The 64th Armor Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia unit crest, was approved on 27 February 1942. On it shield is a black elephant, which recalls the use of elephants as heavy-assault weapons in ancient times to smash enemy lines and cause panic among opposing troops, similar to the function and effect of a modern-day tank attack. The Regiment is descended from the758th Tank Battalion, and it as one of its Soldiers who designed the insignia to display pride in their African-American heritage while simultaneously denoting the unit’s mission of armored warfare. The devastating power an armor assault is aptly summed up in the unit motto, “We Pierce.”
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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The 64th Armor Regiment was constituted on 13 January 1941 as the 78th Tank Battalion. It was redesignated as the 758th Tank Battalion on 8 May 1941 and activated on 1 June. It would fight in two campaigns in Italy, North Apennines and Po Valley, before being inactivated on 22 September 1945.
After a couple of redesignations, the unit received its current numerical designation in November 1949 when it was redesignated as the 64th Heavy Tank Battalion. It was under this title that the unit would go on to serve with the 3rd Infantry Division in the Korean War, taking part in eight of the war’s ten campaigns and earning a Presidential Unit Citation, two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations, and the Chryssoun Aristion Andrias (Greek Cross of Valor).
The Battalion became a Regiment in the late 1950s when it was designated as the 64th Armor, a parent regiment in the Combat Arms Regimental System, but it would not see action again until the Southwest Asia conflict, more commonly called the First Gulf War, where it took part in two campaigns. In the War on Terrorism, the Regiment is credited with one campaign, with its two active battalions (1st and 4th) being credited with a Presidential Unit Citation, a Valorous Unit Award, and two Meritorious Unit Commendations between them (further campaign participation is yet to be determined).
As of Summer 2023, the Regiment’s only active battalion is the 1st (1-64 ARM or 1-64th ARM), assigned to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division and based at Fort Stewart.