The 86th Signal Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, often called a unit crest or DUI, was authorized on 20 June 1966, but the design was rescinded and a new one authorized on 27 August 1996. It was amended to correct the description on 7 December 2001. Fort Huachuca, the home station of the 86th Signal Battalion, is found in Arizona, and the rays seen in the chief (top third of the shield) are suggested by the Arizona state flag. There are thirteen rays in all, a reference to the total number of campaign credits earned in the two wars the Battalion had fought as of the amended description date of 2001. Two red sectors are a reference to the Battalion’s two Meritorious Unit Citations earned as of that date; the black and white rays allude to the knowledge required for nighttime and daytime signal operations.
The tiger in the insignia is a symbol of Vietnam, the site of the Battalion’s initial wartime service. A lightning bolt suggest electronic communications and the speed at which they are delivered. The crescent beneath the tiger and lightning bolt is outlined in the colors of the Kuwait flag and is emblematic of the entire Persian Gulf area, recalling the Battalion’s service in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. “First Voice Heard” is the unit 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. 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.
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Activated 1 June 1966 at Fort Bragg (now known as Fort Liberty) in North Carolina, the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 86th Signal Battalion fought in a dozen Vietnam War campaign, earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation, a Republic of Vietnam (ROV) Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and an ROV Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class. On 30 April 1971 the Battalion was inactivated while still in Vietnam.
Reactivated on 1 July 1977 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, the Battalion would deploy to Kuwait in 1990 and service in all three campaigns of the First Gulf War (Southwest Asia), garnering another Meritorious Unit Commendation. The Battalion was reorganized and redesignated in 1998 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 86th Signal Battalion, with its organic elements constituted and activated at the same. Since the launch of the War On Terrorism, the Battalion has been honored with a Navy Presidential Unit Citation (2003) and three Meritorious Unit Commendations.
During the first decade of the new millennium, the unit’s designation was changed to the 86th Expeditionary Signal Battalion and its home station became Fort Bliss.