U.S. ARMY 136TH COMBAT SUSTAINMENT AND SUPPORT BATTALION UNIT CREST (DUI)

The 136th Quartermaster Battalion, specializing in water treatment and supply, was organized as an element of the North Dakota Army National Guard in 1988. Just two years later, the Battalion was selected as one of fifteen water purification and distribution units for deployment to Southwest Asia as part of Operation Desert Storm.

Throughout the 1990s, the Battalion took part in missions assisting in the delivery of sanitary water in Nicaragua, Venezuela, Belize, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. In 2005, the unit was deployed for Operation Bright Star (Egypt), and in 2008, the Battalion was reorganized as the 136th Combat Sustainment and Support Battalion. Four years later, the unit moved into a new facility at Camp Grafton, and in 2013 it was deployed to Mauritania for overseas training.

Despite the reorganization and new title, however, the 136th Combat Sustainment and Support unit crest, or Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) , was not changed to reflect any type of new duty or authority (although that is not to say the unit does not have new tasks or responsibilities). The motto of the unit—"Strength, Spirit, Service—also remains unchanged.

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. 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 center the insignia 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" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.