The organizational flash and background trimming (more commonly called an “oval”) were approved for wear on 22 May 1989, a little less than six years after the 125th Military Intelligence Battalion’s constitution on 16 June 1983.
Organizational flashes are authorized for wear on one of four colored berets that signify each signify a distinct organization: marron for Airborne, green for Special Forces, tan for Ranger, and brown for Security Force Assistance Command/Brigade. Junior Enlisted Soldiers and NCOs wear their Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) centered on the beret stiffener (Regimental Distinctive Insignias are worn if a DUI has not been approved). Officers, on the other hand, wear their non-subdued, pin-on rank insignia.
Ovals are worn only by personnel who have been authorized to wear a Parachutist or Air Assault badge and are approved for wear on Service Uniform coats (AGSU and ASU, including the ASU Dress variation), Service Uniform shirts, and the Army Maternity Tunic (blue or green).
The main portion of the badge is centered on the oval (Senior and Master Parachutist badges have “crests” that are considered when centering), with the combination of the two counted as a single item toward (a) maximum number of badges or devices allowed on a uniform, and (b) measuring space between it and another badge, pocket, and so on, with measuring done from which components forms the outermost edge.
Although the 125th Military Intelligence Battalion as a whole was credited with just a single military decoration before its inactivation, it was an impressive one. On 4 November 2008—three years after the Battalion’s colors had been cased—the Department of the Army announced that the Battalion had been chosen for a Valorous Unit Award for its “extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy during Operation Iraqi Freedom” as it carried out an extensive number of offensive, support, and stability operations in its area of responsibility, which measured nearly 2,000 square miles, from three forward operating bases.