Officially known as the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia – Military Operations In Hostile Conditions Insignia (SSI – MOHC), the shoulder patch worn by the 113th Field Artillery Brigade was in 1980, two years after the unit took on its current designation as 113th Field Artillery Brigade. It was redesignated for very briefly for the 113th Sustainment Brigade beginning in September 2008, but that decision was cancelled and the insignia reverted back to the 113th Field Artillery Brigade on 24 June 2010.
The cannon barrel in the center is a symbol of both leadership and bravery, as well as a reminder of the unit’s artillery designation. The six stacked cannonballs also serve the same purpose. They also represent the unit’s capabilities in combat and its readiness for said combat, and is the one detail that is visible in the unit’s patch, crest, and CSIB. The unit crest also bears the 113th’s motto,"Honor Valor Victory"—qualities that the men of the 113th have always to display and exercise both on and off the battlefield. At the top right, the striking hornet references the long history with the state of North Carolina (the British referred to the city of Charlotte as a veritable "hornet's nest" of rebellion during the American Revolution).
The original activation of the unit was in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1926. The unit was created as the 252nd Coast Artillery, a part of the North Carolina National Guard. Today, the unit still serves the NC National Guard from Greensboro, though it has served its country in other ways as well, such as when it deployed to the campaign of Northern France in the second World War.
Related Items
113th Field Artillery Brigade Patch (SSI)
113th Field Artillery Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)