Approved on 14 October 1958, the 48th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia (also known as a unit crest or a DUI for short) features a shield divided vertically into halves of black and gold, the colors of the Belgian coat of arms from which the lion rampant on the shield is adapted. The lion alludes to the Regiment’s actions in the Ardennes and at St. Vith that led to it being awarded two decorations by the Belgian government. A wavy chevron in the canton (small inset) represents the unit’s descent from the 9th Infantry Regiment; blue and white are the colors used for Infantry.The Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. 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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Although constituted on 15 May 1917 in the Regular Army as the 48th Infantry and organized on 1 June 1917 at Syracuse, New York, the 48th Infantry Regiment’s forebear did not see action in World War I. Inactivated in 1921 and demobilized in 1922, the unit was reconstituted on 27 February 1942 as the 48th Armored Infantry and assigned to the 7th Armored Division. However, it was broken up on 20 September 1943, with its units becoming 7th Armored Division elements; those elements then underwent a couple of rounds of inactivations/activations until they were rejoined in 1957. During the course of World War II, they took part in four campaigns in the European Theater with the 7th Armored Division, earning a Presidential Unit Citation and a Belgian Fourragere 1940 with two citations in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army.
In 1957, the units that had originally formed the 48th Armored Infantry were consolidated to form the 48th Infantry, a parent regiment in the Combat Arms Regimental System. In 1989, it was withdrawn from that system, reorganized in the U.S. Army Regimental System, and simultaneously transferred to U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. As of Summer 2023, the Regiment's 1st and 2nd Battalions conduct Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood, with the 1st Battalion incorporating gender integration in its training.
1st Battalion is a Basic Combat Training Unit assigned to 3rd Chemical Brigade at Fort Leonard Wood.