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 205th Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, also called a DUI or a unit crest, was approved on 4 April 1973. A scarlet saltire (“X”), a traditional symbol in heraldry signifying support, here also suggests a crossroad that symbolizes Engineering support and construction. The white background of the shield and the scarlet of the saltire incorporate the two colors of Engineer units. In the four areas outside the saltire are two arrows, a fleur-de-lis, and a crescent moon.
Two arrows denote the participation by the 105th Coast Artillery Battalion, a predecessor unit, in the assault landings during the campaigns in Algeria-French Morocco (November 1942) and in Sicily (July 1943). A crescent is adapted from the Tunisian flag to represent the campaign in that country for which the Battalion was awarded a French Croix de Guerre with Palm; it is also a reference to the “Crescent City” of New Orleans, near the unit’s headquarters in Bogalusa, Louisiana. The fleur-de-lis for service in France during World War I, while the unit’s forebears were assigned to the 39th Division. “Come What Will,” the unit motto, evokes the unyielding determination to achieve mission objectives regardless of any obstacles that might arise.
A unit in the Louisiana Army National Guard, the 205th Engineer Battalion is still headquartered at Bogalusa and is part of the 225th Engineer Brigade.