The 153rd Infantry Regiment Distinctive Insignia was first approved on 6 January 1930. It was amended on 4 June 1951 to show additional war service. Its blue shield denotes the organization’s alignment in the Infantry branch. A wavy diagonal bar, representing the Arkansas River, refers to the unit’s geographic location. A cactus below the “river” stands for the unit’s service along the Mexican Borde, and the fleur-de-lis is for wartime service in France. The face of the “Great Bear” is taken from the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the Alaskan Department to commemorate the Regiment’s service in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. “Let’s Go,” the unit motto, encapsulates the Regiment’s zeal for service whenever the nation is threatened.
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.
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Nicknamed “First Arkansas” and represented by the 1st and 2nd Battalions assigned to the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 153rd Infantry Regiment is an organization in the Arkansas Army Nation Guard that was originally organized between 1890 and 1894 in the Arkansas State Guard as the 1st Regiment of Infantry. Though consolidated and reorganized in the two decades-plus between its organization an its first called into Federal service in 1916, it was still designated as the 1st Regiment of Infantry when was deployed along the Southwest border (it did not take part in the actual Mexican Expedition, also called the Punitive Expedition).
Drafted into service as the 1st Regiment of Infantry on 5 August 1917, the unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 153rd Infantry on 27 September 1917. It was assigned to the 39th Division, one of many A.E.F. Divisions that were used as reservoirs of replacement Soldiers, earning an uninscribed World War I streamer for contributing to the American and Allied victory.
During World War II, the Regiment was inducted into Federal service on 23 December 1940 and was deployed to Alaska in August 1941, with it 2nd Battalion taking part in the occupation of Adak Island and Siska, part of the Aleutian Islands campaign. Company C, 1st Battalion of the version of the Regiment reorganized in the U.S. Army Regimental System is also credited with five campaigns in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater and seven Korean War campaigns, as well as a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. 1st Battalion’s Company is credited with five campaigns, all in France, Belgium, Germany and Central Europe.
Following the Korean War, the Regiment would be mustered on several occasions for Federal service inside the United States, most famously to enforce integration at Little Rock Central High School in 1954. But it would not see combat again until 2003 and the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The U.S. Army Center of Military History’s Lineage and Honors Information for the Regiment credits its with participation in three campaigns in Iraq Theater of the War on Terrorism— Transition of Iraq, Iraqi Governance, Iraqi Surge—and earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation for the period 2004 to 2005, with Company A, 2nd Battalion also earning a Valorous Unit Award. However, the Valorous Unit Award does not appear on the Army General Orders Unit Award Index dated December 2019; it shows Company C, 3rd Battalion receiving that honor for service between 8 April 2004 and 15 March 2005 (AGO 2010-24).
As of Summer 2023, the 153rd Infantry Regiment's 1st and 2nd Battalions are both assigned to the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The 1st Battalion is headquartered at Malvern, Arkansas and the 2nd Battalion is based in Searcy, Arkansas.