PRAEPARATUS ET VOLENS (“Prepared And Willing”), the unit motto displayed on the 217th Brigade Support Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, was previously the motto of two obsolete units: the 217th Engineer Battalion and the 217th Maintenance Battalion. It’s difficult to ascertain when the 217th Engineer Battalion was organized, but the HQ and HQ Company, 217th Engineer Battalion was redesignated as the 217th Maintenance Battalion in November 1967 and would go on to be awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991.
In September 1996, the 217th Maintenance Battalion was consolidated with the 5th Battalion, 206th Field Artillery to become the HQ and HQ Service Battery of the 1st Battalion, 206th Field Artillery in September 1996. Ten years later, the 217th Support Battalion was constituted (1 September 2006), but it wasn’t until 25 October 2007 that it was organized and Federally recognized. Designated as the 217th Brigade Support Battalion, the unit adopted the 217th Maintenance Battalion’s Distinctive Unit Insignia—first approved on 20 April 2962—in addition to its motto PRAEPARATUS ET VOLENS (“Prepared And Willing").
The star represents the Polaris, the North Star, and is an allusion to an award for a predecessor unit in the 217th Maintenance Battalion’s lineage for service in the Aleutian Islands during World War II, while the fleur-de-lis denotes service in Europe during the same war. Two triangular segments simulate searchlight beams as a reference to historical Coast Artillery Antiaircraft service, and the blue diamond recalls the Battalion's home state of Arkansas. As the only diamond-producing state in the country, Arizona’s sate flag features a diamond with a blue border.
The history and service of the 217th Brigade Support Battalion was recognized during a deactivation ceremony held at Fort Chaffee on Thursday, May 21, 2015.