The Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 504th Aviation Battalion was constituted on 19 June 1963 and activated on 10 September following the reorganization and redesignation of the 504th Aviation Company, which had been constituted and activated in April 1957 and assigned to the 4th Armored Division at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos) in Texas. On 15 January 1967, Company A was inactivated, with the remainder of the Battalion following suit on 5 June 1967.
A blue-and-white patterned background on the 504th Aviation Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, also called a “unit crest” or DUI, is a reference to the coat of arms of Bavaria, site of the Battalion’s first assignment overseas. The set of wings denotes the unit’s Aviation function and the star alludes to the Lone Star state of Texas, site of the unit’ activation (although stars referring to Texas are almost always five-pointed rather than eight-pointed). “By Our Deeds Alone” was the unit motto.
The 504th Aviation Battalion DUI was approved on 27 August 1965.
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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 (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.
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.
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.