Today consisting of a single Battalion (the 3rd) that is assigned to the 18th Field Artillery Brigade, the 321st Field Artillery Regiment has a lineage that dates back to World War I and its assignment as the 321st Artillery Regiment to the 157th Artillery Brigade, 82nd Division and its participation in three campaigns in France (St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and) Lorraine 1918.
During World War II, the unit fought in four campaigns in Europe while designated as the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion, earning two Arrowhead devices to denote participation in an assault landing (at Normandy and in the Rhineland campaign). It was also the recipient of a Presidential Unit Citation, a French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, a Netherlands Orange Lanyard, a Belgian Fourragere 1940 for two citations in the Order of the Day of the Belgium Army, and a Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm.
As the 321st Artillery, the unit took part in Operation Powerpack in the Dominican Republic before deploying to Vietnam, where it fought in a dozen campaigns in the Vietnam War and was awarded three Republic of Vietnam Gallantry with Cross Awards.
The Regiment was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan frequently between 2005 and 2010, with all of its Battalions (three at the time) seeing significant action and being cited for their superior performance. Counting their alphabetical and HQ and HQ Batteries, 1st Battalion and subordinate units were tapped for seven Meritorious Unit Commendations, while 2nd Battalion units were awarded four Valorous Unit Awards. Using the same criteria for 3rd Battalion, it was the recipient of six Meritorious Unit Commendations and two Valorous Unit Awards, both of the latter awarded to Battery C.
Both the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 321st Field Artillery Regiment were inactivated in 2014.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 321st Field Artillery Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), also called a unit crest, as first approved on 1 February 1927 for the 452nd Field Artillery Regiment. It has been redesignated seven times since that date: the 321st Field Artillery Regiment (November 1930), 321st Field Artillery Battalion (April 1942), the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion (October 1942), the 518th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion (September 1951), the 321st Airborne Field Artillery Battalion (July 1956), the 321st Artillery Regiment (February 1958), and finally its current designation for the 321st Field Artillery Regiment on 1 September 1971.
A scarlet background on the shield denotes the organization’s status as part of the Artillery branch. The lion’s paws are analogous to Field Artillery, which may be likened to a mountain lion with paws of great strength and the power to fell and crush a victim. NOLI ME TANGERE, the Regimental motto, is Latin for “Do Not Touch Me.”
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."Related Items:
321st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Battalion Flash & Oval