The 357th Support Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally designed for the 357th Quartermaster Battalion. Before being given its final designation, it was also approved for wear by the 357th Supply and Service Battalion. “Your Needs—Our Mission,” the unit motto, remained completely applicable even as the unit donned different mantles while executing its Support functions.
This insignia features a sheaf of wheat, a symbol of provision for Soldiers, set upon a blue water bouget—a charge (image) that has been used for centuries as an allusion to the transportation of water to a military camp. The two arrows on the side denote the unit’s place in the supply line as the link between headquarters and the frontline Soldiers.
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.
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An Army Reserve unit that had spent the vast majority of its service life headquartered in Athens, Georgia, the 357th Support Battalion was originally constituted in 1944 and inactivated I 2007. Prior to its final activation, a year-long deployment in Iraq that saw the unit return home in 2005, the Battalion’s previous active-duty experience came during 1991 Persian Gulf War.
In 2009, two years after its colors had been cased, the Battalion was tapped for a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service between February 2004 and December 2004. Assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 300th Support Group, the Battalion helped provide logistical support for more than 22,000 Soldiers in Southern Iraq, assisting in the delivery of more than 7 million gallons of fuel needed by 128,000-plus vehicles and the execution of 160 recovery operation missions that involved traveling more than 800,000 miles.