The 3297th U.S. Army Hospital is a deactivated unit in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Command. It was organized in Atlanta, Georgia on 22 August 1990 in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and was attached to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Medical Center at Fort Gordon, Georgia, the mobilization destination of the unit’s headquarters element. The personnel of the Battalion were assigned to various Army Medical Centers in the United States and in Kuwait.
In the mid-19990s, the Battalion was reorganized and its Headquarters relocated from Atlanta to Fort Gordon. The unit moved once again in 2008 to Charlotte, NC, where it spent the last eight years of its service life until its eventual inactivation in September 2016, one of nineteen units deactivated as the result of a 2013 Command Implementation Plan. Following its deactivation, the unit was transitioned into the 7409th U.S. Army Troop Medical Clinic.
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Approved on 27 September 1971, the 3297th U.S. Army Hospital Distinctive Unit Insignia features a cross of maroon on a white dogwood blossom, incorporating the colors of the Army Medical Department. The cross is a reference to the Hospital’s basic missions of aid and assistance; the four blue points suggest a saltire in background as an allusion to the state flag of Georgia; the circled star is for Atlanta, the state capital referred to as the “Dogwood City.” "Heal Protect Lead" was the organization's motto.
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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
More 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.