Military Infantry Division Patches

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Divisions either organized before or during World War I did not use the designation "infantry."  The re-designation of these divisions as infantry came sometime after World War I when the divisions' structure was reorganized to include specialists in a wide variety of functions.  A standard infantry division of the World War II era, for example, was designed for open warfare and, consequently, a pool of motor transport and artillery were assigned to them.  It was this combined-arms formation that gained permanent status.  Specialized combat or logistical support was provided by corps and army-level units.  Beside the infantry division, motorized and airborne divisions were formed as well as a light (truck) division, a light (jungle) division, and a mountain division.  The airborne division was initially a miniature version of the infantry division with the addition of a small antiaircraft battalion, one parachute, and two glider regiments.

Information extracted from the book "US ARMY PATCHES"  by Barry Jason Stein

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66th Inf Div 1

A charging panther and a lightning bolt suggest speed and ferocity in battle.

66th Inf Div 2

Activated in April 1943 at Camp Blanding, Florida.  The panther represents the aggressiveness of the division towards its enemies.

Campaigns:  World War II (Northern France).

69th Inf Div.

Activated in May 1943 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.  Red, white, and blue are the national colors.  The design represents the numerical designation of the organization.

Campaigns:  World War II (Rhineland, Central Europe).

70th Div Tng

Re-designated:  Seventieth Division Training.  Worn from:  1 May 1959 - 1995.

The division, known as the Trailblazer Division, is represented by the ax head, which was used in earlier days to blaze trails through the wilderness.  The mountain and tree, symbolic of the wilderness, allude to the organization's aim to overcome all obstacles in the path to its military objective.

Campaigns:  World War II (Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe). 

71st Inf Div

Activated in July 1943 at Camp Caron, Colorado, as the Seventy-first Light Division and re-designated in May 1944 as the Seventy-first Infantry Division.  Red, white, and blue are the national colors.  The stylized numerals identify the unit's designation.

Campaigns:  World War II (Rhineland, Central Europe).

75th Div

Re-designated:  Seventy-fifth Maneuver Area Command.  Worn from:  2 April 1970 - 1994.

Re-designated:  Seventy-fifth Division (Exercise).  Worn from:  1994 - Current.

The insignia, originally approved for the Seventy-fifth Infantry Division, was re-designated for the Seventy-fifth Division (Exercise).  The colors red, white, and blue are the national colors, and the numerals seven and five indicate the designation of the unit.

Campaigns:  World War II (Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe).

76th Div Tng

Re-designated:  Seventy-sixth Division Training.  Worn from:  1 May 1959 - 1993.

The three pronged label, a symbol of cadency, denotes the Seventy-sixth Division as one of the first to be constituted in the National Army -- 5 August 1917.  The nickname Onaway is the alert cry of the Chippewa Indians, in whose hunting grounds the division trained in World War I.

Campaigns:  World War I, World War II (Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe).

77th ARSC

Re-designated:  Seventy-seventh Army Reserve Command.  Worn from:  28 August 1974 - 1994.

Re-designated:  Seventy-seventh Army Regional Support Command.  Worn from:  1995 - Current.

The Statue of Liberty, without masonry base, alludes to New York City where the division was raised in 1918 as the Seventy-seventh Division; the first National Army division to go overseas.

Campaigns:  World War I (Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne, Champagne 1918, Lorraine 1918), World War II (Western Pacific, Leyte [with arrowhead], Ryukyus [with arrowhead]).

Decorations:  Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (streamer embroidered 17 October 1944 - 4 July 1945).

78th Div Tng

Re-designated:  Seventy-eighth Division Training.  Worn from:  24 November 1967 - Current.

The lightning flash on the red background alludes to the combat record of the division which is likened to a "bolt of lightning...."  The division's designation as the ":Lighting Division" was acquired during World War I.

Campaigns:  World War I (St.-Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Lorraine 1918), World War II (Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe).

79th ARCOM

Re-designated:  Seventy-ninth Army Reserve Command.  Worn from:  22 August 1974 - Current.

Organized in August 1917 as the Seventy-ninth Division at Camp Meade, Maryland.  The Lorraine cross symbolizes triumph and alludes to service in France during World War I.  The organization is known as the Lorraine Division.

Campaigns:  World War I (Meuse-Argonne, Lorraine 1918), World War II (Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe).

Decorations:  French Croix de Guerre with Palm (streamers embroidered Parroy Forest, and Normandy to Paris).

80th Inf Div

The origin of the design is unknown.

80th Div Tng

Re-designated:  Eightieth Division Training.  Worn from:  6 March 1959 - 1995.

The three blue stylized mountains, one for each state, allude to the Blue Ridge states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, the states from which personnel came when the Eightieth Division was formed during World War I.

Campaigns:  World War I (Somme Offensive, Meuse-Argonne), World War II (Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe).

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