24th Field Artillery (Philippine Scouts)

The 24th Field Artillery (P.S.) was organized in 1922 at Ft. Stotsenburg, Philippine Islands from personnel transferred from the 1st Philippine Artillery (Provisional). The earlier history of the regiment began in 1899 when Pfilipinos were enlisted into provisional infantry companies of Philippine Scouts. In 1901 the 11th and 12th Battalions of Philippine Scouts were organized from provisional companies. These units saw good service in Samar, Mindanao, and Jolo.

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.

BLAZONRY

Shield -
Parti per chevron couped and concave argent and gules in chief a sun between three six pointed muillets one and two all of the second, on a canton of the like a mule with mountain artillery pack or (for the Second Filed Artillery).

Motto -
Crescit sub ponders Virtus - Virtue increases under a load.

Distinctive Unit Insignia -
The insignia is the shield of the regiment.


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.

Created by Phil Abbey. Uploaded July 17, 1999. comments to pr_abbey@hotmail.com.