The 70th Armor Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, also called a unit crest or DUI, was approved on 9 January 1941 while the unit was still designated as the 70th Tank Battalion (Medium). It has redesignated twice, once for the 70th Tank Battalion (Light) on 18 May 1942 and again for the 70th Armor Regiment on 29 March 1963; a motto was added on 4 November 1965. Green was the unofficial color of Armor units when the insignia was approved and serves as the background for five gold spearheads, formed in a flying wedge formation to represent a tank platoon entering combat. “Strike Swiftly,” the unit motto, perfectly complements the imagery of the charging armor and embodies the boldness of the unit in its combat mission.Distinctive Unit Insignias are 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. 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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Constituted and activated in the Regular Army as the 70th Tank Battalion on 15 July 1940, the 70th Armor Regiment took part in the first offensive against Germany in Algeria in November 1942, earning the first of seven World War II campaigns streamers, two adorned with Arrowheads to reflect the Regiment’s participation in assault landings carried out at Sicily and Normandy. The Regiment was also awarded two Presidential Unit Citations for actions at the Cotentin Peninsula and the Hurtgen Forest and was the recipient of a Belgian Fourragere 1940 for being cited twice in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army.
The Regiment was redesignated as the 70th Heavy Tank Battalion following World War II, but was redesignated as the 70th Tank Battalion just a month (May 1950) before the start of the Korean War. It would fight in seven Korean War campaigns, earning a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation and the Greek Cross of Valor (Chryssoun Aristion Andrias).
During the First Gulf War, the “Thunderbolts” Regiment was deployed in time to take part in all three campaigns comprising Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, with the 2nd Battalion chosen for a Valorous Unit Award. Since the launch of the War on Terrorism, the 2nd Battalion has been the recipient of a Presidential Unit Citation (for service between March – May 2003), a second Valorous Unit Award (September – November 2003), and most recently a Meritorious Unit Commendation (2015 – 2016).
As of Summer 2023, the Regiment's active units are limited to its 2nd Battalion (assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division and stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas) and the 4th Battalion (1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division and stationed at Fort Bliss).