Activated for just eight years between January 1968 and January 1974, the 40th Armored Brigade looked to the 40th Infantry Division and its successor, the 40th Armored Division, for its lineage. The Brigade was formed during a major reorganization of the National Guard that reduce the total number of combat divisions in the Guard to just eight; with the inactivation of the 40th Armored Division, both the 40th Armored Brigade and the 40th Infantry Brigade were established. Similarly, both of these Brigades, as well as the 49th Infantry Brigade, were inactivated and the 40th Infantry Division reformed on 13 January 1974.; the 40th Armored Brigade Distinctive Unit Insignia was not rescinded until more than two years following the re-creation of the 40th Infantry Division.
With the activation of the 40th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in 2005, the decision was made to redesignate the 40th Armored Brigade patch for the newly created IBCT. But the newly established Infantry Brigade had very little time to relish their new emblem: Near the end of 2008, the Brigade was given a new numerical designation, the 79th, and in 2010 a new patch was designated for it.
The blue, red, and yellow of the 40th IBCT Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (also called a unit patch) reflect the three branches of the Army from which Armored units are formed (Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry). Two lightning flashes reflect the offensive punch and speed of mobility the Brigade possessed, and the sun between them is an allusion to California’s nickname of “Sunshine State.”
The 40th Armored Brigade unit patch was approved for wear on 30 January 1969.