Originally approved on 9 June 1925, the 147th Field Artillery Regiment Distinctive Insignia (AKA a “unit crest” or DUI) was redesignated for the 147th Field Artillery battalion on 26 June 1944. It would be redesignated for the 147th Artillery to reflect the Regiment’s organization in the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) on 18 April 1961, and again in August 1972 to change the title back to 147th Field Artillery Regiment; it would be withdrawn from the CARS on 1 June 1989.
The scarlet in the upper division of the unit crest reflects the organization’s status as unit in the Artillery branch, as does the artillery shell bearing the insignia of the 32nd Division (the unit with which the Regiment served during World War I). A palm tree indicates service in the Philippine Insurrection, and the cactus represents Mexican border duty in 1916 and 1917.
Prêt Et Volontiers, the unit motto, is French for “Ready And Willing.”
Distinctive Unit Insignias 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.♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Officially nicknamed the “First South Dakota,” the 147th Field Artillery Regiment was first organized as the 2nd Regiment in the South Dakota militia in 1884 and 1885. Redesignated as the 1st South Dakota Volunteer Infantry (hence the nickname), the unit served in two campaigns in the Philippine Insurrection and was mustered into Federal service for Mexican border duty prior to being drafted into Federal service on 5 August 1917. It would be consolidated with two batteries from the Oregon Field Artillery to form the 147th Field Artillery and take part in six World War I campaigns, earning a French Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star for its actions in the Aisne-Marne and Oise-Aisne campaigns.
The Regiment was broken up in 1943, with its HQ and HQ Battery (HHB) becoming the HHB, I Corps Artillery and its 1st and 2nd Battalions redesignated as the 147th and 260th Field Artillery Battalions. These units and (others that joined the Regiment through annexation) earned the Regiment four World War II campaign streamers, with Arrowhead devices for the New Guinea and Luzon campaign streamers denoting participation in assault landings; the Regiment was also credited with the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation awarded to the HHB, I Corps Artillery and 147th Field Artillery Regiment. (Note: HQ Battery, 2nd Battalion also earned credit for participation in six campaigns in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater.)
Following the war, the 147th and 260th Field Artillery Battalions were consolidated with two others (the 642nd and 643rd) to “reform” the regiment as the 147th Artillery in the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS); it would later be redesignated as the 147th Field Artillery (1972), withdrawn from CARS (1989) and finally be designated as the 147th Field Artillery Regiment in 2005; in 2008, it was reorganized to consist of a single battalion, the 1st. Prior to its inactivation, the 2nd Battalion was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom between December 2003 and February 2005, an honor its sister Battalion would achieved in 2013 when it received the MUC for service in Iraq between April 2009 and April 2010.
The 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery Regiment was most recently in the news as it underwent a modernization Force Design Update in the fall of 2022 that increased the number of launchers per Battery (from 8 to 9), added a third Battery (Charlie), and upgraded the launchers for the entire Battalion (from M270A1 to M270A2).