| Unit Name: | 80th Field Artillery Regiment |
| Branch: | Army |
| Garrison Label: | Home station |
| Motto: | TOUJOURS L’AUDACE |
| Colors Label: | Branch color |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Distinctive Unit Insignia |
The 80th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army. It is part of the Field Artillery Branch.
The 2nd Battalion, 80th Field Artillery was constituted on 1 July 1916 in the Regular Army as Troops C and D, 22nd Cavalry. It was reorganized on 21 June 1917 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia and then consolidated, converted, and redesignated on 1 November 1917 as Battery B, 80th Field Artillery. On 10 September 1921, it was inactivated at Camp George G. Meade, Maryland.
On 12 October 1939, the battery was activated at Fort Lewis, Washington. On 1 October 1940, the 2-80 FA was reorganized and redesignated as Battery B, 80th Field Artillery Battalion. On 20 July 1947, it was inactivated in Korea. It was reactivated on 4 October 1950 at Fort Ord, California, where it was later inactivated on 3 April 1956. On 2 June 1958, 2-80 FA was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Missile Battalion, 80th Field Artillery. The battalion activated 25 June 1958 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where it later inactivated on 25 March 1963. On September 1971, it was redesignated as the 2nd Missile Battalion, 80th Field Artillery. On 28 February 1987, the 2-80 FA was reorganized and activated as the 2nd Battalion, 80th Field Artillery, consisting of three Basic Training and two Advanced Individual Training Batteries. Later it was reorganized to consist of four Army and one Marine Field Artillery Advanced Individual Training batteries. It became part of the Field Artillery Training Center.
"In ..2004 the 2nd Battalion, 80th Field Artillery, the brigade’s AIT battalion, was inactivated and the 1-78 FA, the support battalion, was designated the AIT battalion and assigned to the 30th FARegiment (now the 428th FA Brigade)."[1]
Eighty soldiers of Alpha battery of the 2nd Battalion 80th Field Artillery Regiment were standing in formation on September 27, 1989, when one or more shells apparently over-shot the intended target, landing among them. Three were killed and 24 were injured.[2] Two soldiers were charged, with negligent homicide and dereliction of duty, [3] but were cleared as criminal intent was not involved.[4]
A Silver color metal and enamel device NaNinches in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Party per fess Or and Gules, a fess dancetté ermine. On a canton Sable an orle of the first (from the coat of arms of the 11th Cavalry).
The dual character of the regiment is shown by the colors of the field, yellow for cavalry, red for artillery. The fess dancetté is taken from the arms of the Oglethorpe family, also the boar's head crest, which in addition is the ancient symbol of hospitality. The arms of ancient Brittany was a shield of ermine, and ermine figures prominently in the arms of Vannes; this is shown by the tincture of the fess. The parent organization is shown on the canton.
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 80th Field Artillery Regiment on 14 November 1932. It was redesignated for the 80th Field Artillery Battalion on 5 December 1942. It was redesignated for the 80th Artillery Regiment on 21 November 1958. The insignia was redesignated effective 1 September 1971, for the 80th Field Artillery Regiment.