by congofal » Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:26 pm
Yes , the 45th used the Swastika for 15 years , then when the National Socialist Party came to power in 1933 the Us Army decided to drop the use of the Swastika and the division had no shoulder insignia until the Thunderbird was adopted.
The Swastika was chosen as the unit insignia because the division had a large number of Native Americans in it and the Swastika was a good luck symbol for Native Americans.
The Shoulder insignia has 4 sides in honor of the 4 south western states that made up the membership of the 45th , Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona.
The yellow swastika on a square background of red symbolized the Spanish Heritage of the 4 Southwestern states as well.
Si vis pacem, para bellum .
Le diable marche avec nous