Following its return to state control at the conclusion of World War II, the 36th Infantry Division was reactivated and functioned as a component of the Texas Army National Guard until 18 June 1969 when it was inactivated (but still under state control). More than three decades would elapse before the 36th Infantry Division was once again in service and, in the process, welcoming old brothers-in-arms.
One of four regiments comprising the 36th prior to 1940, the 144th Infantry Regiment was separated from the Division prior to World War II, originally serving as a training unit but later added as an element to the 49th Armored Division. Organized and Federally recognized in 1947, the 49th was one of only two Armored Divisions in the National Guard at the time. In 1959, the 144th Infantry became an element of the 49th, and the former 36th Infantry Division unit’s soldiers were soon joined others after the 36th was inactivated in 1969.
When the decision was made to reflag the 49th Armored Division as an Infantry unit, that sort of cross-pollination certainly helped in the decision to make the new unit an old one: the 36th Infantry Division. Today, the Division carries on the144th’s legacy of training and mobilization readiness, ensuring Army forces are ready and responsive and able to operate efficiently in joint and coalition environments.
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36th Infantry Division Unit Patch (SSI)
36th Infantry Division Unit Crest (DUI)