The 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment “Fighting Falcons” encased its colors as it inactivated during a ceremony at Fort Jackson, June 9 as part of the Transformation and Training Command reorganization.
“As the colors are cased today, they carry with them more than a century of service and sacrifice and the accomplishments of every Soldier that has served under them and the enduring spirit of the Fighting Falcons,” said Col. Joshua M. Betty, 165th Infantry Brigade commander during the ceremony.
Lt. Col. Charles Schaefer, the 2nd Bn., 39th Infantry Regt. Commander, said the day was “a day of profound reflection.”
“While casing our colors marks the end of this battalion’s current chapter, we gather not in sorry, but in immense pride to celebrate a legacy of unwavering excellence and duty fulfilled,” he said. It was a time to pause and “honor the hard work, the sacrifices, and the incredible achievement of every Soldier who has stood beneath (the battalion’s) colors.”
Schaefer added that to truly understand the “gravity” of the ceremony one only had to look at the campaign streamers on the unit’s colors. They represented the blood, sweat and sacrifice of everyone who has served in the battalion.
Casing the colors can be an emotional as the colors are “the soul of any unit,” and “bear witness to our history,” Schaefer said.
The history of the battalion traces its lineage to the defining conflicts of the 20th Century.
During World War I the unit earned a reputation for relentless courage when it broke through enemy lines when it started going on the offensive. In World War II, the unit was the first to storm the beaches in Algeria.
The 39th would fight across Western Europe including the beaches Normandy and the freezing cold of the Battle of the Bulge where it followed the legendary motto, “Anywhere, Anytime - Bar Nothing.”
It carried that motto through the war in Vietnam and on to its training mission at Fort Jackson.
At Fort Jackson the 2-39th helped chart a new course for the Army by developing the Future Soldier Preparatory Course to help recruits reach the standards to enter Basic Combat Training.