172nd Infantry Regiment ( United States ) The 3rd Battalion , 172nd Infantry Regiment ( Mountain ) , also known as the " Mountain Battalion " , is a Vermont Army National Guard light infantry battalion which specializes in mountainous and cold weather operations . The unit falls under the command of the Vermont Army National Guard ' s 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ( Mountain ) . Before the creation of the 86th IBCT ( MTN ) in 2008 , 3 - 172 IN ( MTN ) was recognized as the only conventional unit in the United States Army trained and equipped for mountain operations . 3 - 172 IN ( MTN ) draws strong heritage from the original 10th Mountain Division ( Alpine ) of World War II fame both in the type of training they conduct and in the specialized equipment the unit maintains . The 3 - 172 IN ( MTN ) Battalion motto is : " Ascend to Victory ! " Mountain Battalion history . The first unit of the Mountain Battalion was organized and activated in September 1982 as Company A , 172nd Infantry ( Mountain ) . Located in Vermont , Company A ' s mission was to conduct limited offensive and defensive operations and to provide support expertise to combat units engaged in mountain and winter operations . It was also tasked to provide special reconnaissance for combat units operating in these environments . The 3rd Battalion 172nd Infantry Regiment ( Mountain ) was activated October 1 , 1984 . The Mountain Battalion Headquarters , HHC , and Company A are located in the Green Mountains of Vermont . The Battalion is co - located with the Army ' s Mountain Warfare School . In addition to HHC and A . Co , B . Co and C . Co are located in Maine and New Hampshire respectively . D . Co and E . Co ( FSC ) are located in Vermont . In 2000 the Mountain Battalion developed a training relationship with the 1 - 508 Airborne Battalion Combat Team of the US Army ' s Southern European Task Force in Vincenza , Italy . The Mountain Men of the 172nd have deployed numerous times to Europe and trained side by side with the Paratroopers of SETAF and the US Army ' s Combined Maneuver Training Center in Hohenfels , Germany . Following combat deployments to Afghanistan ( BN HQ ) , Kuwait ( HHC ) , and Iraq ( A , B , C Companies ) during the War on Terrorism , the Battalion was assigned to the newly formed 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ( Mountain ) , in October , 2006 . The BN was then deployed to Eastern Afghanistan in 2010 as Task Force Avalanche . The Battalion is the only organization in the US Army inventory specifically organized , trained , equipped , and tasked to close with and destroy the enemy in a total mountain environment . Approximately 50 % of the Soldiers in the Battalion are coded with the Special Qualification Identifier ( SQI ) " E " Military Mountaineer which is awarded to Soldiers who graduate the Military Mountaineer Basic Course at the Army Mountain Warfare School , located in Jericho , Vermont . No other unit has the capability to conduct combat operations in such extreme environments . The Mountain Infantrymen of this Battalion follow a long heritage of citizen Soldiers and warriors . Starting with Rogers ' Rangers who roamed the frontier before the revolution keeping New England free from the French and Indians , to the 10th Mountain Division of World War II who battled the Nazis in the mountains of Italy . 3 - 172 IN ( MTN ) Shoulder Sleeve Insignia History . 3 - 172 IN ( MTN ) currently wears the 86th IBCT shoulder sleeve insignia ( SSI ) , however , the battalion has a somewhat unique SSI history . From the unit ' s inception in 1982 , until the formation of the 86th IBCT in 2007 , the battalion wore the First Army insignia with " Mountain " tab as its SSI . This was originally only temporarily authorized , but as time passed no further provision of SSI for the organization was made . This is a debated and controversial unit insignia as it is almost completely unknown amongst the senior leadership of the United States Army . Many soldiers incorrectly believe that the 10th Mountain Division and the 86th IBCT are the only units ever authorized to wear a Mountain tab . There are numerous veterans of OIF and OEF who are authorized to wear the First Army insignia with " Mountain " tab as a " combat patch " ( SSI - FWTSI ) . The only known proof of authorization for wear of the First Army insignia with Mountain tab for members of 3 - 172 IN ( MTN ) hangs framed in the unit ' s home Armory in Jericho , VT . The Mountain Creed . Motivation , drive , determination and honor are the hallmark of the Mountain Soldier . My uniform ' s appearance and respect for those appointed over me shall set the standard for others to follow . Ours is not an impossible mission . To meet the enemy on the field of battle requires that I be proficient in my job , Mountain skills , and the tactics required to operate in an alpine environment . Ultimately mine is a mission of peace . However , if called upon , I will , without hesitation , respond to my country ' s call . Through personal sacrifice , I will galantly defend my country and its allies . Never shall I quit until my objective is achieved . Failure to complete my mission , whether in peace or war will invariably cause the unit as a whole to fail . Training is essential to my survival and to that of my brother Mountain Soldiers . Without the knowledge training provides I will surely fail . Whether training with allies or at the lowest level I will continuously challenge myself to attain the highest standards . Always will I keep my equipment and myself ready for whatever task I may be given . The sheer nature of my unit ' s mission requires that I maintain my equipment and master its capabilities and employment . My brother Soldiers and Countrymen count on my ability to shoot better , climb higher , ski farther , and fight with more cunning and aggression than any enemy I may face . Initiative is the force that will allow me to prevail on the field of battle . I will do more than is required of myself to further my unit ' s mission and ensure its total victory in combat . Never will I leave a fallen Soldier on the field of battle . I will courageously continue to fight until the enemy is vanquished and the last round expended and all the members of my unit are accounted for . I will conduct myself with honor , pride , and an esprit de corps second to none , whether in peace or wartime whether at home or abroad , for my mission is to . . . ASCEND TO VICTORY ! A Silver color metal and enamel device 1 1 / 8 inches ( 2 . 86 cm ) in height consisting of a shield blazoned as follows : Per fess dancetty of four Azure and Argent issuant in base a mount Vert and overall in bend a ski pole crossed by an ice axe in bend sinister , in pale overall a sword point up of the second . Attached below and to the sides a green motto scroll bearing the words “ ASCEND TO VICTORY ” in Silver letters . Blue and white are the colors associated with Infantry . The indented partition line denotes the four states represented in the regiment , and with the ice axe and ski pole , also refers to the ( Mountain ) designation of the regiment . The upright sword denotes the unit ’ s basic Infantry mission and the green mountain in base alludes to the headquarters , State of Vermont , which means “ green mountain . ” The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 16 March 1987 . Per fess dancetty of four Azure and Argent issuant in base a mount Vert and overall in bend a ski pole crossed by an ice axe in bend sinister , in pale overall a sword point up of the second . That for the regiments and separate battalions of the New Hampshire Army National Guard : On a wreath of the colors Argent and Azure two pine branches saltirewise Proper crossed behind a bundle of five arrows palewise Argent bound together by a ribbon Gules the ends entwining the branches . Coat Of Arms . Blazon . That for the regiments and separate battalions of the New York Army National Guard : On a wreath of the colors Argent and Azure the full rigged ship “ Half Moon ” all Proper . That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Vermont Army National Guard : On a wreath of the colors Argent and Azure a buck ’ s head erased within a garland of pine branches , all Proper . That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Maine Army National Guard : On a wreath of the colors Argent and Azure a pine tree Proper . Motto ASCEND TO VICTORY . Blue and white are the colors associated with Infantry . The indented partition line denotes the four states represented in the regiment , and with the ice axe and ski pole , also refers to the ( Mountain ) designation of the regiment . The upright sword denotes the unit ’ s basic Infantry mission and the green mountain in base alludes to the headquarters , State of Vermont , which means “ green mountain . ” The crests are those of the New Hampshire , Rhode Island , Vermont and Maine Army National Guard . The coat of arms was approved on 16 March 1987 .