United States Fifth Army was established on 5 January 1942 in Morocco, an event highlighted by a blue mosque found on the formation’s Shoulder Sleeve Insignia and its Distinctive Unit Insignia. Approved on 31 October 1966, the 5th Army Distinctive Unit Insignia features five stars arrayed in the shape of an downward-pointing arrow, mimicking the Roman numeral “V” for five—the number of campaigns which the organization took part during World War II. Blue is the color infantry, and gold is the heraldic color of high achievement and excellence.
The U.S. Fifth Army was briefly inactivated following World War II. Following redesignation as Fifth United States Army in 1957, it was given the command and control of U.S. Army Reserve Units, and in 1971 its headquarters were relocated to their current location at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. In 2004, the formation was redesignated as United States Army North and made the Army’s Service Component Command of United States Northern Command.
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a 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 (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. Current regulations do not permit the DUI to be 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.
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.Related Items
U.S. Army North Patch (SSI)