The 141st Signal Battalion, also known by its special designation “The Communicators,” was a unit in the 1st Armored Division that was first constituted in the Regular Army as the 7th Signal Troop on 1 June 1940. It would undergo a couple of redesignations before it became the 141st Armored Signal Company and took part in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa, in November 1942; the unit earned an Arrowhead device for its Algeria-French Morocco campaign streamer for its participation in the assault landing with the 1st Armored Division. It would advance with the Division into Tunisia and then onward to Sicily and the Italian mainland, eventually earning battle honors for a seven World War II campaigns.
Inactivated in April 1946, the Company was reactivated at Fort Hood in March 1951. In February 1957, it was reorganized and redesignated as the HHC, 141st Signal Battalion, but was inactivated ten months later on 23 December 1957 at Fort Polk Louisiana. The Battalion’s Company was then activated at Fort Hood, Texas on 24 September 1960, followed by the activation of the remainder of the Battalion on 3 February 1962.
From then until its inactivation in the late 2000s, the Battalion would be deployed solely to Southwest Asia and the Middle East, first for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in which the Battalion was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation and its B Company was individually recognized with a Valorous Unit Award. During several deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Battalion received another Meritorious Unit Commendation for it service between April and December 2003, and it’s A and Bo Companies were both recipients of a Presidential Unit Citation (2004) and a Navy Unit Commendation (February 2006 to February 2007).
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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. DUIs are not worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
Displayed at the base of the 141st Signal Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia is the unit’s motto ENSE ET VOCE, Latin for “With Sword And Voice,” recognizing the unit’s military capabilities as well as its invaluable support role involving communications. Approved on 31 January 1962, the insignia’s shield portion is divided into a black upper portion and an orange lower half featuring three jagged protrusions.
The black area represents Africa, the “Dark Continent” and sites of the unit’s first foray into combat. In the black area is a fire arrow, an early signaling technology that represents the mission of the organization. The three peaks in the orange half denote the mountainous terrain of Italy, where the unit fought its way from Sicily to mainland Italy and finally to the Po Valley by the end of the war.
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.