Today represented only by the “Iron Knights” of its 1st Battalion, the 35th Armor Regiment was originally constituted on 13 January 1941 as Company A, 5th Armored Regiment as an element of the 4th Armored Division. After being reorganized and redesignated as Company A, 771st Tank Battalion, the unit went on to take part in five campaigns in the European Theater during World War II, earning a Presidential Unit Citation for action during the Battle of the Bulge. During the First Gulf War (Southwest Asia), the Regiment’s 1st and 3rd Battalions (or smaller component units thereof) were honored with Valorous Unit Awards and earned credit for participation in all three of the war’s campaigns. (The Regiment’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Battalions are no longer active.)
In the Global War on Terror, the Regiment’s 1st Battalion (or one or more of its subordinate units) has been recognized numerous times for outstanding service, garnering three Meritorious Unit Commendations for actions between 2005 and 2009, two Valorous Unit Awards (2008 – 2009), and a Navy Unit Commendation (2006 – 2007).
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, the 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.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e),
"Beret" and
"Garrison Cap," respectively.
The Regimental Distinctive Insignia for the 35th Armor Regiment was first approved when the unit was known as the 35th Armored Regiment in 1942; it was redesignated for the 35th Armor Regiment on 22 September 1958. Featuring the unit motto of “VINCERE VEL MORI”—Latin for “To Conquer or Die”—and an armadillo on a green, the insignia celebrates the Regiment’s service in France with a fleur-de-lis mounted on a palm at its top. An armadillo was chosen because it is invulnerable, ferocious, protective, and has “cunning endurance.”