This black granite monument sits in a grassy area to the east of the 179th Infantry Division Museum in Oklahoma City, OK
The monument has a large shield insignia of the 279th Infantry Regiment and the motto - "Movin' On"
Inscribed on the monument is:
"Movin' On
279th Infantry
In honor of those who
have served their country,
for those now serving
and for those yet unborn
who will serve"
The 279th Infantry Regiment was granted federal recognition on 5 September 1946 to replace the deactivating 157th Infantry Regiment. The regimental headquarters were later moved to Okmulgee, OK.
During the Korean War, the 279th Infantry Regimend served under the 45th Division. It was federalized on 1 September 1950 and relocated to Camp Polk, LA, to undergo basic training. This training was completed by February 1951, and was followed by small unit tactical training. By early March 1951, the 45th Division began deploying to Hokkaido, Japan, arriving there on March 31, 1951. There, the unit continued its training and assumed responsibility for the military
security of the island.
It was while deployed in Japan that the Regiment was joined by the 160th Field Artillery Battalion; Company C of the 120th Combat Engineers; Battery C of the 145th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, and 3rd Platoon, of the 45th Military Police Company. All these units would comprise the 279th Regimental Combat Team.
The 279th Infantry Regiment deployed from Otaru, Japan, and made a landing at Inchon, Korea, on the evening of 28 December 1951, where it was initially given the responsibility for defending a section of Line Jamestown near the 38th Parallel reaching westward from the Chorwon Valley. The unit began redeploying home; a task mostly completed by July 1952.
Thereafter, the 279th Infantry Regiment was eventually broken up from a regiment of 3 battalions to a single infantry battalion.
Company A of the 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, deployed in September 2000 to Bosnia for a six-months rotation as part NATO Stabilization Force 8.
In April 2004 during a three-day span, approximately 350 soldiers from the Oklahoma National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment headquartered in Sand Springs, Oklahoma made the long journey from their homes in the U. S. to the frontlines of the war on terrorism as part of Coalition Joint Task Force Phoenix.
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