On 18 March 1947, the 278th Battalion was expanded to become the 278th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) with headquarters in Athens. Korean War On 1 September 1950, during the Korean War, the 278th RCT was ordered into active federal service at home stations and moved to Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Individual soldiers from the 278th RCT were sent to 8th US Army in Korea as replacements. The 1st Battalion remained in Fort Devens as a training battalion, while the 2nd Battalion was sent to Iceland for garrison duty. The RCT was released from federal service on 8 September 1954 after the end of the war and reverted to state control. Reorganization and consolidation On 27 October 1954, federal recognition was withdrawn from the 278th Infantry RCT and it was broken up, its units becoming part of the 30th Armored Division. Headquarters and 1st Battalion became the 278th Armored Infantry Battalion at Athens, 2nd Battalion became the 330th Antiaircraft Battalion at Kingsport, and the 3rd Battalion became the 190th Armored Infantry Battalion. The 117th Infantry was also broken up, with headquarters and 1st Battalion becoming the 170th Armored Infantry Battalion at Henderson, the 2nd Battalion becoming the 174th Tank Battalion at Murfreesboro, and the 3rd Battalion becoming the 117th Armored Infantry Battalion at Dyersburg. On 1 March 1959, the 117th and 170th Armored Infantry Battalions consolidated with the 278th Armored Infantry Battalion, 330th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion and 176th Tank Battalion and were reorganized and redesignated as the 117th Infantry Regiment, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS). The new 117th consisted of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Battalions, all part of the 30th Armored Division. The 117th was reorganized to consist of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Battalions on 1 November 1973, with the 2nd and 3rd Battalions becoming part of the 278th Infantry Brigade and the 4th Battalion joining the 30th Armored Brigade. On the same day, the 278th Infantry Brigade was made a Separate Infantry Brigade, just before the 30th Armored Division was inactivated. On 29 April 1977, the 278th (Separate) Infantry Brigade was reorganized and re-designated the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, a separate corps maneuver Unit. Colonel Russell A. Newman was appointed as its first commander. The regimental motto, "I Volunteer Sir", was inspired by the volunteer units of east Tennessee in the Mexican–American War. The regiment's headquarters and headquarters troop (HHT) was redesignated on