Organized in August 1917 at Camp Custer, Michigan, the 170th Infantry Brigade was originally organized in the National Army and assigned to the 85th Division. Because the 85th served as a Depot Division, many of the Brigade’s troops served as replacements for other units, earning the Brigade a World War I campaign streamer without an inscription for a specific action.
After several redesignations, the Brigade was reorganized as the 85th Reconnaissance Troop, Mechanized, and under that designation earned credit for three World War II campaigns (Rome-Arno, Apennines, Po Valley). Elements of the Brigade would go on to be designated as 2nd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division, taking part in the First Gulf War in 1990 – 1991 and earning two campaign streamers (Defense of Saudi Arabia and Liberation and Defense of Kuwait). On 27 February 2008, the unit was finally given its original designation of 170th Infantry Brigade and was activated in October 2009 in Germany—only to be inactivated for a final time in October 2012.
The design of the insignia on the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Service ID Badge, or CSIB, was approved on 16 October 2009 (it is also used for the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia). Dark and light blue on the insignia pay homage to the two shades used to represent Infantry over the decades. A diagonal line symbolizes its role in defending Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; three stars stand for the First and Second World War and the Southwest Asia campaign (First Gulf War). An upright bayonet denotes the combat mission of the 170th Infantry Brigade.
Related Items
170th Infantry Brigade Unit Patch (SSI)
170th Infantry Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)