Also known as a unit crest or DUI, the 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.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."
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The silver script used for “First Diamonds,” the motto of the 1st Finance Battalion displayed on the organization's Distinctive Unit Insignia, is written a scroll with a field of black, the color of strength and solvency. Physical silver and gold were, at one time in our nation, legal tender, which is why the colors silver gray and golden yellow are the primary and secondary colors of the Finance Corps.
A red sword in the center of the shield portion of the insignia is for valor and action, and together with the sun above it they recall the organization’s baptism of fire in the desert of Southwest Asia. Additionally, an upright sword represents military preparedness, and also serves to visually connote the unit’s numerical designation. The sword’s handguard is shaped like a diamond, recalling the branch insignia of the Finance Corps, and the gold in its center is for excellence and the setting of lofty standards.
The 1st Finance Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, more commonly called a unit crest, was approved on 19 October 1994. Originally designated as a Finance Company, the unit served in Vietnam in the earl 1970s, and the following decade it became the 1st Finance Support Unit. It was under this title that the unit served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, supporting the 1st Division and VII Corps for nearly half a year before returning stateside.
On 16 October 1992, the unit was redesignated as the 1st Finance Battalion and reorganized to comprise three Battalions while serving as a component of III Corps under the command and control of 13th Finance Group at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos). The 13th Finance Group would go on to be reorganized and redesignated as the 13th Financial Management Support Center before it was inactivated in December 2013.