The U.S. Army 1st Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by members of the 1st and 2nd Battalions 1st Infantry Regiment. Constituted on 3 March 1791 as the 2nd Infantry, the regiment was redesignated as the Infantry of the 2nd Sub-Legion the following year and then as te 2nd Infantry in 1796. It was first given its current numerical designation in 1815, when three regiments—the 3rd, 7th, and 44th—were consolidated to form the 1st Infantry in 1815.
The 1st Battalion was first designated as Company A, 1st Infantry and the 2nd Battalion as Company B, 1st Infantry, both in 1816, but 1st Battalion would not officially be created until 1964 when it was assigned to the U.S. Military Academy. 2nd Battalion received its current designation in September 1965 when it was assigned to the 196th Infantry Brigade; today, it is assigned to the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
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Also known as unit crest or DUI, 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 guidanlso known as a uce on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."The 1st Infantry Regimental Distinctive Insignia (unit crest) was originally approved on 8 September 1923. According to The Institute of Heraldry, the 14 notches on both sides of the diagonal band represent “logical grouping” of our nation’s campaigns or wars. Red in the upper part of the shield was the color of the Infantry of the 2nd Sub-Legion, while the blue in the lower part is the modern Infantry color. “SEMPER PRIMUS” is a Latin phrase that is translated “Always First.”