Currently worn by members of the Special Troops Battalion, 36th Infantry Division in the Texas Army National Guard, this Distinctive Unit Insignia (DUI), or unit crest, was originally authorized for the 249th Supply and Transport Battalion on 7 June 1976. It was then redesignated for the 249th Support Battalion, also known as the 249th Main Support Battalion, on 1 June 1987, but with its description and symbolism revised. The effective date of its current designation was 1 September 2008.
Brick red and yellow, the two dominant colors in the unit crest, reflect the unit’s origins in the Supply and Transport branch and its past association with the 49th Armored Division, respectively. The unit’s role as a Support organization is denoted by the brick-red chevron-style shape at the shield’s base; the lozenges above it signify supplies, while the golden annulet is a reference to wheeled transportation. A single white star stands for Texas, the Lone Star State; the circle around it is an allusion to the circle used on amps to refer to capital cities (in this case Austin, Texas where the Battalion was headquartered). “Support Through Service,” the Battalion motto, has remained applicable despite the organization’s changing designations.
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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.