The 109th Field Artillery is one of the oldest units in continuous existence in the United States Armed Forces. It was organized under Colonel Zebulon Butler in the Wyoming Valley on 17 October 1775, nearly a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Wyoming Valley was then considered part of Connecticut, thus the unit was originally formed as the 24th Regiment, Connecticut Militia. The regiment carries both the Connecticut and Pennsylvania state flags in its color guard. The unit continues to serve the Valley and is officially named "Wyoming Valley Guards". Although founded as an infantry unit, the regiment alternated between infantry and artillery throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment, under various unit designations, fought in the Revolutionary War, mustered into service for the War of 1812, fought in the Mexican-American War, fought in the Civil War, and mustered into federal service for the Spanish-American War of 1898. The regiment also fought in various battles against the Indians. A dark day in the regiment's history occurred with its 3 July 1778 defeat at the Battle Wyoming, known as the "Wyoming Massacre". On 11 October 1917, the unit was designated the 109th Field Artillery Regiment and was assigned horse-drawn, 75mm howitzers. It fought in World War One under Colonel Asher Miner as part of the 28th Infantry Division on the Western Front in France. In 1942, the unit entered World War Two as the 109th Field Artillery Battalion. The unit served in Europe from France to Germany. During the Battle of the Bulge, the battalion fought valiantly to halt the German Ardennes Offensive. Once its guns were destroyed, the 109th fought as infantry, often in vicious hand-to-hand combat. For its valor, the battalion was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, the highest decoration a unit can receive