While much of the imagery on the 152nd Chemical Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia pays homage to the organization’s service in the Armor branch, the Battalion was actually birthed as an Infantry unit on 10 July 1920 as the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry in the Alabama National Guard. It was redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 167th Infantry, an element of the 39th Division in December 1921, but was reassigned to the “Dixie” Division—the 31st Infantry Division—before the start of World War II.
Deployed to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, the Battalion fought in three campaigns, earning Arrowhead devices for participation in assault landings in the New Guinea and Southern Philippine campaigns and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. In 1959, it was redesignated as the 152nd Armor, a parent regiment in the Combat Arms Regimental System, and in 1973 was reorganized to consist of 1st Battalion, an element of the 31st Armored Brigade, and the 2nd Battalion. In 2002, the 31st Armored Brigade became the 31st Chemical Brigade and the 152nd Armor was reorganized and redesignated as the 152nd Chemical Battalion, an element of the Brigade.
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The 152nd Chemical Battalion Distinctive Unit
Insignia—also called a unit crest or DUI—was originally approved for the 152nd Armor Regiment on 16 July 1970. It was redesignated for the 152nd Chemical Battalion, Alabama Army National Guard, with an effective date of 30 September 2002. The Battalion’s lineage is highlighted in its unit crest with the use of yellow, the color of armor, and blue wavy bars that denote water and the three World War II campaigns the battalion fought in with the 31st Infantry division; its Arrowhead devices are represented by the two reversed piles (in heraldry, a pile is downward pointing triangle). The Philippine Presidential Unit Citation is symbolized with the red pile in the middle that has emblazoned with a gold sea lion taken from the seal of the President of the Philippines. “Ready Without Reason,” the Battalion motto, encapsulates the constant vigilance and preparedness that led to it success in every combat situation in which the unit found itself.
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.As of 2023, the 152nd Chemical Battalion appears to have been inactivated because it is no longer listed on the unit list of the Alabama Army National Guard. It is also possible it was redesignated, deactivated, or disbanded.