Colloquially referred to as a unit or as DUI for short, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 29th Infantry Regiment was approved on 28 July 1924. Its imagery represents the Regiment’s two major accomplishments up to that point in its history: Service to quell the Philippine Insurrection and its ties to the U.S. Army Infantry School, where it not only trained Soldiers and Officers, but also helped build the facilities. A mango tree, a pair of crossed bolos, and the regiment's bayonet represent the unit's service in the Philippine Insurrection. The Regiment's long affiliation with the Infantry School is symbolized by the lamp of knowledge.
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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Created by Congressional order on 2 February 1901, the 29th Infantry Regiment was formed on 3 March 1901 at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. The following year it was sent to the Philippines in response to the Moro rebellion, seeing action on the islands of Cebu, Panay, and Negros before returning stateside in 2004. It then performed garrison duties in the United States until 1907 when it was dispatched to the Philippines again to fight in the Philippine Insurrection, returning home in 1909. In 1915, it was deployed to Panama for security duty at the Panama Canal zone until 1918, when it was intended to deploy to Europe to fight in World War I, but those plans were scotched by a influenza outbreak.
The next year the Regiment was relocated to Camp Benning and assigned to not only be the Demonstration Regiment for the recently established Infantry school there, but to actually construct many of the post’s facilities, including Doughboy Stadium, Gowdy Field, and Curatel Barracks. It was during this time the motto “We Lead The Way” was adopted by the Regiment, officially nicknamed “Pioneers.” It became a training Regiment for both Soldiers and Officers, and also tested new concepts such as providing the Soldiers for the first parachute unit ever fielded in the Armed Forces of the United States.
Called into action during World War II, the Regiment was the security force for the famed “Red Ball Express” that delivered crucial supplies to the forces thrusting from France toward Germany. It also seized and defended vital river crossing along the Meuse during the Battle of the Bulge and saw heavy action in Belgium.
Inactivated in 1946, the Regiment was again deployed for front-line action in Korea in defense of the Pusan Perimeter. Transferred to Okinawa in September 1950, the Regiment remained there until being sent to Fort Benning in 1954, where it resumed its training responsibilities. As of Summer 2023, the 2nd Battalion, 29th Regiment is assigned to the 197th Infantry Brigade, U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Moore, which had been designated as Fort Benning until its renaming in May 2023.