The 169th Infantry Regiment traces its heritage back to the English train bands organized in the settlements of Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield from 1633 to 1636.

In the summer of 1776, General George Washington called upon the state militias to meet the British Empire's suspected attack on New York.

The regiment fought in the First Battle of Bull Run on 21 July, where they engaged in constant activity against the enemy, and repelled infantry and cavalry attacks from 1,000 to 1,600.

[2] The 1st Connecticut was called up on 18 June 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson, and the 1,100 officers and men of the regiment assembled at Camp Holcomb in Niantic and departed for the Mexico–United States border, arriving in El Paso, Texas, on 2 July.

[2] [3] When the United States began its involvement in the First World War, the 1st Connecticut mustered into Federal Service 25-31 March 1917 (per General Orders No.

Such officers and enlisted men of the First as were not absorbed in this consolidation later became the 58th Pioneer Infantry, which, however, remained in service in the United States until mustered out in January 1919.

At 3 a.m. the enemy put down a heavy barrage on our positions; at 5 a.m. he attacked with from 1,200 to 1,500 "Sturmtruppen," preceding the 259 Regiment German) and two or three companies of territorials (elsewhere given as two infantry battalions) with machine guns, sappers and pioneers.

Early July found the regiment in the vicinity of Chateau Thierry and Belleau Woods, where on the 7th and 8th it relieved units of the 23rd Infantry, Second Division (American).

The 3lst of August found the 102nd at Longueville; a series of night marches brought the regiment to le Soff Bois, in rear of the 101st which had relieved the French.

Here its job in conjunction with the remainder of the division was to so harass and occupy the enemy that he could not withdraw his troops from that front or reinforce his line further to the north; the mission was that of "active-defensive."

Beginning on 24 October a series of attacks against the very strong position centering on Cote 360 was made, but with very limited success due to the inability of troops on the left to take their objective.

Only a few days later on the nights of 1 and 2 November, the regiment relieved elements of the 26th (French) in the so-called "Neptune Sector," in the same general area in which it had been fighting.

Per the terms of the National Defense Act of 1920, the former 2nd Connecticut was allowed to keep its World War I designation, being redesignated as the 102nd Infantry on 28 February 1924.

Under the command of Colonel Kenneth F. Cramer, the 169th trained hard for 13 weeks, and from 17 to 28 June, the regiment received 950 draftees to fill their ranks.

On 28 November, the 169th arrived in Nouméa, New Caledonia and garrisoned the island while conducting intensive jungle warfare training, loading and unloading ships, and guarding Japanese prisoners of war.

[2] Aboard the USS President Hayes, CPL John E. A. Gagnon, of H Company, 169th Infantry, managed to shoot down an enemy plane with a .50 caliber machine-gun.

[5]" The main attack was scheduled to begin on 9 July 1943, but the 169th (unaccustomed to combat) was exhausted after spending a sleepless night shooting at real and imagined enemy patrols.

[5] The drive resumed on 11 July, but was completely stalled by combat casualties, fatigue, jungle diseases, and continuous rain.

[6] By on 18 July, the Japanese attempted to drive the 1st Battalion (1-169) off of "Kelley Hill," but the Connecticuters killed 102 of their enemy and drove them back.

3rd Battalion (3-169) was ordered to seize the island of Baanga northwest west of Munda Point and met heavy resistance and elements were soon pinned down on the beaches and in the dense jungle.

2-169 landed on Baanga to reinforce the attack, but the Japanese resistance on the islands was much stronger than anticipated and the advance made slow, if any, progress.

[2] Patrolling and encountering the enemy was commonplace in the Aitape region, and the men experienced hard fighting along the Drinuimor River and nearby ridges on 31 July.

Hard fighting in the hills, jungles, and villages near Aitape continued until long after the area was officially declared secure on 25 August 1944.

The hills and rugged countryside of Luzon proved to be very difficult ground, and tenacious Japanese defenders made the drive painful.

On 12 January, SSG Robert E. Laws (G Company, 2–169) earned the Medal of Honor for his actions while attacking an enemy controlled ridge.

SSG Laws' heroic actions provided great inspiration to his comrades, and his courageous determination, in the face of formidable odds and while suffering from multiple wounds, enabled them to secure an important objective with minimum casualties.

The 169th attacked numerous enemy positions, including the deadly Hill 355, and suffered many casualties, but eventually managed to take ground from the stalwart defenders.

During the period of 15–21 January 1945, all three infantry battalions of the 169th Regiment earned the Distinguished Unit Citation award for their gallantry in action amid the rugged hills of Luzon.

They set sail for San Francisco separately, and the last men to return home passed under the Golden Gate Bridge on 29 October 1945 to a cheering crowd.

3d Battalion, WD GO 13, 1946) Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, Streamer embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 JULY 1945 (169th Infantry cited; DA GO 47, 1950) /> The regiment was reactivated on 23 October 1946 to serve as a formation in the Connecticut National Guard in Hartford, CT. During the Korean War, the 169th Infantry Regiment was recalled to active federal service, accepting large drafts of officers and men from the Army of the United States training centers and schools building to authorized table of organization strength with and engaging in rigorous individual and collective training to achieve battle readiness for deployment overseas in the event the war escalated.