A unit in the Tennessee National Guard, the 30th Armored Division was formed through a reorganization of the 30th Infantry Division in 1954, with units from North and South Carolina remaining in the 30th Infantry Division and units from Tennessee being split off to form the 30th Armored Division.
Nicknamed “Volunteers” in honor of its home state, the Division was never Federalized during wartime at any point of its brief history. It was, however, called upon to support law enforcement efforts during major incidents of civil unrest such as the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.in 1968. The 30th Armored Division was inactivated in December 1973.
Like all Armored units, the 30th Armored Infantry Division’s Shoulder Sleeve Insignia employs a triangular shape with three quadrilateral areas shaded red, yellow, and blue; these are the colors of the branches (Artillery, Cavalry, and Infantry) from which Armored units were formed. In the center is a tank tread, gun, and a lightning flash; this image is taken from the World War I Tank Corps insignia and symbolizes mobility, power, and speed. Lastly, the number 30 is obviously the numerical designation of the unit in keeping with the rule that Armored Corps are represented by Roman numerals and Armored Divisions by Arabic numbers.