The 372nd Military Intelligence Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), or unit crest, was approved for wear on 19 August 1998. A horizontal bar, called a fess in heraldry, stretches across the center of the insignia, its checkered pattern colored oriental blue and silver gray to denote the unit’s status as part of the Military Intelligence branch. The pattern also recalls a chessboard, and thus represents military strategy.
Besides indicating branch affiliation, the colors used in the insignia convey other information about the organization. Gold, for instance, is an allusion to the nickname “Golden State” for California, the unit’s location at the time the insignia was approved. Additionally, the contrast between gold and black is analogous to the contrast between night and day, emphasizing the round-the-clock vigilance the unit exercises, as well as covert and overt missions. A torch is a symbol of leadership, with the flames serving as an allusion to the “tongues of fire” that appeared above the heads of Jesus’ disciples as they used the “gift of tongues” in the Bible, an obvious reference to the linguistic capabilities of the Battalion.
Behind the torch are a crossed key and quill pen; the quill denotes the transcription and interpretation of information, while the key is a reference to the mission of Military Intelligence units. “In Search Of Truth” is the Battalion motto.
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 (Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam.
The 372nd Military Intelligence Battalion was constituted in the Organized Reserve Corps—later redesignated the Army Reserve—on 2 November 1950 and activated on 13 November of the same year. Inactivated on 28 February 1953, the unit was redesignated as Headquarters, Headquarters and Service Company, 372nd Military Intelligence Battalion on 28 March 1996 and activated eighteen months later on 16 September 1997 at Bell, California.
It was subsequently reactivated less than two years at while still located at Bell on 15 June 1999. On 16 September 2015, it was reactivated at Cincinnati, Ohio, where it remains headquartered as of Spring 2022. Still an Army Reserve unit, the Battalion is assigned to the 648th Regional Support Group, Military Intelligence Readiness Command.