United States Army 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One)

U. S. ARMY 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION (THE BIG RED ONE) -  The 1st Infantry Division is a combined arms division of the United States Army, and is the oldest continuously serving in the Regular Army.   It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917 during World War I.  It was officially nicknamed "The Big Red One" (abbreviated "BRO") after its shoulder patch and is also nicknamed "The Fighting First".   However, the division has also received troop monikers of "The Big Dead One" and "The Bloody First" as puns on the respective officially-sanctioned nicknames.   It is currently based at Fort Riley, Kansas.

No creditable source states how the insignia of the 1st Infantry Division originated in World War I. T here are two theories as to how the idea of the patch came about.  The first theory states that the 1st Division supply trucks were manufactured in England.  To make sure the 1st Division's trucks were not confused with other allies, the drivers would paint a huge "1" on the side of each truck.  Later, the division engineers would go even farther and put a red number one on their sleeves.

The second theory claims that a general of the division decided the unit should have a shoulder insignia.  He decided to cut a red numeral "1" from his flannel underwear.  When he showed his prototype to his men, one lieutenant said, "the general's underwear is showing!"  Offended, the general challenged the young lieutenant to come up with something better. So, the young officer cut a piece of gray cloth from the uniform of a captured soldier, and placed the red "1" on top.

The First Expeditionary Division, later designated the 1st Infantry Division, was constituted on  May 24, 1917, in the Regular Army, and was organized on June 8, 1917, at Fort Jay, on Governors Island in New York harbor under the command of Brigadier General William L. Sibert, from Army units then in service on the U.S.-Mexico border and at various Army posts throughout the United States.

WWI Casualties

• By the end of the war, the division had suffered 4,964 killed in action, 17,201 wounded in action, and 1,056 missing or died of wounds.  Five division soldiers received Medals of Honor.

The division's dog-mascot was a mixed breed terrier known as Rags. Rags was adopted by the division in 1918 and remained its mascot until his death in 1936.  Rags achieved notoriety and celebrity as a war dog, after saving many lives in the crucial Argonne Campaign by delivering a vital message despite being bombed and gassed.

WWII Casualties

• Total battle casualties: 20,659
• Killed in action: 3,616
• Wounded in action: 15,208
• Missing in action: 499
• Prisoner of war: 1,336