The 194th Field Artillery Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, frequently called a unit crest or a DUI, was originally approved for the 194th Field Artillery Battalion on 13 October 1954. It has been redesignated twice since that time: in December 1965 for the 194th Artillery Regiment, and on 19 July 1972 for the 194th Field Artillery Regiment. It features a relatively simple design, with black pellets (discs) on a yellow fess (the horizontal yellow band in the center) set on a scarlet shield. Scarlet and yellow denote the unit’s status as affiliated with the Field Artillery Corps; the pellets are an allusion to cannon balls and invoke the notion of readiness, while the jagged top of the yellow fess is used to indicate the intense firepower the organization can unleash. “When Ready” is a reference to the command You may fire when ready” commonly given to Artillerist, again emphasizing the military preparedness of the Regiment.
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. More 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.
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The 194th Field Artillery Regiment was originally organized and Federally recognized on 13 November 1947 in Iowa Army National Guard as the 194th Field Artillery Battalion and concurrently assigned to the 34th Infantry Division. It was still assigned to the 50th ID when it was called into active Federal service on 11 September 1950 and remained so when the 194th Field Artillery Battalion was organized and Federally recognized in the National Guard of the United States.
Released from Federal service on 17 January 1955, the Battalion was reorganized and expanded to become the 194th Artillery, a parent regiment in the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), on 1 March 1959; its organization included the 1st Howitzer Battalion. The Regiment would undergo several redesignation and reorganizations, most notably in 1972 (redesignated as the 194th Field Artillery), 1989 (withdrawn from CARS and reorganized under the U.S. Army Regimental System), and 2005 (redesignated as the 194th Field Artillery Regiment). Since September 2006, the Regiment’s sole battalion, the 1st, has been an element of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division.
While the Regiment as a whole has no confirmed campaign participation credits (its War On Terrorism campaign participation is yet be determined, the 1st Battalion’s HQ Battery is entitled to a World War I streamer without inscription and six World War II campaigns; it was also individually awarded a French Croix de Guerre with Palm. The Regiment was awarded a Meritorious Unit commendation for it service during 2010-2011 deployment to Afghanistan, the third time the unit had been called into active Federal service between 2002 and 2010.
As if Autumn 2023, the 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery Regiment is headquartered at Fort Dodge, Iowa.