The shield portion of the 4th Brigade Support Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia is colored gold because that is nearest heraldic equivalent to buff, the branch color of the Quartermaster Corps, the unit’s original branch of service. A red (diagonal bar) is taken from the coat of arms of Lorraine, and the gold fleur-de-lis is from the arms of Ile-de-France. “Strength Thru Support” is the Battalion motto.
Also called a unit crest or DUI, this Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved on 2 December 1963 for the 4th Supply and Transport Battalion. It was redesignated with revised description and symbolism for the 4th Support Battalion on 2 June 1987.
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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Originally constituted on 19 November 1917 in the Regular Army as the 4th Supply Train and assigned to the 4th Division, the 4th Brigade Support Battalion maintained its numerical designation for over 100 years even as it served under an astonishing variety of titles and organizational designations: Division Train, Quartermaster Train, Quartermaster Regiment/Battalion/Company, Motorized Quartermaster, Supply and Transport, Support Battalion, and of course Brigade Support Battalion. But there have been two constants throughout this history: it has always been assigned to the 4th Division / Infantry Division, and its mission has always involved Support.
The Battalion’s battle honors include more than twenty campaigns—five in each World War, eleven in Vietnam, and a number yet to be determined for its service in the War on Terrorsim—and its numerous unit decorations reflect a steadfast dedication to accomplishing the mission at hand to enable victory for the units it is supporting.
In World War II, its service was recognized with a Belgian Fourragere reflecting two citations in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army during the Battle of the Bulge, and its two Meritorious Unit Commendations for Vietnam service between 1967 and 1970 are augmented with a pair of Republic of Vietnam (ROV) Cross of Gallantry with Palm awards and an ROV Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class. During the War on Terrorism, the extraordinary heroism it displayed while serving with the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division during the crucial first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom was honored with a Valorous Unit Award, followed by Meritorious Unit Commendations for service on two subsequent deployments in 2005-2006 and 2008-2008.
As of Autumn 2023, the unit is still assigned to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and is stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado.