164th Infantry Regimental Crest
Distinctive Unit Insignia
The Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 164th Infantry Regiment consists of a light blue infantry shield bearing a red Spanish castle, fimbriated gold, set between three gold six-pointed stars and rising above a gold sun issuing from base. A scroll below the shield bears the motto “Je Suis Prêt” French, meaning “I Am Ready”.
The shield’s blue denotes infantry service. The Spanish castle commemorates service in the Spanish-American War, while the three stars reference service in the Philippine Insurrection. The rising sun signifies World War service with the 41st Division. The motto reflects the Regiment’s longstanding readiness and resolve.
The design was approved by the War Department in 1933 and has been historically associated with the North Dakota National Guard’s 164th Infantry Regiment.
Americal Division Insignia
The Americal Division shoulder sleeve insignia consists of a blue Norman-style shield bearing four white, five-pointed stars arranged to represent the Southern Cross constellation. The blue field signifies the division’s identity as an infantry formation, while the Southern Cross symbolizes the southern hemisphere where the division was organized, trained, and first saw combat during World War II. Unlike many Army divisions whose insignia referenced lineage or numerical designation, the Americal patch directly reflects the geography of its origins and early service in the South Pacific.
The division’s name itself is unique in U.S. Army history. “Americal” is a contraction of “American, New Caledonia,” the location where the division was activated in 1942. Officially designated as the 23rd Infantry Division, it was informally known as the Americal Division to distinguish it from other units and to emphasize its status as the first U.S. Army division formed outside the continental United States during the war. The name and insignia together reflect the division’s unconventional beginnings and its critical role in the Pacific Theater—including the service of the 164th Infantry Regiment, the first U.S. Army ground unit to fight offensively alongside U.S. Marines in World War II.