Air Defense Artillery

Note: Three air defense artillery units have been assigned to the 25th Division since 1941. Only during the Korean War era and since 1972 have air defense battalions been assigned to infantry divisions. See the Evolution of the Artillery Branches and the Regimental System for further information on air defense artillery.

Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	First Assigned to	Unit History
	25th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion “Faith, Valor, Victory”	20 March 1949	Constituted 8 February 1943 as the 778th Coast Artillery Battalion (Antiaircraft) (Automatic Weapons). Redesignated on 1 May 1943 as the 778th Antiaircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion. Arrived in France on 19 December 1944 and participated in the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes Alsace and Central Europe campaigns. Battery C was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry in Luxembourg from 7-12 February 1945. Inactivated 1 May 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey the battalion was redesignated as the 25th Antiaircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion on 13 October 1948. It was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division Artillery on 20 March 1949 and activated at Nara, Japan. On 28 June 1950 the 172nd Coast Artillery Battalion (formally the 2nd Battalion, 6th Coast Artillery Regiment) was consolidated with the 25th AAA Battalion. The battalion participated in six campaigns of the Korean War receiving a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry at Musan-Chinju. The battalion was inactivated in Korea on 10 November 1951. The 25th AAA Battalion was reactivated at Karlsruhe, Germany in 1953 and organized as first an antiaircraft artillery gun battalion and then in 1957 as a missile battalion. The 25th AAA Battalion was inactivated in Germany on 1 September 1958. On 1 September 1963 the battalion was consolidated with the 6th Artillery Regiment. The WW II and Korean War battle honors awarded to the 25th AAA are now carried by the 5th Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery Regiment which is currently inactive.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	First Assigned to	Unit History
	21st Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons) (Self-propelled) “Always Vigilant”	14 November 1951	Constituted 5 September 1928 in the Organized Reserves as the 2nd Battalion, 562nd Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft). Redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 917th Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft) and organized in Virginia on 30 November 1929. Allotted to the Regular Army, redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 70th Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft) and activated at Fort Monroe, VA on 4 November 1939. In WW II the 70th Coast Artillery landed on Guadalcanal with the XIV Corps on 23 May 1943. On 10 November 1943 the 70th Coast Artillery Regiment was reorganized and redesignated as the 70th Antiaircraft Artillery Group with the 2nd Battalion being reorganized and redesignated as the 925th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion (Semi-mobile). The 925th served on Guadalcanal, New Georgia, Green and Bougainville islands during the Northern Solomons and Bismarck Archipelago campaigns. On 11 March 1945 the battalion landed in the Philippines and participated in the Leyte campaign receiving a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. The 925th was inactivated in the Philippines on 31 August 1946. On 13 October 1948 the 925th was redesignated as the 21st Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion and activated on 8 June 1949 at Fort Bliss, Texas. The 21st AAA arrived in Korea in November 1950 and served as a non-divisional AAA battalion until assigned to the 25th Division on 14 November 1951. The 21st fought in eight campaigns of the Korean War using its antiaircraft weapons primarily in a ground support role. The battalion received a Navy Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry at Wonju-Hwachon and a Navy Unit Commendation for action at Panmunjom. On 15 April 1953 the battalion was redesignated as the 21st Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (Automatic Weapons) (Self-propelled). On 1 February 1957 the battalion was relieved from assignment to the 25th Infantry Division and inactivated at Schofield Barracks on 14 December 1957. On 31 July 1959 the 21st AAA Battalion was consolidated with the 562nd Artillery Regiment. The 5th and 6th Battalions (inactive) of the 562nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment now carry the battle honors awarded to the 21st AAA for its WW II and Korean service.
Distinctive Unit Insignia	Unit Designation Motto	First Assigned to	Unit History
	62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment “Nitimur in Alta” (“We Aim at High Things”)	6 January 1972	The 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment was first constituted as a company of the 2nd Regiment of Artillerists and Engineers on 27 April 1798 and organized that year near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company served in the War of 1812 in the 1st Regiment of Artillery. In 1821 the company was redesignated as Company G, 2nd Regiment of Artillery. It participated in two campaigns of the Indian Wars, thirteen campaigns of the Civil War, the seizure of Manila during the War With Spain and three campaigns of the Philippine Insurrection. In 1901 it was redesignated as the 17th Company, Coast Artillery and served in the harbor defenses of Manila. In 1922 the company was redesignated as Battery B, 62nd Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft) (Coast Artillery Corps). In 1924 the regiment was redesignated as the 62nd Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft). In WW II the 62nd Coast Artillery initially entered combat on 11 November 1942 with the invasion of Algeria and French Morocco. The regiment also participated in the Tunisian and Sicily campaigns. On 24 March 1944 the 62nd Coast Artillery was redesignated and reorganized as the 80th Antiaircraft Artillery (AAA) Group with the 1st Battalion being redesignated as the 62nd AAA Gun Battalion. The 62nd AAA Battalion went on to participate in five additional campaigns of the European Theater ending the war in Altenstadt, Germany. Inactivated 13 March 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey the battalion was reactivated in 1949 at Fort Bliss, Texas as the 62nd AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion. It was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division from 1949-1950. It was further redesignated as the 62nd AAA Battalion in 1953 and inactivated in Germany in 1958. Battery B was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Automatic Weapons Battalion, 62nd Artillery on 16 September 1958. Redesignated as the 1st Missile Battalion (Nike Hercules), 62nd Artillery and activated on 1 June 1959 at Saint Louis, Missouri. The 1st Battalion was inactivated at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois in 1969. Reactivated in 1971 at Fort Bliss Texas as the 1st Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment it was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division on 6 January 1972. The battalion’s Battery C served with the 1st Brigade in Iraq September 2004-September 2005. The rest of the battalion served a one year tour of duty in Afghanistan from April 2004-2005 with the 25th Division. Lacking an air defense threat the battalion served with Task Force Eagle charged with operating and defending Bagram Air Field, the headquarters of the Coalition Forces. As part of the modular conversion of the 25th Infantry Division the 1st Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment was inactivated on 15 September 2005 after serving with the Tropic Lightning since 1972. On 18 October 2011 the 1st Battalion, 62nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment was reactivated at Fort Hood Texas as a Nike Hercules battalion and assigned to the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.