Before they were relieved in 2009 from assignment to the 78th Division, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions of the 314th Regiment were responsible for training U.S. Army Reserve units for deployment. They had become elements of the 78th Division a decade earlier, when the 314th Infantry was withdrawn from the Combat Arms Regimental System and was reorganized to comprise the three battalions.
Originally constituted in the National Army as the 314th Infantry on 5 August 1917, the 314th was assigned to the 79th Infantry Division and played an important role in the storming and capture of Montfaucon during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. With the outbreak of World War II, the 314th was again assigned to the 79th Infantry Division and took part in five campaigns in the European Theater. The regiment earned three French Croix de Guerre with Palms and each of its three battalions was honored with a Presidential Unit Citation.
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The 314th Regiment unit crest, officially known as a Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), was originally approved on 14 July 1924. The falcon recalls Montfaucon (which is a portmanteau of the French words for “mountain” and “falcon”) and the fleur-de-lis represents the Regiment’s service in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, where its “fortitude and courage” resulted in an astonishing casualty rate of some 50 percent.
The Distinctive Unit Insignia s 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.