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.Red, white, and blue are the predominant colors of the 141st Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia and allude to the flag of the Texas Republic, the authority under which the Company A, the Regiment’s oldest unit, was first organized. On the bottom right of the shield portion of the insignia is the badge signifying the Cuban Occupation serviced performed by the 141st Infantry, Texas National Guard; beside it on a white field is a fleur-de-lis denoting World War I service in France. A white star is for the Lone Star State of Texas, and the crest is that of the Texas 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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Nicknamed “First Texas,” the 141st Infantry Regiment’s roots go back the constitution of the Texas Regiment in the Mexican National Militia in February 1823, which was organized on 22 June 1824 as the Austin Colony Battalion of Militia. The “First Texas” moniker can refer to the 1st Texas Foot Riflemen, which had two companies mustered into Federal Service in July 1846, or the 1st Texas Volunteer Infantry, mustered into Federal Service in 1898 for the Spanish-American War. Between those two dates, the unit’s forebears served in two dozen Civil War campaigns fighting for the Confederate States of America.
By the time the unit was mustered into Federal service in April 1917 following the U.S. entry in World War I, the unit was designated as the 2nd Infantry Regiment; it was redesignated as the 141st Infantry after it was drafted. Assigned to the 36th Division—the start of several decades of service affiliated with that organization—the Regiment would fight in the Meuse-Argonne campaign.
Designated an element of the 36th Division (later redesignated as the 36th Infantry Division), the Regiment and units in its lineage would serve in seven World War II campaigns, garnering Arrowhead devices for the Naples-Foggia and Southern France campaign streamers to reflect the units’ participation in assault landings. Regimental military decorations for World War II include French Croix de Guerre with Palm, a Meritorious Unit Commendation for the HQ Company of the 1st Battalion, and a Presidential Unit Citation for Company C, 1st Battalion. The Regiment would not be deployed to a combat zone again until the launch of the War on Terrorism; while its campaign participation credits in that ongoing conflict are yet to be decided, the 1st Battalion was the recipient of Army Superior Unit Award for 2006 service between January and December.
As of Autumn 2023, the 141st Infantry Regiment consists of the 1st and 3rd Battalions, both assigned to the 72nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division.