The 120th Infantry Regiment ("Third North Carolina") is an infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 of the United States Army National Guard.

The unit is an organic element of the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team

30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (United States)

The 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team is a modular heavy brigade of the United States Army National Guard.The unit is composed of units from North Carolina and West Virginia. It was formed from the remains of the downsized 30th Infantry Division of World War II fame...

 of the North Carolina Army National Guard

North Carolina Army National Guard

The North Carolina Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard, and the North Carolina National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its...

. Currently, 1st Battalion is the only active battalion in the Regiment and is organized as a combined arms

Combined arms

Combined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different branches of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects...

 battalion

Battalion

A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...

 under the Brigade Unit of Action table of organization and equipment

Table of Organization and Equipment

A table of organization and equipment is a document published by the U.S. Department of Defense which prescribes the organization, staffing, and equippage of units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'....

.

Distinctive Unit Insignia

The 120th Infantry Regiment's distinctive unit insignia, approved on 28 June 1928, consists of a gold metal and enamel

Vitreous enamel

Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...

 device 1 5/32 inches (2.94 cm) in height overall, consisting of a shield

Shield

A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....

 blazoned azure

Azure

In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....

, in pale a prickly pear cactus and the entrance to the canal tunnel over the St. Quentin Canal. Attached below the shield is a blue scroll inscribed VIRTUS INCENDIT VIRES ("Virtue Kindles Strength") in gold.

The shield is blue for infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

. The cactus

Cactus

A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...

 represents service on the Mexican border as the 3rd Infantry, North Carolina National Guard

North Carolina National Guard

The North Carolina National Guard consists of the:*North Carolina Army National Guard*North Carolina Air National GuardThe NCNG is an all-volunteer force of nearly 12,000 soldiers and airmen who serve in both federal and state capacities...

. The tunnel symbolizes the mouth of the tunnel in the Hindenburg Line

Hindenburg Line

The Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...

 at Bellicourt

Bellicourt

Bellicourt is a commune in the department of Aisne in Picardy in northern France.It lies on the N44 road between Cambrai and Saint-Quentin and over the principal tunnel of the St. Quentin Canal....

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, captured by the 120th Infantry on 29 September 1918.

Recent history

The 120th "Tusk Hogs" went back to combat for the first time in nearly 60 years in early 2004 as part of the 30th Heavy Separate Brigade, North Carolina National Guard. In Iraq, they served under the 1st Infantry Division. Brigade Headquarters was at FOB Caldwell, east of Baghdad, while the Battalion was based (for most of the deployment) at FOB Bernstein, about 45 miles south of Kirkuk. The Brigade, including the 120th, redeployed in early 2005.

The "Tusk Hogs" were again called to serve in late 2008. Following training at Camp Shelby, Miss. and Fort Stewart, Ga., the now-renamed 120th Combined Arms Battalion deployed with the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team to central Iraq in early 2009. The 120th redeployed with the 30th HBCT in January-February 2010.