Surmounting two golden palm trees, the Greek cross on the Tripler Army Medical Center Distinctive Unit Insignia (aka “unit crest” or DUI) symbolizes the provision of medical care by the staff and facilities of the Center. It is also a reference to the Southern Cross, a familiar nighttime sight in the skies over Hawaii, the unit’s home state. Another reminder of the Center’s location is an hibiscus (Hawaiian state flower) at the base of the insignia and a stylized representation of Diamond Head, famous geographical landmark on the island of Oahu. The blue water at the insignia base symbolizes the origins of life and its ongoing sustenance; it also is a reference to the Pacific Ocean and the sky.
The Tripler Army Medical Center Distinctive Unit Insignia was first approved on 27 July 1971. According to The Institute of Heraldry, it was amended just a few months (22 September 1971) to later “to change the shade of blue used for the water in the description of the design.”
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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
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Tripler Army Medical Center’s history dates back to 1907 when several wooden buildings at Fort Shafter’s Palm Circle were pressed into use as a hospital. It was named Tripler General Hospital in 1920 in honor of Brevet Brigadier General Charles Stuart Tripler to commemorate his contributions to Army medicine during the Civil War. Tripler authored the “Manual of the Medical Officer of the Army of the United States” in 1858 and it soon became the standard reference for medical officers, in no small part because it provided standardized physical requirements for Army recruits.
Administered by the United States Army, Tripler Army Medical Center is the headquarters of the Pacific Regional Medical Command of United States Armed Forces and serves local active and retired military personnel and forces deployed in more than 40 other countries in the region, as well as residents of nine U.S. jurisdictions.
For its service in World War II, Tripler Army Medical Center is the only medical treatment facility in the U.S. Army to have been awarded a battle streamer. The facility treated an average of almost 2,000 patients per day requiring treatment for injuries and illnesses sustained in the Marianas, Solomon Islands, the Philippines and other Pacific battlegrounds.