138th Field Artillery Brigade
"Kentucky Thunder"

The 138th FA BDE was selected to participate in the I Corps WFX ramp-up in Sep 1999. The unit took a TOC Cell to Ft Lewis, Washington. This included taking 77 personnel with the TOC.

The gunner's quadrant and cannon are symbolic of control and direction. The blue grass is for Kentucky's Lexington area, the unit's homestation. The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved on 26 Jun 1979. it is a rectangular shield divided vertically in half red and yellow and arced at the top and bottom having centered overall a blue horse's head in profile, all within a red border. Red and yellow are the colors of Field Artillery. The thoroughbred horse's head refers to the horse racing history of Lexington and is blue alluding to the "Bluegrass State." The horse resembles a knight chess piece and refers to the Field Artillery mission with the ability to strike behind enemy lines.

The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for 138th Artillery Group on 8 Jun 1971. It was redesignated for the 138th Field Artillery Group on 2 May 1972. On 21 Jun 1978 the insignia was redesignated for the 138th Field Artillery Brigade, consisting of a vertical gold cannon barrel, the breech overlapping a blue grass area in base, and the barrel surmounted by a gold gunner's quadrant, angle up, and plumb bob extending below breech, all with a scarlet enamel scroll arced across barrel below muzzle, and outwards and downwards at the sides, the left portion inscribed "READY IN," the top portion inscribed, "PEACE," and the right portion inscribed, "AND WAR," all in gold letters. Scarlet and yellow (gold) are the colors used for Artillery. The gunner's quadrant and cannon are symbolic of control and direction and refer to the overall mission. The blue grass is representative of Kentucky's Lexington area, and refers to the unit's home.