The 172nd Infantry Brigade was constituted under that designation and assigned to the 86th Division on 5 August 1917. Though it deployed to Europe in September 1918, its combat record was uncertain, leading to the unit being awarded a World War I campaign streamer but with no inscription.
Shortly after the U.S. entry in World War II, the Brigade was converted into a Reconnaissance Troop, and in December 1942 was ordered into active service and reorganized as the 86th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop, an element of the 86th Infantry Division. Several other reorganizations and redesignations took place before the unit became the 86th Mechanized Reconnaissance Troop in October 1945. It wasn’t until March 1945 that the unit was deployed to Germany, where it took part in a few amphibious assaults before the war came to an end and it returned to the U.S. before being deployed to the Pacific Theater; it arrived in the Philippines five days after the Japanese surrender.
After being chosen to become one of the Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Teams in 2001, the Brigade was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005, the first of three deployments that would earn it four Campaign Streamers (National Resolution, Iraqi Surge, Iraqi Sovereignty, and Transition I). It was also the recipient of two Meritorious Unit Commendations (2009, 2012) and a Valorous Unit Award (2006). It was formally inactivated on 31 May 2013 in Grafenwöhr, Germany.
The 172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB) pays homage to the Brigade’s assignment to Forts Richardson (1963 – 1986) and Wainwright (1998 – 2006) in Alaska; these are represented by a pair of snow-capped mountains (the unit’s nickname of “Blackhawk” replaced its prior moniker, “Snow Hawks”). They also reflect the Brigade’s specialization as a cold-weather combat unit. The stars arrayed above the mountains are the Big Dipper and the North Star, both representing Alaska.
Related Items172nd Infantry Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)172nd Infantry Brigade Patch (SSI)