Known as the “Fighting Sixty-Ninth” and the “Fighting Irish,” the 69th Infantry Regiment—designated as the 165th Infantry from 1917 to 1992—has a combat record that comprises nearly two dozen campaigns spanning five wars (Civil War, WWI, WWII, Iraq, Afghanistan) across three centuries. It currently consists of a single active unit (1st Battalion) which is assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade, 42nd Infantry Division. It is headquartered at 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan.
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a 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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
The 69th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, commonly called a “unit crest” or a DUI, was originally approved for the 165th Infantry (69th New York National Guard) on 26 April 1924. It was redesignated for the 69th Infantry on 17 March 1964 and then for the 69th Air Defense Artillery on 9 March 1993; it was redesignated for the 69th Infantry Regiment on 30 December 1996. Green is used for the background of the 69th Infantry DUI to reflect the facings on the uniforms that were worn when the original 69th Infantry Regiment was formed during the American Civil War. A rainbow in the middle denotes the Regiment’s assignment to the 42nd “Rainbow” Division during the First World War, and the device at the bottom with a shield bookended by two Irish Wolfhounds also dates to the organization of the Regiment.