A dinosaur (which strongly resembles a Tyrannosaurus Rex) grasping a flaming sword serves as the focal point of the 40th Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia. The insignia is something of an anomaly in that its primary colors, green and white (silver) are not Cavalry colors; instead they are the colors once used unofficially by the Armor Corps and then officially from 1947 until 1951, the year that Armor adopted yellow as its branch color. This is because the insignia was originally approved for the 40th Armored Regiment on 9 January 1943. It was redesignated twice while the unit remained in the Armor branch, and then on 16 October 2005 it was redesignated for the unit’s new role as the 40th Cavalry Regiment, which inherited the lineage and history of its Armor predecessor.
The dinosaur represented the power of the unit—once Armor, now Cavalry—to destroy any enemy, and the burning sword is an emblem of the enthusiasm and zeal of the unit’s personnel in performing their duties. “By Force And Valor,” the unit motto, highlights the power of modern weapons system and the importance of the human element in deploying it.
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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As noted above, the 40th Cavalry Regiment’s origins are in the Armor Corps with the constitution of the 4th Armored Regiment on 13 January 1941; it was redesignated the 40th Armored Regiment on 8 May 1941 and then inactivated at the start of 1941 (January 1). Reactivated at Camp Polk, Louisiana on 24 March 1942 and assigned to the 7th Armored Division, the Regiment relocated to Fort Benning on 20 September 1943 and was broken up into two tank Battalions, the 40th and 709th.
The Regiment was reformed in 1957 through the consolidation of those two Battalions and Troop E, 87th Cavalry to form the 40th Armor in the Combat Arms Regimental System. Eight battalions would be stood up under the 40th’s colors, with the 1st Battalion being the last to inactivate in 1997. In 2005, the 40th Armor was redesignated as 40th Cavalry and activated at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. Since that redesignation, the Regiment’s 1st Squadron has been the recipient of a Valorous Unit Award (2006-2007), and two Meritorious Unit Commendations (2009-2010, 2011-2012). Currently (2019), the 40th Cavalry Regiment’s 1st Squadron is based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
As noted above, the 40th Cavalry Regiment’s beginning are in the Armor Corps with the constitution of the 4th Armored Regiment on 13 January 1941; it was redesignated the 40th Armored Regiment on 8 May 1941 and then inactivated at the start of 1941 (January 1). Reactivated at Camp Polk, Louisiana on 24 March 1942 and assigned to the 7th Armored Division, the Regiment relocated to Fort Benning (now designated as Fort Moore) on 20 September 1943 and was broken up into two tank Battalions, the 40th and 709th.
The Regiment was reformed in 1957 through the consolidation of those two Battalions and Troop E, 87th Cavalry to form the 40th Armor in the Combat Arms Regimental System. Eight battalions would be stood up under the 40th’s colors, with the 1st Battalion being the last to inactivate in 1997. In 2005, the 40th Armor was redesignated as 40th Cavalry and activated at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. Since that redesignation, the Regiment’s 1st Squadron has been the recipient of a Valorous Unit Award (2006-2007), and two Meritorious Unit Commendations (2009-2010, 2011-2012). As of Autumn 2023 the 40th Cavalry Regiment’s 1st Squadron is based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson as part of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.