3rd Infantry Division
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| 3rd Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 3rd Infantry Division |
| Dates | 1917–present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Combined arms |
| Size | Division |
| Garrison | Fort Stewart |
| Nickname | The Rock of the Marne |
| Notable commanders | John J. Pershing, George S. Patton, Lucian Truscott |
3rd Infantry Division is a United States Army formation activated in 1917 that has served in major World War I, World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Gulf War, War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), and Iraq War campaigns, earning a reputation as a hardened combined-arms formation. The division deployed to the Western Front (World War I), conducted river crossing operations on the Marne River (France), fought in the Anzio landings and Sicily campaign during World War II, and led counteroffensives in the Battle of the Bulge and Korean War (1950–1953). Its peacetime basing has included Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, and forward positions in Germany during the Cold War.
History
Formed under the authority of the Selective Service Act of 1917 and mobilized at Camp Greene (North Carolina), the division first joined the American Expeditionary Forces in the Western Front (World War I), participating in the Second Battle of the Marne, Meuse-Argonne Offensive, and occupational duties under the supervision of commanders appointed by John J. Pershing. Between wars the division was reorganized during the interwar period and took part in training maneuvers associated with the Chief of Staff of the United States Army initiatives. In World War II, the division executed amphibious operations in the Sicily campaign, the Anzio landings, and the Southern France campaign, later advancing through Rhineland and into Central Europe. During the Korean War (1950–1953), units of the division fought in the Pusan Perimeter, the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River, and the Inchon landing-linked operations. Cold War deployments included assignments under United States Army Europe and participation in NATO exercises like REFORGER. In the post–Cold War era the division contributed brigades to Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom, rotating through basing at Fort Stewart and collaborating with multinational corps such as Multi-National Force – Iraq.
Organization and Structure
The division has been organized around triangular and later modular structures, aligning brigades and support units under division command authorities such as XVIII Airborne Corps or III Corps. Current composition historically includes infantry brigades formerly designated as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigades attached to division headquarters, along with divisional artillery (Division artillery), reconnaissance squadrons aligned under Army Regimental System, combat engineer battalions, signal battalions, military intelligence battalions, sustainment brigades, and medical units coordinated with United States Army Medical Command. The modular reorganization followed directives from the United States Army Transformation initiatives and the Modular Force concept promulgated by the Chief of Staff of the Army leading to brigade combat team configurations interoperable with NATO corps and joint staffs such as United States Joint Chiefs of Staff elements.
Combat Operations
In World War I, the division entered the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and helped blunt Germany’s last offensives such as the Second Battle of the Marne alongside allied armies coordinated by Ferdinand Foch and under strategic direction influenced by David Lloyd George’s coalition diplomacy. In World War II, the division’s operations in the Sicily campaign linked to Operation Husky and later to Operation Shingle at Anzio, where coordination with United States Fifth Army and British Eighth Army formations was essential. The division advanced through France into Germany confronting Wehrmacht formations and engaging in actions concurrent with the Battle of the Bulge. In Korea, the division’s regiments were engaged in defensive and offensive operations against units of the Korean People's Army and People's Volunteer Army, contributing to UN counteroffensive phases orchestrated by commanders tied to United Nations Command. In Operation Desert Storm, elements conducted breaching and maneuver operations as part of Coalition forces efforts under Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., while later deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan involved counterinsurgency and stability tasks coordinated with Combined Joint Task Force 7 and International Security Assistance Force commands.
Honors and Decorations
The division has received numerous unit awards and campaign streamers recognizing participation in the Aisne-Marne campaign, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Normandy-related operations by U.S. forces-adjacent campaigns, the Rhineland campaign, and Central Europe campaign. Distinctions include multiple Presidential Unit Citations authorized by the President of the United States, foreign decorations presented by allied states such as awards from France for Marne actions, and citations from United Nations authorities for Korean service. Individual soldiers have been awarded high decorations such as the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Silver Star for actions performed while assigned to division units during major engagements.
Notable Commanders and Personnel
Senior leaders associated with the division include commanders who later influenced broader operations: officers like those promoted under theater commanders such as George S. Patton, Lucian K. Truscott Jr., and staff officers who later served with United States Army Forces Command or on the Joint Chiefs of Staff system. Enlisted and officer recipients of major awards served in conjunction with allied leaders from British Army and French Army contingents during coalition campaigns, and several veterans authored memoirs distributed in military historiography collections alongside works by S.L.A. Marshall and John Keegan.
Equipment and Insignia
The division historically employed small arms and crew-served weapons standardized by United States Army Ordnance Department, armored vehicles provided under U.S. Army Armor Branch inventories such as the M4 Sherman, M1 Abrams, and later armored reconnaissance vehicles aligned with brigade combat teams. Artillery support ranged from M101 howitzer to modern systems fielded by Field Artillery Branch units including M777 howitzer emplacements, with aviation assets integrated from Army Aviation Branch units using helicopters like the UH-60 Black Hawk. The division insignia, a blue-and-white emblem symbolizing infantry colors authorized by the Institute of Heraldry (U.S.), incorporates the three diagonal stripes representing the division number and is colloquially associated with the sobriquet "The Rock of the Marne," recognized in publications of United States Army Center of Military History.