The 776th Brigade Engineer Battalion was originally organized from new and existing companies as Special Troops Battalion, 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in the Indiana Army National Guard on 1 September 2007. The existing companies used to organize the Special Troops Battalion brought with them credit for participation in campaigns from World War I and World War II, as well as military decorations for individual Battalion components, specifically the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation from World War II for Companies A and C.
Headquartered at Indianapolis, the Battalion was called into active Federal Service on 12 December 2007 at home stations. It was not released from service until 12 January 2009, when it reverted back to state control. On 1 October 2014, the Special Troops Battalion, 75th Infantry Brigade Combat Team—also called the 76th Brigade Special Troops Battalion—was redesignated as the 776th Engineer Battalion and activated officially with its headquarters at Lawrence, a city within the city of the Indianapolis.
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The Distinctive Unit Insignia for the 776th Engineer Battalion was originally approved for the Special Troops Battalion, 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team on 1 July 1968. It was subsequently given its current designation for the 776th Engineer Battalion, with revised symbolism, with an effective date of 1 September 2014. Today, the insignia is worn and used by the 776th Brigade Engineer Battalion.
Colors are used throughout the insignia to point to the various Army branches from which the components of a Special Troops Battalion, the organization’s original designation, are drawn. A silver-gray saltire, or “x” shape, divides the shield portion of the insignia into four distinct quarters, each with its own distinct color. At the top center, for example, is a triangle of flag blue, the color of Infantry since the days of the Revolution and an indicator that the Battalion was assigned to an Infantry Brigade. Moving clockwise from the twelve o’clock position, the orange quarter holds a lightning flash, an obvious reference to a Signal Corps unit as orange is the Signal branch color and the flash denotes the speed of modern communications.
The brick wall in the six o’clock position is a symbol of the construction function of Engineer units. Finally, at the nine o’clock spot, a single-warded key on an oriental blue background is the emblem of Military Intelligence units. The crossed scimitars on the gray saltire are a sign of military readiness and the Battalion’s actual campaign actions at the time the insignia was approved. NUNQUAM DECEDIMUS, unit motto, is Latin for “We Never Quit.”
Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a 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.
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.