OREGON ARMY NATIONAL GUARD ELEMENT, JOINT FORCE HQ UNIT CREST (DUI)

Also known as a unit crest or DUI, the Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) 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 (Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam.

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.

Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."

The design of the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the Oregon Army National Guard (ARNG) Element, Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) is a celebration of the state’s heritage. An upright North American Beaver recalls the state’s nickname “The Beaver State,” while the demi-sun behind it is an allusion to the state’s location on Western coast; the sun’s long scarlet rays indicate courage and a hardy disposition, as well as the ambitions and ideals of the pioneers who labored so hard to settle there.

An encircled star at the top of the insignia is a reference to the state capital of Salem, which is also home to the JFHQ of the Oregon National Guard. “Empire Builders,” the organization’s motto, is taken from the first phrase of the state song of Oregon.

This insignia was originally approved for the non-color and non-standard bearing units of the Oregon National Guard on 15 March 1929. On 19 November 1970, that insignia was cancelled and a new design was approved for the HQ and HQ Detachment and non-color bearing units of the Oregon ARNG. This insignia was subsequently redesignated for HQ, State Area Command, Oregon ARNG on 1 October 1982. The insignia would be given its current designation twenty-one years later to the day on 1 October 2003.

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