The 291st Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia—commonly called DUI or a unit crest—was approved on 1 October 1999. In the upper right corner of the shield is a profile view of a Native American wearing five feathers in his hair; these refer to the five Indian tribes of the State of Oklahoma, the state with which the Regiment has been traditionally associated. (The tribe are Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creeks, and Seminole).
A red arrow on the bend (yellow diagonal bar) symbolizes the Regiment always pointing forward, while the red background of the shield is for valor and sacrifice. The unit motto, ALTAHA ABILIA, translates into English as “Always Ready.”
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.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 291st Regiment was originally constituted as the 291st Infantry in the Army of the United Staes on 24 December 1942 and assigned to the 75th Division. It would take part in three campaigns in the European Theater while serving with the 75th ID, with its 2nd Battalion receiving a citation in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for its outstanding service in the Ardennes.
World War II would become the only conflict in which the Regiment saw combat. Allotted to the Organized Reserve Corps after being inactivated in November 1945, the Regiment was relieved from assignment to the 75th Infantry Division, assigned to the 95th Infantry Division on 1 March 1952, and activated in April 1952 with its HQ at Tulsa, Oklahoma. On January 1955, the Regiment was relieved from assignment to the 95th ID and was again assigned to the 75th ID, only to be inactivated thirty days later.
In March 1959, the unit was redesignated as the 291st Regiment and relieved from assignment to the 75th ID, and when it was reactivated on 1 April 1959 it was as an element of the 95th Division (Training), marking the start of its service as a Training organization. Beginning in 1967, it was organized so that its Battalions were elements of the 95th Division, a situation that continued until 1997 when its sole Battalion at the time, the 1st, was inactivated and relieved from assignment to the 95th ID—but two years later the Regiment was reorganized with three Battalions, all elements of the 75th ID and allotted to the Regular Army.
In 2006, it became a parent regiment in the U.S. Army Regimental System, with all three Battalions relieved from assignment to the 75th ID, which went on to become the 75th Innovation Command.
As of May 2023, the Regiment's First Battalion (1-291) is assigned as a Brigade Support Battalion to the 181st Infantry Brigade, a Multifunctional Training Brigade (MTB) based at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. 2nd Battalion, 291st Regiment is assigned as a Training unit to the 166th Aviation Brigade and is based at Fort Cavazos, Texas (formerly known as Fort Hood).