32nd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 32nd Field Artillery Regiment is an Field Artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....

 regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. first Constituted in 1918

Lineage

Constituted in the Regular Army as the 32nd Field Artillery and assigned to the 11th Infantry Division (United States) 5 July 1918

Distinctive Unit Insignia

  • Description

A gold color metal and enamel device 1 3/16 inches 3.02 cm) in height consisting of the shield, crest and motto of the coat of arms.
  • Symbolism

The shield is red for Artillery. The bordure is in the colors of the corps distinguishing flag to indicate Corps Artillery. The crest represents the West Coast, the present assignment of the regiment; and inasmuch as a demi-sun also has the appearance of a rising sun it may also represent the origin of the organization on the East Coast.
  • Background

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 32nd Field Artillery, Regular Army Inactive on 9 July 1937. It was redesignated for the 32nd Field Artillery Battalion on 2 January 1941. It was amended to change the motto on 7 May 1941. It was redesignated for the 32nd Artillery Regiment on 30 April 1958. It was amended to correct the description on 18 June 1958. It was amended to correct the unit designation from Regiment to Battalion on 20 February 1959. It was redesignated for the 32nd Artillery Regiment on 24 July 1959. The insignia was redesignated effective 1 September 1971, for the 32d Field Artillery Regiment.

Blazon

  • Shield

Gules, a bordure compony Argent and Azure.
  • Crest

On a wreath of the colors Argent and Gules a demi-sun in splendor triparted barwise Or, Tenné and Gules.
Motto
PROUD AMERICANS.
  • Symbolism
  • Shield

The shield is red for Artillery. The bordure is in the colors of the corps distinguishing flag to indicate Corps Artillery.
Crest
The crest represents the West Coast, the present assignment of the regiment; and inasmuch as a demi-sun also has the appearance of a rising sun it may also represent the origin of the organization on the East Coast.
  • Background

The coat of arms was originally approved for the 32nd Field Artillery, Regular Army Inactive on 9 July 1937. It was redesignated for the 32nd Field Artillery Battalion on 11 January 1941. It was amended to change the motto on 7 May 1941. It was redesignated for the 32nd Artillery Regiment on 30 April 1958. It was amended to correct the unit designation from Regiment to Battalion on 20 February 1959. It was redesignated for the 32nd Artillery Regiment on 24 July 1959. The insignia was redesignated effective 1 September 1971, for the 32d Field Artillery Regiment.

1st Battalion

The 1st Battalion 32nd Field Artillery Regiment "Proud Americans" was a Lance Missile Battalion garrisoned at Fliegerhorst Kaserne in the Erlensee area of Hanau, West Germany from 1960 when it was activated as an Honest John unit and later became a Lance battalion through 1992 when it became part of 3rd Armored Division, VII Corps and returned to Fort Sill to become a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) which it remains today. 1/32 FA consisted of 5 Batteries: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Headquarters, and Service Batteries, and was deactivated in 1992 as a Lance Missile unit and reactivated as a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) unit. The unit patch worn was the 41st FA Brigade which was under V Corps Artillery until August 1991 when it joined 3rd Armored Division (Spearhead) and adopted its patch before returning to Fort Sill in 1992 to become a MLRS battalion.

2nd Battalion

The 2nd Battalion 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, the "Proud Americans", has existed, off and on, since 1918. It has participated in World War II, Vietnam, and the current War on Terrorism.

Pre-World War II

Organized at Camp Meade, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, in 1918, the 32nd Field Artillery Regiment was in training at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Inactivated without deploying, the Battalion remained inactive until October 1940, when 2nd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery
7th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
The 7th Field Artillery Regiment is a United States Army field artillery regiment, whose lineage traces back to the early 20th century.-World War I:...

 redesignated as the 32nd Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Infantry Division.

World War II

On November 8, 1942, the Proud Americans claimed the first artillery round fired by US artillery against enemies in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

. Later, the Battalion would see action at Kasserine
Kasserine
Kasserine is the capital city of the Kasserine Governorate, in west-central Tunisia. It is situated below Jebel ech Chambi, Tunisia's highest mountain. Its population is 76,243 . In classical antiquity it was a Roman colony known as Colonia Cillilana or plain Cillium.- See also :* Battle of the...

 and El Guettar
El Guettar
El Guettar is a town in central Tunisia in Gafsa Governorate. It is traditionally known for its pistachio nuts. It was the site of a major World War II battle between American forces under George S...

.

In 1944, the 32nd Field Artillery was the first complete artillery unit in action on Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...

 and is credited with the first Allied Field Artillery round fired during the invasion.

Advancing across Europe, the Battalion continued its trend of firsts by being credited with the first rounds fired onto German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 soil.

Following occupation duty and a return to the United States in 1955, the Battalion was again de-activated, this time furling its colors at Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...

, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

.

Vietnam

In 1963, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Artillery, now a 175 mm self-propelled howitzer unit, activated at Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...

, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

. Two years later, another deployment, this time to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

, led to six more years of overseas duty, over 400,000 rounds fired, a third Presidential Unit Citation, two Valorous Unit Award
Valorous Unit Award
The Valorous Unit Award is the second highest unit decoration which may be bestowed upon a U.S. Army unit and is considered the unit equivalent of the Silver Star...

s, and two Meritorious Unit Awards
Meritorious Unit Citation
The Meritorious Unit Citation is a collective group decoration awarded to members of Australian military units. It recognises sustained outstanding service in warlike operations...

.

Inactive Years 1972-2006

Inactivated at Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....

 in 1972, the battalion spent 34 years on the inactive roles until its activation in January 2006 as part of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. The Battalion deployed to the National Training Center in November 2006 in final preparation for combat operations supporting the Global War on Terrorism.

The inactivity of 32nd FA from 1972-2006 is inaccurate from whomever posted it. I can assure you that having served in 2/32 with many friends during 1990-1991 in Giessen Germany at main depot. When 32nd FA came back into service and consequently went out is up for research but I promise you it did not stay inactive for the dates provided by the earlier poster.

As in the post above, whomever posted the inactivity did not do their research. I served in the 6th Batt. 32nd FAR in Ft. Sill, OK from 97-99, and the unit is still active to my knowledge. It is a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) unit within the 212th Field Artillery Brigade, which is within 3rd Armored Corps Artillery.

Modern Appearance

From February 2007 until April 2008, the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, Task Force Patriot, as part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division served in northwest Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...

 where it conducted dismounted infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 operations to secure the populace and defeat extremist, insurgent
Insurgent
Insurgent, insurgents or insurgency can refer to:* The act of insurgency-Specific insurgencies:* Iraqi insurgency, uprising in Iraq* Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, uprising in India* Insurgency in North-East India...

, and criminal threats to security.

See also

  • Field Artillery Branch (United States)
  • U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps
    U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps
    The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps was a Corps level organization responsible for coastal and harbor defense of the United States between 1901 and 1950.-History:...

  • Coats of arms of U.S. Artillery Regiments
    Coats of arms of U.S. Artillery Regiments
    Coats of arms of US Artillery Regiments are heraldic emblems associated with field artillery, air defense artillery, and coast artillery regiments in the US Army...

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