29th Infantry Division:
The Blue and Gray Division.

When the U.S. entered WW II, the 29th Division was allocated
to the Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia National
Guard and trained at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. After
being Federalized on February 3rd, 1941, the 29th had two
changes of station and participated in the Carolinas maneuvers
before embarking for overseas on October 5th, 1942.

The shoulder patch worn by the 29th Division is based on a WW I
design approved by he AEF on October 21st, 1918. In the case
of the 29th, the shoulder patch evolved from the unit nickname.
The WW I Division commander wanted a nickname that would give
his men added esprit. Because the Division was composed of men
from the North and the South and also from units which fought
on opposite sides during the War between the States, the
nickname "Blue and Gray" was chosen with unanimous approval.
The two half circles suggest the Korean "good luck" symbol
and were first used to mark the unit's baggage. In the War
between the States, Northern troops were traditionally
associated with blue uniforms and Southern troops with gray.

Campaigns:
World War I
(Meuse-Argonne, Alsace, 1918),

World War II
(Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Central Europe).

Decorations:
French Croix de Guerre with Palm World War II
(streamer embroidered Beaches of Normandy).