U.S. ARMY 123RD ARMY RESERVE COMMAND UNIT CREST (DUI)

The design of the 123rd Army Reserve Command Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 28 June 1968. Unlike any Army Reserve Commands established in the 1960s, the 123rd continued its service into the 21st century.

The predominant colors of the 123rd Army Reserve Command Distinctive Unit Insignia are blue and gold, employed as a nod to the Command’s unit patch. At the bottom, a triangular area filled with a checkered Pattern, simulating the speedway flag used at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500. Indian feathers suggest Indian warriors, with the chief symbol a reference to the command status the unit wielded.

Blue areas on the bottom left and right stand for lakes and waters around a peninsula, and the ermine spots found there are a symbol that in heraldry indicates fur. The Indian feather, ermine spots, and water taken together point to Michigan, home of one of the the United States’ earliest fur-trading areas.

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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. Current regulations do not permit the DUI to be 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.

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.

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123rd Army Reserve Command Patch (SSI)