U.S. ARMY 171ST INFANTRY BRIGADE UNIT CREST (DUI)

The 171st Infantry Brigade Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), or unit crest, was approved after the unit was activated following its redesignation from the 86th Mechanized Reconnaissance Troop in 1963. Two snow-capped mountains form the base of the insignia and are surmounted by stylized renderings of the Northern lights, an allusion to its home state of Alaska at the time of its 1963 activation.

A double-headed eagle is an emblem of the Tsarist flag that was lowered on 18 October 1867 as part of the ceremony transferring Alaska from Russia through the Alaskan purchase. The gold running throughout the insignia is a reference to the natural wealth of the state in general and in gold in particular.

At the time of its inactivation in June 2016, the 171st Infantry Brigade had been in charge of all training sites at Fort Jackson, South Carolina since 2007, with some sources stating that the Brigade was responsible for training 58% of the Army's new Soldiers. This final assignment mirrored the Brigade's original training mission that began with its constitution in 1917, when it trained more than 115,000 Soldiers before it was deployed to fight in Europe in 1918. The Brigade did not see combat, but was awarded an uninscribed World War I campaign streamer for its contributions to victory.

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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. Current regulations do not permit the DUI to be worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.

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.

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U.S. ARMY 171ST INFANTRY BRIGADE UNIT CREST (DUI)