Nicknamed “The Ready Brigade,” the 187th Infantry Brigade was originally constituted under that designation on 24 June 1921, assigned to the 94th Division, and organized in November 1921 Boston. It was redesignated as a Reconnaissance Troop after the U.S. entered World War II and then reorganize as the 94th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, an element of the 94th Infantry Division, on 15 September 1942; on 14 August 1943 it was redesignated as the 94th Reconnaissance Troop, Mechanized. Serving with the 94th Infantry Division, the Troop was credited with participation in four campaigns in the European Theater.
It wasn’t until 5 November 1962 that the unit was again designated the 187th Infantry Brigade; it was activated under the title on 7 January 1963 at Boston. In October 1971 the Brigade was relocate to Wollaston, Massachusetts, and then moved again five years later to Fort Devens (1976). It was inactivated yet again on 14 April 1994, only to be revived for a four-month stretch between January and May 2007 before a final inactivation on 17 May 2007.
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The full-color version of the 187th Infantry Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) acknowledges the unit’s origins and subsequent permanent designation as an Infantry unit with the colors blue and white. An arrowhead in those colors implies the power of the Brigade’s assault, while the powder horn is a nod to the patriots of the Massachusetts area where the unit was formed and is also a play on the nickname: a Minuteman could be ready in a minute, but the “Ready Brigade” is always prepared for combat.
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187th Infantry Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)