From conducting artillery support during the fierce fighting in the French woodlands of World War I to deploying sophisticated surface-to-air missiles in the blistering heat of Qatar and Kuwait, the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade has consistently lived up to its motto of "Ready and Vigilant." Fighting under a variety of designations, the unit has fought in both World Wars, stood on guard to defend against a potential Russian missile attack during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and has been awarded twice for its support during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade was initially formed on January 1, 1918, as the 31st Heavy Artillery Brigade, Coast Artillery Corps in Key West, Florida. Though World War I would draw to a close less than eleven months after it was constituted, the brigade still earned official credit for participation in four Campaigns: Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne, and Champagne 1918.
Currently garrisoned at Fort Sill (Oklahoma), the brigade consists of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Air Defense Artillery Battalions, and is prepared to deploy within 72 hours to a Theater of Operation in support of the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense command.
The design of the Combat Service Identification Badge is practically identical to the unit’s Shoulder Sleeve Insignia–Military Operations in Hostile Conditions (SSI–MOHC) patch worn on the upper right sleeve of the Army Green Service Uniform; that design was approved in October 1975. The SSI–MOHC patch was formerly designated as the SSI–FWTS, for Former Wartime Service, and worn on the old Green Army Service Uniform that was discontinued in 2015.
Related Items
31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade Patch (SSI)
31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade (Unit Crest)