1st Brigade Combat Team , 1st Infantry Division ( United States ) The 1st Brigade Combat Team , 1st Infantry Division ( " Devil Brigade " ) is the oldest permanent brigade in the United States Army and has some of the oldest units in the United States Army . HHC , 1st Brigade has participated in Campaigns of World War I , Vietnam , Desert Shield and Desert Storm . Its most notable campaigns include the Aisne - Marne , Meuse - Argonne , Picardy , Tet Counteroffensive and the Liberation and Defense of Kuwait . Since Desert Storm , the " Devil " Brigade participated in numerous rotations to the National Training Center , deployments to Bosnia , Kuwait and a deployment to Korea to participate in a 2nd Infantry Division exercise . On 23 July 2003 , US Forces Command alerted the 1st Brigade Combat Team for deployment to the Iraq Theater of Operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . History . World War I . Headquarters and Headquarters Company was constituted 24 May 1917 into the Regular Army as Headquarters , 1st Brigade , an element of the 1st Expeditionary Division ( later redesignated as the 1st Infantry Division ) . World War II . The 1st Infantry Brigade was stationed at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island , New York as part of the 1st Infantry Division until 11 October 1939 , when it was inactivated when the Division was converted to a Triangular Table of Organization and Equipment . After the army ' s conversion to the triangular division , only two separate brigades were formed during World War II , the 1st Airborne Infantry Brigade and the 2nd Airborne Infantry Brigade . The 1st Airborne Infantry Brigade was formed at Fort Benning , Georgia , on 20 July 1942 originally as the 1st Parachute Infantry Brigade . The unit changed its name from " parachute " to " airborne " after having the 88th Glider Infantry Regiment assigned to it . After having its units removed and sent to different theatres the brigade was disbanded seven months later . Cold War . Under the United States Army ' s pentomic reorganisation , the 1st Infantry Brigade was recreated as an independent unit at Ft . Benning from 1958 - 1962 . When the First Brigade rejoined the 1st Infantry Division the 1st was renamed the 197th Infantry Brigade . Operation Iraqi Freedom . On 23 July 2003 , US Army Forces Command alerted the 1st Brigade Combat Team ( BCT ) for deployment to the Iraq Theater of Operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . The Brigade deployed its main body starting on 2 September , closing in Kuwait by 11 September . Initially attached to the 82nd Airborne Division , the brigade occupied Area of Operations Topeka and conducted Transition of Authority with the 3rd Squadron , 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment , on 26 September . On 20 March 2004 , CJTF - 7 attached 1st Brigade to the 1st Marine Division to continue its offensive operations in AO Topeka . In the following twelve months , the brigade ' s offensive operations killed 541 insurgents , wounded 101 more , and detained over 2 , 081 enemy fighters , including the capture of 18 High Value Targets and 20 foreign fighter s . The brigade responded to hundreds of small arms and RPG engagements , as well as over 550 IED ( improvised explosive device ) attacks . In order to disrupt the enemy ' s ability to conduct operations , the brigade captured 41 heavy machine gun s , 175 RPG launchers , 3 , 134 mortar and artillery rounds , 1 , 781 rocket s , and 17 surface - to - air missiles . In addition to combat operations , the brigade formed and trained the 60th Iraqi National Guard Brigade , including the 500th , 501st , and 502nd ING Battalions . 1st Brigade also sponsored over $ 23 . 8 million in civil projects in the Al Anbar province . The BCT returned to Fort Riley in September 2004 . In January 2005 the 1st Brigade was again called upon to prepare for deployment for OIF . The brigade spent the majority of 2005 refitting and training for deployment in fall 2005 . This training culminated with the brigade ' s deployment to the Joint Readiness Training Center in August and September 2005 . In January 2006 the 1st Brigade received a mission change and began restructuring in order to better train Military Transition Teams for their deployment . Several Security Force Companies , or SECFOR companies , began preparing to deploy to Iraq in the fall of 2006 . On 23 September 2009 , the brigade officially moved the Military Transition Team mission to Fort Polk , LA and stood up as a deployable Heavy Brigade Combat Team . Motto . The Devil Brigade ' s motto is " No mission too difficult , no sacrifice too great – DUTY FIRST ! "