The 169th Field Artillery Brigade spent its first four-plus decades designated as an Infantry unit. As Company B, 157th infantry, it served during World War I as an element of the 40th Division, which was classified as a Depot Division and its units broken up to use as replacements, earning the unit a World War I streamer without campaign inscriptions.
Designated as HQ, 157th Infantry in 1939, the unit was one of Infantry regiments assigned to the 45th Infantry Division in World War II and landed in North Africa in mid-1943, too late for combat action. Over the next two years, however, the 157th would take part in no fewer than eight U.S. Army campaigns, earning the coveted Arrowhead device indicating it had taken part in an assault landing for three of them (Sicily, Naples-Foggia, and Southern France). Its exceptional performance in Italy was also recognized with a French Croix de Guerre with Palm issued in 1950.
It wasn’t until 1955 that the unit was designated as part of the Field Artillery branch, and it did not receive its current designation until 1978. In October 2008, the Brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battery was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service between 23 July 2006 and 22 July 2007. Today, the Brigade is headquartered at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, with two battalions under its command: 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery Regiment and the 147th Brigade Support Battalion. The Brigade members’ willingness to serve their country in any capacity to ensure freedom and liberty is epitomized by the unit motto LENTI SUMUS, Latin for “We Are Flexible.”
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169th Field Artillery Brigade Patch (SSI)
169th Field Artillery Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)