U.S. ARMY RESERVE READINESS COMMAND UNIT CREST (DUI)

While The Institute of Heraldry (TIOH) does not have an entry for any of the insignias worn by personnel assigned to U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Command, the reference book U.S. Army Patches, Flashes and Ovals: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cloth Unit Insignia by Army insignia maven Barry Jason Stein states that the organization’s Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) was approved on 14 September 1998, and it's reasonable to assume its unit crest—officially known as a Distinctive Unit Insignia, or DUI—was approved around the same time. The TIOH does indicate the the unit motto, "Partners In Readiness,” was transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve Joint and Special Troops Support Command (USARJSTC), a reassignment typically seen when a unit or command has been redesignated. But it does not state when the motto was transferred, and further complicating research into the lineage of this DUI is the fact that the USARJSTC was itself redesignated as the 76th United States Army Reserve Operational Response Command in 2013.

The shieldlike insignia is almost identical to the design of the organization’s SSI, differing only in the gold border that has been added to the outlines of the key and quill pen. An upright, unsheathed sword is a traditional symbol of military preparedness and readiness, with the national colors red (pale), white (field), and blue (key and pen) denoting the organization’s mission to safeguard and defend the ideals of liberty and freedom upon which our nation was founded. Gold is used for the sword, scroll, and trim to indicate excellence.

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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. 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.

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