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.
For Enlisted personnel, the insignia is 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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Approved on 2 February 1990, a little more than seven months before it was activated at Fort Hood on September 16, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 3rd Personnel Group features three quill pens with their nibs meeting in the center of a circle. This recalls the design of the insignia of III Corps, which the unit supported during World War II when it was operating under the designation 3rd Replacement Depot. In all, the 3rd Replacement Depot took part in five World War II campaigns—Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe—which are represented by the five points of the star found in the insignia.
The 3rd Replacement Depot was inactivated on 1 May 1947 in Germany. Following its 1990 redesignation as the 3rd Personnel Group and subsequent activation in Texas, the unit deployed to Kuwait in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. It was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service between 17 December 1990 and 2 June 1991.
After returning to Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos), the 3rd Personnel Group was responsible for command and control of unit assigned service support roles for III Corps, bringing the motto “Serving Caring Leading” to life. It was inactivated on 9 July 2003.