When it was activated in1943, the 18th Field Artillery Brigade was Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, XVIII Corps Artillery, the designation under which it fought throughout World War II. There it earned credit for participation in three campaigns—Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe—before its inactivation at Camp Cooke in California on October 15, 1945.
A six-year inactivation period ended when the unit was redesignated the XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery—and allotted to the Regular Army—in May, 1951 and activated at Fort Bragg (renamed Fort Liberty in June 2003). Nearly thirty years elapsed before the unit underwent another reorganization and consequently a redesignation; it became the 18th Field Artillery Brigade in September, 1978.
Under this designation it was deployed to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in 1990-1991, where it earned official credit for participation in two campaigns, the Defense of Saudi Arabia and the Liberation and Defense of Kuwait. It was also deployed following the initial invasion of Iraq, and earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its performance during 2005-2006 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2007, the brigade was redesignated the 18th Fires Brigade; on October 16, 2014, the unit reverted to its previous designation as the 18th Field Artillery Brigade.
A winged cannon is the sole image found on the CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge) for the 18th Field Artillery Brigade; it perfectly conveys the speed and mobility that are the hallmarks of modern artillery, especially Airborne. The same image appears on the brigade’s Unit Crest, or Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), along with the unit’s motto of “Sweat Saves Blood.”
Note that the CSIB you see here reflects changes made to the unit’s Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) in 2007, namely the removal of the “AIRBORNE” tab.
Related Items
18th Field Artillery Brigade Patch (SSI)
18th Field Artillery Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)
18th Field Artillery Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB) ** PLUS "AIRBORNE" TAB **)
18th Field Artillery Brigade, HQ and HQ Battery Beret Flash & Oval