Red is used for the shield of the 123rd Field Artillery Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia to signify its status as an Artillery unit, while the blue chevron in the center is a reference to its origins in the Infantry branch and its capability to always obtain its objective. Three fleurs-de-lis stand for the three World War I campaigns in which the unit participated, while the resting lamb at the bottom is from the seal of Puerto Rico and denotes the organization’s service in the War With Spain (Spanish-American War). PARATI ET VOLENTES inscribed the golden scroll is the Regimental motto and is Latin for “Ready And Willing.”
Also called a unit crest or DUI, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 123rd Field Artillery Regiment was originally approved for the 123rd Field Artillery Regiment, Illinois National Guard on 30 March 1928; over the decades it has also been approved for the 123rd Field Artillery Battalion and the 123rd Artillery Regiment. It was last redesignated on 11 July 1972 for the 123rd Field Artillery Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard.
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.
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The 123rd Field Artillery Regiment was originally constituted as the 6th Infantry Regiment in the Illinois National Guard on 4 May 1882. It was first mustered into Federal service on 11 May 1898 to fight in the War With Spain; it was mustered out on 23 November 1898. After being drafted into Federal service on 5 August 1917, it was converted and redesignated as the 123rd Field Artillery. Assigned to the 33rd Division, it would fight in three World War I campaigns as part of the Division’s 62nd Infantry Brigade.
Inducted into Federal service 5 March 1941, the Regiment was broken up between February and April 1942; among the many changes, its 1st Battalion was redesignated as the 123rd Field Artillery Battalion. The units that remained in the lineage of the 123rd Field Artillery fought in a total of seven campaigns that were credited to their parent regiment, five in the European Theater and two in the Pacific, earning the Regiment a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. (The unit designated as the Service Battery, 123rd Field Artillery Battalion during the War was also individually honored with two Meritorious Unit Commendations).
Some of the units that had formed the Regiment prior to the 1942 breakup were reunited with the creation of the 123rd Artillery in the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) on 1 March 1959; the Regiment would be redesignated as the 123rd Field Artillery on 1 May 1972. It was withdrawn from CARS on 5 February 1987 and reorganized under the U.S. Army Regimental System to determine the number and numerical designations of its battalions. The most recent combat deployment for any of its units was during the War on Terrorism, earning the HQ, 2nd Battalion a Global War on Terrorism campaign streamer. Additionally, Batteries A, B, and C, 2nd Battalion were all awarded Meritorious Unit Commendations for their exceptional service during their 2004-2005 tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.