The 316th Sustainment Command Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, often called a unit patch, was first approved in 1954 while the unit was designated the 316th Logistical Command, a designation it would retain until it was inactivated in 1968. The color version of the patch, originally designed for wear with the now-discontinued Army Green Uniform but now authorized for the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU), features a compass rose with red and blue points and a white fleur-de-lis superimposed upon its center, all on a white disc with red border.
The compass rose signifies the Command’s ability to deploy in any direction to any point in the world in order to provide its Quartermaster, Transport, and Supply functions. While the fleur-de-lis is normally used to indicate North on compass roses, here it represents a flower: the Iris is the state flower of Tennessee, the Command’s home state at the time. It also represents the city of Knoxville, the city where the unit was originally activated in 1950 and its home until the 1968 inactivation.
Today, the 316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), or 316th ESC, is based just outside Pittsburgh in Coraopolis. Since it’s activation as an Expeditionary Command, the unit has been deployed twice in support of the War on Terrorism, earning a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its 2007 – 2008 tour during which it took command of Anaconda Logistical Support Area (LSA). The second largest base in operation during the Iraq War, LSA Anaconda was renamed Joint Base Balad the week after the Command completed its tour on 8 June 2008.
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316th Sustainment Command Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)