Taken almost directly from the unit’s coat of arms, the 104th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia (also called DUI or a unit crest) features a shield rendered with a blue background and white devices, representing the old and new Infantry colors respectively. At the base of the shield portion of the insignia is an Indian arrowhead to commemorate Indian Wars and uprisings. An upside-down triangle containing a cross of St. George creates a “per chevron” division of the insignia, with its tip simulating the “Bloody Angle” at Spotsylvania during the Civil War. Beneath the flame of the torch is a crenelated section that recalls service in the War With Spain; the torch continued to be used as an insignia to identify equipment ownership during World War I. Six stars (“mullets”) stand for six World War I campaigns.
The 104th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 4 November 1926 for the 104th Regiment Infantry and was redesignated for the 104th Infantry Regiment on 8 April 1961 under the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS). It was amended to include the motto on 19 June 1968. “Fortitude et Courage” is one of the few Latin mottos that doesn’t require translation.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Formed more than 130 years before the Continental Congress even created the United States Army, the 104th Infantry Regiment had an active unit serving in Active, Reserve, or National Guard status up until 2005 and the inactivation of its last remaining battalion (the regimental lineage and history was passed to the 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment. During the Revolutionary War, the Regiment took part in nine campaigns, then exceeded that impressive total by one during the Civil War.
After taking part in the Santiago campaign in the War with Spain, the Regiment was assigned to the 26th Division—the “Yankee Division”—and fought in six campaigns before returning home and being demobilized. During World War II, the Regiment was credited with participation in four campaigns, serving again with the Yankee Division; it would be the last campaign credits earned for the entire Regiment before the inactivation of the 1st Battalion in 2005.