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 (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.
For Enlisted personnel, the insignia is centered on a shoulder loop by placing it an equal distance from the outside shoulder seam to the outside edge of the shoulder-loop button. Officers (except Generals) wearing grade insignia on the shoulder loops center the DUI by placing it an equal distance between the inside edge of the grade insignia and the outside edge of the button.
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 Institute of Heraldry, the official source regarding the origins of Army insignias and the meaning of the symbolism they employ, does not have an entry for the 501st Finance Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia, a device more commonly known as a unit crest or DUI. Similarly, the U.S. Army Center of Military History, far and away the most extensive source of information on the origins, history, and lineage of Army units and organizations, has no record online of the Battalion.
There are a couple of design elements that point to this DUI as being designed for a Finance unit. One is the area in the center that is silver with a gold circle and five-pointed “star;” golden-yellow and silver-gray are the branch colors of the Finance Corps. Another is that the star is constructed with gold diamonds, and the branch insignia of the Finance Corps is a gold diamond. And the black used for the scroll containing the motto “Support Anytime Anywhere” is the color of solvency.
Please send us an email if you have any information regarding the design and/or symbolism of this insignia or on the origin, lineage, and/or history of the 501st Finance Battalion.