The 223rd Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia, also called a unit crest or DUI, recalls the service of the 223rd Armored Infantry Battalion through the use of counterchanged blue and white, both of which are closely associated with Infantry units. A fleur-de-lis in the upper left is taken from the canton of the 185th Infantry Regiment, the unit from which the 223rd Armored Infantry Battalion descended (as its 2nd Battalion, see above); it also recalls the Regiment’s service in World War I in which it provided much-needed replacements for several frontline Divisions.
A white sea lion on the blue field is imagery taken from numerous flags and seals of the Philippine government and commemorates service there during World War II. In the upper right is a bell, an icon associated with Korea and thus the service in that country in four campaigns. SIEMPRE ADELANTE, Latin for “Always Forward,” is the unit motto.
Originally approved for the 223rd Armored Infantry Battalion on 13 June 1956, this insignia was rescinded on 5 July 1961. It was reauthorized for the 233rd Regiment with revised description and symbolism on 29 October 1997.
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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
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The 223rd Regiment can trace its origins to the constitution of the 7th Infantry Battalion, California National Guard, on 22 July 1885. It was mustered into Federal service for the first time in 1898, but it would not earn credit for participation in a campaign until World War I, when it was drafted into Federal service as the 160th Regiment and assigned to the 80th Infantry Brigade, 40th Division. It would be awarded an uninscribed WWI streamer for supplying replacement troops for the 1st, 2nd, 42nd, and 77th Divisions.
By the time it was deployed to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater in World War II, it had been expanded and reorganized 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 185th Infantry. It fought in three campaigns— Bismarck Archipelago, Luzon, and Southern Philippines— and was awarded a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation in 1950 in addition to two Arrowhead devices it earned for taking part in assault landings during the Luzon and Southern Philippines campaigns.
On 5 August 1946, the 2nd Battalion, 185th Infantry was redesignated as the 223d Infantry and remained assigned to the 40th Infantry division. The Regiment was reorganized and Federally recognized on 15 October 1946 with its headquarters at Pasadena, California. It was ordered into Federal service at home stations on 1 September 1950 and subsequently released from service on 30 June 1954 after fighting in four campaigns in Korea and earning a Republic of Korea Presidential Citation. The Regiment reverted to state control the same time that Federal recognition of the Regiment was withdrawn in June 1954 and the Regiment was broken up and each of its three Battalions given new designations, with only the 1st Battalion carrying on the numeric designation as the 223rd Armored Infantry Battalion.
A complicated series of redesignations and reorganizations followed that appeared to spell the end of the Regiment. But on 1 December 1996 the 223rd Regiment was activated in the California Army National Guard and assigned the task of administering, operating, and maintaining the California ARNG Regional Training Institute, also known as the 223rd RTI. As of Autumn 2023, the 223rd RTI conducts training in the 88M10 MOS, Motor Transport Operator, at San Luis Obispo, California.