Granted the Special Designation of “Snake River Regiment” to honor its organization in the Snake River Valley between March and November of 1920, the 116th Cavalry Regiment’s original designation was 1st Cavalry, Idaho National Guard. Its Distinctive Unit Insignia, also referred to as a unit crest or by the initialism DUI, was originally approved on 18 November 1926 and has undergone several redesignation over the decades. It was redesignated for the 183rd Field Artillery Regiment in November 1940; for the 183rd Field Artillery Bat4talion in September 1943; for the 116th Armored Cavalry regiment in June 1950; and for the unit’s current designation of 116th Cavalry Regiment in September 1989.
SINE MORA, the Regimental motto, is Latin for “Without Delay”—an apt adage for both Field Artillery and Cavalry organizations. The blue, wavy fess containing the image of a gliding snake is a visual evocation of the Snake River.
Since 1995, the 116th Cavalry Regiment has been organized to comprised two battalions, the 2nd and the 3rd, that are elements of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team. The 2nd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment is headquartered in Caldwell and has armories in Boise, Emmet, and Nampa. The 3rd Battalion, located in Oregon, is one of three Combined Arms Battalions in the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team. The Brigade has deployed to Iraq twice in the War on Terrorism, with the 2nd Battalion being awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2009 for its service between 23 December 2004 and 1 November 2005.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.