The lineage of the 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment can be traced all the way back to 19 April 1854 and the organization of the Guthrie Greys in the Ohio Militia at Cincinnati. Needless to say, the number of redesignations and other changes to the unit’s structure, composition, and branch allotment over the course of 160-plus years is astronomical; when this unit crest was approved 21 May 1952, the unit was designated as the 147th Infantry and had just been ordered into Federal service four months earlier on 15 January 1952.
In 1994, the unit was converted, reorganized, and redesignated as the 147th Armor, and it was this unit that would be transformed into an Air Defense Artillery regiment when it was consolidated on 1 July 2005 with the 174th Air Defense Artillery and designated under that unit’s title; in October 2005 it was finally given its current designation of 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.
The Regiment’s two battalions are currently under the command and control of the 174th Air Defense Artillery Brigade of the Ohio Army National Guard.
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The unit crest of the 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, officially referred to as a Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), is worn by those Regimental units which have not been authorized a Distinctive Unit Insignia. This insignia was the one worn by the 174th Air Defense Artillery that merged with the founding unit in 2005 and reflects its history, first with a pineapple indicating service in Hawaii (it was activated at Fort Ruger on Oahu on 31 May 1944) and second with wavy bands representing the Pacific Ocean and its service in the Western Pacific during World War II. “CAVEAT OPPGUNATOR,” the unit motto, is Latin for “Let The Oppressor Beware.”
The Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
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.