Organized at Camp Custer, Michigan on 25 August 1917, the 170th Infantry Brigade originally consisted of two Infantry regiments, the 339th and 340th. While the 340th was deployed to Lorraine in France as part of the 85th Division, the 339th was assigned to an American Expeditionary force sent to the port of Archangelsk (better known as Archangel) to aid the White Russians attempting to overthrow the Bolsheviks who had seized power in November 1917.
Arriving in early September 1918, the force never posed a serious threat to Bolshevik rule, and after the signing of the November 11 Armistice many of the Soldiers’ family members began to demand that the Expedition be ended and the troops returned home. Withdrawal began in June, with 5 August 1919 marking the official end of the AEF’s Russian force.
You can learn more about the lineage and history of the 170th Infantry Brigade by clicking the links below.
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The regiment’s endurance and resolve during the harsh winter months they spent in northern Russia are memorialized in the 170th Infantry Brigade Distinctive Unit Insignia with a polar bear rampant in the upper left corner of the shield in the center of the insignia recalling the “Polar Bear Expedition.” In the lower right is a Roman gate, which is a symbol of the three campaigns the Brigade’s forerunners fought in during World War II. Six stars represent the six campaign streamers the Brigade earned before it was inactivated in 2012: one in World War I, three in WWII, and two during the First Gulf War. The upright bayonet is an emblem of the Infantry’s combat prowess, accentuated by the use the branch color of blue (light blue on the shield, dark blue on the annulet). The unit motto of “Strength Honor Discipline” is placed at the top of the insignia as the Brigade’s guiding principles.
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. More 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.
Related Items
170th Infantry Brigade Unit Patch (SSI)
170th Infantry Brigade Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)