the Ryukyu Islands for which the 2-299th received campaign participation. However it is not clear with whom they were attached and what role they played in these campaigns.
After the war the Hawaii National Guard had to be reconstituted as most of their units had been deactivated and the men sent to other units. The 299th was activated in August 1946 and formed into the 299th RCT.[2] The regiments was to have their companies on the islands of Hawai'i, Maui and Moloka'i, with the 298th taking O'ahu and Kaua'i.[5] The process to rebuild the regiment was slow in the post-war years and but by May 1947 the regiment had over 1,000 men in ranks. However by 1949 the 299th RCT was at full strength and equipped with new weapons and gear, taking part in a large military review with the 298th RCT at Schofield Barracks.[6] In 1959 the 299th RCT was deactivated and the 299th Infantry with its 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions transferred to form the 29th Infantry Brigade Hawaii Army National Guard.
In May 1968 the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 299th was called to active duty under its parrent unit the 29th Infantry Brigade.[7] The 299th reported to Schofield to begin training for any possible deployment to Vietnam or other Asian hotspot(i.e. Korea) The 29th SIB was to serve as a strategic reserve for the Army since active duty units such as the 25th Infantry Division were tied up fighting in Vietnam. According to Hawaii's political leadership at the time, the 299th and the 29th Brigade were never intended to deploy to Vietnam when they were federalized.[8] Nonetheless many soldiers from the 299th went to Vietnam as individual replacements, serving in the active duty units that were already in country. Some 1,500 Hawaii Guard soldiers would serve in Vietnam during the 29th's mobilization, the majority of them coming from the 299th.[9] Among those men sent to South East Asia from the 299th, thirteen gave their lives in service to their country. They are:
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1st Battalion
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2nd Battalion
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In August 2004 the 2nd Battalion 299th was activated for deployment to Iraq with the 29th BCT(the 1st Battalion having been decommissioned since Vietnam). The 2-299th began train-up at Schofield Barracks before moving to Ft. Bliss in October 2004. The bulk of the battalion's training was done at Camp McGreggor near FT. Bliss. In January 2005 the battalion completed combat certification at JRTC in Ft. Polk, and began arriving in Iraq in February.[10] The 2-299th was based out of Camp Victory in Baghdad were it was charged with base defense (i.e. manning the ECP's, guard towers and providing Quick Reaction Forces). In addition the battalion was also responsible for security in the areas and neighborhoods surrounding the base (such as Al Furat, Makasib and parts of Route Irish) conducting patrols and cordon and search missions to capture, kill, or disrupt the insurgents in the area. During the 2-299th's deployment the battalion's strength was augmented by the attachment of Aco. 2-297th Infantry from the Alaska National Guard. The battalion redeployed from Iraq in February 2006.
When the 2-299th Infantry returned from Iraq they began the process of being re-flagged to a RSTA battalion.[11] They would become 1st Battalion 299th Cavalry, a "cav-scout" battalion, and serve as the eyes and ears of the 29th BCT. Many 2-299th soldiers were bitter about the change, but they quickly adapted and in 2007 the 299th Cav officially inherited the lineage, honors and history of their 299th Infantry predecessors.[1]
Campaign participation credits;
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World War II
Global War on Terrorism
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The following are the unit awards for the 2-299th[12]
* Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army), Streamer embroidered IRAQ 2005-2006
* Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945