311th (Infantry) Regiment, US Army

311TH (INFANTRY) REGIMENT, US ARMY

(Coat of Arms)

(Distinctive Unit Insignia)

Official blazon

Shield: Azure, an oak tree Or; on a chief dancette Gules fimbriated Argent three alerions of the second.
Crest: That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: On a wreath of the colors (Or and Azure) the Lexington Minute Man Proper. The statue of the Minute Man, Captain John Parker (H.H. Kitson, sculptor), stands on the Common in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Motto: JAMAIS TROP TARD (Never Too Late).

Distinctive Unit Insignia. Description: A gold colored metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Azure, an oak tree Or; in a chief dancette Gules fimbriated Argent three alerions of the second. Attached below the shield a red scroll turned gold inscribed "JAMAIS TROP TARD" in gold letters.

Origin/meaning

The shield is blue for Infantry and blue is also the color of the shield of the coat of arms of St. Mihiel. The dancette alludes to the three rocks on the coat of arms of St. Mihiel. The oak tree represents service in the Meuse-Argonne. The arms of Lorraine are "Or, on a bend Gules three alerions of the field," and the three alerions on the red chief denote service in Lorraine.

The arms were originally approved for the 311th Regiment Infantry, Organized Reserves on 12 March 1929. It was redesignated for the 311th Regiment (BCT) on 8 July 1960. The Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for the 311th Infantry, Organized Reserves on 12 April 1922. It was redesignated for the 311th Regiment (BCT) on 8 July 1960. Literature: Images from Wikimedia Commons. Information from The Institute of Heraldry, US Army.