181st Infantry Brigade (United States)
| 181st Infantry Brigade | |
|---|---|
|
Shoulder sleeve insignia | |
| Active |
5 August 1917 – 19 November 1945 25 January 1947 – 17 May 1954 17 April 1956 – 1 May 1959 1 April 1963 – 31 December 1965 1 December 2006 – present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Army Reserve |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Training |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | 1st Army |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort McCoy, Wisconsin |
| Nickname | Eagle Brigade |
| Motto |
Docere Bellum Et Pax Pacis "To Win War and Peace"[1] |
| Colors | Black & Red |
| Battle honours |
World War I World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Major Oscar F. Miller {Medal of Honor} Col. Jeffrey J. Kulp |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |
 |
The 181st Infantry Brigade is an infantry brigade of the United States Army based at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. As an Active Component/Reserve Component (AC/RC) brigade, the unit serves primarily in a training role for other units of the US armed forces. The brigade is subordinate to the First United States Army, headquartered at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois.[2] It has six prime components.[3]
The unit is responsible for training selected United States Army Reserve and Army National Guard units in the Central-Northern United States. The unit was formerly designated as 2nd Brigade, 85th Division. The brigade was redesignated and re-missioned several times: such as in 1999, when the 181st was merged with the 2nd Brigade, 85th Division and carried that name and lineage. The 181st Infantry Brigade currently falls under the 1st Army's Division West, headquartered at Fort Hood, Texas.
Organization
World War I[4]
- Headquarters, 181st Brigade
- 361st Infantry Regiment
- 362nd Infantry Regiment
- 347th Machine Gun Battalion
World War II
- 91st Reconnaissance Troop
Global War on Terror
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- 1st Battalion, 310th Regiment, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.[2]
- 1st Battalion, 338th Regiment, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.[2]
- 1st Battalion, 340th Regiment, Fort Snelling, Minnesota
- 3rd Battalion, 340th Regiment, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.[2]
- 2nd Battalion, 411th Regiment, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.[2]
History
World War I
During World War I, the 181st Infantry Brigade was constituted 5 August 1917[5] in the National Army at Camp Lewis, Washington as a subordinate unit of the 91st Infantry Division.[2] The Brigade was composed of the 361st Infantry Regiment, the 362nd Infantry Regiment, and the 347th Machine Gun Battalion. The 181st Infantry Brigade trained for 10 months at Camp Lewis prior to being deployed to France in August 1918.[6] After Meuse-Argonne and the liberation of France, the Brigade was sent to assist the British with quelling the German Army’s final gasps at Ypres-Lys until the signing of the Armistice on 11 November 1918, which ended World War I. After four months of peacekeeping operations in liberated Belgium, the Brigade returned to the United States and arrived at the port of New York on 2 April 1919 on the U.S.S. Orizaba. [6]
Inter War Period
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The Brigade was transferred on 2 April 1919 to Camp Merritt, NJ. It proceeded to Camp Kearny, CA, where it was demobilized on 19 April 1919. The Brigade was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve on 24 June 1921, still assigned to the 91st Division, and allotted to the Ninth Corps Area. The Brigade was redesignated HHC, 181st Brig. on 23 March 1925 and again redesignated HHC, 181st Infantry Brigade on 24 August 1936. The unit conducted summer training most years at Del Monte, CA, 1922–40. Subordinate regiments conducted training for the Citizens Military Training Camp (CMTC) at the Presidio of San Francisco, the Presidio of Monterey and at Del Monte; often with assistance from the 30th Infantry Regiment. [7]
World War II
In July 1944, during the Arno Campaign of the Second World War, the 91st Reconnaissance Troop spearheaded Task Force Williamson under the command of General E.S. Williamson, Assistant Division Commander for the 91st Division. The 2nd Platoon of the 91st Reconnaissance Troop and the 1st Battalion, 363rd Infantry were the first to enter Leghorn (Livorno) on its way to liberating Pisa.
Post-War
After VE day, the Brigade was deactivated and reconstituted several times through 1945 as a headquarters and headquarters company and a reconnaissance troop. It was reactivated in 1947 as a mechanized cavalry reconnaissance troop; redesignated in 1949 as the 91st Reconnaissance Company and reconstituted in 1963 as a headquarters and headquarters company.
Realignment as a Training Brigade
* The 181st Infantry Brigade was reactivated at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin in December 2006, the brigade trains soldiers, sailors and airmen to support contingency operations in the Global War on Terror.
Campaign participation credit[8][9]
| Conflict | Streamer | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|
World War I  |
Ypres-Lys | 1918 |
| Meuse-Argonne | 1918 | |
| Lorraine | 1918 | |
World War II   |
Rome-Arno | 1944 |
| North Apennines | 1944 | |
| Po Valley | 1945 |
Shoulder sleeve insignia[10]
* Description: On a background equally divided horizontally white and red, 3¼ inches high and 2½ inches wide at base and 2⅛ inches wide at top, a black block letter "A", 2¾ inches high, 2 inches wide at base and 1⅝ inches wide at top, all members 7/16 inch wide, all enclosed within a 1/8 inch Army Green border.
- Symbolism:
- The red and white of the background are the colors used in flags for Armies.
- The letter "A" represents "Army" and is also the first letter of the alphabet suggesting "First Army."
- Background:
- A black letter "A" was approved as the authorized insignia by the Commanding General, American Expedition Force, on 16 November 1918 and approved by the War Department on 5 May 1922.
- The background was added on 17 November 1950.
Distinctive Unit Insignia[11]
* Description/Blazon: A Silver color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height overall blazoned as follows: Per bend Argent and Azure, in chief a clevis (key) bendwise Or, wards upward and inward and on a base of the first, a rifle, muzzle upward and a saber, grip to base in saltire of the third. Attached below the device a red scroll inscribed "DOCERE BELLUM ET PAX PACIS" in Silver.
- Symbolism: The diagonal separation of colors denotes a line not crossed. The clevis (key) symbolizes the unit's long history and knowledge as being a key to winning the battle. The crossed rifle and saber allude to the Brigade's mission during World War II as the 91st Reconnaissance Cavalry Company. The motto translates to "To Win War and Peace."
- Background: The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 14 August 2007.
References
- ↑ The Institute of Heraldry: 181st Infantry Brigade, The Institute of Heraldry. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Army, Division West Organization, United States Army. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ↑ 1st Army, Division East Organizational Chart, 1st Army Staff. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
- ↑ World War I organization of the 91st Division
- ↑ 181st Infantry Brigade Homepage, 181st Infantry Brigade Staff 7 January 2008.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lineage and Honors for 181st Infantry Brigade, United States Army. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
- ↑ The US Army Order of Battle from 1919-1941 p340
- ↑ U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH). "Listing of the Campaigns of the U.S. Army Displayed on the Army Flag | U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH)". history.army.mil. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
- ↑ War Department General Order #24 Listing Campaigns
- ↑ First Army insignia page at the Institute of Heraldry
- ↑ Brigade DUI
- The Brigade, A History by John J. McGrath from the Combat Studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.