While a unit's Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB) and its unit patch (SSI) are identical, its Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI) is often unique in comparison. The 66th Theater Aviation Command’s unit crest was originally approved for its predecessor, the 66th Aviation Brigade, on July 19th, 1989 and was the crest was redesignated for the 66th Aviation Command on June 14th 2007. The unit was subsequently redesignated as a Theater Aviation Command before it was inactivated in 2017.
One design element shared by the SSI and DUI is a peregrine falcon in the center that serves as a a reminder of the unit’s mission of attacking and destroying enemies from the sky. The mountain in the center and the mountain range in the background symbolize Mount Rainer and Mount Saint Helens in the Washington Cascade range, reflecting the unit’s home in the northwest United States. The color of the border on the crest is ultramarine blue, the primary color of the old U.S. Army Aviation forces.
“Speed, Courage, Power,” the Command's motto, is inscribed in gold lettering on the border of its unit crest and is another reference to the unit’s mission of striking from the skies. And while its enemies range from enemy combatants to natural disasters. the response of the Command always embodies that motto.
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Distinctive Unit Insignias are 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 (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. Current regulations do not permit the DUI to be worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
More 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.Related Items