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. Enlisted personnel wear the insignia 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.
More 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.Currently worn by Soldiers in the 649th Regional Support Group, the Distinctive Unit Insignia of the 649th Support Group was approved on 20 February 2000. Prominently used in the design are buff (gold) and scarlet, traditional colors used by Support Units and seen most notably here in the gold script and scarlet scroll of the unit motto “Support And Defend Freedom.”
A laurel wreath enwrapping almost the entire insignia and an eagle with spread wings are adapted from the Regimental Distinctive Insignia of the Quartermaster Corps, recalling the service in that branch of units in its lineage: the eagle is a symbol of strength and vigilance, while the laurel denotes both excellence and honor. The blue disc is an allusion to the unit’s higher headquarters at the time the insignia was approved (89th Army Regional Support Command), and three stars stand for the branches of the Group’s original subordinate units.
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Deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Group was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation in February 2011 for its service between 1 September 2009 and 27 July 2010. Based at Kandahar Airfield, the Group accomplished its mission “above and beyond the call of duty,” displaying noteworthy innovation to receive and house over 17,000 military personnel and 4,000 contractors during that time.
As of March 2023, the 649th Regional Support Group is a subordinate of the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, a component of 79th Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Reserve. The Group is headquartered at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.