The 289th Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), or unit crest, was originally approved on 19 June 1952 for the 289th Infantry Regiment. It was redesignated for the 289th Regiment, with revised symbolism and description, on 28 October 1993.
Blue has been the Infantry branch color since the start of the 20th century, but white was used for the Infantry’s first seventy-five years and starting in 1886 was reinstated for a sixteen-year period; both colors are used here to emphasize the Regiment’s origins as an Infantry organization. The images on the insignia all commemorate the unit’s service in the European Theater during World War II, with a cluster of grapes serving as an allusion to the Rhineland campaign, an acorn for the deep forests of the Ardennes, and a fleur-de-lis denoting the Central European campaign. VINCERE AUT MORI, the Regimental motto, is Latin for “To Conquer Or To Die.”
The Distinctive Unit Insignia is 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. 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.
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From the time of its constitution in the Army of the United States on 24 December 1942 until 1 May 2007, the 289th Regiment has either been either assigned to, or its Battalions designated as elements of, the 75th Division (designated as the 75th Infantry Division from its inception until 1993). Following its service in World War II (see above), the Regiment was allotted to the Organized Reserve Corps in February 1952 (which became the Army Reserve just three months later).
Inactivated for a 38-year stretch beginning in 1955, 1993, the unit was redesignated on 1 October 1993 as the 289th Regiment and reorganized to comprise three Battalions that were all elements elements of the 75th Division (Exercise). In October 1999, it was again reorganized to consist of three Battalions—1st, 2nd, and 3rd—that remained elements of the 75th Division (Training Support), but with the 2nd Battalion allotted to the Regular Army. On 1 May 2007, the Regiment’s relationship with the 75th Division changed when it was reorganized as a Parent Regiment in the U.S. Army Regimental System and its three Battalions all relieved from assignment to 75th Division (Training Support).
Since taking on a training role in 1993, the 289th Regiment’s Battalions have been tapped for a total of five Army Superior Unit Awards. As of Summer 2023, two of the Battalions continue their training mission, with the 3rd Battalion, 289th Regiment provides support to the 120th Infantry Brigade in order to assist U.S. Army Reserve / Army National Guard forces and is stationed in Beaumont, Texas. 2nd Battalion, 289th Regiment (Maneuver) is assigned to the 157th Infantry Brigade and is stationed at Camp Atterbury, Indiana