More commonly known as a unit crest or DUI, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 179th Infantry Regiment features a blue shield denoting the organization’s status as an Infantry unit. In its center are a tomahawk and a peace pipe, two Indian emblems related to wartime and peacetime that not only recall the Indian heritage of the Oklahoma region where the unit was organized, but also reinforce the Latin motto, or “Prepared In All Things” in English. The Indian head at the top of the insignia is the crest of the Oklahoma Army National Guard.
Distinctive Unit Insignias are 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.♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Officially nicknamed “Tomahawks” in honor of the Native American heritage of its home state and the Indian weapon found on its DUI, the 179th Infantry Regiment is today represented by a single battalion, the 1st, which is a component of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Joint Forces Command—Ground Component, Oklahoma Army National Guard. The Regiment’s lineage dates back to the 2 May 1890 and the constitution of the 1st Infantry Regiment in the Oklahoma Volunteer Militia, which was organized more than five years later from new and existing units.
Like many National Guard units, it was mustered into Federal service in preparation for the War with Spain, but was not deployed overseas; it also conducted Mexican Border duty in 1916, but only inside the continental United States. By the time it was drafted into Federal service on 5 August 1917, it had been redesignated as the 1st Regiment of Infantry, but was redesignated as the 142nd Infantry after being consolidated with the 7th Infantry, Texas National Guard. Serving as an element of the 36th Division, the 142nd fought in the Meuse-Argonne campaign and was demobilized in May 1919 at Camp Bowie, Texas.
Elements of the 142nd Infantry were merged with the 2nd Infantry in 1921 to create a new 2nd Infantry in 1920-1921, but this was redesignated as the 179th Infantry on 14 October 192. It was under this designation that the Regiment, assigned to the 45th Infantry Division, served in eight campaigns in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater during World War II. During the Korean War, it would again serve as part of the 45th Infantry Division and fight in a total of four campaigns between 1951 and 1953: Second Korean Winter, Korea Summer-Fall 1952, Third Korean Winter, and Korea Summer 1953.
The Regiment would serve under relatively few reorganizations in the nearly five decades between the end of its Korean War service and its next call into Federal service supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002. In all, the Regiment would deploy on three occasions in support of the War on Terrorism and earn two Meritorious Unit Commendations, one for service between 6 February 2008 and 15 September 2008 and a second for action between 15 July 2011 and 15 March 2012.
As of Autumn 2023, the 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment is still assigned to the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard.