“Prepared To Defend” was the motto of the 246th Field Artillery Regiment, a Virginia Army National Guard unit with a lineage that extends to back to the Civil War. Given the official special designation of “Danville Light Artillery,” the unit was designated as an Artillery Regiment in 1959 under the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS), but was withdrawn from that system in 1987 and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System. It was inactivated in 2005.
Given the extensive number of reorganizations and redesignations the organization underwent over the years, the 246th Field Artillery Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia—a device often called “unit crest” or DUI—underwent relatively few redesignations. It was first approved for the 246th Coast Artillery Regiment on 1 March 1932, and was redesignated for the 246th Artillery Regiment on 9 May 1960; the motto was added to the insignia while it was authorized for this unit. On 24 July 1972, the insignia was redesignated for the 246th Field Artillery Regiment.
Red is used for the background of the shield portion of the insignia in recognition of the organization’s status as part of the Artillery branch. An inset in the upper left, called a canton, features a gray saltire on a yellow background to commemorate service fighting for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. The curved bend is in the colors of the rainbow to reflect that the unit served as part of the 42nd Division during World War II.
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Distinctive Unit Insignias are 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."