From 1962 until 1990, the 197th Infantry Brigade served as Infantry Training unit at Fort Benning (renamed Fort Moore in May 2023) in Georgia. Its original mission of preparing green formations for combat action in Southeast Asia in the 1960s was replaced with training Soldiers to fight on European soul against Warsaw Pact troops in the 1970s and 1980s.
Activated for combat deployment during the First Gulf War because U.S. Army concerns over the readiness of some National Guard units, the 197th quickly pivoted from training other personnel to organizing for combat itself. Selected to fill a slot in the 24th Infantry Division that had been reserved for an ARNG Brigade, the 197th’s preparations led to a one-of-a-kind achievement: it became the only Brigade to go into combat with the 24th Infantry and take part in both Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm with it.
In 2013, the Army announced that the 197th was to be inactivated in December of that year.
The 197th Infantry Brigade unit patch, also known as a Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, features a red cartridge on a white serrated band oriented vertically bounded by blue on the left and right. Blue and white have been Infantry colors since the U.S. was established, while the white serrated band is emblematic of close combat and counterattack abilities. The ability to unleash destructive firepower is brought to vivid life with the red cartridge.
Related Items197th Infantry Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)197th Infantry Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)