The 164th Engineer Group was a unit in the North Dakota Army National Guard with a lineage that goes back to the 1885 organization of the 1st Regiment, Dakota Militia in the Dakota Territory. Redesignated as the 1st North Dakota following induction into Federal service, the unit fought in the Philippine Insurrection, and as the 164th Infantry Regiment it also took part in action in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. Though mustered into Federal service on several occasions after World War II, it would not see combat again. It is not clear when this unit was inactivated, deactivated, redesignated, or merged with another unit under a different designation.
A pair of white towers bookending a stylized sea lion form the focal point of the 164th Engineer Group Distinctive Unit Insignia, also called a unit crest or a DUI. The sea lion, here grasping an arrow and a sword, is an allusion to service by the unit’s predecessors in the Philippine insurrection; the sea lion is found on myriad Philippine seals and heraldic device, including the coat of arms of the city of Manila. In the case of the 164th Engineer Group, it refers to action in and around Manila during the War with Spain and during the Philippine Insurrection. The two towers are also a reference to the city of Manila, and are also used to denote the organization’s status as an Engineer unit; the stars denote the Laguna de Bay and San Isidro campaigns of the Insurrection.
A spiral scroll simulates the waves of ocean water, with the blue area of the shield forming an island; together they refer to the participation of the unit’s forebears in the Guadalcanal and Northern Solomons campaigns in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. The colors of dark blue, gold, and scarlet are a reminder of the Navy Presidential Unit Citation earned during the fighting for the Northern Solomons, while red, white, and blue signify the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation the organization was awarded for the Leyte and Southern Philippines campaigns. The overall color scheme for the insignia, as well as the arrow being clutched by the sea lion, were inspired by the crest of the North Dakota Army National Guard to indicate the organization’s home area. "Duty, Honor, Integrity" was the Group's motto.
The 164th Engineer Group unit crest was approved on 8 July 1971.