The 36th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), often called a unit crest, is the crest from its coat of arms and symbolizes its location when it was formed with personnel from the 4th, 26th, and 28th Infantry regiments: a structure known as Fort Texas built by General Zachary Taylor in 1846 that formed the genesis of the city of Brownsville, Texas. The 4th Infantry fought in the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palm to defend Fort Texas, which is represented here by a six-bastioned fort in green with a lone silver star representing the state of Texas superimposed on it. The insignia was approved on 21 December 1937.Full 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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Following its organization as the 36th Infantry at Brownsville on 27 July 1916, the unit was briefly (seven months) assigned to the 12th Division. In March 1923 it was assigned to the 9th Division and relieved from it in August 1940. During World War II, it was activated as the 36th Infantry (Armored) and assigned to the 3rd Armored Division. Nicknamed the Spartans, Regiments unit fought in five campaigns in the European Theater and was awarded both a Presidential Unit Citation and a Belgian Fourragere with two citation in the Oder of the Day of the Belgian Army.
In 1947, the Regiment was broken up and redesignated as elements of the 3rd Armored Division. It was reconstituted through the consolidation of several of those units in 1957 and redesignated the 36th Infantry in the Combat Arms Regimental System; it was withdrawn from it in 1989 and reorganized under the U.S. Army Regimental System; it was redesignated the 36th Infantry Regiment in 2006. Since the launch of the War on Terrorism, the Regiment’s 1st Battalion has taken part in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Freedom’s Sentinel and has been awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, a Navy Unit Commendation, and two Meritorious Unit Commendations, carrying on the tradition of the of preferring “Deeds Not Words.”
As of Summer 2023, the Regiment's sole active unit is its 1st Battalion, which is assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. It is based at Fort Bliss, Texas.