Inactive since 1995, the 42nd Field Artillery Brigade's lineage stretches back to the constitution of the Headquarters Battery, 42nd Artillery in the Coast Artillery Corps. Redesignated as Headquarters Batter, 42nd Coast Artillery, the unit earned a World War II campaign streamer but without inscription; it was disbanded in 1944.
It was first designated a Field Artillery unit (42nd Field Artillery Group) in June 1950, but was not given the designation of 42nd Field Artillery Brigade until redesignated 16 September 1980. The Brigade took part in all three campaigns of the Southwest Asia conflict (Persian Gulf War) in 1990-1991, but earned no unit decorations.
The 42nd Field Artillery Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia is an arced rectangle with a bend dexter in red bearing a gold cannon, the color of distinction and service; the bend recalls a road on which action and danger lies ahead. A fleur-de-lis is a reference to the unit’s service in France, and the trio of cannon balls stands for the three battalions that made up the regiment when it was originally formed.
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Nous Soutiendrons" (“We Will Support”), the unit motto, is inscribed on the 42nd Field Artillery Brigade’s unit crest. The Brigade’s nickname, “Wheel Horses,” was approved by the U.S. Center of Military History.
Related Items
42nd Field Artillery Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)
42nd Field Artillery Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)