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.
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Approved on 29 January 1954, the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion unit crest borrows the shield from the 36th Engineer Regiment to indicate its descent from that organization (see below). A horizonal wavy line represents the sea, with a sea horse commemorating the unit’s amphibious operations and marine transportation duties. “GONG MU RO,” the unit motto, is Korean for “Duty.”
Activated on 1 June 1941 as the 36th Engineers and redesignated as the 36th Engineer Combat Regiment, today’s 14th Engineer Battalion is credited with taking part in an amazing ten campaigns during World War II—and in fully half of them they were part of the forces that hit the beaches as part of amphibious assault landings. Following the war, the Regiment was broken up and on 29 April 1947 the unit became the 14th Engineer Combat Battalion. In Korea it continued its tradition as a combat battalion—it is nicknamed the “Rugged Brigade”—by taking part in all ten of the campaigns in the Korean War, earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation and a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation in the process.
During the Vietnam War, the Battalion took part in a dozen of the conflict’s seventeen campaigns, and its exceptional service was recognized by both the Army (which awarded it another Meritorious Unit Commendation) and the government of Vietnam (which gave it the Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class). Most recently, the Battalion has deployed to Southwest Asia on numerous occasions in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, adding five Meritorious Unit Commendations and a Valorous Unit Award to its medal case.
As of Summer 2023, the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion is assigned to to the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division and is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.