3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment

3-69 Armor Battalion
Distinctive Unit Insignia
Active	15 July 1940 – Present
Country	United States
Branch	Regular Army
Type	Combined Arms Battalion
Role	Task Force
Garrison/HQ	Fort Stewart, GA
Nickname(s)	Speed and Power
Motto(s)	VITESSE ET PUISSANCE (Speed and Power)
Colors	Green, White and Black
Engagements	World War II Kosovo Operation Iraqi Freedom (I,III,V, VII) Operation New Dawn Operation Enduring Freedom

The 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment (3–69 AR) is a United States Army combined arms battalion and part of the 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. 3–69 AR was the first conventional US unit to enter Iraq in 2003, and among the first units to serve four tours in Iraq. Throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom 3–69 AR was featured several times on CNN, ABC News, and the PBS documentary Back to the Front detailing the deployment of Sgt Michael Murphy. The unit was first made famous for taking the Baghdad International Airport in 2003.

3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, was originally constituted on 15 July 1940 in the Regular Army as Company C, 69th Armored Regiment, an element of the 1st Armored Division. It activated on 31 July 1940 at Fort Knox, KY, and inactivated there on 10 January 1942.

It reactivated on 15 February 1942 at Fort Knox, KY, ( the 69th Armored Regiment was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 1st Armored Division and assigned to the 6th Armored Division). It was reorganized and re-designated on 20 September 1943 as Company C, 69th Tank Battalion. It was eventually absorbed on 10 July 1945 by the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (the 69th Amphibian Tractor Battalion was concurrently relieved from assignment to the 6th Armored Division). It inactivated on 8 March 1946 at Camp Kilmer, NJ.