Known as “America's Corps,” the U.S. Army 1 Corps traces its history to January 1918, when it was formed and activated out of the National Army, which comprised regular U.S. Army soldiers supplemented by National Guardsmen and newly drafted troops. Within weeks, I Corps found itself in combat as part of the Allies' successful effort to the German Spring Offensive, and then take part in offensive operations leading to the Second Battle of the Marne and the Battle of Saint-Mihiel.
In the Second World War, I Corps found itself in the Pacific Theater, taking part in the New Guinea Campaign and earning Presidential Unit Citation for its role in the offensive that led to the capture of Buna in 1943. In January 1945, I Corps—as part of the Sixth United States Army—drove south from its landing point in Northern Luzon, splitting Japanese forces on the Philippine island and contributing to the relatively quick but bloody recapture of the Philippines.
After a period of occupational duty in post-war Japan, I Corps was deployed to Korea in August, 1950, and took part in the offensive that was made possible by the invasion of Inchon—an offensive that ended unexpectedly when China entered the war and threw hundreds of thousands of troops at the weary America soldiers. Once the front had been stabilized, however, I Corps held ground tenaciously and inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean and Chinese forces. Since 1990, elements of I Corps have been involved heavily in Mid-East operations, from Desert Storm in 1991 to Operations Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, where its headquarters served as headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force between July 2011 and July 2012.
I Corps' CSIB is identical to its Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, which traces its design to the Civil War and the use of a white circle as a corps badge by an organization designated I Corps. Though it lacks a Special Designation in the U.S. Army Center of Military History, the insignia's appearance understandably led to the unofficial nickname of "Eye Corps." I Corps' unit crest (Distinctive Unit Insignia) s decidedly more complex, with symbolism redolent of its past theaters of operation.
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I Corps Unit Patch (SSI)
I Corps Unit Crest (DUI)