Officially nicknamed “Sixth Missouri” to commemorate its designation as the 6th Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment when it was called into Federal service during the War with Spain, the 140th Regiment assumed its current role as a training organization while it was still classified as a maneuver infantry Regiment during World War II.
In January 1943, the 140th Infantry Regiment was relieved from assignment to the 35th Infantry Division—its parent organization during World War I, where it earned three campaign streamers while serving as part of the 70th Infantry Brigade—and transferred to the Western Defense Command to defend against a possible Japanese invasion. But in November 1944 it was reassigned to the U.S. Army Replacement and School Command, where it was transformed into a training cadre for Infantry Soldiers.
Following a period of inactivation after the end of World War II, the unit began its mission of training Officers, NCOs, and enlisted Soldiers in 1963. Today, as part of the Missouri Army National Guard, it runs the 140th Regional Training Institute at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where it hosts an Officer Candidate School, Warrant Officer Candidate School, NCO professional education courses, and conducts MOS qualification courses for the Military Police, Engineer, and Transportation career fields. The 140th RTI has been recognized as an Institution of Excellence since 2012, with the Regiment training and developing over 1500 Soldiers per year.
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The 140th Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia—commonly referred to as a unit crest or by the initialism DUI—was originally approved while the unit was still designated as the 140th Infantry Regiment on 17 May 1927. It was redesignated for the 140th Missouri Regiment on 1 August 1997 and for the 140th Regiment on 23 January 2001. The insignia pays tribute to the unit’s service in World War I with a bend (diagonal band) taken from the coat of arms of the French village of Lorraine; the crosses on the bend are Lorraine crosses and stand for the two major battles the unit fought near there. A seven-pointed star is taken from the Badge of the Seventh Corps, Second Division, the Regiment’s parent organization during the Spanish-American War. Unlike most unit crests, this insignia does not feature the unit motto SIEMPRE LISTO, Latin for “Ever Ready.”
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.