The 448th Civil Affairs Battalion was originally constituted on 13 November 1950 as the 448th Military Government Company in the Organized Reserves and activated 15 November 1950. It was reorganized and redesignated several times, as the 448th Civil Affairs and Military Government Company (August 1956), the 448th Civil Affairs Company (December 1959), and finally as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD), 448th Civil Affairs Battalion on 16 September 1992. (Its HHD was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, or HHC, in 2005).
On four occasions since October 2002, elements of the Battalion (or elements of a Company in the Battalion) have been ordered into active military service, most recently when Companies A and B and other elements were called into service from March 2012 to April 2013. The Battalion as a whole has been called into service twice, first from August 2004 to December 2005 and the second beginning in July 2008 and ending in October 2009.
Since the inception of the War on Terrorism, the Battalion has earned three campaign streamers (Global War on Terrorism, Iraqi Surge, and Iraqi Sovereignty) and been awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation; its B Company was individually recognized with a Valorous Unit Award (Nineveh Province, 2005) and a Meritorious Unit Commendation (Iraq 2005-2006). As of Autumn 2023, the Battalion remains allotted to the U.S. Army Reserve and is assigned to the 364th Civil Affairs Brigade, 351st Civil Affairs Command, U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. It is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 448th Civil Affairs Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, also called a DUI or unit crest, was approved on 23 August 1994. The shield portion of the insignia features purple and white, branch colors of Civil Affairs, and a scroll and sword adopted from the Civil Affairs branch insignia. Behind the sword and scroll is a light blue sphere, a reference to the unit’s worldwide mission and capabilities, while the gold used for the sword and the text of the uniti motto “Excellence Thru Teamwork” stands for excellence.The 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. 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.
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.