48th Infantry Regiment ( United States ) The 48th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army first formed in 1917 . History . The 1st and 2nd Battalions , 48th Infantry , were mechanized infantry units assigned to the 3rd Armored Division ( United States ) ( 3AD ) in West Germany during the Cold War . The battalions had overlapping assignments in the 3AD within the time frame 1957 to 1983 ( joining the 2d of the 48th , the 1st of the 48th relocated to the 3AD at Gelnhausen in 1963 as part of the ROAD reorganization , from a prior assignment to 7th Army at Worms , Germany . In the 1963 ROAD reorganization 3d Armored Division ' s Combat Command B at Gelnhausen was redesignated as the Second Brigade ) . Following the 1963 ROAD reorganization , and along with the 1st Battalion , 33rd Armor Regiment ( United States ) which had been at Gelnhausen since the Spring of 1956 , they comprised ( 1963 to 1983 ) the maneuver elements of the Division ' s 2d Brigade , stationed at Coleman Kaserne , in the city of Gelnhausen , Federal Republic of Germany . The Battalions served as part of NATO forces guarding the Inner - German Border against the Warsaw Pact . The unit crest of the 48th Infantry designated the unit as Dragoons . They are descended from National Guard units which trained for the First World War , and Armored Infantry Battalions which served with the U . S . 7th Armored Division during World War II . The 48th Armored Infantry Battalion , along with 1st Battalion , 40th Armor , in particular fought a tough battle in Vielsalm , Belgium , holding off the German V Panzer Corps for three days at the crossing of the Salm river , during the German Ardennes Offensive ( also known as Battle of the Bulge ) . The 2d Battalion , 48th Infantry was inactivated at Gelnhausen on 15 October 1983 ( and approximately two years later the 3d Bn , 33d Armor from 3d Armored Division ' s 1st Brigade at Kirch Goens was transferred to Gelnhausen and took up some of the vacated space ) . On 16 June 1989 the 1st Battalion , 48th Infantry was inactivated at Gelnhausen and its personnel were re - designated and continued there as 4th Battalion , 18th Infantry Regiment . Lineage . Constituted 15 May 1917 in the Regular Army as the 48th Infantry Organized 1 June 1917 at Syracuse , New York Assigned 31 July 1918 to the 20th Infantry Division ( United States ) Relieved 28 February 1919 from assignment to the 20th Division Inactivated 14 October 1921 at Camp Travis , Texas Demobilized 31 July 1922 Reconstituted 27 February 1942 in the Regular Army as the 48th Armored Infantry and assigned to the 7th Armored Division ( United States ) Activated 2 March 1942 at Camp Polk , Louisiana Regiment broken up 20 September 1943 and its elements reorganized and redesignated as elements of the 7th Armored Division as follows : After 20 September 1943 the above units underwent changes as follows : 48th , 38th , and 23d Armored Infantry Battalions relieved 15 February 1957 from assignment to the 7th Armored Division and consolidated to form the 48th Infantry , a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System Withdrawn 16 June 1989 from the Combat Arms Regimental System , reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System , and transferred to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command A Gold color metal and enamel device in height consisting of a shield blazoned : Per pale Azure and Sable a lion rampant Or , on a canton Argent a chevron wavy of the first . Attached below the shield a Gold scroll inscribed “ DRAGOONS ” in Black letters . The colors blue and white are used for Infantry . Black and gold are the colors of the Belgian coat of arms from which the Belgian lion is adapted . The wavy chevron on the canton is for descent from the 9th Infantry . The Belgian lion represents the organization ’ s action at Ardennes and St . Vith , for which it was awarded two unit decorations by the Belgian government . The distinctive unit insignia was approved on 14 October 1958 . Per pale Azure and Sable a lion rampant Or , on a canton Argent a chevron wavy of the first . On a wreath Or and Azure two hunting horns in saltire Or , inserts Argent , mouthpieces Gules and straps interlaced Sable buckled of the first . Motto : DRAGOONS . The colors blue and white are used for Infantry . Black and gold are the colors of the Belgian coat of arms from which the Belgian lion is adapted . The wavy chevron on the canton is for descent from the 9th Infantry . The Belgian lion represents the organization ’ s action at Ardennes and St . Vith , for which it was awarded two unit decorations by the Belgian government . The crest , consisting of Teutonic hunting horns , alludes to the German battle honors of World War II . The coat of arms was originally approved for the 48th Infantry Regiment on 3 February 1921 . It was redesignated for the 48th Armored Infantry Regiment on 19 May 1942 . The insignia was redesignated for the 48th Armored Infantry Battalion on 30 November 1943 . It was redesignated for the 48th Infantry Regiment and amended by the addition of a charge to and modification of the shield and a crest on 14 October 1958 .