1118 60TH US INFANTRY, 2ND BATTALION FLAG, VIETNAM ERA

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This item SOLD at 2023 Dec 03 @ 11:14UTC-5 : EST/CDT
Category Firearms & Military
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 150.00 USD
Estimated at 300.00 - 500.00 USD
FLAG. 3' x 4' regulation double applique hand and machine embroidered eagle and crest on a blue field, gold fringe. Motto: “TO THE UPMOST EXTENT OF OUR POWER”. Inspection label is illegible but appears to read 1963 as date. The 60th Infantry Regiment was formed in June 1917 from a cadre of troops from the 7th US Infantry. In November they became part of the 5th Infantry Division and in 1918 entered its first battles. The regiment fought at St. Mihiel, Alsace-Lorraine and the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Lt. Samuel Woodfill would be awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions and was called by General John “Blackjack” Pershing, “the outstanding Doughboy of the war.” The regiment was deactivated in 1921, reactivated in 1940 as part of 9th Infantry Division. In November 1942 the regiment was the spearhead of the invasion of Morocco, then 9th Division landed at Utah Beach on June 11, 1944 and took part in the clearing of the beachhead area. In the drive across the Cotentin Peninsula, the 60th Regiment outpaced the rest of the division and division HQ thought the unit might have been lost in action. The 2nd Battalion had, in fact, overrun a German position and cut a major highway before creating a bridgehead holding their position against German attacks until the rest of the 9th Division caught up. Men of the 2nd Battalion began to use the slogan “Scouts Out” as their motto at this time and it is the official greeting today for men of the battalion. The division helped secure the port of Cherbourg which became a major supply port for the Allies. The battalion earned another Presidential Unit Citation and 2nd Lt. John Butts was killed in action and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. The 9th Division took part in the closing of the Falaise Pocket and then the drive across France crossing the Seine River and heading for Belgium. Entering that country, they made their second combat crossing of the Meuse River during which Lt. Col. Matt Urban, already wounded, went AWOL from the hospital to return to lead the 2nd Battalion in the operation. The division them fought in the Huertgen Forest and held the north end of the American line in the Ardennes at Monschau when the German launched the Battle of the Bulge where they would earn their third Presidential Unit Citation. After the German offensive had been defeated, the 9th Division was part of the drive on the Roer River dams capturing one and then continuing on towards the Rhine River. They would cross that stream at the famous Remagen Bridge. They helped close the Ruhr Pocket bagging hundreds of thousands of German troops and then drove on the Harz Mountains. They soon met Russian troops as the war ended and the regiment earned another Presidential Unit Citation. They remained in Germany for a time and were deactivated in November 1946. The flag is Army blue and within the Eagle bears the regimental crest. The red diamond in the center represents the insignia of the 5th Division with whom they served in World War One. The black, white and red colors represent their fighting in Germany while the wavy white portion is for their crossing of the Meuse River in November 1918. The canton of the shield represents the 7th US Infantry from whom the 60th drew troops when it formed. The clenched fist above the Eagle is part of their symbolism along with their slogan, “To the Utmost Extent of Our Power.” From 1958-1962, they were called the 2nd Battle Group, 60th Infantry and in 1966 three battalions (2nd, 3rd and 5th) were activated for service with the 9th Division in South Vietnam. Their main area of operations was the Mekong Delta. The 9th Division returned home to Fort Lewis and its battalions deactivated in 1970. In 1972, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry was reactivated becoming a motorized unit at Fort Lewis. They then became a primary test unit for motorized operations with HUMVEES and TOW missiles. The 3rd Battalion remained a line infantry unit but with air mobile training from 1972 to 1988 but in 1986 also transformed to become like its sister battalion. They spent some time in Egypt from November 1985 to June 1986. With the ramp up for Desert Storm, the unit was posted to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in California and used to train National Guard units mobilized for that campaign. In February 1991, the regiment was deactivated and relieved from the 9th Division, itself being drawn down. A single brigade, the 199th Infantry, remained and the 2nd Battalion/60th Infantry was a component before being reorganized and reflagged as 1st battalion, 33rd Armor. The brigade was then reflagged as the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. CONDITION: good overall, embroidery complete and intact, Scotch tape repair on one side to infantry ribbon, several small holes, staining and soiling. (02-19982-16/JS). $300-500.