Turning to another unit in our proud Brigade, the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry’s long proud lineage can be traced back as far as 1812.  It was during the Battle of Chippewa in the War of 1812 that British General Riall noticed an approaching regiment was donning the uniforms of the militia he thought he had just defeated at Queenstown Heights. General Riall is said to have exclaimed, “Those are Regulars, by God!”  That approaching regiment turned out to be 1/6; they had pressed the attack and have ever since been known as the “Regulars.”  1/6 has also had the distinction of having been commanded by Colonel Zachary Taylor, who was later elected as the nation’s 12th president.  The Battalion has three Presidential Unit Citations, Two Valorous Unit awards, and three Medal of Honor awardees.

Here are a few stories exemplifying the Personal Courage, Duty, Honor and Selfless Service that is bred into each and every soldier that can call himself a “REGULAR."    It was Christmas time, 1943.  The 6th Armored Infantry was assigned the task of attacking and taking Mount Porchia in Italy.  Other units that were capable of taking this mountain were so fatigued that it would have been futile to ask them to execute the attack.  There were shaping units on the left and right to ease the pressure of the attack on the mountain.  The area had to be taken before any troops could move on Cassino.  Rain turned into snow and winds kicked up.  It was about 1800 yards from the foot of Mount Lungo to the base of Mount Porchia. The Germans had the entire area taped which means they had target cards prepared for every point of the attack for the entire 1800 yards.  All they had to do when the Infantry reached a certain point was refer to their cards, make an adjustment on their mortars and big guns, and they would be right on target.  For four straight days the extremely vicious battle raged with no quarter given and none asked for.

Finally, on the fourth day the company reached the top of the hill with only 27 of the original 150 men remaining.  With the aid of supporting units the Germans were driven off. In that 4 day span, the Regiment lost three quarters as many men as in their entire North African campaign.   It is said that after the battle one could walk from Mount Lungo to Mount Porchia and put every footstep in a shell hole.

Private Nicholas Minue is one of three Regulars to earn the Medal of Honor from 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment.  In Tunisia during WWII, designated as Company A, 6th Armored Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division advanced its assault elements when it was suddenly swarmed by the flanking fire of an enemy machinegun nest.  Without hesitation and with no regard of his own safety, PVT Minue voluntarily charged the enemy’s entrenched position with his fixed bayonet.  He assaulted his adversaries under withering machinegun and rifle fire.  PVT Minue completely destroyed the position killing approximately ten enemy soldiers.  He continued forward, routing riflemen from their dug in positions until he was fatally wounded.  “The courage, fearlessness, and aggressiveness displayed by PVT Minue in the face of inevitable death were unquestionably the factors that gave his company the offensive spirit that was necessary for advancing and driving the enemy from the entire sector.”  Currently Private Minue has a road in East Fort Bliss as well as an elementary school in his home town of Carteret, NJ named after him.