The 33rd Cavalry Regiment was originally constituted on 13 January 1941 in the Regular Army as the 3rd Armored Regiment, assigned to the 3rd Armored Division and activated 15 April 1941, and in fact remained an Armored unit (albeit with different designations) until 2005. This explains why green and white (silver) feature so prominently in the 33rd Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia: green and white were the colors of the Armor branch from February 1947 until the Cavalry branch was abolished and Armor was assigned the former Cavalry color of yellow on 26 October 1951.
A total of 33 rivets ring the border of the armor plate shield portion of the insignia to indicate the unit’s numerical designation. “Men Of War” is the Regiment’s motto, adopted by the Cavalry regiment much as the old Armor colors of green and white.
Redesignated as the 33rd Armored Regiment in May 1941, the unit would take part in five World War II campaigns in the European Theater—Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe—and receive a Presidential Unit Citation for the extraordinary heroism displayed during Operation Queen, an action during the bloody Battle of Hürtgen Forest. It was also honored with a French Croix de Guerre with a Silver Star and a Belgian Fourragere 1940 with two citations in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army.
Since becoming a Cavalry Regiment in 2005, the 33rd has received three Meritorious Unit Commendations—the first for service in 2005 to 2006, the most recent for October 2012 to May 2013—and a Valorous Unit Award. Currently (2023), the Regiment’s 1st Squadron is the only active component; it is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a 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.