Oregon Army National Guard battalion reconnects with historic infantry lineage

Soldiers of the Oregon Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment cased their colors and were redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment during a ceremony in La Grande, Ore., Sept. 12, 2026. The redesignation reconnects the battalion with an infantry lineage dating back to 1888, including service in the Spanish-American War, World War I and the World War II Battle of Biak. As the newly designated 2nd Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, the unit becomes Oregon's first mobile infantry battalion.