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.
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 36th Brigade, 50th Armored Division Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved on 12 January 1967 for the 36th Infantry Brigade. It was rescinded in 1976 while the unit was in a strange state of limbo: It had been redesignated as the 36th Airborne Brigade in the Texas Army National Guard on 1 November 1973, but as a Headquarters with no assigned elements, a status that remained unchanged up until it was disbanded in 1980. The insignia was reinstated with revised symbolism and description for the 36th Brigade, 50th Armored Division on 27 July 1989—but within three years the unit itself was redesignated as the 36th Brigade, 49th Armored Division. It is unclear if the insignia was ever redesignated for wear with its new parent company.
Crafted in blue and white, the colors long associated with Infantry, its Distinctive Unit Insignia—also called a “unit crest” or DUI for short—has in its center a white star. Taken from the Texas state flag, it is an allusion to the Brigade’s allotment to the Texas Army National Guard. A pair of horns from a Texas Longhorn—an historic breed noted for being an alert, rugged, swift-footed, and aggressive fightger—form the base upon which the star rests; the long, sharp horns denote the tactical mission and the fighting spirit embodied in the organization’s performance. A sprig of live oak recalls the oak leaves on the state seal of Texas; symbolic of strength and perseverance, here hey connote the varied support capabilities of the Brigade. The unit motto of “I’ll Lead You” is a quotation attributed to one of the state’s most famous military leaders, General John Bell Hood.