The Army Quartermaster truck on the 49th Transportation Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, often called a unit crest or a DUI for short, gives a nod to the unit’s history, which saw it designated as both a Quartermaster Truck Regiment (1942 to 1943) and a Transportation Corps Truck Battalion (1946 to 1954). The emblem below the truck denotes the organization’s ability to achieve all assigned mission goals at any points on the compass, with the color red used to indicate the unit’s military prowess. “We Never Stop” is a factual statement that reflects the continuous service rendered by the unit.Distinctive Unit Insignias are worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. 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.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
This insignia was originally approved on 27 January 1943 while the unit was designated the 49th Quartermaster Truck Regiment. Over the decades, it as been redesignated for wear by members of the 49th Quartermaster Battalion (April 1944), the 49th Transportation Center (January 1968), and of course the 49th Transportation Battalion, officially designated as 49th Transportation Battalion (Movement Control) and unofficially referred to as the 49th Movement Control Battalion.
The unit traces its roots back to the Regular Army and its constitution in it as HQ and HQ Detachment (HHD), 1st Battalion, 49th Quartermaster Regiment on 1 May 1936. Before it deployed to Europe during World War II, it was redesignated as HHD, 49th Quartermaster Battalion, Mobile, and it was under this designation that it took part in the Northern France and Central Europe campaigns before being inactivated in France on 8 April 1946.
Nearly forty-five years would elapse before the Battalion was deployed to a combat zone, a period that saw the under undergo no fewer than seven redesignations. While designated as the 49th Transportation Center, it deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990 and first assigned to XVIII Airborne Corps and then the 22nd Support Command, earning two campaign streamers and a Meritorious Unit Commendation. In 1999, it was redesignated as the 49th Transportation Battalion (Movement Control), and over the sixteen years its outstanding service during several deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan would be recognized with four Meritorious Unit Commendations.
As of Summer 2023, the 49th Movement Control Battalion is assigned to the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditonary), III Corps and is based at Fort Cavazos in Texas, previously known as Fort Hood.