Commonly called a unit crest or DUI for short, the 147th Aviation Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia might boast the most colorful motto ever embraced by an Army unit—LYNCEI AGMINIS, or “The Hawk-Eyed Men Of The Combat Troops." Originally approved for the 47th Aviation Battalion on 16 July 1966, the DUI was redesignated for the 147th Aviation Regiment on 22 November 1987. In keeping with the theme of the unit motto, the top of the shield portion of the insignia displays a hawk’s head, signifying a keen eye for reconnaissance and vigilant watchfulness.
The blue in the insignia represents the sky and the white flanches denote clouds. The arched fess in the center simulates the curvature of the globe and thus alludes o earth. A trio of gold piles simulate ray of light and allude to communication. Several branches supported by the unit’s combat capabilities while serving as the 47th Aviation Battalion are referenced with branch colors: Infantry (blue and white), Artillery and Engineers (red), and Armor (yellow).
Distinctive Unit Insignias are 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. 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.
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The 147th Aviation Regiment was originally organized as Company D, 6th Infantry in the Minnesota National Guard on 30 January 1919, inheriting the five World War I campaign participation credits of the existing units used to form the organization. It was reorganized as Company D, 206th Infantry, an element of the 34th Division in 1923; it was relieved from that assignment when it was converted and redesignated as Battery D, 216th Coast Artillery on 1 July 1940. It would again be organized and redesignated in September 1943 as Battery D, 774th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion and was inactivated and then disbanded in June 1944.
(Note: the book Army Aviation from the U.S. Center of Military History, published in 1986 before the unit became a regiment, credits Company D, 147th Aviation Battalion with four World War II campaigns in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Two of those campaigns, however, had not even been launched when the 774th AA Artillery Gun Battalion was disbanded on 26 June 1944. It also lists Company D as receiving a Presidential Unit Citation for action on Papua in 1943 and a Philippines Presidential Unit Citation embroidered 17 OCTOBER 1944 TO 4 July 1945.)
It wasn’t until February 1959 that the unit was designated as an organization in the Aviation branch as the 47th Aviation Company, an element of the 47th Infantry Division. It was redesignated as the 47th Aviation Battalion in 1963 and would finally become a regiment in 1987 during a period in which a great many Aviation battalions were expanded and redesignated as regiments.
The Regiment’s units would not be deployed to a combat zone until after the launch of the War on Terrorism, with 1st Battalion beginning a string of deployments to Kuwait and Iraq in 2001; its most recent tour of duty was in 2017 when it was sent to Afghanistan in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. 2nd Battalion was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service in Iraq between 5 September 2007 and 19 July 2008, when it flew over 2,000 missions, hauled nearly two million pounds of materiel, and transported more than 80,000 Soldiers and other critical personnel, including Iraqi and American dignitaries and celebrities.
In January 2020, the 147th Aviation Regiment’s 1st Battalion is assigned to the 64th Troop Command, Wisconsin Army National Guard, while the 2nd Battalion is part of the 147th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 34th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, 34th Infantry Division in the Minnesota Army National Guard.