156th Infantry Regiment (United States)

156th Infantry Regiment
Coat of Arms
Active1861-65
1878-present
Country United States
AllegianceLouisiana
Branch United States Army
TypeInfantry
Nickname(s)First Louisiana (Special Designation)
Motto(s)Dieu Et Moi
God and Me
EngagementsAmerican Civil War {CS}
World War II
Iraq Campaign
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 156th Infantry Regiment ("First Louisiana") is an infantry regiment in the United States Army and the Louisiana National Guard. It began as a Confederate Army unit in 1861, and surrendered to the Union at the Battle of Appomattox Court House in 1865. It was reformed in 1878 as a militia unit, and reorganized into the Louisiana National Guard in 1899. It saw support service in World War I. In World War II, it served as a rear-area guard unit in Europe, for which it added a lion to its coat of arms to symbolize its service in northern France. It deployed to the Middle East twice during the Iraq War.