Editing 31st Infantry Regiment (United States) (section)

==Korean War==
[[File:31st Infantry Inchon.jpg|thumb|left|The 31st Infantry lands at Inchon]]
In January 1946, General MacArthur restored his former guard of honor to active service at [[Seoul]], Korea, assigning the 31st to the [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Division]]. For the next 2 years the 31st Infantry performed occupation duty in central Korea, facing the Soviet Army across the 38th Parallel. In 1948, the occupation of Korea ended and the regiment moved to the Japanese island of Hokkaido, occupying the land of its former tormentor. When North Korean troops invaded South Korea in the summer of 1950, the 31st Infantry was stripped to cadre strength to reinforce other units being sent to Korea. In September, the regiment was restored to full strength with replacements from the U.S. and Koreans ([[KATUSA]]) hastily drafted by their government and shipped to Japan for a few weeks training before returning to their homeland as members of American units. The 31st Infantry returned to Korea as part of MacArthur's Inchon invasion force.{{sfn|McCaffrey|Townsend|2018|p=153-157}}

[[File:Don C Faith.jpg|thumb|right|Medal of Honor recipient Don C. Faith]]
In November 1950, the 31st Infantry made its second amphibious invasion of the campaign, landing at [[Riwŏn]], not far from Vladivostok where the 31st had fought just 30 years before. With North Korean resistance shattered, UN troops pushed toward the Yalu River.{{sfn|McCaffrey|Townsend|2018|p=163-171}} When Chinese troops swept down from Manchuria, they surrounded a task force led by the 31st Infantry's commander, COL Allan MacLean. COL MacLean and his successor, LTC [[Don C. Faith Jr.|Don C. Faith]], were both killed during the ensuing battle. LTC Faith was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his gallant attempt to lead the command to safety.{{sfn|McCaffrey|Townsend|2018|p=182-189}}

COL [[William J. McCaffrey]] assumed command of the 31st Infantry as they fought against desperate odds on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir from the night of 27 November until 1 December while the Marines did likewise on the west side. Several hundred 31st Infantry survivors managed to make it across the frozen reservoir to the Marines' lines the night of 1 December and the next day, and accompanied the Marines in their fighting withdrawal from the Chosin to Hungnam from 1–11 December 1950. Of the task force's original complement of nearly 3300 men, only 385 of those who reached Marine lines at Hagaru-ri from the inlet were unwounded.{{sfn|McCaffrey|Townsend|2018|p=192-194}} Not one vehicle or piece of heavy equipment made it through. An example of courage shown by unit members is the DSC awarded to Sergeant George H. Paine<ref>{{cite web |title=George H. Paine |url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-7019 |publisher=Military Times}}</ref>:

<blockquote>Citation: ''The [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]] is awarded to Sergeant George H. Paine, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company H, 31st Infantry Regiment, Seventh Infantry Division, on 30 November 1950, near Koto-ri, Korea. He was with the leading element of the Second Battalion moving north to link up with friendly units when the column was attacked by enemy who were entrenched and concentrated on high ground along the route of advance. Sergeant Paine located several enemy positions on a hillside from which automatic-weapons and small-arms were firing. Bravely and without regard for his own personal safety, he advanced alone against these positions, exposing himself to draw their fire from other elements of the column who were regrouping to make an attack. In his advance, he neutralized two enemy automatic weapons, permitting friendly troops to advance without casualties. Joining the attacking troops of the battalion, he assisted in driving the enemy from their positions around the hilltop. During this action Sergeant Paine was mortally wounded while fiercely resisting enemy forces counterattacking in an attempt to retain the hilltop. This counterattack was repulsed with heavy loss of enemy personnel. The courageous actions of Sergeant Paine were an inspiration to his comrades and enabled the battalion to complete its mission.''<br />
- HQ Eighth US Army Korea, General Orders No. 113 (4 March 1951).</blockquote>

The remnants of the regiment was evacuated from North Korea by sea to Pusan. There it rebuilt, retrained, and refitted and was soon back in combat, stopping the Chinese at [[Jecheon|Chechon]], South Korea and participating in the counteroffensive to retake central Korea.{{sfn|McCaffrey|Townsend|2018|p=195-198}} Near the Hwacheon Reservoir, two men of the regiment earned the Medal of Honor in some of the war's most determined offensive combat.{{sfn|McCaffrey|Townsend|2018|p=205}} By the summer of 1951, the line stabilized near the war's start point along the 38th Parallel. 

31st Infantry's 1st Battalion has the distinction of being the first Army battalion to be commanded by an ethnic minority on the battlefield, when COL McCaffrey promoted then MAJ [[Young-Oak Kim]] upon his return in August 1951 from injuries sustained during a friendly fire incident when his unit became the first American troops to cross beyond the [[38th parallel north|38th parallel]] and thought to be too far north to be friendly during [[UN_May–June_1951_counteroffensive#Operation_Piledriver|Operation Piledriver]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=The Many Firsts of Col. Young-oak Kim
|url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200508/200508190003.html
 |newspaper=Digital Chosun Ilbo (English Edition)
 |publisher=The Chosun Ilbo |location=Seoul |date=August 19, 2005 |access-date=December 4, 2008
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623060728/http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200508/200508190003.html |archive-date=June 23, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Col Young Oak Kim |url=https://militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=2706 |website=Military Hall of Honor}}</ref>

For the next two years, a seemingly endless series of blows were exchanged across central Korea's cold, desolate hills. Names like [[Battle of Old Baldy|Old Baldy]], [[Battle of Porkchop Hill|Pork Chop Hill]], [[Battle of Triangle Hill|Triangle Hill]], and OP Dale are among the war's most famous battles, all fought by the 31st Infantry and bought with its blood.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bunn |first1=Jennifer |title=Polar Bears celebrate regiment's history with 31-mile foot march at Fort Drum |url=https://www.army.mil/article/113765/polar_bears_celebrate_regiments_history_with_31_mile_foot_march_at_fort_drum |agency=US Army |date=October 24, 2013}}</ref> By the war's end, the 31st Infantry had suffered many times its strength in losses and 5 of its men had earned the Medal of Honor, [[Ralph E. Pomeroy]] (20 May 1951), [[Benjamin F. Wilson]] (5 June 1951), [[Jack G. Hanson]] (7 June 1951), and [[Edward R. Schowalter Jr.]] (14 October 1952) . 

Not all losses were American as UN units such as the Ethiopian [[Kagnew Battalion]] who would be attached to the 31st Infantry during the [[Battle of Pork Chop Hill]], and fought with distinction as Army observer, BG [[S.L.A. Marshall]] noted, "''...under full observation from enemy country, eight Ethiopians walked 800 yards across no-man's land and up the slope of T-Bone Hill right into the enemy trenches. When next we looked, the eight had become ten. The patrol was dragging back two Chinese prisoners, having snatched them from the embrace of the Communist battalion...''"<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pork Chop Hill : the American fighting man in action Korea, Spring, 1953|last=Marshall, S. L. A.|date=1986|publisher=Battery Press|isbn=0898390907|location=Nashville|pages=164|oclc=13714497}}</ref>