Purple is the primary color of the United States Army Civil Affairs branch, and it predominates in the design of the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) that was approved on 5 March 1993, serving as the background of both the shield and scroll portions of the insignia. Gold, the color of achievement and honor, is used for the text of the Battalion motto, “Civil Military Cooperation,” as well as for the lion and zig-zag partition on the shield.
The lion and sword denote the military mission necessary to restore order and ensure stabilization once the victory, symbolized by the palm leaf, is secured. The zig-zag partition is actually a stylized rendering of sand dunes, an image that recalls service in the Middle East. The Southwest Asia locale is also suggested by the scimitar, a standard Middle East bladed weapon, and the lion, commonly used to represent kingdoms or countries of the Middle East.
Also known as a unit crest or DUI, the 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 (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.
Full guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1,
Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia."♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
According to its Official Facebook page, the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion was created through the consolidation of the old 401st Civil Affairs Battalion and the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion and thus has units in the New York towns of Webster and Tonawanda. Over the past three decades, the unit has deployed to Africa and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait), Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Uzbekistan, and its personnel have also been attached to other units in support of dozens of other missions.
While the Battalion as a whole has not been tapped for a military decoration, this is due in no small part to the fact that rarely is the entire Battalion deployed to a single location. For example, the Battalion, less Company B, was honored with a Meritorious Unit Commendation for service involving support to establish an effective government in the Nineveh Province between June 2005 and December 2005—but while absent from the Battalion, Company B was busy earning a Valorous Unit Award for service between May and September of the same year supporting Operations Veterans Forward and Restoring Rights in the Tal Afar Governorate in northwester Iraq.
Other subordinate unit awards include a Meritorious Unit Commendation for Company B (October 2008 to July 2009) as well as one for Company A (September 2008 to June 2009).
When not ordered into active Federal military service, the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion is assigned to the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, 352nd Civil Affairs Command of the United States Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command.