The 527th Engineer Battalion unit crest—a device technically known as a Distinctive Unit Insignia, or DUI—was approved on 11 January 1978. Scarlet and white, Engineer colors, are used exclusively on the shield portion of the insignia, with white, wavy horizontal bars serving as a reference to the Northern Louisiana town of Bossier City on the Red River, site of the Battalion's Headquarters at the time the insignia was approved . White chevrons and a vertical bar suggest a network of roads, bridges, and construction in general as well as an arc that that is a symbol of strength and reinforcement. “With Pride We Build” is the Battalion motto.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. More 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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A unit in the Louisiana Army National Guard (ARNG), the 527th Engineer Battalion was deployed to Europe during World War II and took part in four officially named campaigns: Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Northern France, and Central Europe. It was also deployed to Korea, but did not earn campaign credits there.
The Battalion as a whole has been called into active Federal service twice, first in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and again in 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom It was during the latter activation that the Battalion, deployed to Afghanistan from January to August in 2003, earned a Valorous Unit Award for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy. Its most recent deployment, which lasted from Winter 2021 until December 2022, saw nearly 250 personnel from the Battalion s conducting horizontal and vertical construction operations in Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, and Qatar in support of Operations Spartan Shield and Inherent Resolve.
As of Autumn 2023, the 527th Engineer Battalion is a subordinate unit in the Louisiana ARNG's 225th Engineer Brigade and is headquartered at Ruston, a small town in North Central Louisiana.