Commonly called a unit crest or referred to by its initials DUI, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 185th Regiment was originally approved for the 185th Field Artillery Regiment on 14 April 1925. It was redesignated for the 185th Field Artillery Battalion in October 1942, for the 185th Artillery Regiment in October 1960, and again for the 185th Field Artillery Regiment in 1972. With the conversion of the Regiment to a training organization designated as the 185th Regiment in 1997, the description and symbolism for the insignia were amended as part of the redesignation process, and in 2011 the authorization information was corrected.
The insignia’s white shield recalls the old 54th Iowa Infantry from the unit’s lineage, while the scarlet-edged gold pale (vertical band in center) represents the 185th Field Artillery, the direct predecessor of today’s 185th Regiment. A cactus in the upper portion of the pale signifies Mexican Border duty in 1916, and the insignia of the 34th Division—a steer’s head on an olla, or urn—denotes overseas service with that organization. “Redoubtable Et Fougueux,” the Regimental motto, is French for “Formidable And Fiery.”
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 185th Regiment is responsible for the operation, administration, and management of the Iowa Army National Guard’s Regional Training Site, the 185th Regional Training Institute or 185th RTI. Like the RTIs found in each state and in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam, the 185th offers training courses for Officers, Warrant Officers, and Noncommissioned Officers, as well as Advanced Individual Training in several Military Occupational Specialties. Leadership is a focal point in all classes, which are open to members of all three components of the Total Army (active-duty, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard).
Camp Dodge Joint Maneuver Training Center, home of the 185th RTI, is located in Johnston, Iowa.