Just over six months after its activation in Hawaii on April 8, 1944, the XXIV Corps, with the 7th and 96th Infantry Divisions as its major combat units, began the liberation of the Philippine Islands with the invasion of Leyte—hence the motto "Honed In Combat." During the fighting, which lasted from October 20 until December 26, the 77th Infantry Division augmented the Corps combat force. This action was followed by the invasion of Okinawa in April of 1945; with the conquest of that island and Japan’s subsequent surrender in September, the Corps was sent to Korea for occupation duty until its activation in January, 1949.
In August, 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, the Corps was reactivated at Fort Hood, Texas (now Fort Cavazos) and deployed to Vietnam, where it took command of all U.S. ground forces operating in I Corps Tactical Zone. As a result of “Vietnamization” the U.S. Army began a drawdown of forces in the Republic of Vietnam, and XXIV was eventually inactivated on June 30, 1972. During its deployment, among the units it controlled were 1st Cavalry Division, the 23rd “Americal” Division, and the 101st Airborne Division, to name just a few.
According to the Institute of Heraldry, the concentric hearts forming the Corps’ shoulder sleeve insignia and its CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge) is an “abitary design,” with the blue and white colors reflecting the unit’s status as a Corps.
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XXIV Corps Patch (SSI)