34th Infantry Division (United States)

The 34th Infantry Division is an infantry division of the United States Army, part of the National Guard. Established on 18 July 1917 from National Guard units of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, the division trained at Camp Cody, New Mexico, during World War I. It arrived in France in October 1918, too late to see combat, and was disbanded on 18 February 1919. The division's shoulder sleeve insignia, designed at Camp Cody by American regionalist artist Marvin Cone, superimposed a red steer skull over a black Mexican water jug called an "olla," evoking the desert training grounds. Originally known as the "Sandstorm Division," the unit later adopted the nickname "Red Bulls."

In World War II, the 34th was the first American division deployed to Europe, arriving at Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 26 January 1942. The division fought in North Africa from Operation Torch in November 1942, capturing Hill 609 in Tunisia, before moving to Italy. There it fought at Salerno, through the Winter Line, at Monte Cassino, the Anzio beachhead, and the Gothic Line, before capturing Bologna in April 1945. The division accumulated 517 days of front-line combat across six major campaigns, suffered 16,401 battle casualties, and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.

Inactivated on 3 November 1945, the division was reformed within the Iowa and Nebraska National Guards in 1946–1947. The 47th Infantry Division was separately activated for Minnesota and North Dakota in the division's former area. Both divisions were disbanded in 1963. On 10 February 1991, the 47th Division was "reflagged" as the 34th Infantry Division, restoring the Red Bull designation.

Since October 2001, the division has deployed personnel for homeland security duties in the continental United States, combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. The division draws units from multiple states, with the Minnesota and Iowa National Guards forming its core.