An Army Reserve unit assigned to the 200th Military Police Command, the 336th Military Police Battalion was originally constituted as the 531st Military Police in the Army of the United States on 10 March 1945 and activated in the Philippines on 21 April 1945. Before its inactivation in February 1946, the Battalion took part in the Luzon campaign and was later awarded a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
After redesignation in the Organized Reserve Corps (later known as the Army Reserve) in February 1949, the unit was activated on 10 March 1949. Its Headquarters relocated from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Leetsdale, Pennsylvania in January 1967, and between 15 January and 22 February 1972 four of its companies were inactivated as part of a reorganization. Its HQ was relocated again in 1975 to Oakdale, Pennsylvania, and they were still in that location when the unit was called into active Federal service on 6 December 1990 in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; the Battalion was later tapped for an Army Superior Unit Award for its service during this time.
It would be called into active military service again on at least two occasions, first in 2003 and again in 2009. The Battalion was awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendations for these two deployments and was credited with participation in the Global War on Terrorism and the Iraqi Sovereignty campaigns.
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam.
The 336th Military Police Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia (also called a DUI or unit crest) was approved on 4 January 1963. Its green and yellow colors are the official colors of the Military Police Corps, with red and blue tones inspired by the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation the unit was awarded. The sea dragon clutching a dagger is an allusion to the Philippines where the unit was first activated. The chevron is a sign of authority, and its checkered pattern is taken from the arms of the city of Pittsburgh where the Battalion was reactivated and affiliated with the city’s Police Department. On the sea dragon is a mullet (star) which The Institute of Heraldry erroneously states is found is on the national flag; it's actually employed on the nation’s coat of arms as an allusion to service in the Pacific Theater in World War II. URBI ET ORBI, the unit motto, is Latin for “To The City And To The World.”More guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.