The 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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
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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The 342nd Support Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia — a device also referred to as a “unit crest” or a DUI—is not included on
The Institute of Heraldry’s list of DUIs, Shoulder Sleeve Insignias, and Coats of Arms, nor is the insignia mentioned in
U.S. Army Heraldic Crests: A Complete Illustrated History of Authorized Distinctive Unit Insignia, the otherwise exhaustive review of unit crests authored by Barry Jason Stein and Peter Joseph Capelotti.
As for the Battalion rather than its insignia, it is completely absent on the Web site of the
U.S Army Center of Military History, a repository of of thousands of unit histories, lineages, and honors. Internet searches for the Battalion itself yield almost on information on the unit, with the most recent data on the organization stating that in 2011 it was assigned to the 27th Brigade Combat Team of the 42nd Infantry Division of the New York Army National Guard.
The imagery found on the Distinctive Unit Insignia provides only the most basic information on the Battalion’s history. A red chevron is a symbol of support, but there’s no way to know what the wavy line superimposed on it is supposed to represent (our guess is a river or some type of water the unit crossed over or served near to). A fleur-de-lis is always a symbol of service in France (either World War I or II) and an arrowhead is likely a reference to participation in an Indian War; the dragon’s head below the chevron could be a reference to service in a Far East location. “Support Not Words,” though certainly a laudable sentiment, offers no clue as to the unit’s provenance or lineage.
Please
email us if you have any additional information on this insignia or the 342nd Support Battalion.