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| 77th Field Artillery Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
| Active | 1916 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Field artillery |
| Motto | En Garde (On Guard) |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Guy H. Preston John William Vessey Jr. (2-77 FAR) |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive unit insignia |  |
| U.S. Field Artillery Regiments | ||||
|
The77th Field Artillery Regiment is afield artilleryregiment of theUnited States Army. First constituted 1916 in the Regular Army as a cavalry regiment, it was reorganized in 1917 as field artillery and given its current designation.
Two battalions of the 77th are currently active; 1st Battalion is part of the 41st Field Artillery Brigade in Germany, while 2nd Battalion is part of the4th Infantry Division Artillery inFort Carson, Colorado.
Constituted 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as the 19th Cavalry. The regiment was commanded by ColonelGuy H. Preston.[1]
Organized 23 May-11 June 1917 atFort Ethan Allen, Vermont.
Converted and redesignated 1 November 1917 as the 77th Field Artillery.
Assigned 19 November 1917 to the 4th Division.
Inactivated 21 September 1921 atCamp Lewis, Washington.
Relieved 24 March 1923 from assignment to the 4th Division and assigned to the 7th Division.
Relieved 1 January 1930 from assignment to the 7th Division and assigned to the 4th Division.
(1st Battalion activated 1 January 1935 atFort Sill, Oklahoma).
Activated (less 1st Battalion) 1 November 1935 atFort D. A. Russell, Texas.
Relieved 16 October 1939 from assignment to the 4th Division.
Regiment broken up 24 February 1944 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as follows: Headquarters and Headquarters Battery as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 77th Field Artillery Group; 1st and 2d Battalions as the 634th and 631st Field Artillery Battalions, respectively.
After 24 February 1944 the above units underwent changes as follows:
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 77th Field Artillery Group, inactivated 25 September 1945 in ItalyActivated 27 August 1951 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.Inactivated 25 September 1956 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
634th Field Artillery Battalion redesignated 15 May 1945 as the 77th Field Artillery BattalionInactivated 4 January 1946 atCamp Kilmer, New Jersey.
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 77th Field Artillery Battalion, redesignated 1 August 1946 as the 77th Field Artillery Battery and activated atFort Winfield Scott, California (organic elements of the 77th Field Artillery Battalion concurrently disbanded).
77th Field Artillery Battery inactivated 25 November 1946 at Fort Winfield Scott, California. Redesignated 19 March 1948 as the 77th Armored Field Artillery Battery. Redesignated 1 February 1949 as the 77th Field Artillery Battery and activated in Austria. Inactivated 31 July 1955 in Austria. Redesignated 20 December 1956 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 634th Field Artillery Rocket Battalion (organic elements of former 77th Field Artillery Battalion concurrently reconstituted as elements of the 634th Field Artillery Rocket Battalion) Battalion activated 1 January 1957 atFort Hood, Texas. Inactivated 26 June 1958 at Fort Hood, Texas
631st Field Artillery Battalion inactivated 8 September 1945 in Italy. Redesignated 4 November 1946 as the 85th Field Artillery Battalion. Assigned 1 July 1948 to the 10th Infantry Division and activated at Fort Riley, Kansas. Inactivated 1 July 1957 in Germany and relieved from assignment to the 10th Infantry Division
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 77th Field Artillery Group; 634th Field Artillery Rocket Battalion; and the 85th Field Artillery Battalion consolidated 27 June 1958 to form the 77th Artillery, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System
Redesignated 1 September 1971 as the 77th Field Artillery.
Withdrawn 17 August 1986 from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System.
Redesignated 1 October 2005 as the 77th Field Artillery Regiment. Beginning in 2009, battalions from the 77th FA regiment deployed to Afghanistan with the 4th Brigade Combat Team,4th Infantry Division. 2-77 FA has continued to deploy with the 4th Infantry Division every two years since 2009.[2]
As of 2024, 1-77 FAR is active in Germany with the41st Field Artillery Brigade, an independent brigade assigned toV Corps.
The 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment featured prominently in the American counterassault against the Vietcong at theBattle of Suoi Tre. The unit's heroism during the battle was recognized when it was awarded thePresidential Unit Citation on 21 October 1968[1].
The commander of 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery at the time of Suoi Tre, Lieutenant ColonelJohn William Vessey Jr., received theDistinguished Service Cross for his actions during the battle.
As of 2025, 2-77 FAR is active as part of the4th Infantry Division Artillery, assigned toFort Carson,Colorado.
Formerly assigned to the41st Field Artillery Brigade, 4-77 FAR was deactivated in 1991.
A Gold color metal and enamel device1+1⁄8 inches (2.9 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned as follows: Gules, five fleurs-de-lis, three and two, Or; on a chief dovetailed at the last a prickly pear cactus Proper; and attached below the shield a Gold scroll inscribed “EN GARDE” in Red.
The shield is red for artillery. The yellow dovetailed chief symbolizes the formation of the organization from cavalry. The cactus indicates service as cavalry on the Mexican border. The five fleurs-de-lis signify the five major engagements in France in World War I as artillery.
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 77th Field Artillery Regiment on 10 December 1929. It was redesignated for the 634th Field Artillery Battalion on 28 July 1944. It was redesignated for the 77th Artillery Regiment on 16 December 1958. It was redesignated effective 1 September 1971, for the 77th Field Artillery Regiment. The insignia was amended to update and clarify the description and symbolism on 12 August 1985.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from77th Field Artillery Regiment.United States Army Institute of Heraldry.
