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.
The Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 186th Support Battalion—now known as the 186th Brigade Support Battalion—was first approved back in November 1967. It was rescinded in 1976, then subsequently reinstated about a dozen years later on 25 February 1988. In the center of the insignia is a heraldic charge called a millrind, inspired by a component of the millstones at a grist mill that provides support for the top stone; here the millrind consists of the two vertical, flared bars that are connected a green-edged horizontal bar. Millrinds always symbolize support in heraldry, and the arrow seen here represents the arms and military materiel that the unit both supplies and supports.
Across the base of the insignia is a yellow scroll with the unit motto—“We Serve And Support”—inscribed in green lettering, with the “V” shape of the scroll recalling the state name of Vermont. In the upper portion of the insignia, the rounded green portion symbolizes the verdant Vermont landscape and its multitudes of hills.
The 186th Brigade Support Battalion is headquartered at Camp Johnson in Vermont, which also serves as the home base for the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.