The 224th Military Intelligence Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, more commonly referred to as a unit crest or a DUI, was approved on 21 October 1981. Its shield portion is divided into four quadrants of oriental blue and silver gray, official branch colors of the Military Intelligence Corps, with the arrangement of the colors serving as a reference to the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry earned by A Company. A griffin embodies the characteristics of the unit: vigilance and awareness of an eagle combined with the strength and courage of a lion, with wings that denotes the unit’s Airborne mission (which is emphasized by the unit motto “Vigilance Above”). The electronic flashes grasped by the griffin are an allusion to the organization’s electronic data collection.
Distinctive Unit Insignias are worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. 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 224th Military Intelligence Battalion was originally constituted as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 224th Aviation Battalion on 1 June 1966 and activated in Vietnam. It was converted and redesignated on 19 May 1971 as HQ and HQ Company, 224th Army Security Agency Battalion, and a decade later it was redesignated as the HQ and HQ and Service Company, 224th Military Intelligence Battalion. At the same time, the 172nd Military Intelligence Detachment was reorganized and redesignated as the Battalion’s Company B while the 144th Aviation Company was converted and redesignated as its Company A.
In all, the lineage of the 224th Military Intelligence Battalion is credited with participation in fifteen campaigns in the Vietnam War, as well as three Meritorious Unit Commendations and a Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm from the same conflict. At the time it became Company A, the 172nd Military Intelligence Detachment’s honors included a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation from World War II and from its service in Vietnam a Meritorious Unit Commendation, A Republic of Vietnam (ROV) Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and a ROV Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class.
Since the inception of the War on Terrorism, the Battalion as a whole has earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation, and several elements of the Battalion have been individually selected for the same honor, with Company B (or a Detachment from it) being tapped for a MUC on five occasions. As of Autumn 2023, the Battalion has Soldiers, Civilians, and other partners serving in five distinct locations on four continents, with its Headquarters based at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia.