The 58th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade can trace its origins to the constitution of the 28th and 29th Divisions in the National Guard, using troops from Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia, Delaware, and New Jersey. The 58th Infantry Brigade, consisting of the 115th and 116th Regiments, was assigned to the 29th Division, which ended up fighting in the Meuse-Argonne and Alsace 1918 campaigns during World War I. In World War II, the 29th Infantry Division, with the 58th Infantry Brigade still assigned to it, fought in four campaigns and earned an Arrowhead device for taking part in the assault landings at Normandy.
Its ties to Maryland and the 29th Infantry Division are alluded to in its Combat Service ID Badge, which is based directly on its Shoulder Sleeve Insignia. In the center is a bottony cross taken from the shield of the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore and which also appears on the Maryland state flag and seal. Blue and gray quadrants are a reference to the service of Maryland-based units in the 29th Infantry Division, nicknamed the “Blue And Gray” Division because it drew troops from both sides of the Mason-Dixon line.
The bayonet represents the achievements of the Maryland Line during the War for Independence and the gallantry of the "Maryland 400" at the Battle of Long Island, August 1776, the first recorded use of the bayonet by American soldiers.
Related Items
58th Military Intelligence Brigade Patch (SSI)
58th Military Intelligence Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)