In 1917 these two battalions of infantry were ordered to Ft. Stotsenburg and trained as field artillery. The 2nd Field Artillery, then assigned to the Philippines, provided the training required. That unit is credited as the parent regiment of the 24th Field Artillery and acknowledged in the canton on the shield.
Prior to World War Two the regiment was a non-divisional element of the U.S. Army's garrison in the Philippines. It was headquartered at at Ft. Stotsenburg, adjacent to Clark Field north of Manila.
At the beginning of World War II the 24th Field Artillery participated in the withdrawal of the Filipino and American forces on Luzon to the Bataan Peninsula. In a series of actions between December 1941 and April 1942, the regiment was essentially destroyed as an effective fighting force.
With the surrender of American forces on Bataan in April 1942 the regiment ceased to exist with most of the survivors becoming prisoners of war. Individual American officers and Filipino enlisted personnel continued to fight against the Japanese forces throughout the the war.
The regiment earned the Philippines Islands campaign streamer for World War II.
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Shield -
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Distinctive Unit Insignia -
The shield is white for the old Infantry fighting of the Scouts with the charges in the Artillery color. The red base is of the outline of Mt. Arayat and the red six-pointed stars and sun are from the old Katipunan flag of the Philippine Insurrection. The canton with the yellow pack mule and mountain gun is from the arms of the 2nd Field Artillery, parent unit of the 24th. Source - QM 424.5 EP dated April 17, 1923. A letter to the Commanding Officer of the 24th Field Artillery from the Quartermaster General. |