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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
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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The 87th Air Defense Artillery Group Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for the 87th Artillery Group on 26 August 1969 and was redesignated for the 87th Air Defense Artillery Group on 4 April 1972.
Scarlet and yellow, branch colors for Air Defense Artillery units, are the predominant tones in the insignia. Resting on a scroll containing the motto DEFENSORES BOREAE (“Defenders Of The North”) are two outward-facing
chinthe, Burmese sacred griffins. The imagery, adapted from the seal of the Republic of Burma (now Myanmar), indicates defensive vigilance; it is used here to commemorate the unit’s service in Burma during World War II.
A gold star in the center of the insignia represents both the North Star and its presence on the state flag of Alaska, the location where the Group was stationed and operated two Nike missile battalions north and south of the Alaska range. The rays emanating outward suggest the Aurora Borealis, a common meteorological phenomena seen in northern skies and thus recalling the function of the Group to constantly scan the skies for any sign of the enemy.
The 87th Air Defense Artillery Group was inactivated in 1972.