12th Field Artillery Regiment

12th Field Artillery Regiment
Coat of Arms
Active	1916
Country	United States
Branch	Army
Type	Field Artillery
Home Station	Fort Sill, Oklahoma (1st BN) and Fort Carson, Colorado (2nd BN)
Nickname(s)	Viking
Patron	Saint Barbara
Motto(s)	NEC TEMERE NEC TIMIDE (Neither Rashly nor Timidly)
Branch Color	Scarlet
Equipment	M777 155mm Towed Artillery
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 12th Field Artillery Regiment is a unit of the United States Army.

The unit's insignia is a gold color metal and enamel device 1 inch (2.54 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Gules, a Fleur-de-lis Argent crowned Or; on a canton of the like an Aztec banner Vert garnished of the second. The single fleur-de-lis of silver is taken from the arms of Soissons, where the regiment performed such distinguished service that it was cited by the French in Orders of the Army, shown by the pendant Croix de guerre. The regiment had its baptism of fire near Verdun, the arms of which have one fleur-de-lis crowned all gold. The crown on these arms is for Verdun. The canton carried the Aztec banner from the crest of the parent organization, the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment. The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 12th Field Artillery Regiment on 17 April 1923. It was re-designated for the 12th Field Artillery Battalion on 14 February 1941. It was re-designated for the 12th Artillery Regiment on 10 February 1958. The insignia was re-designated effective 1 September 1971, for the 12th Field Artillery Regiment.

The shield is a Gules, a fleur-de-lis Argent crowned Or; on a canton of the like an Aztec banner Vert garnished of the second. The crest is on a wreath of the colors Argent and Gules, the shoulder sleeve insignia of the regiment Proper (a horizontal oblong of Black charged with the White star and Indian head of the Second Division).

The shield is the single fleur-de-lis of silver is taken from the arms of Soissons, where the regiment performed such distinguished service that it was cited by the French in Orders of the Army, shown by the pendant Croix de guerre. The regiment had its baptism of fire near Verdun, the arms of which have one fleur-de-lis crowned all gold. The crown on these arms is for Verdun. The canton carried the Aztec banner from the crest of the parent organization, the 3rd Field Artillery. The crest of the 12th Field Artillery is self-explanatory. The coat of arms was originally approved for the 12th Field Artillery Regiment on 24 June 1921. It was amended to include the motto on 16 August 1921. It was re-designated for the 12th Field Artillery Battalion on 13 February 1941. It was re-designated for the 12th Artillery Regiment on 10 February 1958. The insignia was re-designated effective 1 September 1971, for the 12th Field Artillery Regiment.

The 1st Battalion, 12th Field Artillery was constituted on 3 June 1916 as an element of the 2nd Division. The 12th Regiment arrived in France and fought bravely in four offenses in World War I. Following the armistice, the 12th joined the U.S. Army of Occupation, stationed in the Colenz area, then later returned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and inactivated. On 1 May 1939, the regiment was reactivated as a 155mm howitzer battalion. The 12th joined the armies staging in England for the invasion of France. On D-Day plus three, the 12th landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy and participated in the breakout from the beachhead. Later, the 12th was in the thick of the fighting of the Battle of the Bulge and it joined in the race across Germany and on VE Day was in Pilson, Czechoslovakia. The 12th returned to Fort Lewis, Washington where it remained until it was inactivated.