The 5502nd U.S. Army Hospital Augmentation Distinctive Unit Insignia, more familiarly known as a DUI or a unit crest, was approved on 13 February 1994. In its center is a winged staff that alludes to the medical service provided by the Hospital. Golden rays from a sun that is rising behind the winged staff is a reference to its home location in Aurora, Colorado: Aurora was the goddess of the dawn in Roman mythology, “aurora” in its lower-case spelling is synonymous with dawn.
A blue, zig-zag style line on which the staff rests is a stylized image of a mountain range that hearkens to the unit’s location and the mountains of Colorado, while the placement of the winged staff above the mountains reinforces the concept of the organization‘s motto to “Value Life Above All.” The shape of the mountains also suggests the letter “M,” the Roman “numeral” for 1,000 and the Hospital’s number of beds.
A unit in the United States Army Reserve, the 5502nd is normally listed simply as a U.S. Army Hospital, with the “Augmentation” descriptor suggesting it is activated on as-needed basis. Inactive as of July 2021, the last reference to the unit being active is seen in a report on the Army Reserve Medical Command’s 2016 Best Warrior Competition held at Fort Gordon, Georgia (redesignated Fort Eisenhower in October 2023).
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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 (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.
Enlisted personnel wear the insignia centered on 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.
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.