The lineage of 3-69 Armor began on July 15, 1940, when it was constituted in the Regular Army as Company C, 69th Armored Regiment, part of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Shortly after the United States entered World War II, the unit was reassigned to the 6th Armored Division. Operating as the 69th Tank Battalion, the unit fought relentlessly across the European Theater.

The regiment broke through enemy lines in Northern France, advanced through the Rhineland and the Ardennes-Alsace during the harrowing Battle of the Bulge, and pushed deep into Central Europe. Following the Allied victory in 1945, the unit was temporarily deactivated, though its legacy of shock and maneuver was firmly established.

During the Cold War era, the battalion underwent several redesignations and reorganizations. Reactivated in 1983, the 3rd Battalion served as a forward-deployed deterrent force in West Germany, assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division to stand ready against potential Soviet aggression. By 1987, it was reassigned to the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, 3-69 Armor deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. As part of the 24th Infantry Division’s aggressive "left hook" maneuver into Iraq in February 1991, the battalion utilized the overwhelming superiority of the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank to devastate the Iraqi Republican Guard. The battalion played a critical role in the Battle for Jalibah Airfield, earning the Superior Unit Award for their flawless execution of armored warfare.

The 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor secured its modern legendary status during the 2003 invasion of Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom I). Operating under the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, 3-69 Armor was famously the first United States Army unit to cross the berm from Kuwait into Iraq.

Serving as the "Point of the Spear," the battalion shattered Iraqi defenses during the rapid drive north. Most notably, elements of the battalion executed the historic "Thunder Run"—a bold, high-speed armored thrust directly into the heart of downtown Baghdad. They subsequently spearheaded the fierce fighting to seize Baghdad International Airport, actions that catalyzed the collapse of the Iraqi regime.

Over the next decade, 3-69 Armor deployed multiple times to Iraq. During OIF III (2005), they fought intensely in the city of Samarra. In OIF V (2007), they formed vital local alliances in Ramadi and fought through the treacherous Al Anbar and Salah ad Din provinces during the "Surge." In OIF VII (2009-2010), the unit served as an Advise and Assist Battalion outside Baghdad.