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 (Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
Enlisted personnel wear the insignia centered on a shoulder loop by placing it an equal distance from the outside shoulder seam to the outside edge of the shoulder-loop button. Officers (except Generals) wearing grade insignia on the shoulder loops center the DUI by placing it an equal distance between the inside edge of the grade insignia and the outside edge of the button.
Full 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.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 352nd Maintenance Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 19 March 1971. It would also be worn by the personnel in the 352nd Corps Support Battalion until that unit's inactivation.
The “s” curves on the blue background are intended to simulate a series of ocean waves, a reference to the Pacific Ocean and New Caledonia Island, the site where the unit was originally activated as the 352nd Ordnance Battalion. The red flame at the top, in the place where a crest would be on a coat of arms, stands for the Meritorious Unit Commendation streamer the organization was awarded for service in World War II; it also faintly recalls the flame of the “flame and shell” device that service as the insignia of branch of the Ordnance Corps. Together, the red flame and waves symbolize decontamination, the set screw is a symbol of direct control, and the Phillips slot in the top of the screw simulates a star denoting command—all images reflecting the overall mission of the unit.