U.S. ARMY 4TH AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY REGIMENT UNIT CREST (DUI)

With a service history that stretches back nearly 200 years, the 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment and units that comprise its lineage have served in a variety of branches and/or specialties in the U.S. Army, including Artillery, Coast Artillery, Harbor Defenses, Antiaircraft Artillery, Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion, and Field Artillery, and has taken part in campaigns in the War of 1812, Indian Wars, Mexican War, Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, the Grenada Armed Forces Expedition, and Southwest Asia (First Gulf War). Regimental decorations include three for service in Vietnam (Presidential Unit Citation, Meritorious Unit Citation, and a Valorous Unit Award) and the non-combatant Army Superior Unit Award.

Approved on 20 August 1928, the 4th Air Defense Artillery Regimental Distinctive Insignia (DUI), often called a unit crest, is based entirely on the Regiment’s history between the Mexican War and the end of the 19th century. A horizonally oriented fishhook symbolizes the Union defensive line at the Battle of Gettysburg, and the garb (sheath of wheat) is also a reference to the same battle. The twelve arrows behind the garb represent twelve Indian Battles that the Regiment fought. “AUDACIA,” the unit motto, translates from Latin into English as ‘By Daring Deeds.”

There have been five Battalions assigned to the Regiment over the decades. Today, only the 3rd Battalion and a single standalone battery (A) are still on active duty.


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.