128th Infantry Regiment, Wisconsin Army National Guard

128TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, WISCONSIN ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

(Coat of Arms)

(Distinctive Unit Insignia)

Official blazon

Shield: Azure, on a pale Or the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 32nd Division Proper (a Red arrow having shot through a line), on a chief of the second three fountains.
Crest: On a wreath of the colors Or and Azure, a badger couchant Proper.
Motto: Les Terribles (The Terrible Ones).

Distinctive Unit Insignia, Description: A metal and enamel device 1 1/16 inches (2.70 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned as follows: Azure, on a pale Or the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 32nd Division Proper (a Red arrow having shot through a line), on a chief of the second three fountains. Attached above on a wreath of the colors Or and Azure, a badger couchant Proper. Attached below and to the sides a Gold scroll inscribed “LES TERRIBLES” in Blue letters.

Origin/meaning

The shield is blue for Infantry. The pale, dividing the shield into thirds, alludes to three of the major offensive engagements in which the organization as an element of the 32nd Division participated in World War I. The red arrow is the design of the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 32nd Division. Traditionally, the word “Wisconsin” means “wild rushing waters,” thus the three fountains, heraldic symbols for water, appropriately stand for the Wisconsin Army National Guard regiments: First, Second and Third, from which elements stemmed to make up the organization during World War I.

The Coat of Arms was approved on 25 March 1926, It was amended to revise the Description on 20 April 1926. The Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 15 March 1926.

Literature: Images from Wikimedia Commons.