Commonly called a unit crest or DUI for short, the 82nd Field Artillery Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, often referred to as a unit crest, was originally approved for the 82nd Field Artillery Regiment on 20 April 1927. It has been redesignated three times: on 1 May 1942 for the 82nd Field Artillery Battalion, on 27 October 1958 for the 82d Artillery Regiment, and on 1 September for the 82nd Field Artillery regiment.
Scarlet in the field denotes the unit as affiliated with the Artillery branch, while the dragon is taken from the arms of the 1st Cavalry, source of many of the troops that were organized as the 24th Cavalry, the Regiment’s parent organization. The shell in the middle of the wavy line symbolizes the first hostile shot fired by the Regiment across the Rio Grande on 15 June 1919 as it cleared Juarez of the Villaistas. Unlike most unit crests, this insignia lacks an inscription of the unit motto, “Can And Will.”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. 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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Originally constituted as the 24th Cavalry in the Regular Army on 1 July 1916, the 82nd Field Artillery was redesignated under that title on 1 November 1917. After several redesignations during the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s, the Regiment was reorganized and redesignated as the 82nd Field Artillery Battalion on 3 January 1941. It would serve with the 1st Cavalry division during World War II and fight in four campaigns in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, earning an Arrowhead device denoting the unit’s participation in an assault landing for its Leyte campaign streamer. It was also presented a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for the same campaign.
The unit was still designated as a Battalion when it fought as part of the 1st Cavalry Division in seven of the Korean War’s ten campaigns, earning a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation and the Chryssoun Aristion Andrias (Greek Cross of Valor). Reorganized and redesignated 31 July 1959 as the 82nd Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat arms regimental System, the Regiment’s units took part in an amazing sixteen of seventeen Vietnam War campaigns, garnering a Presidential Unit Citation, Valorous Unit Award, and two Meritorious Unit Commendations (MUCs). September 1971 saw the unit redesignated as the 82nd Field Artillery, the designation it would fight under during the First Gulf and be awarded two more Valorous Unit Awards and an MUC.
During the War on Terrorism, the Regiment’s battalions have deployed on numerous occasions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. While the Regiment as a whole has not received any military decorations, its individual battalions have received quite a few for their courage and exceptional performance. 1st Battalion has been awarded four MUCs for service between 2006 and 2012; 2nd Battalion has received four MUCs for service from 2004 to 2011; 3rd Battalion also was honored with four MUCs for the period between 2006 and 2014; and the 5th Battalion has been awarded a Valorous Unit Award and two MUCs.
As of Summer 2023, the 1st and 2nd Battalions (1-82nd FAR and 2-82 FAR) are the 82nd Field Artillery Regiment's only remaining active. Both Battalions are assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery and are stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas.