Referred to by many as a DUI or a unit crest, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the Special Troops Battalion, 72nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division was approved for wear on 21 April 2010. While that Battalion has either been redesignated, reflagged, inactivated, or disbanded, it is not clear if this DUI is being worn by the 172nd Brigade Engineer Battalion (BEB), the type of unit the Army used to replace active-duty Special Troops Battalions beginning in 2014.
This insignia incorporates imagery of the different branches from which units are drawn to make a Special Troops Battalion (STB). On the lower half of the shield portion is a masoned wall, an allusion to the Engineering unit that is considered the foundation of an STB, one reason that the Army chose to transform them as part of the Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment plan.
A griffin passant is above the wall, representing the tactical strength and defensive functions provided by the unit’s Military Police component. In its paw it is clutching a single-warded key and a lightning bolt; the key signifies the knowledge that is assimilated, analyzed, disseminated, and guarded by the Military Intelligence element, and the lightning bolt is a common image associated with the Signal Corps. An ace is a good-luck symbol for what was, at the time, a newly created unit, with its black color denoting constancy and fortitude; it also served as a connection to the use of the ace by Soldiers in previous conflicts and wars.
Altogether, there are five colors in the insignia that represent Army branches: light blue for Infantry (the branch of the unit’s commanding organization), orange for Signal Corps, oriental blue for Military Intelligence, red for Engineers, and yellow (gold) for the Military Police. “Fight As One,” the unit motto, is a reminder that these diverse elements join together to serve as a single force to achieve mission goals.
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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.