Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. The design of the 101st Ordnance Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia is based upon the unit’s flag and crest that were approved in 1967. It features two artillery projectiles bookending an adapted version of the “shell and flame” long associated with ordnance imagery. With each projectile serving as a “1” and the shell as “0,” the insignia immediately displays the unit’s numerical designation and its affiliation with the Ordnance Corps. One thing missing from the insignia, however, is the unit motto, "First Only First."
The DUI 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. 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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Activated on 27 August 1942 at Fort McCllellan, Alabama, the 101st Ordnance Battalion served in the European Theater during World War II, earning streamers for action in the Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, and Ardennes-Alsace campaigns. It was inactivated in France following the end of the war in Europe.
Reactivated on 1 June 1959 at Siegelsbach, Germany, the Battalion was assigned to the 57th Ordnance Group until December, when it was reassigned to the 47th Ordnance Group and attached to the 57th Ordnance Brigade and Seventh Army Support Command. Over the following decades, it would be reassigned to several different support commands, including to the 2nd Support Command (Corps), or 2nd COSCOM. It was deployed during the conflict in Southwest Asia and earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
The 101st Ordnance Battalion is no longer active, but it is unclear whether it was inactivated, redesignated, reflagged, or disbanded.