US Army 79th Infantry Division SSI/Patch Color Cut Edge (11/16/18-4/16/96) NO GLOW

The 79th Infantry Division, formerly known as the 79th Division, was an infantry formation of the United States Army Reserve that participated in World Wars I and II.

Activated at Camp Meade, Maryland in August 1917, the division was primarily composed of draftees from Maryland and Pennsylvania. After a year of training, the division embarked on a transatlantic voyage in July 1918. During World War I, the 79th Division engaged in extensive combat in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive region, earning the moniker “Cross of Lorraine” for their valiant defense of France. Following the war, the division was inactivated in June 1919 and returned to the United States.

Throughout its entire World War I campaign, the division suffered a total of 6,874 casualties, including 1,151 fatalities and 5,723 injuries. Notably, Private Henry Gunther, the last American soldier to be killed in action during World War I, served with the 313th Infantry Regiment of the 79th Division.