[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 160 (Thursday, October 5, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 164TH REGIMENT LANDING ON GUADALCANAL

 Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, 75 years ago, on October 13, 1942, 
the men of the 164th Infantry Regiment, North Dakota Army National 
Guard, landed on Guadalcanal to make history as the first U.S. Army 
unit to offensively engage the enemy in either theatre during World War 
II.
  The soldiers, supplies, and the rifles they carried were welcomed by 
the beleaguered First Marine Division that had been fighting on the 
island since August. The prize was the strategic airfield captured by 
the marines and coveted by both Allies and the enemy as a key location 
to champion air and naval superiority in that area of the South 
Pacific.
  On Guadalcanal for only 12 days, the trained but untested soldiers 
were thrust into the second battle for Henderson Field on the night of 
October 24. The 3rd Battalion trudged up muddy slopes to fight shoulder 
to shoulder with Lt. Col. Chesty Puller's marines as waves of Japanese 
threatened the thin line protecting the airfield. The next day, having 
proved its mettle, the 164th Infantry remained in charge of that line 
as the marines moved to an adjacent location. The Japanese attacked the 
164th sector on the night of October 26, incorrectly believing the new 
Army troops could not hold the line. The 164th held firm at the 
location that became known as the Battle of Coffin Corner, earning the 
respect of the marines in the form of a Navy Presidential Unit 
Citation.
  The lineage of the 164th Infantry Regiment carries significant 
history as North Dakota National Guard infantrymen were called to serve 
in the Spanish American War, the Philippine Insurrection, Mexican 
Border Incident, World War I, World War II, and the Korean war. The 
regiment ceased to exist in 1955, its companies reorganized to engineer 
units, but the esprit de corps of the combat soldiers has remained 
intact.
  On the 75th anniversary, to the day, of the regiment's landing at 
Guadalcanal, the 164th Infantry Association will hold its last annual 
reunion, ending a tradition that began in 1945. On Saturday, October 
14, the 164th Association will host a public event to recognize the 
service and heritage of the unit that was so important to the history 
of the North Dakota Army National Guard, the State of North Dakota, and 
the United States of America. Eight veterans of Guadalcanal will attend 
this event, ages 94 to 98, and they will represent all members of the 
regiment, living or remembered, as this important chapter of North 
Dakota military history ends.

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