Originally approved for wear on 13 January 1966 and subsequently amended to revise the meaning of the symbolism on 21 September 1979, the 194th Armored Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, or unit patch, reflects the Brigade’s original makeup by including the branch colors of the three principal combat arms: Infantry (blue), Artillery (Red), and Armor/Cavalry (Yellow). The overall insignia is shaped like a shield, a defensive device, and is charged in the center with two offensive weapons, a mace and a battle axe; they also simulate an “X,” which is the military symbol for brigades.
The 194th Armored Brigade was originally constituted as the 194th Infantry Brigade in the Organized Reserves on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the 97th Infantry Division. While designated as the 97th Reconnaissance Troop, Mechanized and serving as an element of the 97th Infantry Division, the unit was awarded credit for participation in the Central Europe campaign in the European Theater during World War II.
On 21 December 1962, the unit was converted and redesignated as the 194th Armored Brigade at Fort Ord, California, replacing the 5th Infantry Division’s Armor element in testing new materiel, inspiring the nickname "Thunderbolts Of Battle." By the early 1970s, the Brigade existed in name only, comprising only a Headquarters because its Infantry, Armor, and Field Artillery units had been re-assigned to the Army’s Armor School.
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194th Armored Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)Headquartered at Fort Knox, the Brigade remained there as a C&C organization for different units, from Supply and Service Battalion down to a Finance Section. It was reorganized as a strategic reserve unit in 1975, eventually comprising two tank battalions and a mechanized Infantry battalion.
Reorganized as a Heavy Armor Brigade in the mid-1980s, the Brigade sent some units to Saudi Arabia for the First Gulf War, but the Brigade as a whole did not receive campaign participation credit or honors. Inactivated in 1994, the Brigade was brought back in 2007 to serve as a Training Brigade and is currently stationed at Fort Moore (known as Fort Benning until October 2023) in Georgia. As of Autumn 2023, the Brigade's subordinate units include 1st Battalion, 81st Armor Regiment; 2nd and 5th Battalions, 15th Cavalry Regiment; and the 30th Adjutant General Reception Battalion.