109th Infantry Regiment
Coat of arms
Active	1877
Country	United States
Allegiance	Pennsylvania
Branch	Pennsylvania Army National Guard
Type	Infantry
Nickname(s)	Thirteenth Pennsylvania (Special Designation) [1]
Motto(s)	"Cives Arma Ferant" (Let the Citizens Bear Arms)
Engagements	World War I, World War II
Commanders
Notable commanders	James Earl Rudder
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

Template:US Regiments The 109th Infantry Regiment ("Thirteenth Pennsylvania")^[1] is an infantry regiment of the United States Army.

History

assigned to the 28th Infantry Division (Pennsylvania Army National Guard). Currently, the 1st Battalion/109th Infantry is a component unit of the 55th Heavy Brigade Combat Team of the 28th Infantry Division.

Lineage

Distinctive unit insignia

• Description

A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Azure in fess, a sheathed Roman sword, point to base, and a giant cactus Or; on a chief of the last six fleurs-de-lis of the field. Attached below the shield a Gold scroll inscribed “CIVES ARMA FERANT” in Blue letters.

• Symbolism

The shield is blue for Infantry. The sheathed Roman sword, taken from the Spanish War Service Medal, indicates the service during the Spanish-American War, the cactus denotes the service on the Mexican Border and the chief with the six fleurs-de-lis symbolizes the six battle honors during World War I.

• Background

The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 11 June 1929. It was amended to correct the description on 6 July 1929.

Coat of arms

Blazon

• Shield

Azure, in fess a sheathed Roman sword, point to base, and a giant cactus Or; on a chief of the last six fleurs-de-lis of the field.

• Crest

That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard: On a wreath of the colors (Or and Azure) a lion rampant guardant Proper holding in dexter paw a naked scimitar Argent, hilted Or, and in sinister an escutcheon Argent on a fess Sable three plates. Motto CIVES ARMA FERANT (Let the Citizens Bear Arms).

Symbolism

• Shield

The shield is blue for Infantry. The sheathed Roman sword, taken from the Spanish War Service Medal, indicates the service during the Spanish-American War, the cactus denotes the service on the Mexican Border and the chief with the six fleurs-de-lis symbolizes the six battle honors during World War I.

• Crest

The crest is that of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

Background

The coat of arms was approved on 2 July 1929.

Medal of Honor and other World II Awards and Medalsjohncheverly 13:51, 17 July 2012 (UTC)Johncheverly

One soldier, Technical Sergeant Francis J. Clark of Company K, earned the Medal of Honor while serving with the 109th Infantry on September 12, 1944 during The Siegfried Line Campaign.

During it's participation in theEuropean Theatre Operations in the Second World War, the men of the 109th Regiment served with distinction. The men of the 109th battled across France and through the Hurtgen Forest of Germany; elements of the Regiment led the Division into the Rhineland to become the first troops to invade German soil since Napoleon. The 109th Infantry paid with human life and blood as they won battle honors at Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, the Rhineland and Central Europe and they were honored with the Luxemburg Croix de Guerre and the French Croix de Guerre for action at Colmar. 2johncheverly 13:36, 17 July 2012 (UTC)Johncheverly/johncheverlyJohncheverly

See also

• Coats of arms of U.S. Infantry Regiments
• Eddie Slovik

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from 109th Infantry. United States Army Institute of Heraldry. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

2. http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/military/28thDivision109thRegt/109thhistory.htmjohncheverly 13:53, 17 July 2012 (UTC)Johncheverly.

External links

• http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/military/28thDivision109thRegt/109thhistory.htm
• http://www.hmisite.com/history_of_109th.htm
• http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/1-109in.htm