INFANTRY REGIMENT

The awarded Coat of Arms for the 196th Infantry is the result of research by the Heraldic Section of the Historical Division, Quarter Master General office at Washington, D. C. The Coat of Arms is divided into three components; ( 1 ) a crest ( 2 ) a shield and ( 3 ) the motto.

The entire coat of arms will appear on the Regimental Standard. The shield and motto only appear on the distinctive insignia such as decalcomania and metallic insignia.

The shield is described in heraldic terms as "Gules, in chief a fleur-de-lis, in base on eagles head erased argent, two flaunches of the last, the dexter charged with a castle, the sinister with a prickly pear cactus at the first." This in ordinary terms means, ‘a red shield with a fluer de lis (lily of France to indicate World War I service of one of the parent units) in the upper half and an eagle head (to represent the hard fighting in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign. The eagle is the device of St. Mihiel the nearest arms bearing town in this area.) The castle on the shield’s right represents the castle of Malolas in the Philippine Islands where another parent unit, the 1st South Dakota Infantry, fought with distinction during the Philippine Insurrection and the Spanish American War. The cactus on the shield’s left represents the Mexican Border service of the 4th South Dakota Infantry. Distinguished service of other parent units cannot be represented on the shield.

The motto "Nunc et Semper" are the Latin words meaning "now and always" and descends from the motto of the modern parent organization, the 2nd Regiment of South Dakota National Guard which was the successor of the 1st Dakota Cavalry which had units in the Yankton area when Yankton was the capital of Dakota Territory.

The chronological lists of parent units in the communities which now make up the home stations of the l96th RCT are: Civil War, First Dakota Cavalry; Spanish American War. First South Dakota Volunteers Inf., and Third South Dakota Volunteer Cavalry; Mexican Border, Fourth South Dakota Infantry: World War 1, Fourth South Dakota Infantry, First South Dakota Cavalry, 147th Field Artillery, 148th Machine Gun Battalion, 146th Machine Gun Battalion and 116th Supply Train. World War II; 147th FA Artillery Regiment, 109th Quartermaster Regiment, and 34th Signal Company.

Upon re-organization of the National Guard following World War II the allocation of the l96th RCT was of such size that it absorbed all of the several previously assigned units except the 109th Engineer Battalion and one Medium Maintenance company.