3rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)

The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1907.

History
The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was first activated in 1907 from numbered companies of artillery. It was first organized with two battalions
 * 3rd Field Artillery assigned 17 November 1917 to the 6th Division; relieved 24 March 1923 from assignment to the 6th Division and assigned to the 5th Division; relieved 1 January 1930 from assignment to the 5th Division and assigned to the 6th Division)
 * 3rd Field Artillery relieved 25 September 1939 from assignment to the 6th Division and assigned to the 2d Cavalry Division)
 * 4/3 FA was part of the 2nd Armored division(fwd) stationed in Garlstedt, Germany. 4/3 FA Battalion was chosen to be the main fire support element of Task Force Iron(1/41) during Desert Storm in 1991. 4/3 FA and the rest of the 2nd Armored division(fwd) were attached to the 1st Infantry division during the war. 4/3 FA engaged up to 11 Iraqi divisions and inflicted between 3,500 and 5,000 casualties on the Iraqi Army and Iraq's elite Republican Guard. It played a significant role in the destruction of four Iraqi tank and mechanized brigades. It earned a valorous unit award for its outstanding performance during combat.

Distinctive unit insignia
The distinctive unit insignia is an adaptation of the shield and crest of the coat of arms. The insignia is 1 1/4 inches (3.18 cm) in height. The shield is scarlet for Artillery. The Civil War is represented by the chevron and four stars, one for each battery in that war. The lion's face, dragon and fleur-de-lis allude to the War of 1812. China Relief Expedition and World War I, respectively. The rising sun indicates the regiment dates back nearly to the dawn of this country's history (Battery "D" was organized in 1802), and the Aztec banner is for the Mexican War. The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 11 August 1922. It was redesignated for the 3d Field Artillery Battalion on 25 March 1941. It was redesignated for the 3d Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 7 December 1943. The insignia was cancelled on 19 October 1959. The insignia was restored and authorized for the 3d Field Artillery Regiment effective 1 September 1971.
 * Description
 * Symbolism
 * Background

Coat of arms

 * Blazon
 * Shield: Gules, on a chevronel Argent four mullets Azure, in chief a lion's face and an imperial Chinese dragon affronté both Or, langued of the third, in base a golden fleur-de-lis.
 * Crest: On a wreath of colors Argent and Gules a demi-sun Or charged with an Aztec banner Vert garnished Argent.


 * Symbolism
 * Shield: The shield is scarlet for Artillery. The Civil War is represented by the chevron and four stars, one for each battery in that war. The lion's face, dragon and fleur-de-lis allude to the War of 1812, China Relief Expedition and World War I, respectively.
 * Crest: The rising sun indicates the regiment dates back nearly to the dawn of this country's history (Battery "D" was organized in 1802), and the Aztec banner is for the Mexican War.


 * Background: The coat of arms was originally approved for the 3d Field Artillery on 16 April 1921. It was amended to change the description and symbolism on 7 July 1921. It was redesignated for the 3d Field Artillery Battalion on 25 March 1941. It was redesignated for the 3d Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 7 December 1943. It was cancelled on 19 October 1959. The coat of arms was restored and authorized for the 3d Field Artillery Regiment effective 1 September 1971. The coat of arms was amended to correct the description of the shield on 30 October 2001.

Current configuration

 * 1st Battalion 3rd Field Artillery Regiment
 * 2nd Battalion 3rd Field Artillery Regiment
 * 3rd Battalion 3rd Field Artillery Regiment
 * 4th Battalion 3rd Field Artillery Regiment
 * 5th Battalion 3rd Field Artillery Regiment