The 509th Signal Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, also called a DUI or unit crest, was originally approved on 10 February 1967. It was subsequently amended to revise its description and symbolism on 22 September 1993.
A pair of fleurs-de-lis on the insignia commemorate the campaign honors the Battalion was awarded for service in Europe during World War II. At the base of each fleur-de-lis is a lightning bolt; the two are conjoined as a reference to the unit’s coordination and swift delivery of radio and land-line communications, while a third lightning bolt with an Arrowhead is a symbol of the Battalion’s preparation and aggressive approach to mission fulfillment. A hemisphere in the background recalls the organization’s worldwide reach, and FACIEMUS FORTIUS, the unit motto, is Latin for “We Shall Act Bravely.”
Distinctive Unit Insignias are 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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 509th Signal Battalion was originally constituted on 11 December 1944 as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD), 3906th Signal Service Battalion in the Army of the United States and activated on 17 January 1945. It would take part in two campaigns in Europe before being inactivated on 31 August 1946. On 27 June 1947, the unit was redesignated as the HHD, 509th Signal Service Battalion and activated on 20 July 1947 in Korea, only to be inactivated on 25 January 1949 while still in Korea.
In January 1952, the unit was redesignated as HQ, 509th Signal Service Battalion and allotted to the Regular Army and was activated on 15 February 1952 at Camp San Luis Obispo, California. A little over a year later it was reorganized and redesignated as HQ, 509th Signal Battalion on 12 March 1953, but was inactivated on 3 December 1954. Almost a decade elapsed before the unit was redesignated as HHD, 509th Signal Battalion on 1 March 1963 and subsequently activated at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas on 25 March 1963.
After taking part in two campaigns in the Vietnam War, it would experience an eight-year-plus period of inactivation beginning in January 1968 in Vietnam and ending on 1 December 1976 in Italy. Since the start of the War on Terrorism, the Battalion has been credited with participation in three campaigns (one in Afghanistan, two in Iraq) and might yet quality for others; it was also honored with a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its 2003 service in Iraq and an Army Superior Unit Award for service between 2009 and 2010.
As of Autumn 2023, the 509th Signal Battalion—also designated as the 509th Strategic Signal Battalion—is assigned to the 2nd Theater Signal Brigade and is based at Vicenza, Italy