Personnel serving in the 51st Signal Battalion (Expeditionary) are authorized to wear this organizational flash on the maroon beret that signifies the unit’s status as Airborne-qualified. The flash is worn centered on the maroon beret; Officers center their non-subdued insignia of rank on it, while NCOs and Junior Enlisted Soldiers use their Distinctive Unit Insignia or Regimental Distinctive Insignia.
However, not all personnel in the are authorized to wear the 51st Signal Battalion oval, or background trimming, which is authorized only for those who have earned a Parachutist or Air Assault Badge. Ovals are worn beneath the badge, with the main portion of the insignia centered on the oval. The combination of oval and badge— which is worn on Service Uniform coats and shirts (AGSU and ASU) and the blue or green Army Maternity Tunic—is considered a single item when measuring or mounting insignias.
Both the flash and oval were originally approved for the 426th Signal Battalion on 24 June 1992 and were subsequently redesignated for the 51st Signal Battalion on 14 May 1993.
Headquartered and located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, the 51st Expeditionary Signal Battalion is a subordinate unit of the 35th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade. It was originally constituted in July 1916 as the 5th Telegraph Battalion, Signal Corps; it was first redesignated as the 51st Signal Battalion in 1921, a designation it has retained since then with a few minor titular changes, the last coming in February 1955.
The battalion has served in five major conflicts—both World Wars, the Korean War, the Persian Gulf War, and the War on Terrorism—and is officially credited with taking part in nearly two dozen campaigns during its wartime service. Since World War II, it has been the recipient of four Meritorious Unit Commendations, most recently in 2010 for its 2008-2009 service in providing communications support to Multi-National Corps and Multi-National Force-Iraq.
The Battalion’s B Company B has also been tapped for additional awards, including MUCs from its Korean War service and a 2010-2011 deployment in Afghanistan and a Presidential Unit Citation for its contributions in the opening weeks of Operation Iraq Freedom in the spring of 2003. Its
SEMPER CONSTANS, Latin for “Always Constant.”
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