Like many Special Troops Battalions, the 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division was activated in 2004 through the organization of the brigade Headquarters as part of the Army’s transition to modular force with the Brigade Combat Teams as the primary combat formation.
Dubbed the “Spartan” battalion, the unit saw four operational deployments over the next nine-plus years, earning two Meritorious Unit Citations for combat actions and giving true meaning to the unit motto of “Strength In Honor.” Additionally, detachments from component units were honored with a Presidential Uni Citation and a Valorous Unit Award, and the battalion’s diligence and professionalism during nine months’ preparations and training for a slated 2010 deployment was recognized with an Army Superior Unit Award.
15 April 2014 marked the inactivation of the brigade, which at the time totaled more than 700 Soldiers spanning nearly three dozen Military Occupational Specialties and responsible for advanced equipment worth just shy of $100 million. The battalion was consolidated with the 326th “Sapper Eagles” Brigade Engineer Battalion as part of the Army’s move away from the Special Troops Battalion concept in an effort to provide a more fully realized self-contained brigade as the focal point of Army combat operations.
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Also known as a unit crest or DUI, 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.