Although the 89th Sustainment Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Insignia is the same “Rolling W” worn by the 89th Division in World War I and the 89th Infantry Division in World War II, the insignia was reassigned—not redesignated—for the 89th Army Regional Support Command (RSC) on 16 April 1996, which was redesignated at the 89th Army Regional Readiness Command in 2003, which in 2011 became the 89th Sustainment Brigade. To make things even more confusing, the insignia also served as the unit patch for the 89th Division (Training) from 1959 to 1974 and for the 89th Army Reserve Command from 1974 to 1996.
Red, white, and blue are the national colors that set the backdrop for the stylized letter “W,” which when reversed becomes the letter “M.” Put them together and you have the unofficial explanation of the symbolism: “MW” for Middle West,” reflecting the fact that the men who formed the division in 1917 came from the Midwest states of Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado. Another theory: the “W” is in homage to the Division’s first three Commanders, Major Generals William Wright, Leonard Wood, and Frank Winn.
The official explanation is that the letter can be seen as a Greek sigma, the symbol used for summation, with the circle denoting the ability to exert force (attack) in any direction and to resist (defend) in any position.
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