A pair of white Oriental phoenixes form the center-piece of the 92nd Military Police Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, more commonly known as a unit crest or a DUI, that was originally approved on 27 June 1966. Taken from the flag of the President of the Republic of Korea, they represent the two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations awarded to the Battalion’s HQ and HQ Detachment for Korean War service. The mythical phoenix is said to rise from its own ashes to herald an auspicious—in this case, rule by law and order. An upright sword stands for justice and the military power to enable it, while the intertwined phoenixes are a reference to the maintenance of law and order through the implementation of military justice. The ring enclosing the green area symbolizes security.
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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Nicknamed “Phoenix Battalion” because of its eye-catching unit crest, the 92nd Military Police Battalion was originally constituted in the Army of the United States as HQ and HQ Detachment, 92nd Military Police Battalion on 8 June 1945, too late to see combat service during World War II. Inactivated in February 1946 in Belgium, the unit was reactivated in September 1950 and served in nine of the Korean War’s ten campaigns, earning the aforementioned Presidential Unit Citations for it outstanding service; it was inactivated in March 1952 while still in Korea.
Activated again on 15 September 1961, the Battalion was deployed to the Dominican Republic in the Operation Powerpack expedition in 1965 before being deployed to Vietnam, where it would serve in ten campaigns and earn two Meritorious Unit commendations. The Battalion would be inactivated in Vietnam on 5 February 1970; when it was activated on a Provisional basis on16 April 1990, it was in Panama following Operation Just Cause to seize Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega. It was inactivated on 15 October 1997 while still in Panama.
The Battalion’s last period of activation began 17 April 2006 at Fort Benning (renamed Fort Moore in October 2023). During the War on Terrorism, the HQ and HQ Detachment of the Battalion was awarded two more Meritorious Unit Commendations, one for a 2006-2007 tour and another for a 2011 deployment.
On 14 July 2016, the 92nd Military Police Battalion cased its colors in a ceremony held at Fort Leonard Wood as it was inactivated for what is now the final time—but just as in the past, there’s nothing that says the Phoenix cannot rise again.