183rd Regiment, Virginia Army National Guard

183RD REGIMENT, VIRGINIA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

(Coat of Arms)

(Distinctive Unit Insignia)

Official blazon

Shield: Azure, a lamp of knowledge Or enflamed Proper; on a chief of the second a hurt bearing a dogwood slipped and leaved Proper and a canton sinister tierce in pale of the first, of the second and Gules, edged of the second.
Crest: That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Virginia Army National Guard: From a wreath Or and Azure, “Virtus the genius of the Commonwealth dressed as an Amazon, resting on a spear with one hand and holding a sword in the other; and treading on Tyranny, represented by a man prostrate, a crown falling from his head, a broken chain in his left hand and a scourge in his right” all Proper.
Motto: INSTRUCTIS ARMIS (Train The Force).

Distinctive Unit Insignia. Description: A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned as follows: Azure, a lamp of knowledge Or enflamed Gules; on a chief of the second a hurt bearing a dogwood slipped and leaved of the last and a canton sinister tierce in pale Azure, Or, and Gules. Attached below the shield a Blue scroll inscribed “INSTRUCTIS ARMIS” in Gold.

Origin/meaning

The lamp of knowledge symbolizes the mission of the National Guard and the Regiment, to train soldiers, to provide the data of survival, during peacetime and/or a national emergency. The chief signifies military authority. The blue disc suggests the devotion of the Regiment’s cadre to prepare the soldier. The dogwood is the state flower of Virginia, the location of the Regiment. The blue, yellow, and red portion of the canton denotes the Regiment’s merit of being associated with the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and the Total Army School System.

The Coat of Arms and Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 21 November 2006.

Literature: Images and Information from The Institute of Heraldry, US Army.