Approved on 13 May 1971 for the 169th Artillery Group, the 169th Field Artillery Brigade Distinctive Unit Insignia pays tribute to the courage, determination, and sacrifice displayed during its service as an Infantry unit in World War II.
Three golden arrowheads above the unit motto LENTI SUMUS (“We Are Flexible") obviously stand for the three Arrowhead devices the Brigade earned for hitting the beaches in three of the campaigns (Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Southern France). Above the arrowheads, a green disc containing a fleur-de-lis is a reference to the green landscape of Europe and recalls the Anzio, Rome, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central European campaigns. The green disc, red mountain slopes, and white mountain peaks are an allusion to the flag of Italy and the unit’s service there and recall the French Croix de Guerre with Palm the unit was awarded for its fighting in that nation.
Those three mountain peaks and cloudless blue skies are obvious references to the unit’s home bases in Colorado (Denver and Aurora). Homage is paid to its heritage as a Colorado National Guard unit with the inclusion of a wavy blue bar below the mountain, symbolic of the streams and rivers that run through the valleys of the state.
As of Autumn 2023, the 169th Field Artillery Brigade remains an active unit allotted to the Colorado Army National Guard. Headquartered at at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, the Brigade's major subordinate units are the 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery Regiment and the 147th Brigade Support Battalion.
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