At first blush, “AAA-O” might appear to be a battery size and specification. But while that might be the case, it has an entirely different meaning for the 39th Infantry Regiment: “Anything, Anywhere, Anytime—Bar Nothing!”
Quickly transliterated as "Triple-A Bar Nothing,” this bold proclamation of martial prowess was the brainchild of Colonel Harry A. Flint, appointed commander of the Regiment during the invasion of Sicily in the summer of 1943. Until Flint’s arrival, the 39th was considered a lackluster fighting outfit, and his scheme of stenciling the abbreviated slogan onto helmets and vehicles to fire up his troops, though against regulations, had the intended effect. The 39th Infantry became one of the most effective fighting units in Europe, particularly after D-Day, and their zeal to achieve mission success continued on even after Flint was killed by sniper fire on 24 July 1944.
The 39th Infantry Regiment was constituted on 15 May 1917 in the Regular Army as the 39th Infantry and was organized on 1 June 1917. Assigned to the 4th Division, it would fight in five campaigns, with one of its most celebrated achievements, the capture of Montfaucon during the Meuse-Argonne offensive, commemorated in the design of its Distinctive Unit Insignia.
The Regiment was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division during World War II, and in addition to acquiring its one-of-a-kind motto, it was awarded three Presidential Unit Citations and a Belgian Fourragere for two citations in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army, as well as eight campaign streamers from action in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater.
After a series of inactivations/activations over the next two decades, the 39th Infantry Regiment was reactivated on 1 February 1966 as part of the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. The Regiment as whole was credited with participation in eight campaigns in Vietnam and was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation and two Valorous Unit Awards, with its individual battalions receiving additional awards including (but not limited to) several Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm awards and the Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class. Since 1989, the Regiment has been assigned to the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and consisted only of the 2nd Battalion. However, the 3rd and 4th Battalions were recently reactivated to assume a training role at Fort Jackson, South Carolina—the 3rd on 1 October 2016 and the 4th on 1 October 2017. As of Autumn 2023, all three Battalions serve at Fort Jackson.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 39th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, also referred to as a unit crest or DUI, was approved on 31 January 1941. Its blue shield denotes the organizations as Infantry, while the fleur-de-lis and two trees bookending it symbolize the capture of the Grove of Cresnes, the Regiment’s first victory in World War I and emblematic of its service in the Aisne-Marne Campaign for which it received the French Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star. In fact, the unit motto—D'une Admirable Vaillance, French for “With Military Courage Worthy Of Admiration”—was taken from the inscription presented with the Croix de Guerre.
The boar’s head in the canton (small inset on upper left) is from the crest of the coat of arms of the 30th Infantry, signifying that the 39th Infantry was organized with personnel from the 30th. At the top is a falcon’s head representing the victory at Montfaucon, with the falcon holding an ivy leaf in its bill as a nod to the 4th “Ivy” Division, the organization to which the Regiment was assigned at the time of the battle.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.