This is the second Distinctive Unit Insignia issued for the 115th Signal Battalion; the first was approved on 8 December 1960 but was cancelled, and this version was authorized on 28 December 2004. A yellow pile (downward-pointing triangle in this insignia) symbolizes a searchlight beam as a way to highlighting the unit’s origins in the Coast Artillery; the two shells reflect the organization’s stint in the 1950s as an Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons unit. Two crossed semaphore flags denote the unit’s affiliation with the Signal Corps, and the “fountain”—the circle with wavy, horizontal lines—stands for overseas campaign service during World War II in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. "First In Duty" is the Battalion motto.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 (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. Current regulations do not permit the DUI to be worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
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.
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The 115th Expeditionary Signal Battalion was organized and Federally recognized in the Alabama National Guard as the 2nd Battalion, 151st Engineers on 21 December 1940. Following induction into Federal service on 27 January 1941, the unit was redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 151st Engineer Combat Regimen in September 1942, and again in July 1944 as the 1343rd Engineer Combat Battalion. It would take part in two campaigns during World War II (Aleutian Islands and Rhineland) before being inactivated on 26 January 1946.
Converted, redesignated, and Federally recognized as the 104th Antiaircraft Artillery Weapons Battalion on 15 January 1947, the Battalion was order into active service on 16 January 1951. Throughout the 1950s, it would be redesignated as different types of antiaircraft units, culminating as the 1st Automatic Weapons Battalion, 278th Artillery on 2 May 1959. It would finally be given its current designation on 16 December 1959 as the 115th Signal Battalion, Alabama Army National Guard, based in Northwestern Alabama.
During World War II, the Battalion took part in the Aleutian Islands campaign in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater (while designated as the 2nd Battalion, 151st Engineer Combat Regiment) and the Rhineland campaign in Europe (while designated as the 1343d Engineer Combat Battalion). The Battalion deployed overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005 - 2005 and Operation Enduring Freedom in 2011 - 2012; its selection for a Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2013 for its service during the latter deployment was officially confirmed in Army General Order 2017-28.
As Winter 2024, the 115th Expeditionary Signal Battalion remains an active unit in the Alabama Army National Guard and is headquartered in Florence, Alabama.