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 (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.
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 Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 17th Support Group was authorized on 10 June 1991. Almost every design element used in the insignia, including the hues of the color palette, point to the location of the Group’s home station in Japan.
In the center of the insignia are three images that are immediately associated with Japan—a torii gate, Mount Fuji, and the rising sun—that are crafted in red, white, and blue as a reminder of the national heritage of the 17h Support Group. Torii gates are seen at the entrance to shrines for Shinto worship, the largest religion in Japan, and Mount Fuji is the nation’s highest mountain peak.
The Image of the sun and its rays are the visual translation of the word Nippon, the Japanese name for the nation that textually translates as “Source Of The Sun;” the rays of the sun are also an emblem of the country’s self-defense forces. “Supporting The Orient,” the Group’s motto, is inscribed in silver (purity) on a scroll of black (integrity).
While the 17th Support Group is no longer active, we encourage former members of the unit to send us any information they have regarding its formation, deployment record, combat history, and eventual inactivation.