The 186th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, commonly referred to as a unit crest or a DUI, was approved for the organization on 18 May 1925. “CUSTODES PORTAE OCCIDENTIS,” the unit motto, is a Latin phase that means “Guards Of The Western Gate, a reference to its location in the Pacific Northwest when it was constituted in the Oregon National Guard on 7 December 1921.
In the chief (upper third of shield) is a rose, a flower associated with the Northwest, again a reference to the unit’s location. Below it is a castle tower with a partially opened gate and a pair of interlocking arms, each holding a sword. The interlocked arms are suggestive of military strength ready to be used against any enemy who attempts to enter the United States through the aforementioned “Western Gate,” which is symbolized by the gateway in the tower. They also allude to the fact the 186th Infantry Regiment had elements in two neighboring states, Oregon and Idaho.
Distinctive Unit Insignias are 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.
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Originally constituted as a separate battalion in the Oregon National Guard in 1921, the forerunner of the 186th Infantry Regiment was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry on 31 March 1922. Drafted into Federal service and assigned to the 41st Infantry Division during World War II, the Regiment fought in two Asiatic-Pacific campaigns, New Guinea and Luzon, and was awarded an Arrowhead device for taking part in assault landings at Biak Island in Indonesia (New Guinea campaign) and Palawan Island in the Philippines (3rd Battalion).
The Regiment was reorganized several times in the decades following World War II, and since 1968 has consisted of a single battalion, the 1st, that is an element of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. In 2009, the entire Battalion was called into Federal service and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2013, the Battalion service in Iraq during the period of 29 July 2009 to 15 April 2010 was recognized with a Meritorious Unit Commendation. The Battalion was also deployed in 2014 to Afghanistan and to Djibouti in Africa in the fall of 2019.