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.
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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The 169th Aviation Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia was approved on 7 July 1989. Its background of blue and bridle of tenné (a tint of orange) reflect the organization’s affiliation as an Army Aviation unit, with the color blue also alluding to the sky, area of operations for the unit.
Horses are renowned for their speed and strength, in particular and in heraldry they are also a symbol of military readiness; the wings have been added to point to an essential aspect—flight—of the unit’s mission. The organization’s heavy-lift capabilities are emphasized in the motto GRAVISSIMA LEVANS, Latin for “Lifting The Heaviest Thing."