49th FA

• World War I Origins: The 49th Field Artillery (FA) was first constituted in the National Army as the 49th Field Artillery on 1 July 1918, and assigned to the 16th Division. • Brief WWI Service: The unit was organized at Camp Kearny, California, but did not see combat in World War I; it was demobilized in December 1918 after the Armistice. • Reactivation and Reorganization: The 49th FA was reconstituted on 24 March 1923 in the Regular Army, but it was not activated until World War II. • World War II Action: During World War II, the 49th Field Artillery Battalion served as part of the 7th Infantry Division, seeing action in the Aleutian Islands, the Philippines, and Okinawa. • Distinguished Unit Campaigns: The battalion earned campaign streamers for its service in the Aleutian Islands, Leyte, Ryukyus, and Southern Philippines. • Okinawa Operations: The 49th FA provided critical artillery support during the Battle of Okinawa, one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theater. • Philippine Liberation: The unit played a significant role in the liberation of the Philippines, supporting infantry advances with effective fire missions. • Postwar Inactivation: After World War II, the unit was inactivated on 20 July 1947 in Korea. • Cold War Reactivation: The 49th was redesignated and reactivated several times during the Cold War era, adapting to various artillery roles as part of the evolving U.S. Army structure. • Heraldry: The unit’s distinctive insignia features a gold lion passant guardant, symbolizing strength and courage, with a red background representing artillery.