History
  Flying Flag of USA
                                 
 
  5th Battalion,
4th Artillery
 
 
In terms of lineage, the 5th Battalion, 4th Artillery is the oldest organization in the Red Devil Brigade. It traces its History directly back to 1813 when Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Samuel D. Harris organized a company of light artillery for employment in the War of 1812. In 1821 the designation "4th Artillery" came into the battalion's History when it became Company G of the 4th Artillery.
  The intervening 157 years has witnessed the revolution of the battalion from the black powder and cannonball guns of the 1800's through long-range coastal artillery guns of the early 1900's to the highly mobile, quick shooting, hard hitting, self-propelled 155mm howitzers it uses so effectively today.
  The battle streamers of this proud unit read like a detailed military History of the United States; War of 1812, Indian Wars, Mexican War, Civil War, War with Spain. World War I, World War 11, and now the Vietnam War.
  It was on February 19, 1962 that this proud History was reborn with the activation of the present battalion at Fort Carson as part of the 5th Infantry Division (Mech).
  Since its arrival in the Republic of Vietnam in July, 1968, the "guns" have fought throughout the Brigade AO alongside the infantry and armor to defeat at every trun the insurgent forces of the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army. On many occasions the 155mm howitzers have been used as direct fire weapons to wreak havoc in the enemy ranks. Wherever the Brigade fights, the men and guns of the 5th Battation, 4th Artillery will be there.
  From supporting elements of the 3rd Marine Division in the summer of 1968 to the training of South Vietnamese in the complexities of artillery fire planning in 1971, the 5th Battalion, 4th Artillery, has been "The Bold One" in contributing to the Red Devil Brigades's mission in Quang Tri Province.
 
During its three years of active combat, the battalion has provided infantry and armor units of the brigade with accurate, devastating fire support from its three firing batteries of M 109 self-propelled 155mm Howitzers.
 
The most difficult and outstanding performance of the battalion came early in 1971 when it fired more than 90,000 rounds in support of allied units involved in Operation Lam Son 719. Battling poor roads and oftentimes impossible weather conditions, the 5/4 Arty continued to interdict enemy troop and supply movements throughout the operation.
 
Resupplying the firing batteries of 155mm Howitzers under the control of the battalion was an exacting task given to the battalion's Service Battery. Over treacherous roads at night and throughout the day, 5-ton truck drivers battled the terrain to deliver ammunition and powder to the firing batteries. In many cases aerial resupply was the only method that could be used to get the 4,500 tons of ammunition fired during the operation to the batteries.
 
While cannoneers from the firing batteries were humping ammo at the highest rate ever the FO (Forward Observer) was offering the complex fire control and target designation so vital to the success of the battalions mission in supplying allied units with rapid, responsive artillery fire.
 
The battalion's performance during the operation was indicative of the artillery support offered to allied units since 5th Battalion, 4th Artillery arrived on the shores of Quang Tri Province in July of 1968 as the direct artillery support battalion for the brigade in Task Force Diamond.
 
From supporting elements of the 3rd Marine Division to Operation Lam Son 719, the men and guns of 5th Battalion, 4th Artillery, have performed in a manner distinctive of the Latin motto "Audacia" on the unit crest. "Boldness" is the English meaning of the battalion motto, but the men of 5th Battalion, 4th Artillery, are responsible for making their unit "The Bold One" to the enemy forces in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam.
   Operations DMZ
   Diamond Dust Northernmost Souvenir Issue
   Cadence Songs Forward Observer's Lament Artillery Terms