The 31st Chemical Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, or unit patch, was originally designed and authorized for the 31st Infantry Division. Nicknamed the Dixie Division, which inspired the “Double Ds” of its insignia, it was organized from units hailing from the National Guard of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida in August 1917 at Camp Wheeler, Georgia. The Division saw no action in World War I, but was called into Federal service in 1940 and deployed overseas in March 1944, where it took part in two campaigns in the Pacific theater (New Guinea, Southern Philippines) and earned a Distinguished Unit Citation.
Despite several reorganizations, the Division remained in the National Guard until it was inactivated on 14 January 1968, with its Headquarters being converted and redesignated as Headquarters, 31st Brigade, 30th Armored Division at Tuscaloosa. Five years later, it was again redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 31st Armored Brigade, and relieved
from assignment to the 30th Armored Division. The old 31st Infantry Division patch was now designated as the 31st Armored Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia on 25 February 1974.
On 30 September 2002, the insignia was authorized for a new unit and became the 31st Chemical Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, with that unit being activated for service in November 2002. The 31st Chemical Brigade is based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and honors its lineage with the nickname “Dixie Brigade.”
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31st Chemical Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)