The 23rd Air Defense Artillery Group Distinctive Unit Insignia, also called a unit crest or a DUI, was originally approved for the 23rd Artillery Group, a Field Artillery unit from 16 November 965 to 28 January 1972. “Steel On Target,” the unit motto, is a clever phrase that refers both to ordnance striking a target, but also a pun referring to keeping artillery sighted on a target, as in “Still On Target.”
A lion at the top of the insignia is taken from the coat of arms of Normandy and recalls the five campaigns the unit fought in during World War II. Five javelin heads grouped on the bullseye of a target (“steel on target,” “still on target”) symbolize the first firing of the M107 175mm self-propelled gun on 19 November 1968 at Bien Hoa Air Force Base in Vietnam—the first time the weapon had ever been fired in combat.
Additionally, the grouping of the javelin heads with two on top and three on bottom is a reference to the numerical designation of the unit. The scarlet color used for the lion and the background of the target area is a reference to the Meritorious Unit Commendation the Group won in Vietnam.
After being redesignated as a Air Defense Artillery formation in 1972, the 23rd was stationed first at Fort Totten in New York until December 1973, then was stationed near Fort George Meade until 1 September 1974.
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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.