Originally designated as the 88th Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia in November 1918, the four-leaf clover currently worn by members of the 88th Readiness Division has served as the unit insignia for various iterations of the original Infantry division, including the 88th Infantry Division, 88th Army Reserve Command, 88th Army Regional Support Command, and 88th Army Regional Readiness Command (RRC), immediate precursor to the 88th Readiness Division. (The lineage back of the original 88th Division apparently ends with the 88th Army Regional Support Command even though subsequent units redesignated from it wear the insignia.)
The famous “Cloverleaf” insignia is actually a four-leaf clover formed by two figure 8s in a quatrefoil representing the Dakotas, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota, the four “states” from which the original Division was formed in 1918; blue was chosen (color version only) because the Division was eventually designated in that branch. Nicknamed the “Blue Devils,” the Soldiers of the Division wore a “Blue Devils” tab above Shoulder Sleeve Insignia during World War II. The Division was awarded a French Croix de Guerre with Palm embroidered “Central Italy” for its service in World War II to go along with three WWI campaign streamers (Rome-Arno, North Apennines, and Po Valley).
The 88th Readiness Division is headquartered at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
Related Items
88th Readiness Division Unit Crest (DUI)