8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division

8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. "Fighting Eagles". Constituted on 5 July 1838, the 8th Infantry Regiment had distinguished itself long before its assignment to the 4th Division on 24 March 1923. On D-Day the constricted landing area on Utah Beach compelled the division to attack in a column of regiments. Commanded by Col. James A. Van Fleet, the 8th Infantry Regiment, with a battalion of the 22nd Infantry attached, led the assault. The regiment's mission was to occupy the high ground along the road between Ste. Marie-du Mont and Les Forges, then push westward across the Merderet River to link up with U.S. Airborne forces. , , Embarked on troop ships twelve miles offshore, the regiment's four battalions debarked at 0300 to board vehicle and personnel landing craft (LCVP) for the three-hour journey to Utah Beach. Four pilot craft led the approach to the Uncle Red and Tare Green sectors. One hit a mine, another fouled its propeller three miles offshore, and a third separated to guide tank landing craft (LCT). Only one remained to direct the regiment's first wave to land. That handicap, magnified by strong coastal currents and shore-obscuring smoke and debris, caused the struggling LCVPs to reach the tidal flat several hundred meters south of their designated area. Undaunted, the regiment's first two battalions stormed the beach at 0630, closely followed by twenty-eight amphibious Duplex Drive (DD) tanks of the 70th Tank Battalion., Where the regiment actually came ashore was less well defended than the intended landing sites. Though under enemy artillery, small arms, and mortar fire, the Fighting Eagles executed impromptu plans with little confusion and complete success, resulting in the capture of several enemy coastal garrisons. Reorganizing for the inland advance, the two battalions diverged, with the 1st moving north and then inland west to capture the strongpoint near La Madeleine. The 2nd pushed off the beach, neutralized defensive positions, then advanced through the Pouppeville exit and Ste. Marie-du-Mont to set up a strongpoint at the crossroads at Les Forges. , , The second wave arrived at H+75, with the 3rd Battalion moving west to positions just north of Ste. Marie-du-Mont. Before linking up with the 2nd Battalion at Les Forges, the 3rd engaged the defenders and captured more than 150. The attached 3rd Battalion of the 22nd Infantry landed and advanced north along the shore to reduce beach strongpoints. By 0800, the augmented regiment's four battalions were all ashore, and by noon, its patrols had made contact with men of the 101st Airborne. By nightfall, the 8th Infantry had reached all its D-Day objectives and was well positioned to protect the division's southwest flank. For those actions, the regiment received the Presidential Unit Citation. Upon redeployment to the United States, the Fighting Eagles deactivated at Camp Butner, North Carolina, on 25 February 1946. , Erected by the Charlie Russell Riders in tribute to the men of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment.