The 84th Ordnance Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, sometimes referred to as a unit crest or DUI, was approved on 31 March 1967. Its crimson and yellow colors signify the Battalion’s status as a unit in the Ordnance branch. Five tongues of flame that serve as a crest denote the Battalion’s battle honors for fighting in five campaigns in the European Theater during world War II. Beneath it, the black key symbolizes the unit’s service in the Army of Occupation of Germany; it also is a reference to the unit’s lineage that goes back to the 84th Quartermaster Battalion. A triangle signifies the unit’s support capabilities, while the grenade superimposed over it, along with the flames, reflect the unit’s command and oversight of ammunition units and its control over explosive ordnance. "Prepared Anytime" is the unit motto.
Full 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.
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After taking part in five campaigns in the European Theater during World War II and then serving in the Army of Occupation of Germany, the 84th Ordnance Battalion—also known by the nickname Crimson Talons”—was inactivated until 5 June 1951, when it was reactivated at the Karlsfeld Ordnance Depot in Germany. It was redesignated the 84th Ordnance Battalion (Ammo) on 3 January 1955, and a decade later its Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment became a Headquarters and Headquarters Company (June 1965).
Following another period of inactivation, the 84th Ordnance Battalion (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) was reactivated in 2007 and placed under the control of the 71st Ordnance Group, which had been organized and activated the previous year. On 30 September 2016, the 84th Ordnance Battalion was inactivated for the final time—or, considering how many times the unit has been reactivated, it might be more appropriate to term it the “most recent” inactivation.