The 137th Infantry Regiment was officially nicknamed “First Kansas” in honor of its genesis: It was originally organized in 1879 as the 1st Infantry Regiment in the Kansas Volunteer Militia. It began serving as the 137th Infantry in October 1917 when the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments, Kansas National Guard were consolidated and the newly formed unit was assigned to the 35th Division. Beginning in 1947, the unit underwent sundry reorganizations until it was reorganized under the U.S. Army Regimental System to consist of a single Battalion, the 2nd in 1992.
It was subsequently redesignated as the 137th Infantry Regiment in October 2005 and in September 2008 was consolidated with the 635th Armor Regiment, maintaining the 137th INF designation. But in October 2020 that process was, in a manner of speaking, reversed, as the 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 635th Armored Regiment.
The battle honors earned by the 137th Infantry Regiment include streamers for two campaigns in the Philippine Insurrection; three World War I campaigns (Meuse-Argonne, Alsace 1918, Lorraine 1918) fought as part of the 69th Infantry Brigade, 35th Division; five campaigns in World War II (again as part of the 35th Division, redesignated as the 35th Infantry Division); and a yet to be determined number of campaigns in the War on Terrorism. For its service in Europe during World War II, the unit was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation; most recently, the 2nd Battalion was the recipient of a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service in Eastern Africa as part of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa in 2010-2011.
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The Distinctive Unit Insignia (also called a unit crest or DUI) of the 137th Infantry Regiment was approved on 13 October 1930 and features images recalling Regimental achievements and service prior to that time. Its shield portion is blue, the official branch color of Infantry since 1903, and contains three charges (images). From the top, these are a green pale fitchee (vertical bar with a pointed end) to represent Mexican Border duty; a baton (diagonal bar) adapted from the coat of arms of the commune of Varennes in Frances to commemorate World War I service there; and a pair of crossed bolos to commemorate the Regiment’s combat action in the Philippines. "Valor For Service" was the Regimental motto.Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.