The 120th Infantry Brigade was originally constituted in the Army on 26 March 1941 as the 3rd Armored Infantry Group, but by the time it deployed to France as an attached unit to the 9th Armored Division, it had been redesignated as Headquarters, 12th Armored Group. The Group took part in three campaigns before its inactivation on 20 October 1945 and was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for its role in the defense of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. It was subsequently disbanded on 2 July 1952.
Forty-five years later, the unit was reconstituted in October 1997 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, 120th Infantry Brigade through the reflagging of the 2nd Brigade, 75th Infantry Division and simultaneously activated at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, only to be inactivated just under two years later on 16 October 1999. On 1 December 2006, it was again activated at Fort Sam Houston, and in September 2008 it was relocated to Fort Hood (renamed Fort Cavazos in May 2023).
The 120th Infantry Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, or unit patch, was approved on 4 April 2007, but its personnel are not currently authorized to wear it because the Brigade falls under the command of First Army and they instead wear the First Army unit patch.
Flag blue on the insignia denotes the Brigade’s classification as Infantry, while the embattled pale has the appearance of tank tracks, an acknowledgement of the Brigade’s history as an Armored unit. An upright bayonet is a symbol of close combat, and its red hue denotes the Brigade’s offensive prowess.
Related Items120th Infantry Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)