The Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD), 457th Chemical Battalion was first constituted in the Organized Reserve Corps with that designation on 8 November 1948 and activated the following December 3rd at Atlanta. It was inactivated at Atlanta on 1 November 1949 and reactivated at Charleston, South Carolina on 1 January 1952. It was reorganized and redesignated in the Army Reserve (successor to the Organized Reserve Corps) on 31 December 1953 under its original designation HHD, 457th Chemical Battalion.
Ordered into active military service at its new home station of Greenville, South Carolina on 21 November 1990, the Battalion was deployed in support of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm and took part in two campaigns (Liberation and Defense of Kuwait, Cease-Fire). As of Autumn 2023, the Battalion is headquartered at Greenville, South Carolina and is a subordinate unit of the 415th Chemical Brigade, 76th Operational Response Command, United States Army Reserve. The Battalion consists of four Chemical Companies under the command of its HQ: the 366th, 371st, 413th, and 414th, based respectively Savannah, GA; Greenwood, SC; Florence, SC; and Orangeburg, SC.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
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 (DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however). You can find more guidance on wear of the DUI in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.“Cover The Attack,” the Battalion motto, is displayed on the 457th Chemical Battalion’s Distinctive Unit Insignia in golden yellow letters on a cobalt-blue scroll, effectively incorporating the Chemical Corps’ branch colors. The white area is a smoke ring, a reference to the Battalion’s early chemical-smoke generator mission; combined with the blue scroll containing it, it connotes the unit’s capability of concealing friendly troops and installations under operational conditions. The insignia was approved on 24 February 1970.